Gameweek Guide

The Complete Guide to Scout’s tips and advice for Gameweek 30

FPL is back after its international hiatus with the little controversy of another Double Gameweek announcement – Tottenham Hotspur will play twice in Gameweek 32.

As well as covering the usual captain dilemmas and some tasty one-week punts, the Guide to Gameweek 30 will look at how this affects our plans: what should we do with Gareth Bale (£9.6m) and could a “popular pasta dish” be on the menu?

We have a Saturday deadline this week and you have until 11:00 BST deadline to make any last-minute changes to your side. 

Effective Kane

Harry Kane (£11.6m) is set to be the popular armband pick against relegation-battling Newcastle United. 

Kane created four chances, had four big chances, [and] get this – shots inside the box: eight, shots on target: six – these are prime Kane stats.

– Joe, Captaincy Video

His impressive form over the last four matches led Joe to describe the England captain as the sensible choice. But is he the best choice?

Son Heung-min (£9.4m) looks set to recover from a bout of “international-itis” and could exploit a known weakness in Newcastle’s right flank. Joe and Pro Pundit Tom Freeman both highlighted the opportunity for the South Korean.

Tom noted that a switch to a back four at the end of January has seen the Magpies concede more chances down their right than any other team.

A vulnerability that fits neatly with Son’s shot heatmap this season. 

Above: Son Heung-min’s 2020/21 shot heatmap

And could adventurous left-back Sergio Reguilón (£5.5m) be another Spurs player to benefit from this area of susceptibility?

Penne for your thoughts

Speaking on the Scoutcast, Chris (aka el Fozzie) was not particularly impressed, pronouncing Reguilón’s name like a “popular pasta dish” (well it was dinner time), but Spurs aficionado Sam pointed to some encouraging stats for the former Real Madrid defender:

Reguilón has registered 17 attempts on goal so far this season … he is also top for successful crosses from open play among Mourinho’s squad.

– Sam

While the Spaniard might be a step too Farfalle for some, not so for Ted, who added Reguilón to his plate of Spurs players ahead of Gameweek 29. 

However, the graphic-creating manager found himself umming and ahhing about another of his new recruits, Gareth Bale.

Bale out

Following a no-show in Gameweek 29, the Welshman’s subsequent comments weren’t great news for owners and Spurs fans alike. Season ticket-holder Sam felt that “they don’t hint at a player who is here for the benefit of the club and its supporters.” 

Concerns over his game time make Bale a “wait and see” for high-flying Pro Pundit Andy. While Sam summarised the impact that Blank Gameweek 33 could have Mourinho’s team selection in her latest article:

Spurs will have both eyes firmly on the League Cup final against Man City, as it is now their only opportunity to bring silverware back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season. This could also have a big impact on the teams that Spurs set out in Double Gameweek 32, as the Southampton match falls just days before the trip to Wembley.

– Sam

For Andy, the other issue with the blank in Gameweek 33 is that managers could potentially have a lot of money sitting on their bench in the form of Kane, Son and any Manchester City players. 

I would argue that there’s a case to just stick with a couple of Spurs players for the double.

– Andy

But with Spurs facing Sheffield United and Leeds United after the blank, benching our Lilywhites and selling Man City players could be the better ploy.

Slam Dunk

Indeed, Portuguese FPL machine, no not Bruno Fernandes (£11.5m) but Hall of Fame No 1, Fábio Borges, sold Cancelo (£6.1m) for a hit ahead of Gameweek 29.

When revealing his analytical decision-making process, the former poker professional explained how he set aside bias and gut feeling as he methodically worked out if Lewis Dunk (£5.0m) was worth buying for a minus four.

A six-point return would suggest that he was.

But even if [Dunk] blanked”, reasoned Fábio, “I would be happy with my decision of taking a hit, knowing that if I keep making transfers with a positive expected value in the future, it will work out more times than not.”

