Our team of Hall of Famers and guest writers are writing about all things Fantasy Premier League (FPL) in 2023/24. Next up, seven-time top 10k finisher Zophar takes his usual weekly FPL Q&A.
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Q: Worth selling Kevin De Bruyne (£10.7m) for Son Heung-min (£9.6m) this week?
(via @Sonny7_FPL)
A: I own De Bruyne myself and selling him for Son was high on my list of priorities after a disappointing two Gameweeks. But his FA Cup performance at Luton Town – playing all 90 minutes – has given me pause for thought. There is a generous gap between that Tuesday outing and Sunday’s Manchester derby so, given its magnitude, surely De Bruyne starts that game.
Although I do like Son this week, as well. Crystal Palace’s new manager Oliver Glasner has been known to favour an attacking style with his wing-backs bombing forward, which bodes well for Son’s counter-attacking ability.
If you have no other fires to put out this week, it’s a move to consider but I think I would rather put it off for next week. Manchester City have a much more reliable attack than Spurs at the moment. After holding onto De Bruyne for his two blanks, I’d be gutted to miss out on the haul against Manchester United.
Q: What is the minimum number of players you would field before using the Free Hit in Gameweek 29?
(via NZREDS)
A: I think it’s a case of quality over quantity. Looking closely at the Blank Gameweek 29 fixtures, there isn’t a fixture that screams out clean sheet banker to me. In my Free Hit draft below, I’ve doubled up on the Brentford defence – who are significantly worse without Ben Mee (£4.8m) – and have also included Alfie Doughty (£4.6m) and a Spurs full-back that’s either Pedro Porro (£5.7m) or Destiny Udogie (£4.9m).
Doughty will likely be in many squads even without the Free Hit due to Double Gameweek 28. And it’s not like Spurs are keeping clean sheets, so the choices at the back are very meagre.
However, there are some decent match-ups for attackers and I think if you can get approximately six of them, the Free Hit can probably wait. Most of these players have good entry points beforehand alongside attractive Gameweek 30 outings, which means you can get rid during Wildcard 31. By then, we should have a clearer picture of Double Gameweeks 34 and 37.
So I would focus my Gameweek 29 transfers on attackers rather than defenders, where even seven or eight total players should be fine, as long as they’re the right ones.
Q: What’s the downside of using a Wildcard in Gameweek 27?
(via @FPLROBLs)
A: I’ve included a Wildcard 27 draft below. This intends to save the Free Hit for Gameweek 34 and likely Bench Boost for Gameweek 29. You could potentially try Bench Boost 28 as well, with Thomas Kaminski (£4.5m) in goal.
First off, I think it’s better to Wildcard next week rather than now because of certain match-ups. You’ll definitely want Arsenal assets at Sheffield United and Man City names against Man United but also be more open to losing them for Gameweek 28, especially with the champions facing Liverpool and both teams blanking afterwards.
Also, once we get to Gameweeks 30 and 31, you’ll likely be stuck with lots of Luton, Bournemouth and Aston Villa players who’ll probably not have future doubles. I would only Wildcard right now if your team is decimated by injuries, with next week making much more sense.
Q: Are the predicted fixtures of either Gameweek 34 or 37 worth holding your Free Hit for?
(via KINGY109)
A: I think so, as those who double in one of them might not double in the other. The fixtures in Gameweek 29 don’t look particularly appealing to me and the fact that most of those featured teams have good surrounding fixtures makes me think it’s sensible to use transfers there.
For example, even selling Erling Haaland (£14.5m) against Liverpool for Carlton Morris‘ (£5.1m) Double Gameweek 28 is logical, as you are gaining three fixtures as opposed to one. And then Haaland faces Arsenal in Gameweek 30, which is usually cagey.
Q: Who is the best captain from the many big hitters with good matches – Son vs Crystal Palace, Haaland vs Man United, Bukayo Saka (£9.2m) vs Sheffield United and Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) vs Luton?
(via HNI)
A: I think there is no reason to look beyond Haaland this week. He hauled massively in last season’s fixtures and it’s still fresh in my memory. On top of that, we’ve just been reminded in midweek what his link-up with De Bruyne is capable of. Man United have just lost at home to Fulham and are under a bit of pressure. Although, of the others, I definitely prefer Saka to Son and Watkins.
