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

    Kane to Vardy (-4)? Have Son

    1. Fit_to_drop
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      No.

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

        Nah I wouldn't

    2. Vlekz
        3 years, 2 months ago

        I would. Kane has harder fixtures than vardy over the next few weeks. 1 spurs more than enough, specially if chasing

      • Pooodle
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Not for me

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

      Planning to BB, but am slightly concerned at the news that Alioski may not start. Do I stick with him and hope for a sub cameo at worst, or do I take a -4 for someone with two games?

      4.6m to spend, already stacked with West Ham and Villa players.

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

        Keep and hope for the best

    4. acidicleo
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Guys...

      Martinez
      Robbo Coufal Dallas
      Salah KDB Bruno Soucek
      Kane Bamford Wood

      4.0 KWP Mitchell Bissouma

      No FT..already on minus 4..
      What to do for a hit or 2?

      A) KWP to Stones (off dias/ cancelo by 0.1)
      B) wood out ? Cant have Antonio as 3 westham..

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

        You don’t have 3 WH at least not based on the players you listed!

    5. S3
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      What are the chances of Cancelo playing both games ?. Thinking of bringing him with a hit or hold on till GW20. I am just wary he may score big...his haul seems imminent...any thoughts??

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

        80%

      2. Alisson WondHaaland
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Who are you taking out? With Walker back, I'd say its about 60% chance, but a good long term pick regardless

    6. Letsgo!
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Will you capt sterling if u have him?

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

        I would

      2. dierstraights
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        i have

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

          Hell yeah

      3. Pooodle
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Nope

    7. Alisson WondHaaland
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Liverpool have 2 homes games and are the only team to go into the DGW with a rest in GW 18 while both of their opponents played in GW 18. Meanwhile KDB was 'too tired' to take a penalty and with the squad depth City have, he could be rested/ have his minutes managed

      If that isnt enough of a reason to captain Salah...

      1. Charlie&TheLads
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Fixtures...

    8. Silecro
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Drunk BB, let the life goes 🙂

    9. Paqueta Rice
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Save ft and gtg?

      Martinez
      Cancelo, Dias, Cresswell
      Sterling(TC), Bruno, Son, Raphina
      Kane, Vardy, Bamford

      Forster, Amartey, Mitchell, fodder

      Raphina to Soucek for free is tempting

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

        Yep, nice XI

    10. FPL Doctor
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Would you bench boost this?

      Martinez
      Coufal Dias Justin
      KDB Salah Son Bruno Soucek
      Bamford Wood

      Steer Antonio R James Dallas

      I realise that I have a non-playing GK but this team would be without any hits

      1. Deeney-is-a-god
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Do you have money itb? If you dont bench boost you should at least play antonio instead of wood or bamford and maybe reece james

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

        Same situation...I have no playing GK either (as I need funds for the next games to come) and still decided to bench boost with a -4 hit. You won't have much more chances to play such a good 3 with good fixtures anyway !

        My bench is Bamford, Dallas, Adams

        1. Stranger Mings
          • 3 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Same position no sub playing keeper but got 3 good subs so think could be worth BB

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

            Who are your subs?

            1. Stranger Mings
              • 3 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Dallas, bam & holding

      3. Pooodle
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        No way with a non playing GK

    11. WE GO FOR IT
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      So my transfer decision all comes down to this:

      A. Kane + Lookman
      B. Son + Antonio

      1. Vlekz
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Easy B

        • Paqueta Rice
          • 3 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          B

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

          B

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

          We’re in the exact same boat dude. While B on the face of it seems best, much harder to get Kane back in with that. Whereas son is easy to bring back if needed...

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

            Plus I personally believe Kane to be superior to son...

          2. WE GO FOR IT
            • 8 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            That's why I'm pondering over it. If I didn't believe Kane was the better Spurs player asset to own, I would've removed him by now

        • WE GO FOR IT
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Cheers all! 🙂

      2. Mind över Mata
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Bottomed.

        Worth a BB? Triple Leeds.

        4.0; Bamford, Rodrigo, Dallas

        1. Deeney-is-a-god
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Nah, not without the goalkeeper as well

        2. Vlekz
            3 years, 2 months ago

            No money to take a hit for even Johnstone.?

        3. Deeney-is-a-god
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Used my wildcard already so I wonder if it is worth it to take a -8 to bb this:

          Sam johnstone, wilson, ESR, targett.

          Would be very likely to get at least 14 points from this lot and possibly more. Its the minus 8 that sort of annoys me, but still see this as my best shot

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

            not worth it for -8

          2. Mortal.Swinbat
            • 13 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            I’d be tempted

          3. Pooodle
            • 14 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Nope not for -8

        4. DycheDycheBaby
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          1FT. Play bench boost with this lot?
          Forster, Adams, C.Taylor, Bissouma

          1. Vlekz
              3 years, 2 months ago

              What's so special about this week that you must do it? You getting 4 matches between them. And nothing special. You will surely get better random weeks

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

                I agree mate. Just want to be 100% sure as it looks like my rival will do it.

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

            GTG ?

            Martinez
            Justin Stones Coufal
            Grealish Salah (C) Bruno (V) Son
            Bamford Kane Antonio

            McCarthy Lowton KWP Burke

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

              looks good!

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

            OK Guys, is there anyone worth transfering Rafina and Dallas for - it'd cost me -8.

