Pro Pundits

The best Antonio replacements ahead of West Ham’s fixture swing

Despite Michail Antonio’s (£6.6m) recent form, West Ham’s fixture swing means I am considering who to replace him with for Double Gameweek 25.

In Double Gameweek 19 he delivered 18 points for managers who decided to gamble on his fitness but there are alternatives with better fixtures now and I think this is the correct timing to part ways with Antonio.

So, in this article, I will take a deep look at the pros and cons of the players I identified as the best Antonio replacements and the two possible strategies I am considering. But first, a quick recap of how Gameweek 24 affected my team and my overall ranking…

DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 24 REVIEW

Can Jesse Lingard follow up on his West Ham debut FPL haul 10

As an alternative, I considered getting Danny Ings (£8.4m) for Antonio, who was recovering from injury and was considered a doubt for his home match against Sheffield United. I decided against this option because it was too risky to sell Antonio ahead of such an easy fixture and I wanted one more week to assess several forwards before deciding who would be the best option to replace the West Ham striker. 

Regardless of how impressive Antonio has been lately, a lack of Double Gameweeks coupled with tough fixtures and recurrent injuries, means he is one of the weakest links in my team at the moment. Considering that his ownership in the top 10k was roughly 60% in Double Gameweek 24, I assume many other Fantasy managers are in the same boat, so let’s take a closer look at some of the best forwards available right now.

harry kane fpl injury return spurs west brom gameweek 23

HARRY KANE (£11.0m) – The main appeal of Kane is the strong possibility of an excellent Double Gameweek 26, when Tottenham Hotspur will face Burnley (home) and probably either Fulham (away) or Southampton (home). Many managers are already planning on using their triple captain chip on the Spurs striker and it will be a scary proposition to go without such an explosive asset when his ownership will be so big.


However, in my case, going for Kane is only possible if I decide to downgrade one of Mohamed Salah (£12.6m), Bruno Fernandes (£11.5m) or Son Heung-min (£9.5m), which is something I am reluctant to do. After all, these three players will also probably play twice in Gameweek 26 and every single one of them can easily outscore Kane. All in all, I do not think I am willing to perform major surgery in my squad just to fit Kane in unless, of course, some of my players get injured between now and the Gameweek 26 deadline.

JAMIE VARDY (£10.1m) – Just like Kane, Vardy might be a bit too expensive to fit into my plans without compromising the rest of my squad too much but after watching another stellar performance from the Leicester City legend at the King Power Stadium against Liverpool, in which he accumulated an impressive total of 1.27 expected goals (xG) from five shots, he deserves at least to be considered for the third spot in my forward line.

However, with two away matches against Aston Villa and Brighton in either side of a potential Double Gameweek 26, there is not much else in favour of Vardy other than his impressive display against the defending champions. Will he and the Foxes be able to carry their form going forward? It is impossible to know and I think I am not willing to pay Vardy’s hefty price to find out when there are several other cheaper options with better short-term fixtures.

 1

DANNY INGS – There is a decent chance that Southampton will have two Double Gameweeks in the near future and possibly even three. As usual, whenever the Saints’ schedule looks appealing, Ings is the player to target considering how miles ahead he is in terms of attacking threat when compared to any of his teammates. Che Adams (£5.8m) was a notable exception in the first half of this season but he does not seem to be nailed anymore so everyone’s attention is back on Ings.

Looking at his schedule and the possibility of several Double Gameweeks, it is hard to argue against Ings as an option but in 2020/21, he hasn’t quite reached his levels of last season, both in underlying statistics and actual output. However, his form seems to be improving after three good performances in the last few weeks (including a goal in the FA Cup at the Molineux Stadium) and he is someone I am strongly considering as my Antonio replacement.

DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN (£7.7m) – After missing the last two matches due to injury and with the Merseyside derby scheduled for Saturday, Calvert-Lewin is not on my plans for Gameweek 25. Although, there is the option of benching Antonio this Gameweek and then getting the Toffees’ striker for his possibly amazing Double Gameweek 26, in which he will have two great opportunities to add more goals to his already impressive tally of 13 for the season.

There is also the chance he will get another Double Gameweek before Gameweek 29 and if it is confirmed, it will be hard to ignore the young Everton star.

PATRICK BAMFORD (£6.9m) AND OLLIE WATKINS (£6.5m) – They would be my top priorities to replace Antonio if they were not in my team already. Bamford will be my captain this week and I am happy to hold Watkins given his kind pricing and the fact that he always plays 90 minutes for an exciting Aston Villa team.

CONCLUSION

If I decide to sell Antonio this week, Ings seems to be the obvious choice. Kane and Vardy would require a downgrade elsewhere and Calvert-Lewin has a tough fixture at Anfield Road while Ings plays twice and the match against Leeds United on Tuesday seems destined for goals.

