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. Shark Team
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Who do you think is gonna score more this gw:
    Jota or Deeney

    1. BNMC
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      I have a bad feeling both will blank

    2. Tsssst
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Corona

    3. olidooley
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Coin flip

  2. olidooley
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    KDB cap at home to Burnley this weekend anyone?
    Pep said something about him needing game time ahead of Madrid match

    1. Miguel Sanchez
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Sounds liken a start but managed minutes. Will probably go elsewhere personally.

    2. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      I’m tempted. I think he’ll play about 70 if fit

  3. Rushford
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Which combo is better for GW31?

    A) Mane, Noble (-4)
    B) VvD, Sarr

    1. CONNERS
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Assuming games go ahead, would you say this FH team is fairly sound?

      Just debating whether to go McNeil over Alli.

      Pope
      TAA - Doh - Aurier
      Salah - Mane - Alli - Sarr
      Jimi - Jota - Wood

    2. CONNERS
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Sorry, meant as new post (still half asleep).

      I would go B out of those I think.

  4. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    What would happen if another of these new virus strains appears just as Covid19 is being contained? Or if a new Coronavirus strain becomes a yearly occurrence?

    Covid20, Covod21 etc...

    1. BNMC
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Let's not go that far...

    2. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      I think it would become unviable to contain and the sustained economic damage would become a bigger risk. Do business as usual and concentrate on vaccines.

  5. BNMC
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    So now that LIV are out of the UCL, the Salah+Mane double-up suddenly seems more viable.

    1. AC Yew
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Any idea how long Alisson is out for ?

      1. RealVirg
        • 4 Years
        4 years, 17 days ago

        Won't matter soon enough

      2. BNMC
        • 4 Years
        4 years, 17 days ago

        He will return after the international break

  6. Whats the Mata?
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Start DCL or Ings?

  7. Bavarian
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Those who own Jim and Jota...
    Are you playing both this gw?

    1. AC Yew
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Yes

    2. Old Man
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Why would you not? (but see what happens tonight)

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

    Proposed scoring system in the event of a premature season finish:

    Players with all 4 chips will be gifted 40 points

    Players with 3 chips will receive 30 points etc

    1. CONNERS
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      Given how may people's old teams outscore their WC teams, there's an argument for minus points for the WC chip.

  9. Silecro
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Morning, good to go?

    Patricio
    Trent, Lascelles, Soyoncu
    Salah, KDB, Pepe, Maddison
    Ings, Jimenez, Vardy

    Button, Stephens, Williams, Hayden

    0 ft, 1.1 itb

  10. UnitednationsXI
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    From 20k to 50k! Having my ML rival gain 50 points in a sgw!, its was a painful gw! Suggestions on how to stop the trend? have 3 red arrows in a row. have 1ft and 0.3m

    Ryan
    Taa* Robbo* Boly* -- Aurier* Rico*
    Salah Sarr* Kdb Perez -- Stephens
    Jimenez* Auba Ings

    - Currently have 8 bgw31 players
    - Really want a united mid (bruno/martial) but how and when to get them?
    - Going for perez over barnes has been painful
    - Transfer ideas?

  11. Sir Edo
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Eight bench boost players worth 10 points in a dgw? I guess your post was a joke? 🙂

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

    I will be ready to take my -12 hit after the Wolves match.

    GW29 was bloody brutal. Nothing to lose now.

    1. J ⚒ Gimme ur Mané
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 17 days ago

      What moves you doing ?

  13. KingKanu
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    Owning Van Aanholt is a good risk offset for week 31 if you are owning TAA + 2 Liverpool attackers. Palace has good defensive stats. And if they happen to score on top of that, he's got a high chance of being involved in it, playing down the wing where TAA is going to have left huge gaps...

  14. akhilrajau
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 17 days ago

    A. Alonso
    B. Giroud
    C. Both (-4)