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. Bocaginge
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Is there really justified selection for Justin and/or Vardy (I have both) with two tough home games in DGW? Leicester have been poor at home this season.

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

      Still a dgw for them, depends on rest of your team

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

    How does one change their profile pic?

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

      gravatar.com

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

        Merci!

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

    Leno, Nyland
    Stones, Cancelo, Target, Holding, Balbuena
    Grealish, KDB, Son, Bruno, Salah
    Adams, Bandied, Brewster

    Considering a hit between A and B options
    A. Son+Adams > Vardy + Soucek
    B.Grealish + Balbuena > Soucek + Coufal/Cresswell

    Any suggestions?

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

      Grealish season keeper.

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

        I got him for 7.4 so not much value tied up. Can always get him back

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

    Would people either...

    A Rashford & Foden/El Ghazi/Maddison
    Or
    B Salah & £4.2m mid for (-4)

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

      B, especially with folk likely to captain him and some even going TC

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

        Cheers. You see I’m thinking of BB, what you think with this team plus two of the mid above. And gonna captain KDB

        Leno Martinez
        Coufal Stones Dier Saiss Justin
        KDB Fernandes ESR
        Antonio Kane Bamford

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

          Yeah that would be a sweet BB to be fair. Just might need to watch the two Pool games from behind the sofa!

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

            Very true cheers

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

            EIE, out of interest would you go Foden, Maddison or El Ghazi for GW19 only?

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

              Foden's the man in form but always a worry about whether he starts both. El Ghazi also been great recently but question marks over Villa for obvious reasons. So I guess Maddison is the safest pick, especially as you've got City covered with KDB

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

                Much appreciated again

  5. gellinmagellan
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Leno
    Cancelo Robbo Coufal
    Salah Son Fernandes Soucek Raphinha
    Vardy Bamford

    Forster Adams Strujic Taylor

    For -4
    A) Adams > Antonio
    B) Taylor > Stones
    C) Nothing

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

      I like the look of both of them transfers tbh

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

        A gives me triple West Ham which I'm not too keen on, hence leaning towards B

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

      B

    3. kringe
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      B

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

    McCarthy to who for a hit?

    A. DDG
    B. Martinez
    C. Areola (and bank the extra)

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

      B out of them

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

      Yeah B. Doubles ahoy down the road

    3. kringe
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      B best lomg term but is a risk for this week as dont know if he has Corona or not.
      Therefore i would go DDG for the Double.

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

    Bottomed...

    Classic FFS crystal ball question. Which scores more this week?

    A: KDB (c) and Firmino

    Or...

    B: Sterling (c) and Vardy

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

      B

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

      Not Firmino

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

        Yeah man, he's so frustrating. Started showing some form recently so brought him in for the double but three blanks since are making me rethink!

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

      A

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

        Cheers Toonstar. Happy that KDB won't get Pepped in one of the games?

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

          Seems like Ederson Dias and KDB are the ones Pep trusts the most. Everything goes through KDB & on all set pieces

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

    Play Bamford or Dallas?

    Thank you!

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

      Bamford

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

      Bamford

    3. Party time
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Bamford

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

      How many transfer hits have you taken?

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

        Too many / not enough! Depends which way you look at it.

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

        -8 and I’m a non hitter

      3. Holmes
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Will be -4 I guess

      4. Party time
          3 years, 2 months ago

          -140 this season but nothing in the past 4 gws. I am done with taking hits

        • sunzip14
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          -8

        • Tsparkes10
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          -12. Bb in play

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

            Which hits did you make?

        • tuturututu
          • 3 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          -8 BB

      5. Mike-Kovic
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        quick poll:-

        a) Antonio
        b) Watkins
        c) Wilson

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

          A this week, B long term

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

          A

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

          A. Never B. Total fraud.

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

            Ha ha ha!

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

          wilson, has maximum rest between games. Arsenal at home haven't been good, Villa still has many injured players.

          1. Cruyff's Eleven
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Rest doesn't make one a class striker in a dominant side...

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

          A

      6. Sergeant Slaughter
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        (A
        (B
        (C

        1. Sergeant Slaughter
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          For post above

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

          A

      7. Bobby's Teeth
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Any view on how big the next DGWs will be? Trying to understand whether I should deploy my TC chip or save it. For reference, I have not used any chip till now apart from WC1.

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

        Play 1;

        A) Neto
        B) Holding
        C) Smith Rowe

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

          B coming from a NUFC fan lol

          1. Tsparkes10
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            😉 cheers for our first win

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

              Thank the officiating for that!

        2. kringe
          • 10 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Neormally would say Neto, but fitness being assessed. Therefore i would worry about him getting 90 minutes. So would say C.

      9. 420king
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Which of these looks better for FH?

        A) Dias Bruno Rashford Werner
        B) TAA Sterling Maddison Vardy

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

          cant u upgrade werner to vardy in A?

          1. 420king
            • 9 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            nope, 0.8 short. both of these are like 0.0 or 0.1 itb :/

      10. Kryptonite666
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Triple west ham is making me nervous having brought Antonio in.