However, I am not sure Ings is the best option to hold after Gameweek 25, so there is still the possibility that I decide to keep (and probably bench) Antonio one more week and then switch him to Calvert-Lewin, Kane or Vardy ahead of Double Gameweek 26.

This will be a late decision for me, since there is still the chance that future Double Gameweeks are officially announced before Friday’s deadline. At the same time, press conferences can always throw some curveballs at us, so it is hard to know what the best course of action is at the moment I am writing this article.

If I would have to guess, I would say it is likely I will gamble with Ings this week and then try to switch him next week to Calvert-Lewin but, as we know, planning transfers beyond the current Gameweek rarely works so I will have to give this option a bit more thought.

1,460 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Mr. O'Connell
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    So .....

    1. FPL price manipulators are …
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      New article

  2. GOTHAM City F.C.
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Where's the free wildcard?

  3. Jafooli
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    FFS Ticker updated with DGWs yet?

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      I am waiting for it as well

  4. A-L
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Null and void those fixtures then

  5. FPL Daniel
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Scenes

  6. fedolefan
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    58 mins to go...

  7. WVA
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    OMG

  8. FPL Daniel
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    OMG, unbelievable... No fixtures announced

  9. Weeb Kakashi
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Play Lookman
    OR
    Get Ings for a -4 and bench Lookman.

  10. tinear
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Martinez
    Cancelo Stones Digne Lowton
    Bruno Salah Son Gundo
    DCL Bamford

    Steer Antonio Mitchell Bissouma

    2ft 5.5 itb

    Do I
    1) Stones to Dallas
    2) Antonio to Kane
    3) Both
    4) wait for more news

  11. OLEgend
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Here we go!!

  12. Pukki Blinders
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    WCers in the mud right now... absolutely nowhere to hide

    1. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Hiding in the mud?

  13. Flair
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    No fixtures announced. LOL

  14. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    WCers screwed!

    1. Botman and Robben
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Can't one just undo a WC? I know, this is a newbie kind of question.

      1. Christina.
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        like with a morning after pill?
        no.

  15. Fudgy
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Season over

    1. WVA
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Again!

  16. Kane Train
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    NO DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 26

  17. FFSbet.com
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    DGW26 canceled, big DGW37 would be nice

    1. OverTinker
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      rumours??

    2. Tinkermania
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Can it still be announced. I mean DGW26 or is it confirmed not a DGW?

      1. djman102
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        There will be an announcement. Just a question of when and how big.

  18. Christina.
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Ben Crayons looking like Ronald mcDonald.

    1. Konstaapeli
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Wha has he done to you to deserve the hate?

      1. AC/DC AFC
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Nothing.

        I mean nothing wrong.

        Without BC it wouldn't be any different.

  19. OleBall
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Crellin in the mud

    1. DB_00
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Can’t WC now

      1. OleBall
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Already have lol

        1. DB_00
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          Well good luck mate! Hopefully it goes your way but I’m worried they’ve cancelled the international break and all the fixtures are going into that gw instead.

  20. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Does this mean they are cancelling the international break maybe? Could put all the fixtures in GW29?

  21. OverTinker
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    so will there be Double gameweeks?? I don't have a twitter account

  22. smash
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    This squad worth a WC? 38pts clear of mini league

    McCarthy
    Cancelo - Lowton - Veltman - Dier
    Salah - Sterling - Son - Bruno
    DCL - Bamford

    Steer - Gundogan Coufal - Brewster
    0.7 in bank

    Impossible at answer I guess. just looks awful when I see alll the current wildcard teams being posted.

  23. Captain_Shirokov
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    SEASON OVER

    WCERS IN THE MUD

    why did you all take the word of some random fella on twitter as gospel?

    insert shrug emoticon

    1. OverTinker
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      😀

  24. OneDennisBergkamp
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    KDB is a huge differential!

  25. space mercenary
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Surely most potential wildcarders would have had a team in mind but we're waiting until now to pull the trigger. Can't see that many actually being wasted.

  26. ManUtdFan977
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Grealish not seen in any training pictures and there are rumours (not credible yet) that he has a stress fracture in his shin (4-6 weeks out).

    Not worth transferring out on that alone but keep an eye out over the next few hours.

    1. Tsparkes10
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      My bench is solid this week. Think I’ll do a -4 next week including him

      1. ManUtdFan977
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        i'm kind of happy now i won't have a benching headache if he is confirmed to be out

    2. Weeb Kakashi
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Sauce?

      1. ManUtdFan977
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        @fpl_raptor on twitter don't know 100% if it is true hence he said not credible yet

  27. Hazz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    "Should I activate my WC now to catch price rises?"

  28. Tsparkes10
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Play grealish with Antonio and stones on the bench?

  29. JP\'s
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Best Fulham defender to own?

    1. Tabasco
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Areola the keeper

    2. WVA
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Aina

  30. Pukki Blinders
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    All those times Grealish clutches his shins when he goes down from a challenge has finally got the better of him...

    Timing couldn’t be any bloody worse