Pro Pundits - Sam

Why I’m considering FPL players with one match in Double Gameweek 30+

Fantasy Premier League is back and there are so many things to consider for my team.

When the June 17th restart was announced I felt well placed with my team and chip strategy for the rest of the season. I am still sat at 4.5k overall rank ready to push on. Then came the unlimited transfers/new Wildcard rumours…

At first, I was firmly in the camp of not wanting that, I felt very much that this would detract from the fact that I was holding my Wildcard and would cost me the advantage that chip provided.

However, since the announcement last Monday I have changed my mind. In an ideal world, I always like to play my Bench Boost chip in a Double Gameweek. 

Gameweek 30+ is almost certainly the only opportunity left this season now to play that chip in a Double Gameweek, so using the chip this Gameweek does make sense. 

This means my Wildcard has become increasingly important.  Using my unlimited transfers to create a team specifically for Double Gameweek 30+ is achievable as I have the opportunity to use my Wildcard for Gameweek 31+ and remove the players I brought in for the double. 

Metrics

This strategy means that I am not having to compromise my long-term plans for the sake of the Double Gameweek, whilst also allowing me to (hopefully) reap the benefits of having a strong first-XI and bench for this coming Gameweek. 

Chip strategy is always important in the final weeks of a season because there is an array of Blank and Double Gameweeks to navigate. However, this season, with just one Double and no planned Blanks you might expect the chips to be less important.

However, the last week has shown me that, in fact, the opposite is true. The FPL community is buzzing with conflicting views on how to manage these weeks. We would normally have the form of both the teams and individual players to base our choices on, but after such a long spell without competitive football we have to focus our thoughts on the fixtures and what we expect of the teams in terms of their return e.g. relegation battle, European qualification and Premier League title race.

This means that while normally we would narrow our options down to these teams and then use the form of individual players to narrow the pool of FPL options to a more manageable level, Project Restart leaves us with the bottom eight and top nine clubs to choose from, leaving only a couple of mid-table teams who are safe and cannot reach the European spots that we give less focus to.

The recent Fantasy Football Scout articles recapping the best assets in each team have been invaluable reading (find links to them all below). They have drawn together all we know about each side and helped me work out where I need to prioritise for the squads I will be building for the Double Gameweek and beyond.

The relegation-threatened teams to consider for FPL investment

The teams chasing European football to consider

This wide pool of players to pick from, alongside a lack of pre-season friendly information, which we would usually have after such a long break from FPL, is another reason that I am keen to use my unlimited transfers to build a solid Bench Boost team. 

Once we have a full Gameweek of data to assess, it should make choosing a team easier.  This is especially true given the increase in substitutes allowed, both on the bench and allowed to come on to the field of play.

This unknown in terms of rotation risks and those likely to be removed before the magic 60-minute marks is another reason to use the unlimited transfers and then plan to play my official Wildcard the week after. Having every game televised will also be really useful in terms of FPL planning, as getting a full view of every game will enable us to conduct as many in-depth eye-tests as we want.

With Gameweek 30+ the only planned Double for the rest of the season it feels like most FPL managers will be choosing to play a chip to try and capitalise on the four teams who play twice.

Had Official FPL not given everyone unlimited transfers, this would have probably been a big week for Wildcards. But as it stands, FPL managers will be using their Bench Boost, Triple Captain or Free Hit chips instead.

To me, it seems likely that those without a Wildcard will Free Hit and those without will Bench Boost or potentially play their Triple Captain if they do not have their Bench Boost left. 

Here’s my strategy:

Double Gameweek30+ — Bench Boost

Gameweek 31+ — Wildcard

Gameweek 38+ — Free Hit (to focus on those teams with something to play for on the final week)

I then knew that I had the opportunity to fill my team with three players from each of the four Double Gameweek teams, meaning that it would be possible for me to have 12 out of my 15 players playing twice.

Whilst this appears like an appealing option at first glance one of the things I am always conscious of when dealing with Double Gameweeks is overlooking the single Gameweek players.

There are so many teams out there with only one fixture but they have the perfect combination of something to play for as well as a favourable fixture. For example, within the community, there is a lot of talk of removing the Liverpool assets.

