Pro Pundits - Lateriser

‘Enjoy the ride, adapt and stop planning’ – FPL’s reigning India winner says to focus on the short-term

The Double Gameweeks are here.

But it hasn’t been a smooth ride. Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers have had so many unexpected detours (a lot of off-roading) on the way, but battered, bruised and with a lot of dents, we’re finally here.

Just know that you are not the only ones facing these twists and turns. It won’t be the last time unexpected rescheduling happens either.

FPL managers all over the globe have been meandering their way through these unexpected times and you’ve just got to enjoy the ride and adapt. It’s the only option you have really.

So what do I intend to do differently? First off, stop planning. Be more short-sighted. Normally, when making moves, I look at the next five to six Gameweeks.

Instead, I am going to play for the points available and have a more short-term approach when planning my moves.

This means I’ll likely look at the next three Gameweeks when making my moves and no more than that.

Why? We could literally have unexpected cancellations and changes (Double Gameweeks) at any time. So planning mid-term doesn’t have much value in my opinion.

Secondly, and I have said this multiple times this season, I’m all for wanting to chase price rises, but honestly, I can’t say it enough, this is the season to delay your transfers as far as possible.

The fantasy landscape is changing daily and new bits of information are appearing on a daily basis, which might drastically affect your transfer strategy.

You might think that your transfers might not be affordable the next day, but when you look closer, there is always another way.

Has the recent Double Gameweek news for Aston Villa and Newcastle and the lack of a double for Leeds United and Southampton changed my plans?

FPL Transfer Traps Gameweek 6 1

I currently own only Patrick Bamford (£6.6m) from the two teams and before Blank Gameweek 18, I sold Jack Grealish (£7.7m) and Che Adams (£6.0m).

I had heard murmurs of the Leeds vs Southampton game being called off and I just don’t trust the fitness of Villa’s players and the lure of two premium Manchester big hitters was too much for me.

It was a gamble and it won’t be the last time I’ll need to roll the dice this season.

It just seems like a season of difficult decisions given the sheer number of consistent big hitters but it is what it is.

Just a small note on Aston Villa, the nature of the COVID-19 outbreak is unknown at the time of writing and we don’t necessarily know how the squad has been affected.

It is a very thin squad that is very reliant on 10 to 14 players and if the majority of the first team squad is affected, I don’t know how much I’d trust them.

Keeping this in mind, their players come into the don’t buy/ don’t sell category for me until we know more about them.

Auto Draft 1

Speaking of difficult decisions, one big decision that FPL managers will likely be making this season is whether to sell Son Heung-min (£9.8m) or Harry Kane (£11.1m) for a premium Double Gameweek asset in Gameweek 19.

The one thing I’ll say is if you’re doing it to get in a premium big hitter like Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) or Kevin De Bruyne (£11.8m) who are genuine captaincy options, then it makes sense to me.

If not, it becomes a very difficult decision (one that might not necessarily be the right one) given their fixture in Gameweek 19.

Then it comes down to gut and the kind of FPL manager you are.

If I was to hold one of Son or Kane, at the moment I’d lean towards holding Son primarily because of the price difference.

I see a lot of people selling their Arsenal and Leeds United assets for Double Gameweek players.

It is important to not have the blinkers on for the doubles because both of these teams in addition to Spurs have very good games in Gameweek 19 and it might not be the smartest thing to sell them just to buy additional minutes in the Double Gameweek.

You need to look at the next couple of Gameweeks while making these decisions and then make the call.

A few things I have noticed in the last few weeks is that players like Son, Bruno Fernandes (£11.3m) and KDB have looked very tired in the last 30 minutes of games and I feel like in comparison, Liverpool and Chelsea both having some time off will play into their hands.

I’m personally expecting an upturn in performances for both of these teams in the coming weeks.

Having some time on the training ground with the full team without playing games can be underestimated and I think that will show.

It is worth noting Chelsea have all their players fit now including their full-backs and it’s easy to forget that when they, along with Hakim Ziyech (£8.1m) were fit, Chelsea were creating chances for fun.

They have a decent looking Double Gameweek (both Leicester and Fulham are in the worst five teams for big chances conceded at home this season) and I quite like their fixtures in the mid-term as well.

There are some good picks in that team both in attack and in defence should you fancy it.

Some of you are wondering about whether you should Bench Boost or not.

In my opinion if you have players from the likes of Leeds who have a good Gameweek 19 fixture, I’d still use the chip and play the Bench Boost.

The case for you to Bench Boost is even stronger, especially if you have used your Free Hit chip in Gameweek 18.

