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. Meme2011
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Is Vardy worth the hit for Kane?

    anyone gone with alternative? Firmino, Jesus, Werner?

    1. AF90
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Keep Kane

    2. Rupert The Horse
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Not that I’ve seen.

    3. Kay317
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I think vardy is the only one worth it. Maybe Firmino as you know he'll play both games. But kane could easily outscore them.

    4. jonnybhoy
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Worth it

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

      I've been thinking about this move all day and still can't decide

      1. Meme2011
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        i'm thinking that Kane also has some poor fixtures next few weeks so if i'm gonna change him, why not do it this week where i can benefit from the DGW

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

          I agree, Vardy fixtures from 19 onwards is much better and the hit can easily pay off in the DGW. Thanks for making my mind up

  2. AF90
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Neto likely to play? Would you start him or Holding/Smith Rowe?

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

      Nuno said he is touch and go so is a risk

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

    Dier --> Stones for a (-4) a good move for medium term?

    Already own Dias.

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

      Yeah excellent upcoming fixtures

    2. marcos11
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      In this situation and I did it, think its a good move

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

        Thanks, both.

  4. SHOOTER MCGINN
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Robertson 4-4-2 or Grealish 3-5-2?

    Leaning towards keeping Grealish for the next run of fixtures

  5. stu92
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    11 doublers, 3 Leeds and Son. Is this a BB? Had always been planning on it but am now having doubts before pulling the trigger!

    Martinez Johnstone
    Robbo Zouma Coufal Targett Alioski
    Salah Bruno Son Soucek Raphinha
    Vardy Bamford Antonio

    1. pitstop1
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yes

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

      Alioski could drop to the bench. Both Cooper and llorente are available. Ayling RB and Dallas LB

  6. LLoris
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Which is better?
    A) Taylor for Dawson
    B) Stones KDB for Robbo Son (-4)
    C) Stones Vardy for Kane Taylor (-4)

  7. osceola31909
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Is there really a chance the Leeds-Southampton match could be put back in GW19?

    1. Rupert The Horse
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yes

      1. marcos11
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        How so?

    2. Kay317
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Seen a few talking about it on here but doubt it.

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

      The Saints manager is the one who has said it. I guess there must be a little truth in it.

  8. Sir Burtenshaw
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Would you bench boost?
    McCarthy, Raphinha, Dallas, KWP

  9. Origal73
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Antonio or Wilson?

    1. Rupert The Horse
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Antonio for sure. Fixtures

    2. jimmy.floyd
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Antonio

  10. I SPEAK ENGELS AND DRINK GI…
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Dier to Stones (-4) ?
    have Dias, if no would start Bamford

    1. marcos11
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yes

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

      Yes

  11. revelc
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Mane or Bruno?

    1. Bonus magnet
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Bruno pens

  12. wantsharptv
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Do we have any idea when kane will have the double and the potential 2nd opponent after villa?

    Torn with holding TC for him. Currently on KDB

    Thanks!

    1. Gemma817
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      This.

  13. jimmy.floyd
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    A Holding Kane to Coutal Vardy (-4)
    B Kane Son to Antonio Salah (-4)
    Have Cresswell

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

      A

  14. jonnybhoy
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Lack of overwhelming choice post xmas has put me off Triple Captain. Don't think there is one player whos on form who you think its gonna go get you 25-30 points this gameweek. Not feeling BB with potential cancellations and again lack of stand out players and don't think hits to get 12-15 players in is worth it. Think using them later on is best when more DGWs are played.

    Hope the decision doesn't backfire and I plummet out the top 10k. Anyway best of luck to everyone this week. Going with the team below benching Taylor. Any changes needed or GTG?

    McCarthy
    Coufal* Stones* Justin*
    Salah* Bruno* Son Soucek* KDB* (C)
    Vardy* Bamford

    Forster Alowski Taylor* Brewster

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

    Play:

    A) Dallas (BHA)
    B) Pieter (whu, liv)

    Thanks!