        Wondering if I should start Bamford and Wilson instead of Antonio

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

          Absolute nonsense

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

          You got Antonio to bench him?

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

          Antonio over both of them this week

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

          Why did you bring him in then?

          1. Kryptonite666
            • 4 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Buyer remorse.

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

          why is everyone assured that antonio will play both games?

          1. Cruyff's Eleven
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Coz they sold Haller to Ajax

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

              yarmolenko no chance of playing there?

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

            He probably won’t. But will still minutes in both

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

            Fit and rested

        6. PL Ball
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          How's the rest of the bench. Maybe BB?

      11. Fantasizer
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        news update on tierney? this news will help be decide if i bench boost or not.. please help!!

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

          Had his mri scan, if fit he will play

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

            when will his fitness be updated? will it he before the deadline?

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

        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. max99
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Might as well get rid of the chip before your bench gets worse

      13. Muscout
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Triple captain activated!!

        McCarthy
        Cancelo Chilwell Coufal
        Salah (TC) KDB Bruno HBarnes Soucek
        Kane Antonio

        Steer Dallas JLewis Brewster

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

          I get salahs due to score but dont see what the hype for tc is this week for him

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

            Too home games ; Burnley tough defensively, suspect United will park the bus too

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

            Well rested

            KDB other option but looks exhausted and due a rest and also not clinical enough

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

          GL!

      14. Bojam
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        I have 1FT and 0.1m ITB. Will BenchBoost this week. Should I keep Bamford or transfer him out for a DGW player? Choice of Antonio or Watkins...

        1. Cruyff's Eleven
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Depends on your other strikers

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

            Kane & Wilson.

            1. Cruyff's Eleven
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 5 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              No for me, I'm keeping Bamford. I'd not be surprised if he outscored Wilson.

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

          Antonio

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

          Season keeper for me, Clive

        4. Flying Nugget
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 14 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          you'll want Bamf back when Leeds have a double. Nice fixture this weekend too

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

            Yep can defo see sense in that. So would you swap Wilson for Antonio/Watkins instead? For free.

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

              Yeah for free, defo Antonio

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

              I’d do Wilson out Antonio in for free

      15. OPTA FPL
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Taylor to Cresswell worth -4? On benchboost

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

          Yes

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

        Is Justin to Shaw/Bailey worth a hit?

        1. Kryptonite666
          • 4 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          For city / Creswell yes. not for United defenders. Wont keep a clean against Liverpool.

          Justin could easily get an assist

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

            Agree. Also Bailly is made of glass and not nailed anyway now Lindelof is (I think) fit again

      17. Keep Calm and Play On
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Alright all what to do?
        A) Grealish, Kane to KDB, António (-4)
        B) Adams to Antonio
        C) Grealish to Foden
        D) Justin to Stones/Dias/Cancelo
        Or any combination of those

        Cheers!

        1. Kryptonite666
          • 4 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          All are good moves IMO. I did A for Salah.

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

          A or B.
          Probably A.

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

        Anyone else play their WC because they couldn’t be @rsed working out all the permutations?

        1. Party time
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Yeah, I played my wildcard but not for that reason

        2. hazza44
          • 11 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Best M5 for the double GW for 7.9mil or less? Cheers all
          a. Maddison
          b. Pogba
          c. Foden
          d. Gundogan
          e. Soucek

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

            E C D B A

        3. Kryptonite666
          • 4 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Alright if not benching Antonio - , whom should I bench out of

          Bamford (BRI)
          Wilson(ARS, AVL)

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

            Wilson.

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

            Bam

          3. TheOneAndOnly
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 14 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Bamford

          4. Cruyff's Eleven
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Coin toss

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

            Very tough but I guess lean towards the DGWer, just?

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

            Bamford

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

          A. Foden & Watkins
          B. Gundogan & Antonio

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

            A

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

              Cheers Siva, that’s what I’m on....

          2. kringe
            • 10 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            B
            Watkins has City and have no idea if he has Corona or not

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

          Would you bench boost this?

          Mc. Carthy, Dawson, Dallas and Adams?

          Three players has only one game (Mc. Carthy, Dallas and Adams). Or will there come better chances?

          Thank you!

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

            Similar boat to you lol
            Got city defenders already?
            Could -4 to bring one in

          2. Cruyff's Eleven
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            I'm playing BB with 4 SGW players - Leeds and ARS - not often I have 4 nailed players on my bench.

          3. kringe
            • 10 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            I think that I would. 4 likely starters.
            Ive got Martinez, Targett, Grealish and Mitchell.
            Cant believe i have 3 doubles but still doubting to BB.
            But no idea who has Corona and 2 are on 4 yellows

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

          Bb with this bunch?

          Mc carthy, dallas, mitrovic, kwp

          1. Party time
              3 years, 2 months ago

              No imo

            • deshawn7
              • 9 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Not with mitrovic on it

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

            Anything worth a -4 here?

            DDG
            CANCELO, COUFAL, TARGETT
            KDB, BRUNO, STERLING, Son
            WILSON, WATKINS, Bamford

            Forster, Bellerin, Martinelli, Mitchell
            Bank 0.6m, 0FT, all chips

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

            Play Lowton or Dallas?