I say that is the case because if you wildcard in Gameweek 25 for the Double Gameweek in 26, your bench spots will need to be likely focused on Blank Gameweek 29 and that is something to consider while you’re making your decision.

Otherwise, one of the prime advantages of having used the Bench Boost chip is so that it’s out of the way and you can focus funds on your starting 11 (plus two bench spots) rather than spreading them over 15 players.

It is very difficult to give an answer with regards to this conundrum because it is very team dependant but generally when it comes to using your chips, there will be many more mini Double Gameweeks in play the way the season is going, so there are going to be more opportunities than you think for chip deployment.

I intentionally decide to just talk a little bit of macro-philosophy with this article ahead of the Double Gameweek but all of you are aware of the numbers and the good picks so I thought it might be worthwhile to outline a few things that might not have caught your attention.

I’ve been making steady progress with my season after a terrible start.

Despite having games called off for my Manchester City and Spurs assets and despite not deploying my Free Hit chip in Gameweek 18, I’ve climbed from a 3.1 million Overall Rank (OR) in Gameweek 12 to a 1.54 million OR at present.

I was very happy to get a 300,000 sized green arrow in Gameweek 18 despite taking a hit, owning nine players and not deploying the Free Hit chip which tells you that quality matters over quantity.

If the odds are stacked against you in a particular Gameweek in terms of numbers of players, it still isn’t the end of the world because if you have the right players, you could still climb up the table.

Also, it is worth mentioning that Zophar & I had the pleasure of interviewing the creator of LiveFPL.net recently and it was a pleasure getting to chat with Ragabolly.

He’s a PHD in quantum physics and still claims to not be a genius.

He’s a very humble guy and it’s an interview worth watching if you haven’t already. You can see it here.

We also did our standard podcast of The FPL Wire where we talk about Double Gameweek 19 in depth which you will find below. Thanks for reading and good luck this Gameweek!

5,989 Comments Post a Comment
  1. winchester
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Hi lads, got 1,6m itb and 1ft
    Any sensible moves here lads, not using any chips, cheeers. Any news on taylor btw?

    martinez
    robbo coufal dallas
    salah(c) soucek bruno son
    bamford kane adams
    (martin kwp taylor bissouma)

    A) taylor+kane -> cacelo/dias+vardy -4
    B) robbo+son -> cancelo/dias+kdb -4
    C) taylor -> cancelo/dias

    Considering playing 4-4-2 (benching adams)

  2. Dele
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Areola or Johnstone?

    1. Gunners in Haaland
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      John

    2. jomikijiq
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I went Areola because of the future DGWs, even though Johnstone might be marginally better this week

    3. Greasy Grealish Gang
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Went for Areola as well. Not expecting too much of it but you never know. Decent form.

  3. Ibralicious
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Adams + Bowen + Taylor -> Antonio + Gundogan + Stones (-8)

    Yay or nay?

  4. Peskey
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Lacazette and Ayling —-> Antonio and Coufal -4 worth it?

    1. Party time
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Yes

    2. House Frey Wedding Planner
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Son Grealish & DCL for Salah Soucek and Antonio (-8)

      Good move or not?

      Already have Kane for Spurs cover plus I think the upside is huge. The -8 hit and the team value I'm losing on Son are the only downsides I can see

      1. Sho-kun
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        yes

    3. Party time
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Charlie Charlie, who should I captain?

        1. Steve Stiffler
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Kdb fax

          1. Party time
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Thanks buddy

        2. Sheffield Wednesday
          • 3 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          BB DGW 19 team. I've listed the fixtures for the SGW players:

          Ederson Martinez
          AWB Dias Zouma Cresswell Dier[shu]
          Bruno KdB Son[shu] Smith-Rowe[NEW] Neto*[WBA]
          Wilson Martial* Bamford[BHA]

          0.6itb 1FT *flagged

          Martial, Neto >> Antonio, El Ghazi (-4 hit)
          add maybe add Smith-Rowe > Soucek (-8 hit total)

          What do you think?

          1. Mo Mane Mo Salah
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 7 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            If you're BB, defo the -4

            1. Sheffield Wednesday
              • 3 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Yes definitely BB this week as I want to replace Ederson afterwards with a 4.0M

        3. For Fuchs Sake
          • 14 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Foden predicted minutes over two games?