However, I will be holding mine. Liverpool are playing in the Merseyside derby and are six points away from lifting the title so there does not seem to be any greater motivation for the likes of Mohamed Salah (£12.7m), Sadio Mané (£12.5m) or Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.8m) to score big Fantasy points than that.

With so many managers using their unlimited transfers to removing single Gameweek players, this could be a Gameweek where goals from Liverpool or Wolves assets actually become differential picks and give an advantage in mini-leagues.

Recapping the best Norwich players ahead of FPL restart

At the complete opposite end of the league, we have Norwich. Prior to lockdown, it was a tale of despair but a long break and some appealing fixtures. If the Canaries are going to have any chance of staying up they will have to win their next two matches.

That has made me consider Teemu Pukki (£6.5m) and Todd Cantwell (£4.7m) as really interesting picks for Double Gameweek 30+; they are usually involved when Norwich score. It is also worth checking out Ondrej Duda (£4.7m), who has made an impact since arriving at Carrow Road. David revealed some interesting data about him HERE.

Wolves are another team to watch out for over the next few days. It is, of course, a standard Gameweek for them but European football is still within their reach.

Options such as Diogo Jota (£6.4m), Raúl Jiménez (£8.1m) and Matt Doherty (£6.3m) could offer really good returns against West Ham at a time where many might be tempted to Free Hit them out or swap them as part of the unlimited transfer strategy.

Finally, I am also planning to use Double Gameweek 30+ to keep a close eye on Newcastle. The Magpies are one of those teams who sit in the middle of the league with seemingly little to play for but their fixtures are really nice and with rumours surrounding the future of the club, they could be really good options if they start well. Deciding what to do with Jamaal Lascelles (£4.3m) is one of my big decisions ahead of the deadline on Wednesday.

My current Bench Boost team looks like this:

There is a mix of Double Gameweek players who I think will get minutes across both of the games for their teams, as well as single Gameweek players who have the potential to do well.

The unlimited transfers followed by a Wildcard means that I can take some risks on the basis that I can reverse them soon after. Hopefully, this strategy should help me get back inside that top 1k overall rank.

Nominated for ‘Best in Fantasy Football – Editorial’ at the Football Content Awards 2020

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Sam FPLFamily <p>Head of Partnerships, People and Product. Half of the FPLFamily. Pundit on the FPL Pod, FPL Show and Sky Sports News&nbsp;</p> Follow them on Twitter

876 Comments Post a Comment
  1. FC Hakkebøf
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    FH31 draft.. What would change?

    0.1 ITB

    Leno
    TAA Stevens Lundstram
    Sterling KDB Ozil Grealish
    Aguero Auba Samatta

    Subs: Baldock Fodderx3

    Considering Leno + Lundstram -> Henderson + Luiz

    1. FC Hakkebøf
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      What would you change*

    2. jason_ni
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Ozil/Samatta out for Jimi and someone else.

    3. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Could you afford Ozil to McGinn and Samatta to Jimi?

    4. Bilbao Baggins
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      FH gameweek 31? Just to confirm? Don't want you asking for the wrong info ha!

  2. Ibra
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Which trio for only next gw?

    A) Basham, Boly and Cantwell
    B) Baldock, Boly and Guendouzi
    C) Baldock, Lascelles and Douglas Luiz

    1. Breaking FPL
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      I don't like the Guendouzi or Douglas Luiz picks so has to be A

    2. Bilbao Baggins
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      3 for me I think.

  3. Gudjohnsen
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Anyone considering Son in their team?

    Pros and cons?

    1. Pinturicchio10
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Not until 33+

      • Bilbao Baggins
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Yes from game week 31 or so. Pros are he has decent fixtures and is a class asset on his day.
        Not sure about cons but Kane is back I think and I am not 100% how that affects Son.

      • 2999 - Lady of Legend
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Yes from the next GW. West Ham looks too good a fixture to miss.

    2. fuzzymike
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Got room for either Nketiah or Sska, which one better option or do I toss a coin??