Echoing words from his interview last year:

Just because someone blanked twice in a row, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he is suddenly a bad pick and the same applies to poker – just because you lost one hand, it doesn’t mean that you played it poorly.

I think that being able to distance myself from the short-term results is one of my biggest strengths in FPL and poker played a huge part in that.

– Fábio Borges

Lateriser, when discussing identity in Fantasy Premier League, endorsed Fábio’s approach:

I have generally found the good managers are the ones that are not affected by the results but focus on the process. Temperament is an incredibly underrated thing in FPL.

– Lateriser

Another manager who has displayed an admirable temperament this season is Fábio’s closest rival at the top of our elite ranking system, Tom Stephenson.

Late Riser

As Greyhead noted when exploding the myth that a good start is crucial, the Hall of Fame No 2 was at the three million mark in Gameweek 3 but has risen to 4,261 – on track for a fifth top six thousand finish in six years.

Tom was Joe’s latest Meet the Manager guest during the IB and, like Fábio, plans to play his Wildcard in Gameweek 31. (Note that the interview was recorded before the Double Gameweek 32 announcement, so Tom included just Kane from Spurs.)

Aside from a good temperament, a further similarity Tom shares with Fábio is placing importance on ‘expected minutes’. For this reason he was reluctant to add Kevin De Bruyne (£11.9m) to his Wildcard squad:

I’m a little bit resentful about having to pay [nearly] 12 million and not know whether a player who I’d probably captain as well … is going to start.

– Tom Stephenson

The possible exception to this rule are one-week punts.

For those planning to play their Wildcard in Gameweek 31, Gameweek 30 presents just such an opportunity, with Tom among those considering a potentially rewarding move for Marcos Alonso (£5.7m).

The Spaniard, who was rested over the IB, is Tom Freeman’s top differential for the upcoming round of fixtures.

…When used correctly as a wing-back he has real quality, something Tuchel has recognised. Since Gameweek 21, when Alonso made a return to Chelsea’s starting XI in a 3-4-3 system, he has taken 13 shots. No defender can match that total during that period, despite limited minutes.

– Tom Freeman

But as Chelsea embark on a lovely run, bringing in at least one of Edouard Mendy (£5.2m), César Azpilicueta (£5.8m) or Antonio Rüdiger (£4.7m) is more of a priority for those thinking long-term.

And while the two Toms and Sam are plotting moves for their first Blues defender, Andy is considering a double-up. With Rüdiger already part of his XV man squad, the popular Pro Pundit is looking to add Mendy in goal. Two could be the magic number:

I’d provide a word of caution on the triple-up, though. While it looks good for the next few weeks, and I’m sure it’s something that Gameweek 31 Wildcarders will consider, you also need to think ahead about how to get out of it when the fixtures turn in Gameweek 35.

– Andy

In addition to Alonso, who Jan considers Chelsea’s best captain option in Gameweek 30, Joe threw Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s (£7.6m) name into the hat for one-week punts. The Everton forward has scored the most headed goals this season, while Crystal Palace have conceded the most headed chances.

Playing with FPL Fire

Jan went against the grain in the latest edition of Captain Sensible. The double-points maestro did acknowledge, however, that Kane is a reliable pick:

While this might not be a truly high-scoring and convincing win by Mourinho’s men given Newcastle’s defence-first approach, it is difficult to suggest Kane is unlikely to get an attacking return.

– Jan

But he feels that Leeds United have a better opportunity.

Over the last six matches, no team has conceded more shots on target than Sheffield United.

– Jan

Raphinha (£5.7m) and Patrick Bamford (£6.7m) are therefore Jan’s first and second choices for the armband:

It is Leeds midfielder Raphinha who emerges as my top captaincy pick for Gameweek 30. The tricky winger tops the creativity charts for midfielders and is a constant goal threat too.

– Jan

An opinion backed up by Ted on the Scoutcast, who confessed he would probably captain Raphinha if he had the guts.