            Already have:
            Pope/Areola
            Robbo/Zouma/Cancelo/Couffal
            Souchek/KDB/Fernandes/Salah
            Wood/Antonio/Bamford

            I'm BBing, just wondering if it's worth selling Rafina and Dallas for DGW players, at a cost of -8.

            1. onceuponatyne
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 10 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              0 itb

            2. Salah’s Sonnet
              • 12 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Nah not worth it GTG

              1. onceuponatyne
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 10 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                That's my thinking. Thanks man.

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

              No. High chance of returns for those Leeds players which diminishes the -8

              1. onceuponatyne
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 10 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Cheers Mate, this was my gut too. 🙂

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

                  no worries, good luck mate

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

            Safe-ish to trigger Laca > Antonio now or wait until late tomorrow?

            1. onceuponatyne
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 10 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Can you still afford tomorrow? He's gonna rise.

              1. Magic Zico
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 5 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Second transfer will come to the 2nd choice

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

            Martinez
            Cancelo Dias Coufal
            Son KDB Bruno Salah Soucek
            Bamford Wilson

            ONE question. Do I tripple cap Salah, y/n?

            1. Salah’s Sonnet
              • 12 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Wow only difference between us is your Cancelo & Coufal to my Robbo + Stones

              I’d roll the TC for this DGW imo

          6. FDMS All Starz
            • 8 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Sell which one for Kdb? Really stuck

            A) Rashford (bought at 9.5...now 9.6)
            Or
            B) Son (bought at 9.1...now 9.8)

            ...Son looks to be dropping tonight and Rashford close to a rise in price soon.

          7. PogChamp
            • 12 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Can't wait until this GW is over tbh. I enjoy FF a lot but the last few weeks have been very difficult to keep up with events. Feels like you need to put 2 hours a day into FF just to keep your rank.

            Actually looking forward to the blank next week.

            1. Salah’s Sonnet
              • 12 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Which blank?

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

            This is my setup:

            Fabianski
            Robertson, Stones, Justin, Coufal
            Salah(c), Bruno, Rashford, Maddison, Soucek
            Firmino

            Meslier; Giroud, Bamford, Alioski

            Should I hit the BB button or not?

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

              Yeah worth a shot.

          9. ooooo
            • 6 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Son + DCL to KDB + Watkins(-4)?

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

              Not for me. Don’t think Son to KDB is worth a -4 personally.

            2. Vlekz
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Antonio over Watkins?

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

                  can't afford him 0.1mil off

            3. Pooodle
              • 14 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              I’ve got exact funds to do Dallas to Stones for -4. Is that worth it?

              I’m pretty keen on keeping Dallas long term though but Stones is a better option and supposed to go up in price tonight...

              I had planned to do Coufal to Stones for free next week but would be priced out if Stones rises tonight.

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

                Forget prices
                If you want Dallas don’t do it

                Think I’m doing Taylor to stones tonight

            4. S3
              • 5 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Martinez
              Holding Stones Cresswell
              Salah, Son, KDB, Fernandes, Zaha,
              Bamford, Wilson

              Steer, Taylor, Mitch, Delap
              1FT and 1.2ITB

              Taylor + Zaha + Delap >> Cancelo + Soucek +Antonio/Watkins (-8)???.... thoughts will be highly appreciated

            5. dunas_dog
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 8 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Anyone captaining Mané? Could he be good option to try and boost rank?

              1. S3
                • 5 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                totally agree...I will if I had him

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

                If you’re wanting to take a punt I’d go Sterling

              3. Kasper the ghost keeper
                • 8 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                If I don't sell for KDB I might

              4. Pooodle
                • 14 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                I’ve just removed him for KDB

                1. dunas_dog
                  • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                  • 8 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  My plan is to captain Mané and transfer out next week for KDB v WBA

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

              Play Wood or Bamford?

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

                Bam

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

              GTG?

              Meslier
              Cancelo Chilwell Coufal
              Salah(C) KDB(VC) Bruno Son Soucek
              Watkins Antonio

              Forster; Bamford Targett Struijk

              Extremely nervous about having Bamford on the bench, especially with the rumours that they may end up having the DGW after all.

              1. Firminooooo
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 8 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Forster to DGW keeper and BB?

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

                  Would love to but unfortunately I have no FT and no cash so it would cost me a -8 to do that. Would you still use the BB?

            8. Aztec Kamara
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 5 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              WHU fans - is Dawson nailed for the next 2?
              Thanks!

              1. Kiwivillan
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 9 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Not West Ham fan but looks to be safe

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

              OK. Team ready. BB activated.

              Martinez Johnstone
              Robertson Coufal Dias Cancelo Chilwell
              Grealish Soucek Salah Bruno KdB(C)
              Antonio Bamford Brewster

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

              Really gutted because i have to choose for one between Vardy and KdB but KdB is more reasonable pick, right? Has also better fixtures after DGW

              1. Ajax Hamsterdam
                • 9 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                yes. planning to get both shortly but for now only kdb

              2. Aztec Kamara
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 5 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Yes. Have KDB, not considering Vardy.

            11. Teahupo'o
              • 12 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Madness to go without City defenders? Best moves?

              Martinez
              TAA Justin Coufal
              Salah Bruno Son Barnes Bowen
              Vardy Bamford

              (Steer, Adams Dallas Mitchell)

              A) Son Bamford Adams ➡ KDB Antonio Brewster -8
              B) Son TAA Adams ➡ KDB Stones Antonio -8
              C) Son Bamford Adams Bowen ➡ KDB Antonio Brewster Foden -12