Pro Pundits

The best FPL players to buy ahead of Blank Gameweek 31

Six-time top 5k finisher Utkarsh Dalmia – aka Zophar –  highlights some of the leading Fantasy Premier League candidates for a Free Hit squad.


Fantasy Premier League managers are just picking up the pieces from what was supposed to be a Double Gameweek 29 but we can waste no time brooding, with the season-defining run-in approaching and Blank Gameweek 31 looming large.

I’m not going into chip strategy too much in this piece, with that topic having already been discussed in a recent article.

Instead, I’m focusing on players who I believe are good picks for a Free Hit squad in Gameweek 31 or for you to acquire now.

Most of you will know this by now but the Premier League fixtures going ahead in Gameweek 31 are:

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Bournemouth
Liverpool vs Crystal Palace
Burnley vs Watford
Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham

First off, let’s have a look at the xGOT (expected goals on target) non-penalty data from the last four Gameweeks to see which of these teams are showing form in attack:



In terms of my own team, Ayoze Pérez (£6.2m) is likely to make way for Sarr ahead of Saturday’s deadline.

I’m unsure if I’m going to use the Free Hit chip in Gameweek 31 as I only have four active players right now (Alexander-Arnold, Salah, Doherty and Jimenez) but with the Sarr transfer this week, I can get to seven by subsequently transferring in Jota and Mané for a hit.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.1m) and Harvey Barnes (£6.1m) are the candidates to drop out.

The only players I would likely miss out on would be Pope, Antonio, Wood and another defender, so that’s a decision I’ll be making closer to the date.

Hope you enjoyed reading and good luck with whatever strategy you decide.


An FPL veteran of 10 seasons, Utkarsh Dalmia has been a member of the site right since 2009 and has finished in the top 5k in six of those campaigns, with a best finish of 17th in 2010. A Chelsea fan based in India, he relies heavily on statistics for his FPL decision-making process.

1,044 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Tasty Jerk
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Morata - great stuff!

  2. The Train Driver
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Klopp should have aimed for the cup...

  3. KGFC
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Morata rubs it in 😆

  4. FOO FIGHTER
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    What a finish by Morata.

  5. THE SHEEP HUNTERS
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    SHSHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

    Shut the feck up!

  6. FPL Pillars
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Over.

  7. Arteta
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    😳

  8. Epic Fail
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Has Adrian saved anything tonight?

    1. FPL Pillars
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Bit harsh

    2. Big boy Bowen
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      His legs

    3. KGFC
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Athletico Madrid 😆

    4. Wild Rover
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Didn’t use a transfer in FPL and banked a wedge of wage

  9. Boomerang V
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    I miss Karius in Liverpool.

    He was better than Adrian and he was more fun too, he cried and all

  10. EDUARDO DA SILVA
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Haha joe gomez, what a poor player.

    1. Colonel Shoe 肝池
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Not even remotely true

    2. Brehmeren
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Embarrasing comment

    3. EDUARDO DA SILVA
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Must be looserpool fans or you just follow other sports like table tennis

    4. DycheDycheBaby
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Haha. Keep trolling. Gomez is a good player

  11. Queens of the South Age
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Aupa Atleti!!!!!!

  12. Colonel Shoe 肝池
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Damn how demoralising

  13. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Morata!!!! Woohoo!

  14. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Adrian should stop the ball sometimes.

  15. Brosstan
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Who is worse, Kepa or Adrian?

    1. MSTRKRFTSMN
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      De Gea

    2. BobbyV
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Leno

  16. KGFC
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Pool choking like South Africa in cricket!! 😆

  17. Wild Rover
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Premier rejects

  18. Stoic
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Even Brighton have a better reserve keeper than Liverpool

  19. Cok3y5murf
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Jurgen Flopp indeed. Get him out

  20. Isco Disco
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Morataaaaa lol

  21. nerd_is_the_werd
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    ADRIAN AT FAULT AGAIN!!

  22. Tasty Jerk
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Yesss!! Atletico done it!

  23. Maddamotha
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    What happened to the best team of all time??

    1. Tasty Jerk
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      I think we all know that is not true 😀

    2. FOO FIGHTER
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Not going to like it when we celebrate the one we actually wanted 😀

      1. Maddamotha
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 17 days ago

        Lol yeah whenever you go out you didnt want it

  24. GreennRed
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Klopp not risking COVID from Simeone.

  25. DA Minnion (Former great)
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Simeone is such a tool.

    1. Wild Rover
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Good manager, proper arse

    2. Now I'm Panicking
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      A tool that is through to the quarter finals

    3. GreennRed
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Class coach.

    4. Blue&White85
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Great manager.

    5. DycheDycheBaby
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      He is a very good manager.

    6. Queens of the South Age
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Cholo is an absolute legend. Both player and manager.

      Was a tough watch at times but amazing result.

      1. HamezMace
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 17 days ago

        I’m still team Beckham

        1. Queens of the South Age
          • 6 Years
          4 years, 17 days ago

          Hahaha. Been an atelti fan since 97 so caught a couple of his seasons as a player. As a manager tho, he's been phenomenal.

  26. DycheDycheBaby
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    People saying Adrian at fault again LOL. A striker should always score a one-on-one unless it's a very tight angle.

    1. Epic Fail
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      They should but a goalkeeper should sometimes at least save something.

  27. Yank Revolution
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Let all the wild "Klopp will rest X Y Z" talk begin after getting dumped out of CL...

  28. Brosstan
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    What happened to Jurgen Flopp Bottle Job?

    1. KGFC
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Oh cmon man, isn’t he the best manager!? 😉

    2. BUZZBOMB
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      You're on fire tonight mate. Do you write your own scripts?

      1. Brosstan
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 17 days ago

        Its the name of a poster who was here at the end of last season

    3. GreennRed
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      You tell us.

  29. FOO FIGHTER
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Smash and grab by Madrid. Oh well.

    1. GreennRed
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Winning football ain't all about playing football.