Pro Pundits

How I’m using the FA Cup weekend to forward plan in Fantasy Premier League

FPL Family’s Sam Bonfield is looking forward to the downtime on FA Cup third round weekend and planning ahead.


What a rollercoaster this festive period has been. This point of the season is where I normally hit my stride and by making good decisions during the Christmas fixture congestion, it usually sets me up well for the second half of the season.

With the close of Gameweek 19 I was around the 7k mark having had a green arrow of around 6,000 places and I was hoping that this was the start of holding my position as opposed to yo-yoing as I had been in the weeks previous.

Alas, Gameweek 20 went catastrophically wrong with my players blanking, my captain – Jamie Vardy (£10.1m) – missing and Kevin De Bruyne (£10.6m) causing me red arrows with every attacking return he registered as he was so highly captained and vice-captained as a result of Vardy’s absence.

In many ways, I think the Gameweek came too quickly for me – a match on the Friday followed by a new Gameweek on the Saturday just meant that I didn’t have the thinking time, which is so important to how I play the game.

One of my key FPL rules is that I never make a change on the day of the deadline, so this meant I had a matter of hours between the end of the Manchester City game on the Friday and my self-imposed deadline. I think I was also a little complacent as I had set my Wildcard team for Boxing Day’s Gameweek 19 and in turn also for Gameweek 20, meaning that because of the tight deadline, I didn’t think enough about the latter.

As a result, Gameweek 21 saw a lot of pondering. However, I just couldn’t settle on a transfer that felt right – they either involved getting in a player a week or two earlier than I had wanted or losing a player before a game I thought they would do well in. It was because of this I did something that I never do and burned a transfer.

This worried me but actually it was the right decision. Vardy was handed the armband again (mostly as a shield because he was rating so highly in all the captain stats and was indeed the most-captained player of the Gameweek) so when he missed the game, vice-captain Dele Alli (£8.8m) stepped up.

I really thought he would be better than he was especially given his record against Southampton, and so his blank filled me with dread as with most people’s vice-captains on Marcus Rashford (£9.1m) or De Bruyne I feared for my rank ahead of their fixtures. However, with blanks for Rashford, Anthony Martial (£7.9m) and De Bruyne, as well as a one-point cameo for Raheem Sterling (£11.8m) and Sergio Aguero (£11.7m) missing in action, I got away with it. Add that to goals from Todd Cantwell (£4.9m), Danny Ings (£6.7m) and Mohamed Salah (£12.3m), an assist from Tammy Abraham (£7.8m) and clean sheets for Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.4m) and Caglar Soyuncu (£5.1m), I have seen a green arrow back to around 9k. Now to maintain and build on it. 

For me, the first FA Cup weekend is the perfect opportunity to look ahead through the rest of January and into February, as it offers a breathing space following on from the busy festive period. This is the time where the Members Area and the Season Ticker take on ever-increasing importance.

This year the changes in managers over Christmas at West Ham, Everton, Arsenal, Watford and Spurs add a whole different element to this period. All five of these new manager teams sit in the top half of the Season Ticker for Gameweeks 22-26. All five clubs also contain key players who, with a combination of fixtures and new manager bounce, could be fantastic differential picks after the FA Cup weekend. 

The key players on my watchlist from ‘new manager bounce’ clubs are:

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.8m)

Carlo Ancelotti saying that he thinks the striker “is going to be at the top in England and in Europe” highlights just how important Calvert-Lewin is likely to be in this Everton team over the course of the rest of the season.

His heatmap and the stats from the Members Area highlight how much of a positive change Ancelotti has had on his game, as does the three goals in the last four games.

As a result, he has already scored eight goals this season: more than in any other Premier League campaign. If Abraham continues to under-perform, Calvert-Lewin would make a lovely third striker option and is one I am seriously considering for Gameweek 22 onwards.  

Lukasz Fabianski (£4.9m)

West Ham’s poor run of form can be partially linked to Fabianski’s injury. Since his return for Gameweek 20, Fabianski has returned eight and six points respectively (a penalty save and a bonus point contributing to the first haul when he didn’t keep a clean sheet).

Historically, Fabianski has always been a great rotating keeper option. With West Ham needing the points and David Moyes being brought in to steady the ship, this should make Fabianski an attractive option once again, especially given the Double Gameweek 24 that West Ham enjoy.

Troy Deeney (£6.2m)

Nigel Pearson’s arrival at Vicarage Road has made Watford a team worth considering from an FPL stance and Deeney as their captain and talisman should not be overlooked.

Whilst he failed to return in Gameweek 21, his 12-point haul in Gameweek 20 shows that he has the potential to bring huge gains for brave FPL owners.

