FPL Q&A: Haaland, Alvarez, Bowen, one-week buys + the World Cup

Throughout the 2022/23 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season, our stellar team of Pro Pundits, Hall of Famers and guest contributors will be sharing their thoughts and own transfer plans.

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Here, seven-time top 10k finisher Zophar answers some of the week’s most-asked questions and reveals his team plans for Gameweek 16.

READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 16 live team news: Haaland latest + more

Q: Best one-week punt in defence at any price?

(via @alexwaterbaby)

A: One-week punts have been covered in several Scout articles this week so I’ll keep this short. I like the Liverpool full-backs and as Pras pointed out in his article, Andrew Robertson (£6.7m) has been getting forward more than Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m) so I would back the Scot.

Ivan Perisic (£5.5m) is also worth a look but I think he will play at left wing-back, rather than in the front three, and Leeds are very capable of scoring against a tired-looking Spurs side.

Q: Would you rather do Julian Alvarez and Kevin De Bruyne to Erling Haaland (c) + Marcus Rashford for a -4 or go Alvarez to Darwin Nunez for free, go without Haaland and captain Mohamed Salah?

(via @Fpl_Juste)

A: There were a lot of questions about Erling Haaland (£12.2m) and whether he’s worth the -4 for the captaincy over someone like say Mohamed Salah (£12.7m). I think he is; the ownership and haul potential against a Brentford side that have struggled on the road are scary.

If this was Gameweek 38 and you were chasing, I would for sure say go Salah for one last roll of the dice to make up rank. However, if you end up on the wrong side of variance this week with a Haaland haul and a Salah blank, it’s going to leave a sour taste in your mouth which you will have to carry for about 40 days until after the World Cup.

If you are really unhappy with your rank right now and want to risk it, it’s the only situation I would think about it but I would still say there is plenty of time to make up ground and don’t bet against Haaland. 

Q: Would you rather play Andreas Pereira than bring in someone in his place with a free transfer? I have no other spot on which to use the free transfer.

(@Abrar23630553)

A: There are rumours that Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.8m) will miss Gameweek 16 due to his ongoing injury issues which would mean Pereira on penalties. The youngster is second for chances created only to Kevin De Bruyne (£12.6m) this season and Fulham will attack Manchester United at Craven Cottage. Lots of managers might have players missing this week and Pereira is a great replacement, so I don’t think there is a need to get somebody else over him for a hit.

Getting back to the question, if you have a free transfer I would still use it as Man Utd still have good defensive numbers. If you are looking for a pick around the same price, I like Kaoru Mitoma (£4.9m) at Brighton.

Q: What should we do with Julian Alvarez: start, bench or sell?

(via @FPLPositivity)

A: This piece is being written before Pep Guardiola’s Friday press conference so this answer might change but I didn’t want to avoid this topic as several members of the community have this dilemma. Julian Alvarez (£6.0m) has now started several games in a row and I found it interesting that Guardiola did not feel the need to substitute him midweek with Haaland sitting on the bench for the entire 90 minutes. 

Of course, the Argentinian is young and playing many games with short turnarounds should not be a problem. Guardiola has also said in the past that against deep blocks he might favour playing the two together so it is not inconceivable that Alvarez does start either with Haaland or instead of. 

My *personal* opinion is that Haaland will start against Brentford with Alvarez on the bench. If you plan to make your moves early to avoid the server issues of last weekend, I would get rid of him but again the fear there is if he does start there is potential for a haul. So I am afraid that as much as it pains me to say it, waiting for any early team news is your best bet still. If you do hear he is on the bench, I would think about playing someone like Pereira over him rather than take a hit. 

Q: If you still have Jarrod Bowen, would you keep or sell for Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford or James Maddison?

(via @chliford)

A: The vibe over at West Ham right now is not good and they managed less than 1.0 xG at home against Palace last weekend and went out in the Carabao Cup as well. There are some fans calling for David Moyes to be sacked and it all feels a bit toxic at the moment. Leicester have shored up significantly in defence and don’t look the same leaky outfit of a few months ago, so the fixture is far less appealing for Jarrod Bowen (£8.1m) than it seems.

For a free transfer, I would consider moving him on with Marcus Rashford (£6.7m) being my pick of the lot you mentioned. Bukayo Saka (£8.0m) does feel like he has a return in him but of those players, Rashford feels like he has the highest ceiling because he is a goalscorer. 

Q: Is there any chance that players selected for the World Cup may play extra carefully? If so, should they be an ‘avoid’ for Gameweek 16? I have the cash to move Aleksandar Mitrovic to Gabriel Jesus but should I go safe and pick Dominic Solanke?

(via @abuzz_99)

A: This is all uncharted territory as there has never been a major international tournament kicking off in close proximity to the league games. I also think the World Cup means different things for different players. You might see someone like Mitrovic prioritise his fitness for Serbia whereas for someone like De Bruyne, Manchester City’s title challenge is probably as of much importance as the World Cup. 

With respect to your question, Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) is also spearheading Arsenal’s title challenge so I would expect him to give it his all. I don’t expect him to hold back in any way, he does not come off as that kind of player. I would say pick the players who you think will score the most points, simple as that.

My GAMEWEEK 16 team

You can hear more about my thoughts on this Gameweek and the last 15 weeks of the season on this episode of The FPL Wire.

That’s it from me for a while, I don’t think I will be playing the World Cup Fantasy game so I will be back writing for you in about a month from now.

Enjoy the World Cup and see you then!