Managerial casualties. Chip strategies. Differentials. It could only be another Double Gameweek.
The crazy world of Fantasy Champ Man goes into overdrive on Wednesday and Thursday with 15 fixtures for managers to prepare for in what is likely to be the biggest Gameweek of the season so far for chip usage.
Bench Boosts and Free Hits appear to be the order of the day with nine fixtures on Wednesday and six fixtures on Thursday. Some managers are riding it out with fixtures not appearing to be hugely appealing – but with the fixtures of most of the teams with a double Gameweek taking a turn for the worse after Gameweek 15, many managers will look to jump on and jump off via the Free Hit.
One of the teams that are an exception to that rule and, therefore, appeal to all managers, will be Spurs.
They travel to Arsenal in the first part of their Double Gameweek but follow that tough fixture up with a juicy hosting of Everton, who just conceded six at Old Trafford.
Spurs also have a great fixture run beyond that and assets like Sergei Rebrov and Stefan Selakovic will almost certainly command attention in the transfer market along with differentials such as Teddy Sheringham and Gus Poyet.
Additionally, Arsenal have only a single fixture but a home game with Spurs could be a tasty one to attack. Will Free Hitters be tempted to keep Thierry Henry after his hat-trick at Craven Cottage in Gameweek 14?
The other doubling team with appealing fixtures in the long-run are Middlesbrough, who host Ipswich before travelling to Bolton.
They have a good run of home fixtures after the double in Gameweek 15, including another two outings in Double Gameweek 17.
The injury to Dean Gordon is a shame but there will be a lot of love for Middlesbrough assets – particularly Allan Johnston, Alen Boksic and Gianluca Festa.
Chelsea appeal in the Double Gameweek with a home tie against Bolton followed by a trip to Sunderland.
The suspicion is that Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink may be the most captained asset and there will be interest undoubtedly in other assets. Carlo Cudicini, John Terry and Mario Melchiot all seem viable as defensive cover.
The drawback with Chelsea is that they play on the evenings of Monday and Wednesday. Could the lack of rest lead to rotation or will that prove to be a red herring?
Leicester have been a huge success for managers in an attacking sense and will aim to continue that as they enter a Double Gameweek facing Sunderland at home and Blackburn away.
James Scowcroft feels like an obvious inclusion for managers with his recent form and there will be real temptation to double up with Dennis Wise or Dean Sturridge to look for those attacking returns. Defensively, Gerry Taggart could be a cheap way in at £4.0m.
Many managers not using chips targeted Southampton or Aston Villa assets as the first confirmed double. Anders Svensson is highly owned and will come into consideration for a lot of managers, while Peter Schmeichel could be a popular goalkeeper with the chance of a clean sheet and save points.
We should not forget the single Gameweek assets though. Along with the aforementioned Henry, many will be reluctant to go without Manchester United coverage given their form and an away contest with depleted Newcastle United. Ruud van Nistelrooy and Juan Sebastian Veron, in particular, will be tempting even to those that are free hitting.
With games taking place on Wednesday and Thursday this week, be sure to take in the streams run by @planetfplpod and @fplkaptain. There’s fantastic content out there on Twitter too – be sure to check out the work done this week by @RichP_FPL and also the CM podcast from @FPLWolfpack.
Whatever your decision is, it’s a huge Gameweek – and remember, we have Double Gameweek fixtures in 16 and 17 too. Let the chaos continue.
3 years, 11 months ago
That title isnt believable