It’s perfectly normal for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers to submit their initial squad and immediately regret it. While we preach a bit of caution at this early stage, there is always the quick fix of a Wildcard in Gameweek 2.
Whether the plan is to own Mohamed Salah (£12.5m), Erling Haaland (£15.0m) or both, you may feel that enough clues were revealed on the opening weekend to justify such a bold move.
Armed with two of these chips per season, you have until the Gameweek 19 deadline to use the first one. These unlimited free transfers are a chance to fix all mistakes and start planning for the future.
So let’s list the pros and cons of a Gameweek 2 Wildcard, then provide a few draft ideas.
PROS
If you have both Jarell Quansah (£4.5m) and Valentin Barco (£4.0m), there may be a quick realisation that these are not only unreliable starters but they might not be in upcoming line-ups at all. Throw in the early withdrawal of Christopher Nkunku (£6.5m) and suddenly your squad feels left behind.
Perhaps you have defender Fabian Schar (£5.5m), whose red card sees him suspended until Gameweek 4.
These early weeks traditionally bring lots of price rises and falls, so team value can be boosted by jumping onto bandwagons.
CONS
On the other hand, it’s way too reactionary to make judgements this early. For example, Nkunku was bought for Chelsea’s imminent fixture run, not the Manchester City match.
Wildcarding while the summer transfer window is still open could soon backfire and there’ll also be a huge gap until the second usage of this chip.
GAMEWEEK 2 WILDCARD IDEAS
SALAH YES, HAALAND NO
Maybe the idea of ‘covering’ a premium asset with their team-mate is mythical but, by having Phil Foden (£9.5m) instead of Haaland, you’ll still have a Man City player at home to Ipswich Town.
Given the second half against Chelsea, you’d expect Foden to soon be a starter for Pep Guardiola.
Meanwhile, the £6.0m drop from Haaland to Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) allows depth all over the pitch. Cheap assets Joao Pedro (£5.5m) and Emile Smith Rowe (£5.5m) can rotate to be the seventh attacker, with fixtures dovetailing nicely.
This draft is able to grab Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.0m) but there’s not enough room for Pedro Porro (£5.5m) or Eberechi Eze (£7.0m) unless one of Pedro or Smith Rowe becomes a £4.5m name.
HAALAND YES, SALAH NO
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