          1. Party time
              3 years, 2 months ago

              72
              23

              1. kennethrhcp
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 13 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                I think this wouldnh be awful

            • Mr. O'Connell
              • 11 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              1
              2

          2. TheDragon
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Triple captain this week

            Yes or No? And why

            1. Eldon
              • 7 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Yes, Antonio, because I’m a fool

              1. Freshy
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 13 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                jump-jump-jump

              2. FantasyClub
                • 3 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Lmfao I was thinking the same thing and thought I’d be a fool too lmao

            2. Mr. O'Connell
              • 11 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Reasons for not using triple captain:

              I still can't decide who to captain between KDB and Salah. When selecting TC I want to have 'the feeling'. I'm pretty certain both players start both games (if they go ahead).
              Any game can be postponed at any time
              There will be more doubles (hopefully the Covid situation relents somewhat, providing a bit more certainty over your player def playing twice)

              Reasons for using it:

              You get triple rather than double points

              1. TheDragon
                • 5 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                If you think KDB starts both games, then the fixtures are pretty awesome

                1. Mr. O'Connell
                  • 11 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  I'm on Salah anyway. Owes me after 3 blanks in a row.

                  1. Darnell Nurse
                    • 10 Years
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    Kenyan witch or whatever doesn't stop you?

            3. Miguel Sanchez
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 7 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Yes - KDB, confident he gets two starts in nice home fixtures and he’s gettting a lot of chances in a new role further up the pitch. Will be a bit of a differential too which is a bonus.

              1. TheDragon
                • 5 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                This is where I’m at too but I’m a bit nervous he gets rested for one of the games

              2. HashAttack
                • 7 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                I get the feeling that his new role is more physically demanding, hence the tiredness

                1. Miguel Sanchez
                  • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                  • 7 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  Almost certainly -a lot more pressing

          3. CrouchDown
            • 11 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            This worth a -8 folks?

            TAA Son Adams > Coufal KDB Antonio

            1. TheDragon
              • 5 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Love the players you are bringing in - I’d not be losing TAA though

              1. CrouchDown
                • 11 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                I know. That’s the issue.

                Something has got to give though I suppose. Tricky one.

          4. The Count of Monte Cristo
            • 11 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Is Kane --> KDB quite a common trade-off this GW?

          5. yanky
            • 14 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Johnstone
            Cancelo Dias TAA Coufal James
            Salah(c) Bruno Son Soucek
            Bamford

            Bench: Fabianski(doubt), Raphinha, Rodrigo, Adams

            I think im going to Bench boost, right???? with that in mind.....
            a) Son > Sterling for free
            b) Adams > Cavani for free
            c) Son TAA > KDB Chilwell -4pts
            d) Son Adams > KDB DecordovaReid -4pts
            e) Raphinha Adams > Ziyech DecordovaReid -4pts

            1. The Ilfordian
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 6 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              C. Two good players with good fixtures

          6. Mo Mane Mo Salah
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 7 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Double Gameweekers:

            Johnstone
            Cancelo Coufal Justin
            Salah(C) Bruno Son Grealish Soucek
            Antonio Watkins

            Single Gameweekers:

            McCarthy (lei) Kane (shu) Dallas (BHA) Holding (NEW)

            Had planned to bench boost, second guessing that now...whatchu think?

            1. waldo666
              • 13 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Yeah, reckon I would BB that. If not I reckon I would start Kane over Watkins.

            2. Tonyawesome69
              • 5 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              I would take a hit to change McCarthy to Martinez or Areola and BB

              1. waldo666
                • 13 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                You reckon either of those pay the hit back plus what McCarthy scores?

                1. Tonyawesome69
                  • 5 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  I think Martinez will. Good long term GK with future DGWs as well

          7. Too Mane Men
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 9 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Play A) Martinez or B) Pope?

            1. Tonyawesome69
              • 5 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Martinez

          8. Tonyawesome69
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Which option would you go for?

            A. Balbuena and Kane to Cresswell and Vardy (-8)
            B. Balbuena to Dawson (-4)

            Martinez
            Stones Cancelo Coufal Balbuena*
            KDB Bruno Soucek Salah
            Bamford* Kane*
            (Johnstone Raphinha* Rodrigo* Holding*)

            1. asdf_1
              • 5 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              B

          9. asdf_1
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Play targett or bamford?

            1. Party time
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Bam Bam

              • waldo666
                • 13 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Bamford

              • Tonyawesome69
                • 5 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Bamford

            2. Hig1990
              • 6 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Foden a viable option this week? Can't fit KDB in

              Martinez/Areola
              Robbo, Stones, Dias, Coufal, Dallas
              Salah (C), Bruno, Grealish, Raphina, 6.9
              Kane, Bamford, Antonio

              1. Tonyawesome69
                • 5 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                He is a good option to have alongside KDB not as cover imo

            3. matiakez
              • 13 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Worth selling Bamford for Antonio (-4)?

              1. waldo666
                • 13 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Na.

              2. Tonyawesome69
                • 5 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Not for me

            4. Thinkering like a Boss
              • 7 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              need on BB which is better?

