Our team of Hall of Famers and guest writers will be providing Fantasy Premier League (FPL) tips and advice throughout 2023/24. Here, two-time Indian FPL champion Lateriser discusses some Gameweek 9 player punts for fellow Gameweek 10 Wildcarders.
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Just like me, a lot of FPL managers are Wildcarding in Gameweek 10. Therefore I thought it’d be a good idea to look into some fun one-week punts to take.
Let’s have a look at the fixtures first.
At first glance, the four teams on top of this Season Ticker are not in spectacular form. Although there are
a few interesting picks from them.
The sides that jump out to me – where fixtures meet form – are Tottenham Hotspur at home to Fulham and Liverpool hosting Everton. If you don’t already own three Spurs players, that’s where I would look first.
ONE OF THE SONS
Ange Postecoglou’s table-toppers rank third in the league for non-penalty expected goals (NPxG) and only three teams have more expected goals conceded (xGC), which tells us it could be high-scoring.
Despite limping, Son Heung-min (£9.5m) just played 90 minutes for South Korea and got on the scoresheet. He’ll play on Monday night, giving sufficient time to recover and be ready for Fulham. Himself, James Maddison (£8.1m) and Pedro Porro (£5.1m) are my three favourite Spurs picks but, if you’re pressed for funds or looking for a differential, there’s always a one-week Richarlison (£6.7m) fling.
The Brazilian accrued 1.12 expected goal involvement (xGI) versus Liverpool in 90 minutes and 0.90 from 45 minutes against Luton Town. He had to be sacrificed because of a Biss-aster from Yves Bissouma (£5.0m) but there is a high ceiling if he decides to finish the many chances presented to him. Catch him on a good day and you could be in business.
LUNCH-TIME LEAKS
As for Liverpool, the Merseyside derby is tricky business because they don’t traditionally do well in them, especially when it’s the early kick-off after an international break. Although there is one benefit, with there being a good chance of getting early team news.
If things go as expected, whichever one of Diogo Jota (£7.7m) or Darwin Nunez (£7.4m) starts will be a good option, in my opinion.
They both command a healthy xGI per 90 rate, so I’d be willing to roll the dice on a Liverpool attack which is second for expected goals (xG) so far. It’s worth noting that both Darwin and Luis Diaz (£7.5m) will arrive late from their international commitments and they were benched after the last break.
That said, we don’t yet know about Cody Gakpo’s (£7.2m) fitness status. If he can’t recover, one of the South American duo should start. Without any early team news, I’d take a punt on Jota but avoid the rest. A glance at Everton’s heatmap for chances conceded tells me they take place in the territory where Jota likes to operate.
He’s a player with ‘brace potential’ and, despite the early kick-off, I’m not put off by a daytime fling with him.
STICKING WITH MAN UNITED
Whilst we know that Manchester United haven’t pulled up any trees of late, opponents Sheffield United have comfortably been the worst team in the league. The distance between them and the next-worst for conceding shots, goals, xG and big chances is quite significant.
The Blades have averaged approximately 2.50 xGC per game and their problems are compounded by big Chris Basham (£4.0m) and John Egan (£4.4m) injuries.
Manager Paul Heckingbottom cut a defeated figure after the loss at Fulham.
“We fought. We were organised and frustrated Fulham. We were comfortable. We started the second
half well but then gave Fulham too many opportunities on the break from our corners and throw-ins. It
probably shows a naivety. There’s no way they should be breaking from those moments, but they did. It
shows we’ve still got a naivety at this level. That’s probably the difference, the speed of thought in
transition.“You get what you deserve and we’re where we deserve to be. At the minute the things that
can go against us are going against us. But we have to roll with it. We’re the only ones who can get
ourselves out of it.” – Paul Heckingbottom
Fulham failed to score in their previous two matches but managed to accrue an xG of 2.21.
Sheffield United tend to concede their chances centrally, which is why I don’t mind a punt on the only positive story emerging from the red side of Manchester – Rasmus Hojlund (£7.2m).
In the four appearances since his debut, he has had four big chances, which is three more than
the next-best Scott McTominay (£4.8m).
Furthermore, in case you are contemplating a Marcus Rashford (£8.8m) sale, Fulham’s Willian (£5.3m) had five shots and created three chances against the newly promoted outfit.
OTHER PUNTS
Elsewhere, there are some interesting Nottingham Forest punts with Morgan Gibbs-White (£5.8m) and Murillo (£4.5m), both of whom showed a spark against Crystal Palace. Watch Murillo’s chances, if you haven’t already!
Burnley seems like a fixture tailor-made for the slightly out-of-form Brentford and Bryan Mbeumo (£6.7m). In contrast, West Ham United’s defensive numbers are generally poor but I still don’t think it’s a suitable match-up for punting on Aston Villa attackers, who tend to struggle against the Hammers.
As we’ve seen previously, Brighton and Hove Albion have an obliging defence. If you don’t own Julian Alvarez (£7.0m) or Phil Foden (£7.6m), the duo have a high ceiling amongst a Manchester City team rejuvenated by the returns of Rodri (£5.6m), Jack Grealish (£7.3m) and John Stones (£5.3m). The champions will be hungry after some poor defeats leading into the international break.
That is all from me today. Below, I did an FPL General-style solo video focusing on my early thoughts for a
Gameweek 10 Wildcard.