      1. AC/DC AFC
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Nketiah for me.

      2. RamaJama
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Saka

    3. jammerz888
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Help!

      Fernandes or Martial?

      1. RamaJama
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Fernandes

    4. tc93
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Need some help- currently sat around 50k- have already played my second wildcard- not sure whether to FH (and get 11 DGW players in for GW30) or to use the unlimited transfers to fix the rest of my team (and play for the long run)

      Current team:
      Pope
      TAA / Saiss / Gomez / O'Connell / Lascelles
      Salah / Fernandes / KDB / Sarr / Barnes
      Aubamayang / Jiminez / Giroud

      I'm currently leaning towards using the unlimited transfers and setting up for the long run as I want to get rid of Pope, Gomez, Sarr, Barnes and Giroud

    5. Gibbo17
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      GW30+ team, TC activated (FH and BB also remaining)

      Hendo/(Leno)
      Doherty, Stevens, Alonso/(Egan, Lascelles)
      KDB, Bruno, Mount, Grealish/(Cantwell)
      Aguero, Jimi, Rashford

      2.7m ITB

      Unsure about Rashford vs Spurs (A) but good long-term fixtures, also considering Auba for DWG then transfer out for Rash or Tammy?
      Alonso rotation also a risk?

    6. joker14
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Which trio for gameweek 30+?
      Abraham + McGinn + Egan/Basham
      Samatta + Mount + Stevens

      1. The Legend of Casiraghi
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Really no difference, but I do worry about the impact of Werner on Abraham. Could that demotivate? Could do the opposite too of course.

    7. Woyofthewovers66
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      I was one of the players who made small transfers over the previous 8 or so game weeks to try and improve my team on the hopes for a resumption of the FPL, but was happy to receive the unlimited transfers because my league rival had also been active over this period. My squad value is better than his by circa 3m so gives me a chance to get more premium options in my squad. I plan to BB with the following squad:

      Henderson / Leno
      Egan / Basham / Laporte / TAA / Saiss
      KDB / Sterling/ Fernandes / Grealish / Saka
      Rashford / Jiminez / Jota

      I have one eye on future squad balance and have left 1.2 in the bank for future moves (with a view to get Mane/Salah back in at the expense of Sterling and downgrading Laporte to Maguire in a couple of weeks’ time). No other chips left.

      Any thoughts how I could improve the squad?

    8. 4zim
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Have all my chips. BB for GW 30+ is the plan, with the following team. Appreciate any thoughts on where to improve with the 1.2ITB

      Ederson Henderson
      TAA Egan Baldock Saiss Targett
      KDB Grealish Saka Traore BFernandes
      Kun Auba Nketiah

    9. Mossy Pebble
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Got my wildcard for after this, bench boosted for this week, what do we think?
      Guaita
      Stevens Bellerin Laporte
      De bruyne Mane Saka McGinn
      Auba Aguero Pukki
      Henderson Targett Saiss Grealish

    10. etown
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Any feedback on possible WC BB team?

      Henderson

      Baldock, Lundstrom, Boly

      Mahrez, Grealish, De Bruyne, Fernandes

      Aubameyang, Aguero, Jiminez

      Reina, Fleck, Targett, Aarons

      .2 ITB

    11. The Legend of Casiraghi
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Not convinced by this strategy. I know there will be some single weekers who will get big points, but the probability of picking them, vs. the double weekers is so much lower. I can't understand the clamour for Wolves players. They're slight favourites in what will likely be a tight, low scoring game. So why on earth do people want Jiminez and Doherty (who are not cheap) ahead of two-game gambles?

      If you're going to wildcard in 31 and BB in 30, then go for it, and max out the double players. Some will do nothing, but even then it's 4 points for a double starter who makes it past 60 minutes. You'll feel like a total melon if you buy expensive single week players and bag 2 points. Which may well happen with half these Wolves players.

      1. The Polymath
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Then again Doherty and Jimenez could score big and you'll have egg on your face. 😉

    12. Khurram Sikandar
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Can any one tell me, will it be any chance of some more double game weeks between Game Week 31+ to 38+. Tell me if anyone knows so I use my chips accordingly.