With so many Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Wildcards active over this international break, we asked FFS International for their best player picks across all positions.
FPL Poet
Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa (£5.0m) looks like a standout option going into Gameweek 4 as his team play none of the top eight from last season in the next 11 matches. For me he is a ‘set and forget’ goalkeeper, at least till Gameweek 14.
Liverpool play Leeds, Crystal Palace and Brentford in their next three games, which makes Diogo Jota (£7.6m) an option that cannot be overlooked. The Portuguese midfielder should be among the goals and can return FPL points from the bench if needed.
Bendito Fantasy
Hugo Lloris. Esta opción les parecerá completamente fuera de lo habitual en cuanto a porteros, la portería parece que perdió todo interés y solo buscamos a hombres de 4.5 m. Sin embargo Hugo ha acumulado la máxima cantidad de salvadas y está en 3er lugar en número de tiros en contra. Sin embargo continua con su portería invicta. En sus próximos 5 partidos solo CHE ofrece verdadero peligro.
Marcal. Wolves está a punto de entrar en una de las mejores rachas de partidos de toda la premier en los próximos 5 partidos. A su vez, Marcal ha sido el defensor de WOL con más toques lo que le aumenta su potencial de bonus. Saiss probablemente ofrece algo mejor en ataque, pero el precio de 4.5 será importante para completar a un equipo de Wildcard.
Cristiano. No hay que darle vueltas al asunto. Cristiano ha roto prácticamente todos los records de goleo que se le han puesto frente a él. Manchester United fue el segundo equipo mas goleador la temporada pasada, atrás del City por solo 10 goles. Ronaldo contra equipos de media tabla para abajo suele ser un martillo y con toda la motivación de su regreso a la premier vendrá inspirado. Si eres de los que consideran el precio de los jugadores, querrás subirte rápido a este tren, el precio subirá inmediatamente después de que haga su debut.
FF Titan
In his first three games, Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) already has two clean sheets and an assist, and tops most creative statistics among defenders. He is essentially fixture-proof and will be in my team as long as he is fit.
It is becoming clear that Ferran Torres (£7.1m) will likely be City’s alternative number 9. He has already scored twice and assisted once. Whilst there is no certainty he will start all of the games, at just £7.1m, he is well worth a punt as a City centre-forward.
There is no escaping Ronaldo-mania, for the Portuguese is grabbing headlines everywhere, every day. On a Wildcard, it seems odd not to select Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.5m). His favourite opponents of all time are Sevilla (27 goals), Atletico Madrid (25), Getafe (23) and Barcelona (20), showing that he is the man for the big games and therefore the fixture swing for Manchester United shouldn’t impact him.
FPL Hangover Podcast
With three clean sheets in the opening three fixtures, it’s easy to see why Sergio Reguilón (£5.2m) has already seen two price rises this season. With a question mark over several positions across the Spurs defence, Reguilon provides an assured starter in a backline that is already proving itself to be a tough nut to crack.
It feels strange to recommend a forward from a team who have yet to find the back of the net this season. Regardless, the newly managed Wolves have looked impressive at times and Raul Jiménez (£7.4m) has registered 11 shots inside the box. With only one of these attempts being on target, the Wolves frontman still looks to be shaking off a little ring rust after last season’s devastating injury. But with the pedigree that Jimenez has demonstrated in previous seasons, I sense a Mexican wave is imminent.
FPL Side Net
I think at his price, and with Brighton’s fixtures still looking good for the foreseeable future, Robert Sanchez (£4.5m) still looks like a solid pick in goal. Going with Sanchez also frees up key budget which enables more of the incoming premium assets that all FPL managers want.
While the Chelsea fixture swing doesn’t key in until Gameweek 7, managers are probably looking at targeting the solid Blues defence and so bringing one in on a Wildcard makes sense as it means you don’t need to book in a future transfer. Moving for Antonio Rudiger (£5.5m) now makes sense as he is, in my opinion, the most nailed-on of the Chelsea backline.
