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. gart888
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Martinez
    Robertson - Dias - Stones - Coufal
    Salah - Fernandes - Rashford - Grealish - Soucek
    Antonio

    Johnstone - Bamford - Adams - KWP

    a) BB this?
    b) Go Rashford to KDB for a -4 hit?

    1. max99
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Or both?

      1. gart888
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Sorry, i meant a and b as "here are my two questions." not "which one would you choose?" Haha.

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

      if u BB i wouldnt touch midfield id get adams and or kwp out for doubler. that sounds better since johnstone and bamford could score well on your bench. tough call— im in similar situation below, debating a) should i BB and b) kdb in for a hit

      1. gart888
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        I understand what you're saying, but I want to get KDB in soon anyway, so the hit seems less wasteful moving forward. I'm also not sure who I'd even replace Adams with at that price. Watkins? Seems dodgy.

  2. Jafooli
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    In a DGW, only have 3 players in today’s five games - will need to rely on people taking hits to save my OR plummeting 😮

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

      You will be fine.-16 for me!

      1. Jafooli
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Excellent, hope rise one place, at least 😀

  3. 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??? Which below looks best...
    a) Son > Sterling for free
    b) Adams > Cavani for free
    c) Son TAA > KDB Chilwell -4pts
    d) Son Adams > KDB DecordovaReid -4pts

    1. max99
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      With everyone getting rid of son, he might just end up being the differential

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

        i thought about doing nothing and banking the transfer as well. if i do that surely i shouldnt BB right?

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

      Yes to BB
      Son to sterling looks best. Would you captain sterling tho?
      I'm.

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

        if i went for sterling that a differential/risk enough, for capt im gonna play it safer and stick it on Salah

    3. KUN+10
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      D

  4. Siva Mohan
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    (-4)

    Martinez*
    Coufal* | Dias* | Dallas | Robbo*
    Salah*(v) | KDB*(c) | Bruno* | Soucek*
    Kane | Bamford
    Forster | Bednarek | Brew | Burke

    choose..

    A. Kane >> Vardy* (-4)
    B. All set

    1. Jafooli
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      B - Kane vs shu too good to miss, especially if you don’t have Son

      1. Siva Mohan
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        cheers Jaf

        1. Jafooli
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          *watch’s Vardy haul and Kane rested* 😮

          1. Siva Mohan
            • 11 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            🙁

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

      All set

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

      A for sure

    4. Siva Mohan
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      cheers both

  5. Jafooli
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Bruno vs SHU & WBA in a DGW is the time to TC 😎

    1. Bad Kompany
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      What gw will this be?

      1. Jafooli
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        No idea, but hope it happens 😛

    2. max99
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Hes 1 yellow away from missing a game.

      1. max99
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Nvm

        1. Jafooli
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          😉

  6. bso
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Which 1 to start... Saiss, Cooper or Bedranek?
    Or should I take -8ph to bring in Cancelo? Already have Stones.

    1. max99
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Thats too much of a hit, hes gotta out perform

  7. evilfish
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    (Bottomed)

    My bench:

    Martínez, Dallas, Adams, Taylor

    I should save BB, right? Rest of team DGWers except for Bamford.

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

      Save

    2. max99
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Hit!
      Maybe get stones and antonio?

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

        Already have Antonio. My starting 11 is:

        Pope
        Cancelo, Chilwell, Coufal
        Salah, KDB, Bruno, Grealish, Soucek
        Bamford, Antonio

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

    Quick vote please for GW19?

    A) Martinez + Maddison/Foden
    B) Ederson + El Ghazi

    Cheers in advance

    1. Quan MisTaka
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      A with foden

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

    Martinez
    KWP Justin Chilwell
    Salah Bruno KDB(C) Soucek
    Watkins Vardy Bamford

    Forster Taylor Kilman Bissouma

    GTG?

    1. Bank$y
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Looks good

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

        Should I start Charlie Taylor over KWP in case he's fit to play?

    2. Bad Kompany
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I’d go Taylor over kwp

      1. Bad Kompany
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Never mind. Forgot he’s injured

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

    Would you start Raphinha or Wood?

    1. Begbie.
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Raph

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

        cheers

  11. Pukki Blinders
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    What’s this talk of Leeds/Soton game coming back on? Have to be kidding me right

    1. Differential C (Mark)
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Think its highly unlikely but not impossible. Depends if all parties insist on the Shrewbury Saints game to go ahead, and it looks like it will.

  12. Differential C (Mark)
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Anyone else up for Aaron Cresswell captain?

    1. Bad Kompany
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Not for me and I’ve had success captaining defenders before

    2. Jafooli
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Brought him in, but armband one step too far

    3. Nate(U)dog(ie)
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Definitely been contemplating it, don't think I'm brave enough for it though and will just go with KDB or Vardy possibly

    4. Pukki Blinders
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      My kahonees aren’t that big

  13. Bad Kompany
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Dawson likely to start both games this gw?

    1. Differential C (Mark)
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Balbuena out for the first game so Dawson is nailed for the Burnley game. I imaging Balbuena isn't likely to be match ready after isolating, so yes, reckon he gets both games.

      1. Bad Kompany
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Cheers!

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

    Thoughts on Dallas?

    Season keeper if you got him at 4.4 or worth swapping for Stones (-4)?