But bravery might not be the only factor at play when deciding who to trust with the armband – effective ownership (EO) could play a part too.

There is no doubt in order to make serious ground, you need to bet against the template.

– Zophar

Zophar succinctly encapsulated the predicament facing many managers. 

And there could be real rewards for being different and going against the crowd. When charting the finer points of EO, Az cited a thread by FPL Swede, who revealed that only five times in 29 Gameweeks had the most captained option been the highest-scoring player among the main runners and riders for the armband.

But knowing when to stick and when to twist is undoubtedly the key.

To illustrate his point, Az used two examples of his FPL Black Box co-host, Mark, paying attention to EO. The first was owning Timo Werner (£9.2m) in Gameweek 1, when Mark was protecting himself against the sizable ownership and unknown quantity the German presented. 

The other was when he captained Raphinha over Bamford in Gameweek 25 and exploited the Brazilian’s status as a differential against Bamford’s big EO.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water

But don’t sell good assets just for the sake of differentiating, cautioned Zophar, “calculated risks are the key to ‘upside chasing’”. 

The seven-time top eight thousand finisher looked ahead to the fixture swing in Gameweek 31, identifying the teams and players to target.

As former FPL winner Simon March counselled, fixtures, and their difficulty, are likely to have a significant influence on how players perform in the future. They can help us avoid the feeling that our new transfer has waited for us to fully buy into them before suddenly becoming useless.

So it was perhaps slightly surprising to find that Leeds pair Raphinha and Bamford were both included in Zophar’s selection, despite facing Manchester City, Liverpool, and Man United before Gameweek 34. 

But Tom Stephenson agreed, including Raphinha in his Wildcard draft. Planning ahead, Tom noted that Leeds finish the season very well. 

Also featuring in Zophar’s shortlist were Liverpool trio Mohamed Salah (£12.4m), Diogo Jota (£6.7m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.3m). The FPL Wire co-host reasoned that the return of Fabinho (£5.4m) to midfield boosts the prospects for the attacking full-back.

And Wolves offered a few names for consideration.

All four of Zophar, Neale, Andy, and Tom Freeman picked out Conor Coady (£4.8m).

No defender has been afforded more big chances (three) than the Liverpool Academy product over the last six matches. And the return of Willy Boly (£5.4m) could help remedy Wolves’ vulnerability in the air.

During his in-depth look at Nuno Espírito Santo’s team, Neale highlighted that “goalscoring remains an ongoing issue: seven goals in their last 10 top-flight matches is this shot-shy season in microcosm.

But Pedro Neto (£5.7m) presents the best attacking option for those tempted:

The Portuguese winger is top or joint-top among his teammates for the following metrics: shots on goal, shots in the box, efforts on target, big chances, penalty box touches, successful crosses, chances created and big chances created.

– Neale

Neto is included in Tom’s Gameweek 31 Wildcard draft.

Community Competitions and Head-to-Head Fixtures

Neale reviewed the latest results in the FFS Open Cup and Members Cup.

There will be a new name on both trophies this season as the two remaining former winners, Lokomotiv and Pep Pig, were eliminated in Gameweek 29.

While the David vs Goliath clash of the lowest-ranked manager against the highest, came down to ‘rank difference’ as 415th-placed The Fighting Cock benefited from his lofty perch to overcome Jonathan Ojao following a 45-all tie.

The battling rooster takes on stonerrocks in round five of the Open Cup.

There are six rounds to go in both cups and the finals are set to take place in Gameweek 35.

Elsewhere, RedLightning brought us his usual round-up of the latest Community mini-leagues and competitions.

Phil Olorenshaw is enjoying an excellent campaign, leading four of our featured mini-leagues, while in Head-to-Head League 1 last season’s sixth-placed finisher Aleksander Våge Nilsen has a narrow three-points advantage over Ville Tuominen

The Head-to-Head fixtures for Gameweek 30 can be found below. 