Deeney has the added advantage of being on penalties, which adds to his Fantasy appeal. If Watford continue to rebuild in 2020, Deeney or his teammate below could both be great options. 

Ismaila Sarr (£6.2m)

How I've risen up the rankings in FPL over the last two months

With three returns in the last four gameweeks, Sarr is the in-form Watford player of the moment.

Two goals, two assists, two clean sheets and two bonus points show the change in him, as he previously only had one attacking return up until Gameweek 18.

Sarr’s heat map, xG and xGI stats all look excellent and thus at £6.2m he could be an excellent pick, especially over the next three Gameweeks where Watford play teams that are currently conceding a lot of goals (Bournemouth, Spurs and Aston Villa).

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£10.8m)

At 18.3% owned, Aubameyang isn’t exactly a differential. However, he had been a difficult pick in recent weeks as a result of a lack of consistency in his returns.

Even with a blank in Gameweek 21, he has returns in two of the last three and, more importantly, Arsenal have improved dramatically since Mikel Arteta’s arrival and this should only continue over the coming weeks.

If Arteta can get Nicolas Pepe (£9.1m), Mesut Ozil (£7.2m), Alexandre Lacazette (£9.3m) etc playing at their best week-in, week-out, this will only strengthen Aubameyang’s appeal.

Aubameyang looks for me to be the premium striker who is about to go on a run and, therefore, with Harry Kane’s (£11.0m) hamstring injury, a straight swap from one side of north London to another looks like it could be a good idea. 

Ryan Sessegnon (£5.4m)

Spurs have a great deal of improvement to make and thus this one is very much a watching brief especially given that the Lilywhites play Liverpool in Gameweek 22.

However, with three consecutive starts, Sessegnon seems to be solidifying his place in the Spurs team. His positioning in the last two matches as well as the number of touches he has in the opponents’ half and in the final third, suggests that there is assist potential there.


Gameweek 22 feels like the tonic that we FPL managers need, with time to take stock, watch the FA Cup matches, get full updates on those injured in Gameweek 21 and make some forward planning decisions.

Knowing that Gameweek 24 is our first double of the season, rolling transfers, making transfers to free up funds and watching the markets will be vital in having the team you want.

For me, I want Sadio Mane (£12.3m) and Salah for their double and thus I need to free some money or at least plan where the cash to upgrade Alli to Mane will come from now.

I have £2.4m in the bank but this means I still need another £1.3m to make the transfer achievable. Ideally. I would have liked to move Toby Alderweireld (£5.4m) to Djibril Sidibe (£5.3m) – however, this only saves me £0.1m so I’ll either need to make another transfer to move Sidibe to a cheaper player in a couple of weeks time or I move him to a cheaper player now to free the money in advance. Doing the latter is a risk as it means early compromises to my team, while doing the former means playing to use an additional transfer which may be useful or needed elsewhere.

Either way, the FA Cup break is the perfect opportunity to look at the stats and heatmaps and forward plan for Double Gameweek 24 as well as for the rest of the fixtures in January.


Sam Bonfield is a member of our Pro Pundits initiative, a team of Fantasy managers here to bring you regular advice and updates on their teams. Sam has served up two top 30k finishes in the last two seasons and is currently inside the top 10k in the world.

Sam FPLFamily <p>Fantasy Football Scout's General Manager. Half of the FPLFamily. Pundit on the FPL Pod, Fantasy Show and Sky Sports News&nbsp;</p> Follow them on Twitter

974 Comments Post a Comment
  1. FPL Blow-In
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    What to do here folks? 1ft 3.5 itb

    Henderson
    TAA, Digne, Lundstram, Soyuncu
    Salah, Kdb, Maddison, Grealish
    Vardy, Rashford

    Button, Greenwood, Cantwell, Rico

    1. CONFUSECIUS
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      could give u 100 in good day at work...

      1. FPL Blow-In
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Do you mean it could give me 100points?

        1. CONFUSECIUS
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          on particular day.. hope for the best...

    2. TorresMagic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Who are you willing to sell?
      Nobody so a save.

      1. FPL Blow-In
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Well it depends. I was set on Manè for the double gw24 and now I’m not so sure if I want to go double attack or defence. If I want Manè I need to lose KdB or downgrade Rashford to Ings and upgrade Grealish/Maddison to Manè. Have you decided on double attack or defence for the double?

        1. TorresMagic™
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • Has Moderation Rights
          • 14 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          I already have 3.

