Pro Pundits

The FPL assets who could prosper from managerial changes and injuries

In his latest Pro Pundits article, Lateriser12 – who has overall ranks of 77th and 189th to his name  shares his thoughts on the changing FPL landscape.


Happy New Year, everyone! Here’s hoping the festive period was fruitful for you guys. It certainly was a ‘Merry’ Christmas, Fantasy Premier League-wise, for me.

Last time I wrote was just before Gameweek 18 where I found myself ranked at 85.6k. Today, I’m sitting at 19.8k. A lot worked for me over Christmas but mainly it was the differential ‘switch-hit’ captaincy on Anthony Martial (£7.9m) against Newcastle United and he rewarded me with 30 points that most managers didn’t have. I’ve spoken about this in depth during my chat here with Joe.

Looking forward, there’s a few interesting things I want to talk about and they include everything outside of the Double Gameweeks.

The FPL eco-system has changed a fair bit and we have a few new managers in the league, namely Carlo Ancelotti, Mikel Arteta, David Moyes and Nigel Pearson, which changes things. I don’t need to talk too much about Watford, Everton and Arsenal here as David and Neale have already done some amazing work with these teams.

READ MORE: The changes Carlo Ancelotti has made at Everton
READ MORE: The changes Nigel Pearson has made at Watford
READ MORE: The changes Mikel Arteta has made at Arsenal

You should know that I am considering bringing in Ismaila Sarr (£6.2m) as soon as this week after reading David’s article and watching some highlights. In addition, Mason Holgate (£4.4m) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.9m) are high on my FPL radar. Holgate in particular has a strong magnet-like tendency to attract the ball towards him on a lot of set plays. I reckon he’s got some goals in him until the end of the season.

We even have a huge FPL asset returning potentially as an ‘out of position’ player and that needs to be monitored closely. Son Heung-min (£9.8m) as a striker for Tottenham Hotspur is a very tasty proposition indeed and while we cast our eyes on the Double Gameweek 24, we should keep in mind these dynamic shifts that are occurring in the FPL eco-system. Son has some semi-decent fixtures coming up and I’m keen on seeing how he does in the near future.

Here I’ve scanned how Tottenham midfielders have performed in the absence of Harry Kane (£10.9m) in the past.

Of the new managers that have come in, one that I’ve got a very keen eye on is Mikel Arteta. I saw his first press conference for Arsenal and he comes across as a strong and confident character with some intriguing ideas. If I was an Arsenal fan, I’d be very optimistic.

I’ve seen the last two games Arsenal have played and they look like a completely different team. They’re creating some good chances and are pressing extremely hard. I think there could be some value in their defence in the mid-term. They also have some good fixtures coming up and sit fourth on the Season Ticker until Gameweek 32.

Arteta finally started Nicolas Pepe (£9.1m) against Manchester United and in the 60 minutes that he did play, he looked mightily impressive to me. The positioning for Pepe, Alexandre Lacazette (£9.3m) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£10.8m) is eye-catching as they all seem to play in the front line.

Watching the game, Pepe looked particularly threatening. It is worth noting that he was on corners, as well, as he had been under Unai Emery. The proof is in the pudding as Pepe indeed recorded the highest xG amongst all attackers in that game despite playing only 60-odd minutes. He is one I’m going to closely monitor for the next couple of weeks.

Another thing to note from the festive fixtures is a certain bargain FPL defender. Manchester City’s Eric Garcia (£4.5m) has started the last two fixtures and, although some key defenders from City are coming back from their injury lay-offs, this is a situation worth keeping an eye on. Pep Guardiola has heaped a lot of praise on this youngster and with the City boss playing three central defenders of late, there could be a bargain for us available here.

Another defender I want to talk about here is a legend from last year, Matt Doherty (£6.1m). The Wolves defender has come so close to a goal in the last few weeks and has really caught my eye. He does have three tough fixtures in the next five though so maybe he could be a good bet for the end of the season.

Doherty has had the highest number of goal attempts and big chances among defenders in the last four Gameweeks and is leading the charts quite comfortably.

This article would be incomplete without addressing the elephant in the room. There is an attacker who costs £8.4m and these are his stats in the last four Gameweeks:

  • Second for big chances created
  • First for goal attempts
  • First for shots in the box

We’re talking about the in-form, FPL royalty of one time, Mr Riyad Mahrez.

If we knew he was nailed in the City team, he’d be in all of our squads. But at £8.4m, do we really need him to be nailed? Even if so, you should know that he’s played three out of the last four league games and played 45 minutes in the game he did not start.

Despite having featured for less than 1,000 minutes this season, he sits eighth in the FPL midfielder points table and has 13 goal involvements to his name already.

Next up he plays an Aston Villa side that has consistently been one of the worst defensive teams in the league and has lost their marquee goalkeeper for the rest of the season. City then have a home game against Crystal Palace, who have injury problems of their own.

I have been here before with Mahrez and it didn’t exactly work out. The decision depends wholly on your appetite for risk; I’m only presenting you with some numbers you can chew on.

