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

    This BB dilemma is killing me.
    Cant decide who to remove out of

    Cancelo
    Alderweireld
    Mount

    Who has the least chance of starting?

    1. The Suspended One
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      I’d go Toby, less upside

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

        I am BBing hence need sure starters. Mount starts you think? Played all 3 in IB and has UCL on Wednesday.

        1. The Suspended One
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 10 Years
          2 years, 12 months ago

          You are BBing hence you need points. I would take 30 min of Mount over Toby dice roll

          He’s not nailed and has less upside

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

            Rightly so mate. Thanks for the input.

    2. Big Hands Barry
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      A probably. But I'd lose Alder first

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

    Play Meslier or Marti?

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

      Meslier

  3. 824545201
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Raphianiah or Kane captain?

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

      Close but Kane- the Leeds pitch is a concern to me

  4. dunas_dog
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Is team and bench gtg? Main issue is whether to play Watkins or Lingard?

    Martinez
    Digne Dallas Alonso
    Bale Bruno Raphinha Son
    Kane Watkins Bamford

    Pope Lingard Dias Coufal

    1. Bobby_Baggio
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Start Lingard

  5. Mr_Barbs
    • 6 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Gtg?

    Martinez
    Azpi, Dias, Struijk
    Son, Bruno, Lingard, Raphina
    Kane, bamford, Antonio

    Fabri, Gundogan, Tierney, Cancelo

    1. Art Vandelay
      • 13 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Looks great. I hope for our sakes that Strujik starts. Could Cooper have not stayed I’ll for another week?

      1. Mr_Barbs
        • 6 Years
        2 years, 12 months ago

        Thanks. I think he will start. Tierney will replace if not. Keep a good bench

        1. Art Vandelay
          • 13 Years
          2 years, 12 months ago

          Yep, you have plenty of cover.

          I have actually decided to bench him though but will be playing Creswell which I think is the right call irrespective of whether the Leeds man starts.

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

    Draft question. Starting line correct and bench?

    McCarthy
    Alioski - AWB - Creswell
    Salah - Gros - Soucek - Raphinha - Siggy
    Vardy - Wellbeck

    (Areola) - Cancelo - Alder - Martial

  7. Bury94
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Do we think Gundogan starts? Currently playing Watkins and benching Gundo but I'm not sure if I should swap them round.

    1. Lemongrab
      • 14 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      I'm in exactly the same boat. I think I might go for Gundo. Watkins is so frustrating

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

        If Grealish is back that changes everything....Watkins in for me!

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

      I did the same! I feel Gundo has played many minutes and will likely be rested so I brought in Watkins and benched Gundo. Also I think Leicester will give them a very hard game.

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

        Could be a hard game but one of them with a lot of goals me thinks

    3. FourLokoLeipzig
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      I have neither, but would start Watkins for sure

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

    When are most looking to play their W/C? I was looking at GW33

    1. Bobby_Baggio
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Was going to be 31 now 33

      1. Weilong7
        • 7 Years
        2 years, 12 months ago

        curious.. reason for the postponement?

      2. Tango74
        • 3 Years
        2 years, 12 months ago

        Why would you wildcard when spurs and city not playing

  9. Edinho
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Play auba or gundo?

    1. FourLokoLeipzig
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Not much in it. I’m deciding between Auba and Jota and am going Auba cos he’s in more of the predicted line-ups. Maybe that’s the deciding factor with Gundo too

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

    Final call:
    A. Play Martinez Konsa
    B. Play DDG Konsa
    C. Veltman > Azpi, play Martinez Azpi bench Konsa

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

      I like C

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

        Cheers!

    2. Il Capitano
      • 3 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      I did C with White out personally, it's a good fixture for Villa, but I just don't fancy the double up

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

        Cool

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

    For GW30 Only as Wc31.. holding to a) Azpilicueta b) Alonso C) shaw

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

      A for me

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

        Cheers assume because less risk than Alonso

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

    WC team, thoughts?