The scores and tables are now updating every night on the Head-to-Head Leagues main page so you can keep track of the action as the Gameweek unfolds. 

May your arrows be green!

TopMarx Fan of Fantasy Football and Monty Python. "Archimedes out to Socrates, Socrates back to Archimedes, Archimedes out to Heraclitus, he beats Hegel. Heraclitus a little flick, here he comes on the far post, Socrates is there, Socrates heads it in! Socrates has scored! The Greeks are going mad, the Greeks are going mad! Socrates scores, got a beautiful cross from Archimedes. The Germans are disputing it. Hegel is arguing that the reality is merely an a priori adjunct of non-naturalistic ethics, Kant via the categorical imperative is holding that ontologically it exists only in the imagination, and Marx is claiming it was offside. Follow them on Twitter

1,781 Comments Post a Comment
  1. tabby98
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Start 1:
    A) Dallas
    B) Gundo
    C) Lingard
    D) Stones

    1. FPL ElasticO
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      A

    2. La Roja
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Bb?

    3. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Blimey, I start AB bench CD

  2. bruuuno
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    A. Bale > Havertz (-4) as a one week punt
    B. Start Bale
    C. Start Coufal

    1. FPL ElasticO
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      B

  3. Van der Faart
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Repost

    This worth BBing?

    Martinez Cresswell Watkins Saka

    Saka the only doubt but the other 3 could all do well?

    1. Steve The Spud
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Yes

  4. FPL ElasticO
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    G2g for this GW30? I'm worried about too many bench points this week... What do you all suggest?

    Martinez
    Alonso / Dallas / Digne
    Gundo / Son / Bale / Raphinha / Bruno
    Kane(c) / Bamford

    Bench:: Forster / Cresswell / Watkins / Stones

  5. King Kun Ta
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    On WC....

    Lingard or Mahrez?

    Ta!

  6. Arteta
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Shameless repost:

    Would it be worth using Bench Boost with Pope, Gündogan, Vestergaard and any defender up to 7.1m (Alonso, Azpi maybe).

    Would mean taking a hit and counting on 0:0 between BUR and SOU.

    1. Van der Faart
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Might be. Pope will get save points anyway if they don't keep a cleanie and 0-0 between those two wouldn't be a shock

  7. Stranger Mings
    • 3 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Bench a) bale or b) gundo

  8. FootballDog
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Coufal to Alonso for -4?

    Yes or No

    1. sunzip14
      • 7 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      N

    2. La Roja
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Nay

  9. the dom 1
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    G2G?

    Martinez
    Stones, Struijk, Shaw
    Salah, Son, Bruno, Raph
    Bamford, Kane, DCL

    Sanchez, Gundo, Konsa, Dunk

    0FT, 1.2IB

    Any changes needed, Bench order correct?

  10. Better luck next year
    • 4 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Who to start, in right order?

    A) Antonio
    B) Gundo
    C) Dias
    D) Bale

  11. MattysFantasyFooty
    • 10 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Play 2

    Auba
    Lookman
    Gundo

    1. Voodoo
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Auba and Gundo

  12. Lecky Legs FC
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Chasing my ML by 253 pts captain one:

    A) Bamford
    B) Kane
    C) Bruno

    1. The Knights Template
      • 10 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Stop chasing. Race is run. Feet up and have a coldy and do what you want.

    2. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
      • 10 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      253 points id cap all 3

  13. Ibra
    • 5 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Which one would you pick to your WC team?

    A) Gundo
    B) Jota

  14. Voodoo
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Hi all, is Reece James likely to play today?

    Thinking of taking out for Dunk... and Hudson Odoi is injured I believe..

    1. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
      • 10 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      If James was nailed id be all over him but he cameos too much

  15. Whazza
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Bottomed...

    Are we overlooking Bamford for captaincy?

    - Double the attacking returns to Raphinha! 23 vs 12
    - Penalties
    - Fun fact: Raphinha only has 3 returns at home all season, Bamford got 3 home returns in gw 2

    1. Weeb Kakashi
      • 8 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      I have both but capping Kane. Not putting all eggs in one basket.