    1. jimmy.floyd
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      A

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

      A for me

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

        Thanks both was leaning towards this too

  16. Niho992
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Start Adams or Dallas?

  17. King Conte
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Play Lacazette or Wilson?

    1. Dannyb
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Laca

  18. Jdpz
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Mane to KDB worth a hit or no? What's with Martial?

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

      Only if you captain him

  19. wulfrunian
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Madness to sell Taa for Stones in order to find money for Raphinha->Kdb and use BB?

    1. jimmy.floyd
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      No

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

      I did it this week

  20. Garfield1001
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Thoughts on the following for -8:

    Dallas > Stones
    Salah > KDB
    Adams > Watkins

    Opinions appreciated

    1. jimmy.floyd
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Nah

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

      Yes

    3. In Bale We Trust
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I would never lose salah when he has a double

    4. Buck The Trent
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Go for it

    5. istanbul05
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      not a fan

    6. Monkeyslut96
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Dallas to stones —>yes, city should be getting 2 clean sheets
      Salah > KDB —> both are similar so wouldn’t switch for a bit
      Adam’s > Watkins —> wouldn’t get Villa players at the moment with their Covid doubts

  21. Monkeyslut96
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Is not having Salah suicide this week?

    Planned team (BB active)

    Fabianski
    Coufal dias cancelo KWP Justin
    KDB Bruno Soucek
    Kane Wilson

    McCarthy Romeu Son Bamford

    1. Luton_Fan
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Sure son over kwp for your starting 11. not sure bench is strong enough for a bb tbh

  22. 2OLEgend
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Raphinia to Maddison/El Gazi/Barnes on a free transfer?

  23. Luton_Fan
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Is it possible villa v man city could get pp or very unlikely ?

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

    Hi guys just need abit of help...

    im doing a wildcard on fanteam but when i change my players and click update team it doesnt mention about a wildcard on the screen after it just lists the transfers that are happening and theres a confirm button.

    when does the wildcard button appear is it after i make the transfers?

    thanks

  25. AppleDunk
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Y/N to BB this lot?

    Non-playing goalie, Dallas, Bamford, Taylor

    1. lugs
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      no goalie and Taylor a doubt is a no from me

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

        This

  26. damiang2233
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    What do people think of replacing KWP?

    Already have Cancelo, Dier, Saiss & Creswell?

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

      Coufal

      1. damiang2233
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        2 West Ham defenders then?

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

        This.

  27. El Lobito 10
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    I think I will pull the trigger on TC KdB, there won't be better fixtures again for a heavy hitter this season. There are some cons yes, but I feel the pros outweigh them significantly. He will haul.

    1. Gross Blank Point
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Go for it.
      I don't think he'll play the full two matches so I'm holding back. Also worried about unforseen cancelations during the week so my alternative of BB is looking ropey as well now as that would be a nightmare to play it and get nothing.!lol
      I'll be glad when/if things get easier and the Chips will be played with confidence!

      1. El Lobito 10
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Good luck

  28. tuturututu
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    BBing, how does this look?

    Meslier, Fabianski
    Robertson, Stones, Justin, Coufal, Alioski
    Salah(c), Bruno, Rashford, Maddison, Soucek
    Firmino, Bamford, Giroud

  29. OBAMA
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Martinez in the WC too risky?

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

      What's the risk with Martinez?

  30. boroie
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Bench boost with this...

    Forster - unlikely to play
    Strujik - BHA
    Targett - mci, NEW
    Bamford BHA

    1. jimmy.floyd
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      No

      1. FPL Forward Thinker
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        I agree NO.
        If Targett gets booked on Wed at Man City, then he's a single game week player too as would be suspended for Newcastle.
        Just keep your strong bench but dont bench boost unless you really want to.
        Could be fun and risky.

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

      No