        2. stu92
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 4 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          I replied below before seeing this! I’d say double defence is easiest to get to without disrupting an already good team to get the budget. Grealish & Digne > Traore/Mooy/other & Robbo/VVD

    3. stu92
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Grealish is the weak link there I’d say. Most likely the one to grab points for Villa but with so many key injuries and leaking goals it seems less likely he’ll do so.

      Traore or Mooy? Upgrade Digne to Robbo/VVD with the extra cash?

    4. UshFPL
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Looks good so I'd plan on saving for now

  2. Boss Hogg
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Best defender for 4.4 or less?
    Balbeuna?

    1. Slitherene
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Holgate?

    2. stu92
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Been thinking of him myself. Possibly Taylor at Burnley but they have a rotten run of fixtures coming up.

    3. Fpl Richie
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Holgate or Stephens

  3. UshFPL
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Hi all. Appreciate any help with this lot. 2 FT and 0.7 itb

    Fab
    Robbo Soyuncu Lundstram
    Mane KDB Maddison Grealish
    Vardy Ings Jimenez
    (Woodman Alli Kelly Rico)

    What do you think I should do?
    A. Alli and Rico -> Sarr and TAA
    B. Alli and Rico -> Dendoncker and TAA
    C. Suggest other?

    A gives me a stronger squad but B leaves money itb and less benching headaches

    1. Saro0808
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      jimi and alli to mo salah & dcl( for the double game week)

    2. CONFUSECIUS
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      i go with b.. no need for headache...

  4. FOO FIGHTER
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Think I will just stick with my VVD TAA Salah triple up cor GW24.

    Getting in Mane means downgrading one of my 3 forwards to Greenwood and downgrading VVD to allow cash to upgrade Grealish to Mane.

    1. syke63
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Definitely shouldn't be changing Pool players when you have 3 already. The double will be a lottery where anyone could score big or even blank.

      1. CONFUSECIUS
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        agreed...

  5. Boss Hogg
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    How nailed is Holgate?
    Do we think Ancelotti will buy a centre back in the window?

    1. Saro0808
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      cheap alternative to rico/kelly.he is been playing a lot.dont except much,i myself got him for the upcoming fixtures.proly my 4th or 5th def.

  6. syke63
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Seems weird to be considering selling Ings for DCL but need to generate cash to get in Mané for the dgw. He will have to come back in later too.

    1. Saro0808
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Ings is nailed.hopefully u dont much money tied up.sou fixtures looks on point after gw25

      1. syke63
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Will lose .3 but will get him back in gw 25 or 26.

    2. CONFUSECIUS
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      with limited money & choices.. that's the ugly of fpl...

    3. Eat my goal!
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Have you got Salah?

      1. syke63
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Will have Mané, Salah and TAA then and keep until the league is won I guess.

  7. Saro0808
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Ryan
    Lund Holgate Soyu
    Salah Mane Kbd Maddi
    Vardy Ings Rashford

    Bench:Button, Baldock,Cantwell,Rico Bank : 0.2m

    having benching dilemma?cant figure it out.
    for the upcoming weeks,thinking of rashford,baldock,button to dcl,taa/robbo,fab? looks good?any other suggestion lads

    1. AzzaroMax99
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Play Rico instead of Holgate.
      Cantwell 1st on the bench.
      Save FT.

  8. HollywoodXI
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Greenwood to get more game time given how disappointing Lingard and Pereira have been in that front three?

    1. Eat my goal!
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Nah, Utd will buy

  9. TM44
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Team for this gw, hows it looking gtg? Is bench and (c) right? 2ft's £0.1m itb

    Pope

    Lundstrum robbo soyuncu

    Alli salah kdb (c) grealish

    Vardy (v) ings rashford

    Subs: button, cantwell, tomori, rico

    1. Saro0808
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      tomori/rico to a cheap atlernative or pope to fab.after this gameweek rash and alli to mane and dcl ( all for the double game week)

  10. CrouchDown
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Is Deeney overlooked on here? Watford on form and he tends to score in streaks.

    Next 5 fixtures are good too IMO

  11. Jakew99029
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Help please all....

    Few bad transfers left me with a team I’m not happy, plus now Kane injury! Wildcard or take a hit on a few players? Keen to get three pool and also fab in for the double GW.

    Ryan Adrian
    Tom, soy, Aurier, Rico, Lund
    KDB, Salah, Zaha, grealish, can’t
    Rash, kane , murray

    Appreciate any thoughts.

  12. lilmessipran
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Start Graelish or Rico this gw?

    1. AzzaroMax99
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Jack

  13. AzzaroMax99
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    2 q’s :

    A) Salah
    B) Mane

    1) Jimmy
    2) Ings