      1. Whazza
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        2 years, 12 months ago

        Fair enough but many have double Spurs attack as well

  16. corderz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Aubameyang to who for a 1 week punt?

  17. Jdpz
    • 4 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Is Ziyech good option?

    1. Lecky Legs FC
      • 8 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Yes

  18. allaboutthemagic
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    I have Bale and currently on BB. Would you ship him for son for 4?!

    1. Van der Faart
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Probably

    2. SerieD
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Hard one. I got only 1ft and looking to transfer veltman out. Doing this Bale-->Son would cost -4.

      On BB too.

      1. allaboutthemagic
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        2 years, 12 months ago

        I’ve Pulled the trigger. Son is better for long run too and more minutes. Plus has a chance of hauling at newc

  19. kysersosa
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Ballers Play 2

    A) Bale
    B) Watkins
    C) Adams

    TIA

    1. iL PiStOlErO
      • 4 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      B and C

    2. JJO
      • 11 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Well Watkins will play/start
      Other 2 im not sure about
      Probably A+B

  20. Oggle22
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    -4 done Aubameyang and Cancelo to Bruno and Alonso ewt worth a -8? Was debating Cancelo and Antonio for Rudi and DCL hope it doesnt back fire

    Martinez
    Konsa Dallas Alonso
    Son Bale Raphina Lingz Bruno
    Kane(c) Bamford
    Steele Antonio Stones Dunk

    Cheers

  21. It's his Job.
    • 10 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Anyone looking to C Bamford?

    1. Lecky Legs FC
      • 8 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Look above my mate I'm considering it

      1. It's his Job.
        • 10 Years
        2 years, 12 months ago

        Noted, I feel the same and they are such a hard working team for the whole 90 Mins

  22. Weeb Kakashi
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    BBing for the week.

    Areola
    Cresswell AWB Dallas
    Salah Auba Lookman Raphinha
    Kane(C) Bam Antonio

    Forster Cancelo Toby Mount

    Cancelo Toby> Alonso Reece(-4)??

    1. JJO
      • 11 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Certain starter to uncertain starter for -4?
      Could be food move but probably wont

  23. #Swish41
    • 13 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Locked in. Bale starting, Watkins first sub. Hoping Bale starts or doesn’t ply at all!

  24. HD7
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    I bought Bale for -4 in the BGW like many others... do I give him a chance vs Newcastle or sell to Mount/Son for free?

    Any Spurs fans or people with more information If Bale should start?

  25. Gandalf
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Any sensible alternatives to WC31, or fine to go ahead

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

    My start XI: Martinez
    Cancelo, Targett, Digne
    Zaha, Salah, Maddison, Mahrez
    Ings, Kane, Bamford:
    Bench: Neto, Coufal, Tierney

    I don't know yet whether I will make this transfer this week: Coufal --> Rüdiger
    What do you think, should I change something regarding the bench?

  27. FPL_Crisis
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Looking at Coufal to Azpi (or Alonso) for one week and play 4 at the back.
    Gotta bench Lingard or Antonio....which one?

  28. ZAMUNDA
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    WC30 Current Rank 22k
    Mendy - Forster
    Rudiger - Shaw - TAA - Dallas - Coady
    Bruno - Jota - Son - Raphinha - Lingard
    Kane - DCL - Iheanacho

    ITB 3.0
    Any thoughts?

  29. JJO
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    So everyone here is 100% sure that Bale and Gundo wont start

    1. DeadStarComing
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      I think Bale is unlikely. Gundo is 50/50.

    2. Indpush
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Yes everyone. 100% sure, yep.

    3. Indpush
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Okay not everyone but almost everyone. Minus one

  30. Corgz Dark side of the Loon
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Guys sorry to ask again Would you do Watkins > DCL for -4 for just one week..........??