  15. blauriecon
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Fabinski McCarthy
    Coufal Justin Maguire Robertson Zouma
    Fernandes(C) Foden Rapinha Son Soucek
    Bamford Kane Vardy

    0.4 ITB, 0 FT

    1.) Bench boost?
    2.) Any recommended transfers for -4.
    a.) Fabinski/McCarthy ->> Johnstone/Martinez
    b.) Rapinha ->> Gundogan/ElGhazi
    c.) No hit needed.

  16. Muzzy
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    DCL ->

    A) Antonio BUR (H) WBA (H)
    B) Bamford BHA (H)
    C) Watkins MCI (A) NEW (H)
    D) Abraham FUL (A) LEI (A)

    1. king cole
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      A

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

      A

  17. Corona is not good 4 U
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Is this team good to go?

    Johnstone (Mc. Carthy)
    Dias, Stones, Robertson, Coufal (Lowton)
    Salah, Fernandes, Soucek, Foden (Raphinha)
    Kane, Bamford (Adams)

    Thankyou!

    1. L S P
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      gtg

      1. Corona is not good 4 U
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Thanks!

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

    Man, this week is a nightmare! Thoughts on these two options?

    Martinez (Forster)
    Dias, Stones, Justin, Coufal (Kilman)
    Salah, Bruno, Mahrez, Son (Bissouma)
    Firmino Watkins (Bamford)

    A: Mahrez, Firmino, Kilman > Sterling (c), Antonio, Mitchell (for -8 but means keeping Son)

    B: Mahrez, Son > KDB (c), Soucek (-4, 11 DGW-ers)

    1. max99
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      B

  19. Marcus_20126
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Option 1: Stones + Antonio (DGW) replacing Reguilon and McGoldrick (SGW) for -8

    Or

    Option 2: Justin + Foden (DGW) replacing Reguilon and March (SGW) for -8

    Option 3: Do nothing! Is -8 worth it?

    Recommendations appreciated!

    1. king cole
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      A

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

      Option 1

  20. king cole
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    FH
    De gea*
    Dias cancelo coufal
    Kdb (c) mane bruno mount*
    Vardy antonio

    Bench: fodder + 0.0 in the bank

    A) mount + de gea
    B) maddison + darlow
    C) maddison + johnstone

    Prefering maddison over mount, but already have vardy and got no chelsea cover. The keeper im totally confused, any other suggestions for 5.3 keeper and below welcome.

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

      Fabianski

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

      Fabianski gotta be the keeper.
      Maddison over mount or maybe foden a good shout

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

    Would I be mad BB This - Forster (McCarty's back) , Kyle Walker-Peters(LEI) , Brewster(TOT) , Taylor(WHU,LIV) (not sure if he only plays once)

    1. king cole
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I would save the BB

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

      Save

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

      Yes you’d be mad

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

    Anyone DEFINITELY triple capping a player?

    Would we get a better chance of tripling on KDB this season?

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

      I believe so seeing as he was too tired to take a pen. He may be rested, he may play both and be fatigued. I wouldn't want that doubt using the chip.

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

        Very true, leaning ever so slightly to leaving it and not playing the chip tbh

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

          Yeah this is what’s worrying me too. I think a later DGW might be better (and there will be loads).

    2. Nate(U)dog(ie)
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      You might, the Everton and Soton games still have to be rearranged but I don't fancy those fixtures more than the ones this week. But there are always lots of other things to take into account, City might be in blistering form by then, they might be in worse form, he might need a rest or one of those teams might be missing a lot of key players, etc.

  23. max99
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Meslier
    Stones* justin* chilwell*
    Bruno* salah* grealish* bowen* soucek*
    Vardy (c) bamford

    Subs: mc carthy, dallas, walker pieters, mitrovic*

    No transfers left, g2g or need any tweek?

  24. ExpressoMySonny
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Is it madness to be considering Eric Bailly

    1. Pukki Blinders
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yes he’s a glassman

    2. Nate(U)dog(ie)
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      A bit with his injury history but he's certainly helped their improvements in defence and seems to attract bps in their narrow wins

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

    Good to go? Triple captain KDB?

    Martinez
    Dias, Robertson, Coufal, Dallas*
    Salah, KDB, Fernandes, Grealish
    Antonio, Bamford*
    Johnstone | Adams, Mitchell, Bissouma

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

      Looks good! Also considering tripling KDB but I’m torn on the decision

    2. max99
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Not a bad shout
      This time he wont give the penalty to sterling

  26. Salalalalah
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Anyone worth to replace Taylor for a hit at 4.4 on a BB?

  27. FPL ElasticO
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Anybody using TC this DGW? Then who?

    1. Quan MisTaka
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      only salah in consideration imo

      kdb tired, bruno 4 yellows

      1. FPL ElasticO
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Is it worth holding TC chip this week?

        1. max99
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Yes hold it, better weeks will come

  28. bso
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Help...Which 1 of these should I start: Saiss, Bedranek or Cooper?

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

      Saiss

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

        The last CS Wolves had was GW7. So rather nervous about that.

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

          More threat from set piece's, I think Vardy scores vs SOU!

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

            Thanks mate!

  29. Quan MisTaka
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    RMT , no chips

    Captain ok?

    Martinez
    Robbo, Cancelo, Dias, Coufal
    Soucek, Kdb, (S)alah, Grealish, Bruno,
    Antonio

    Steer, Bamford, Holding, Brewster

    1. max99
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Kdb

  30. bruuuno
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    De Gea or Mendy mid long term?

    1. Quan MisTaka
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Neither

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

        Thanks Jim for your help!!