One last thing I want to talk about is defensive form, as we can sometimes remain attached to our assumptions in terms of which teams are defensively weak. I’d just like to present you with one myth-busting fact: only Liverpool have conceded fewer big chances than Southampton in the last four Gameweeks. I just thought I would bring this to the attention of those that have their armband on a certain Jamie Vardy (£10.0m).

Before I sign off, I’ll just add that I haven’t really thought about what moves I will be making this week. But I will tell you that I am closely looking at the Vardy stat and a few sultry players from the Manchester City team – including Sergio Aguero (£11.7m) – are currently seducing me. My team is in perfectly good shape and I don’t really need to go there but they are hugely enticing in Gameweek 22. I’m not entirely sure just yet whether I will give in to the seduction or resist it.


Fantasy Football Scout user Lateriser12 has a very impressive Fantasy CV. He has registered two finishes in the top 200 (one of them equating to number one in India) and four in the top 10,000 in the last six seasons. The secret to his success has been playing non-conventionally and fearlessly, swearing by ‘upside chasing’ and not giving ownership much of a look.

780 Comments Post a Comment
  1. gunner79
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Play one. Soyo, Grealish or Tarore.

    Cheers

    1. Coys96
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Traore

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

    Im not feeling Vardy C this gw. Who is the best option here?

    A Salah
    B KDB
    C Martial
    D Jimenez

    1. Coys96
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      C, after a long analysis

      1. amit1964
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        a trap

    2. Rushford
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      I’m considering KDB as long as he is not used deeper with Dilva in the team

      1. George James
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        how will you know this before tomorrow at 19:00

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

          Well, I will guess Pep plays with two attacking midfielders against a weak side like Villa. Then I will hope Pep says something extraordinary in the presser. And then I will most likely captain Vardy anyway..

      2. Homer21
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        As soon as you find out, will you let me know! 😉

    3. Aubamazette
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      If we knew KDB was in an advanced role and not cm then I’d deffo pick him

  3. Rushford
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Two frees and no obvious moves.

    Foster
    TAA Digne Lund Soy
    Salah Martial KDB
    Vardy Rashford Jiménez

    Button Grealish Rico Cantwell
    2FT 0.9itb

    A) Do nothing and waste a transfer, then Martial+Rashford->Mane+Greenwood next
    B) Do Jiménez-> Ings, then Martial+Rashford->Mane+DCL next
    C) Do Foster->McCarthy, then Martial+Rashford->Mane+DCL next
    D) Do Foster to ?, then Martial+Rashford->Mane+Greenwood next

    1. Mintu
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Toss up between b and c

  4. The Yorkshire Pirlo
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    KDB or Maddison > Salah for free?

    Mane, KDB, Maddison, Grealish
    Vardy, Jimenez, DCL

    1. sunzip14
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Madds

    2. Kuzser
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Ideally none. Can you downgrade Jiménez prior to gw24 and upgrade your 5th mid to Salah?

      1. The Yorkshire Pirlo
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        That’s an option yeah mate. You reckon Jimenez is the one to lose? Only brought him in recently

  5. Party time
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Where are my Indian ffs friends at?! 😆

      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LS2dzyYbiHE

      India to win next world cup

      1. Holmes
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Embarrassing 😆

        1. Party time
            4 years, 2 months ago

            😆

      2. sunzip14
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Who scores more in the next 2 GW?

        A) DCL
        B) Jimenez

        1. sunzip14
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          C) Ings

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

        Guys, is there a 3.9m defender who is likely to become a regular starter? I need to get rid of Kelly this week and bank the rest of the money. Is Simpson the most nailed?

        1. sunzip14
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          The talk was about Reid possibly coming back from a long ago. He hasn't yet, so I sold him for Williams 4.0

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

            Is Reid a central defender? Who would he replace?

            1. Le Bluff
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 12 Years
              4 years, 2 months ago

              He is a CB but Balbuena, Diop and Ogbonna are all ahead of him. Doubt he plays this season, tbh.

              Think your best bet is Brandon Williams of 4.0 as he seems to be getting some gametime lately. Otherwise, Taylor (4.2) and Cathcart (4.2) are your direct replacements.

          2. @persecuted_by_mods
              4 years, 2 months ago

              Gibson potentially?

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

            I've been thinking about Bernardo from Brighton. But also, is it urgent to get rid of Kelly? Is his position really in jeopardy?

            1. Dthinger
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 7 Years
              4 years, 2 months ago

              not that he's 3.9, but as a replacement for Kelly

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

            I just need to buy the 3.9m defender who is most likely to start playing in the future. He will always be on my bench unless there are several injured players in my squad. But he definitely needs to cos 3.9m.

        2. fplfansss
          • 6 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          Is anyone keeping faith in Deli Alli this week?

          1. dicky2014
            • 9 Years
            4 years, 2 months ago

            Nah sold for Traore to free up funds for Liverpool players in the double.