              1) Adams > Watkins -4
              2) Alioski > Dawson -4
              3) Adams and Alioski play

              1. Thinkering like a Boss
                • 7 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                need advise, currently on BB*

              2. waldo666
                • 13 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                You could not BB?

                1. Thinkering like a Boss
                  • 7 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  Have Meslier, Bamford, Alioski, Adams on bench...Leeds have a good fixture too

                  1. waldo666
                    • 13 Years
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    Borderline.

              3. matiakez
                • 13 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Number 1 for me.

                1. Thinkering like a Boss
                  • 7 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  that would be my plan as well I think

            5. Heisenberg W. W.
              • 3 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Martinez
              Coufal-Konsa-Stones
              Salah-Kdb-Bruno-Soucek-Son
              Antonio-Bamford

              (McCarthy-Dallas-Holding-Adams)

              Is this team worth -8 and press BB button?

              (Outgoing transfers: Taylor-Antonio-4m GK)

              1. Thinkering like a Boss
                • 7 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                not sure i would do that

            6. Ci Siamo
              • 8 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Who should I sacrifice to get KDB if I own Salah already?

              A) Mane

              B) Kane

              1. waldo666
                • 13 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                A

                1. waldo666
                  • 13 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  Scratch that, B.

              2. Miguel Sanchez
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 7 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                B

              3. Thinkering like a Boss
                • 7 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Mane > KDB straight swap right? but if Kane, what transfer is it?

                1. Ci Siamo
                  • 8 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  Would be a - 8

                  1. Thinkering like a Boss
                    • 7 Years
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    then god NO!

                  2. Ci Siamo
                    • 8 Years
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    Kane, Raphinha, Adams - - > Davis, KDB, Antonio

              4. Tonyawesome69
                • 5 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                B

            7. grooveymatt65
              • 10 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              hi guys

              doing a wildcard on fan team

              Who do people think would be the best chelsea mid out of pulisic, havertz and ziyech?

              because we want a differential and have our heart set on one of those?

              if none who would you recommend?

              thanks

              1. jomikijiq
                • 8 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Ziyech

                El-Ghazi looks fun too

            8. Jones Town
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 12 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              If you could only have one for this week:

              A) Vardy
              B) Cancelo/Stones (have Dias already)

              Thanks!

              1. asdf_1
                • 5 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                A

              2. Party time
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  🙂

                • Party time
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    A

                  • Thinkering like a Boss
                    • 7 Years
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    A for sure

                • wulfrunian
                  • 7 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  Excellent advice.

                • HD7
                  • 7 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  1FT:

                  Mccarthy
                  TAA Holding Coufal
                  Salah Bruno Son Maddy
                  Wood Bamford Kane

                  Fraser Taylor Bissouma Mitchell

                  Son to KDB; TAA to Stones; Wood to Antonio (-8) ?

                • pavlev
                  • 13 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  Bruno to kdb(c) for a hit is madness right? So scared of the yellow and Bruno's not been so hot to watch recently. Have Salah

                  1. TheDragon
                    • 5 Years
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    Ye madness - just captain salah

                • Teomi
                  • 5 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  Best keeper for bencboost?
                  Can’t be man c or Leeds

                  1. jomikijiq
                    • 8 Years
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    Would expect Alisson to score the most points but he's a bad pick overall

                    so Fabianski

                  2. HashAttack
                    • 7 Years
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    Toying with Schmeichel (5.5) if I get Watkins - If I get Antonio then it may be Pope (5.4)
                    Have considered Mendy (5.1) but think I want James or Chilwell - if someone like Chilwell then I need to consider Johnstone or Areola (both 4.5)

                • Nespinha
                  • 8 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  For a - 8, pick one:

                  A) Taylor + Balbuena - - Coufal + Dawson

                  B) Balbuena + Adams - - Cancelo + Brewster

                  C) Balbuena + Adams - - Coufal + Antonio

                  D) don't do - 8

                  1. Party time
                      3 years, 2 months ago

                      C

                  2. For Fuchs Sake
                    • 14 Years
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    Targett (mc and NEW) or Saka (NEW)

                    1. waldo666
                      • 13 Years
                      3 years, 2 months ago

                      Saka

                  3. Ibralicious
                    • 9 Years
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    Which -8 sounds better?

                    A) Adams + Bowen + Taylor -> Antonio + Gundogan + Stones
                    B) Kane + Adams + Grealish -> Antonio + Watkins + KDB

                    Cheers!

                    1. Milk, 1 Šuker
                      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                      • 11 Years
                      3 years, 2 months ago

                      I notice you don't have KDB, neither do I, just Salah and Bruno. Am thinking of Gundy in for March.