FPL Froggies
After three Gameweeks, it is hard to ignore the fact that Everton seem really well organised under Rafael Benitez. Abdoulaye Doucoure (£5.5m) is playing very high this year and has license to shoot. He also seems to be a nailed-on starter.
Romelu Lukaku (£11.5) has the experience, the ability and looks very hungry. Lukaku’s ‘back to the goal’ game enables him to create big chances for his teammates and this might have a very big impact when it comes to BPS calculation and armband selection. His assist potential also offers a little more protection against a potential blank, which is also important for captaincy selection, week in, week out.
FPL Rabbi
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) would be the obvious pick, but if you’re looking for a budget option in order to stack up on those heavy-hitter premiums, you could do a lot worse than Joel Matip (£5.0m). With two clean sheets, seven attempts inside the box and two big chances, he was somewhat unlucky not to hit a big haul by now. You could potentially save £2.5m, cover those Liverpool clean sheets and who knows, maybe next time Alexander-Arnold gets an assist from a corner, it will be to a Matip goal.
A player I’m looking to bring in, in order to fund a move for Ronaldo, is Adama Traore (£6.0m). Even though I have the funds to get the likes of Ferran Torres (£7.1m) or Mason Mount (£7.5m), I can’t look past the numbers that the Wolves winger has produced since the start of the season. Even though Bruno Lage’s troops haven’t scored yet, Traore is fifth for xG among all midfielders while only the Liverpool duo of Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) and Sadio Mané (£11.9m) have had more shots inside the box than him.
Fantasy Football South Africa
Nélson Semedo‘s (£4.9m) clean sheet prospects could be boosted by the return of Wilfred Boly (£4.9m) in the coming weeks. Only Chelsea and Man City have conceded fewer shots than Wolves across the opening three games despite facing Leicester, Spurs and Manchester United. Semedo could profit at both ends of the pitch over the next three games against Brentford, Southampton and Newcastle.
With his speed on and off the ball, Ismaila Sarr (£6.0m) gives managers the opportunity to select a nailed-on player that could be on penalties as a bonus. His price tag is appealing especially if you consider the next four fixtures against Wolves, Norwich, Newcastle and Leeds. Selected by 4.6% of Fantasy managers, Sarr could be the ultimate differential.
Leeds face Newcastle, West Ham, Watford, Southampton, Wolves and Norwich after the Liverpool match in Gameweek 4. These opponents have kept zero clean sheets between them over the opening three games. Patrick Bamford should, therefore, bring good returns over the next four to six matches.
FPL Updates and Tips
Whilst Luke Shaw (£5.0m) has kept just one clean sheet and so far recorded no attacking returns in the first three Gameweeks of the season, we believe he is very close to his first double-digit return of the campaign. David de Gea (£5.0m) is back to his best and produced some amazing saves against Wolves, while the addition of Raphael Varane (£5.5m) makes the United defence stronger. Shaw’s potential for clean sheet points looks good and he is also on set pieces; he assisted his teamate Harry Maguire (£5.0m) from a corner whilst on international duty. With his set-piece threat and with Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.5m) on the field, Shaw should soon start rewarding managers who have invested.
Ferran Torres (£7.1m) has started all three of Manchester City’s matches so far this season, scoring two goals and registering an assist. As Man City didn’t sign a forward this summer, Torres will likely be the focal point of their attack and with the return of Kevin De Bruyne (£11.9m) and Phil Foden (£7.9m), he will only receive more goalscoring chances.
Many FPL managers activated their Wildcards as soon as Cristiano Ronaldo‘s (£12.5m) FPL price was revealed. His record against Manchester United’s next three opponents makes owning him a must have, in our view: he has been directly involved in 12 goals in 12 appearances against Aston Villa, eight goals in 10 matches against Newcastle and six goals in seven against West Ham.
3 years, 12 days ago
Which is the best combo?
1) Rudiger, Gray, Dennis
2) Coady, Gray, Armstrong
3) Coady, Benrahma, Dennis
Will probably rotate the Fwd & mid depending on fixtures