        3. Viper
          • 14 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          I hear Maddison is a doubt. I presume its the type of injury that means he can either play or he can't? None of this cameo nonsense

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

            Where have you read that 😮
            I'm thinking about bringing him in

            1. La Roja
              • 12 Years
              4 years, 2 months ago

              Scout tweets

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

                Thanks
                Plans ruined then

          2. El Presidente
            • 4 Years
            4 years, 2 months ago

            Correct. If it was a concussion he will not play.

          3. Corgz Dark side of the Loon
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 8 Years
            4 years, 2 months ago

            Concussion injury I hear....so may be rested....not long term

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

            Also good enough reason to not go Vardy C

        4. Kuzser
          • 6 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          Please help on these 2 questions guys:

          1. Combo for Dgw24 to accommodate a 3rd Liv player
          a) SALAH - Maddison - DCL play 3-4-3 (Hayden as a fodder)
          b) SALAH - Grealish - Maddison and fodder, play 3-5-2 (Connoly/ Greenwood as a fodder)
          c) SALAH - Grealish - Jimenez and fodder, play 3-4-3 (Hayden as a fodder)
          d) ROBBO/VVD - Richarlison/Martial -Maddison - Jimenez, play whatever works

          2. Who to play this week?
          1) Alli
          2) Grealish
          3) Alli->Martial/Richarlison and go for option D above

          Ramsdale
          Taa Soy Lundstram
          Mane Kdb Maddison Grealish
          Vardy Ings Jimenez

          Alli Rico Kelly

        5. NWallis
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          So happy those chilean miners got out safe!

        6. Beautiful Game
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          Any news on Maddison's injury?

          1. El Presidente
            • 4 Years
            4 years, 2 months ago

            nope

        7. Coys96
          • 6 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          From GW24:

          1. Firmino, Son, Hayden, Simpson
          2. Greenwood, Salah, Grealish, Joel Ward

          Seriously think I prefer Firmino to Salah for dgw...

          1. Camzy
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 13 Years
            4 years, 2 months ago

            2. Firmino is very overrated as an FPL prospect.

            1. Coys96
              • 6 Years
              4 years, 2 months ago

              Has 5 more goals away from home than Salah, and all of the games he's scored in this season are similar to those in DGW

              1. Camzy
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 13 Years
                4 years, 2 months ago

                In the last 14 games. He has just 3 games where he got attacking returns... The stats don't lie.

                1. Coys96
                  • 6 Years
                  4 years, 2 months ago

                  Wow didn't know that, thanks. Really want Son in so it's very difficult to fit him in

        8. Camzy
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          Struggling to plan ahead here...

          Front 8:
          Mane KdB Martial Perez Dendo
          Vardy Rash Abraham

          2.8m ITB

          I did Alli > Perez this week. This is to setup a GW 24 double switch of Abraham + Martial > Salah + DCL. But I have 0 leeway funds wise and there's a chance I have to move earlier to get what's needed.

          Lots of things I could toss up. I could even do Rash + Martial > Salah + Ings. Only thing is, I do kind of want at least one MUN attacker with their decent fixtures (and because it would save me transfers).

          Could do something like Rash + Perez + Abraham for a hit over the two weeks as well to get Salah, DCL, Ings. But would cost a -4.

          Who's priority for GW23 and beyond?
          A) Martial
          B) Rashford
          C) Ings
          D) DCL

          1. Coys96
            • 6 Years
            4 years, 2 months ago

            C

          2. Rinseboy
            • 12 Years
            4 years, 2 months ago

            DCL if he does well again this week

          3. NorthernMan
            • 13 Years
            4 years, 2 months ago

            C

        9. McGlynn8
          • 4 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          Any Suggestions what to do with my team would be appreciated.

          I have 2 FT

          Current team

          Guita
          Zouma TAA Lundstram
          Grealish Mane KDB Traore
          Kane (injured) Ings Vardy

          Subs Button Rico Kelly Dendoncker

          1. Firminooooo
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 8 Years
            4 years, 2 months ago

            Kane and Traore to Salah and DCL/Deeney. Downgrade Zouma or Guaita first if you need more money.

        10. chatynho
          • 4 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          Ryan
          TAA Soy Gomez (Lund rico)
          Salah KDB Sterling Grealish Traoré
          Vardy Ings Greenwood

          2ft 0,3m in bank, any thoughts? Thank you:)

          1. Aeu96197
            • 4 Years
            4 years, 2 months ago

            You plan to keep Gomez for GW24? If so then Rico to Holgate now maybe - otherwise you may need the 0.3 so gtg

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

          Which one for gw 24 ?

          Robbo ?

          Salah ?

        12. Firminooooo
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 8 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          Thinking about Aurier and Ramsdale out this GW. 2FT.

          A) Holgate and Ryan
          B) Sidibe and McCarthy

          Ramsdale Button
          TAA Lundstram Soy Rico Aurier
          Salah KdB Martial Grealish Cantwell
          Vardy Aguero Ings

          1. Aeu96197
            • 4 Years
            4 years, 2 months ago

            B