    Martinez Areola
    Shaw Azpi Dias Coady ????
    Bruno Jota Son Mahrez Raph
    DCL Kane Bamford

    5.9 ITB

    Last defender???

    Ta lads!

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

      For next week?

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

      this week....had a lot of playtime doubts so i played my WC a earlier.

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

      Around about GW 32 Robertson will make a reappearance into my squad... Just saying

  13. Tombory
    • 6 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    A) bale (already own)
    B) Pulisic one game punt before wildcard

  14. WVA
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Price changes have been atrocious this season, Bale was on -50 last night at 10pm and still dropped FFS, really needs looking at for next season.

    1. The Suspended One
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      The effect is amplified because of his man bun. It’s called the man bun escalator

  15. Salah_Fingers
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Gtg? Bench correct?

    Martinez
    Azpili - Struijk - Reguillon

    Lingard - Son - Bruno - Raphinha

    (C) Kane - Antonio - Bamford

    (Forster - Salah - Stones - Coufal)

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

      Benching Salah???

      why have him then lol.

      i'd bench Antonio imo

      1. Salah_Fingers
        • 9 Years
        2 years, 12 months ago

        Leading my ML, 2 rivals behind me don't own salah but own lingard so essentially covering myself. Also 1 goal in 6 games from Salah is poor

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

          Good tactics - GL mate

          1. Salah_Fingers
            • 9 Years
            2 years, 12 months ago

            Thank you

  16. CrouchDown
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Auba > Bruno?

    Captain Kane or Bruno?

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

      yes and in doubt too

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

    Lingard or Mahrez this week? Ta!

  18. henkongs
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 3 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Bench one:
    Bale
    Ødegaard

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

      O

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

      Tough. Not sure Bale will start.

    3. Big Hands Barry
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Ode

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

    Gundo 1st on my bench feels urghhhh lol

    Rest of my mids are Son, Bruno, Salah, Raphina

    should be ok right lol

  20. King Kohli
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Who has more chance of a CS?

    A. Leeds vs Sheffield
    B. Man City away to Leicester

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

      A

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

      A

  21. fpl_tp95
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 3 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Does Bamford play?

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

      Yes

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

      Why not?

      1. fpl_tp95
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 3 Years
        2 years, 12 months ago

        Thought there was a potential injury

  22. bobbyg
    • 12 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Play Dawson or Stones please guys?

    1. The Senate
      • 5 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Stones

  23. Big_Andy_GAWA
    • 12 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Captain Son or Kane, lads?

    Cheers!

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

    How can spelling Raphinha be so hard 😀

  25. Nightf0x
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    which?

    a) forster play, roll ft, WC gw32
    b) pickford to 4.8 gk, WC gw31
    c) pickford stones -4 to mendy 4.7 def., WC gw31

  26. Tombory
    • 6 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Best one game punt in midfield? 9.6mil (already have son and raphina)

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

      Havertz

  27. The Senate
    • 5 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    (A) Salah to Jota or Mount (Bamford to Kane next week)
    (B) roll FT

    1. bobbyg
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Roll

    2. FourLokoLeipzig
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      B

  28. Weilong7
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    play targett or dias?
    playing azpi and coufal probably

    defence as below:
    martinez
    azpi coufal targett dias 3.8

    1. FourLokoLeipzig
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 12 months ago

      Targett

  29. RAFA THE GAFFA
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 12 months ago

    Mixed replies. Any reason one way or the other? Still with WC.

    A. G2G
    B. McCarthy >> Mendy (-4) & BB.

    Martinez
    Alonso. Digne. Dallas
    Bruno. Son. Lingard. Raphina(v)
    Kane(C). DCL. Bamford
    (McCarthy. Dias. Soucek. Coufal)

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

    Worth BB?
    Martinez Cresswell Watkins Saka