After some midweek Fantasy Premier League (FPL) chaos, we quickly turn our attention to the conundrum of which Assistant Manager to pick in Gameweek 31.
A third of the league’s gaffers are eligible for “table bonus points” this weekend, meaning those among us with this chip active could receive a hefty boost ahead of Double Gameweek season.
Let’s dive right in.
- READ MORE: What is the Assistant Manager chip + when can FPL managers play it?
- READ MORE: New Assistant Manager points projections in our Rate My Team page
WHICH MANAGERS COULD GET A TABLE BONUS IN GAMEWEEK 31?
There are plenty of gains to be made with the Assistant Manager chip, especially from table bonus points.
Premier League bosses, when chosen as an Assistant Manager in FPL, earn extra points if they beat (+10) or draw with (+5) a team five or more places ahead of them in the table.
In Gameweek 31, the following seven managers are eligible for table bonus points:
- David Moyes – Everton (15th) v Arsenal (2nd)
- Graham Potter – West Ham (16th) v Bournemouth (10th)
- Thomas Frank – Brentford (11th) v Chelsea (4th)
- Marco Silva – Fulham (9th) v Liverpool (1st)
- Ivan Jurić – Spurs (14th) v Southampton (20th)
- Ruben Amorim – Manchester United (13th) v Manchester City (5th)
- Ruud van Nistelrooy – Leicester City (19th) v Newcastle (6th)
WHAT THE BOOKMAKERS SAY
Here are the odds for each of the table bonus-eligible managers in Gameweek 31:
| % chance of home win | % chance of draw | % chance of away win | |
| David Moyes – Everton (15th) v Arsenal (2nd) | 17.2% | 29.0% | 53.8% |
| Graham Potter – West Ham (16th) v Bournemouth (10th) | 31.6% | 27.2% | 41.2% |
| Thomas Frank – Brentford (11th) v Chelsea (4th) | 29.6% | 26.3% | 44.1% |
| Marco Silva – Fulham (9th) v Liverpool (1st) | 21.1% | 27.1% | 51.8% |
| Ivan Jurić – Spurs (14th) v Southampton (20th) | 68.3% | 17.2% | 14.5% |
| Ruben Amorim – Manchester United (13th) v Manchester City (5th) | 28.1% | 26.5% | 45.4% |
| Ruud van Nistelrooy – Leicester City (19th) v Newcastle (6th) | 14.5% | 22.5% | 63.0% |
Three names stand out in the bookies’ odds.
Graham Potter (£0.5m) tops the lists. Potter wasn’t even a Hammer when his new club drew at Bournemouth in Gameweek 16, but the Irons – despite faltering against Wolves in Gameweek 30 – have made some improvements since his arrival and face the Cherries at their worst moment of the season. Potter has also won twice – against Arsenal and Fulham – in matches where he was eligible for table bonus points.
Ruben Amorim’s (£0.8m) Manchester United pulled off a late comeback at the Etihad in December, but their cross-city rivals have (largely) improved since then while the Red Devils are without the player central to that last derby day win. Still, City being without their top goalscorer may even the scales again slightly.
And finally, Thomas Frank (£0.8m) may be the safest bet to grab some table bonus points this weekend. His Brentford side prepare to host a Chelsea side winless on the road in seven. Brentford did show spirit in their Gameweek 30 loss to Newcastle, though, and only a goal separated these two sides when they last met (with Chelsea then on a much better run).
THE BANKERS
If you don’t fancy a punt on one of the potential table bonus winners, below are two Assistant Managers we can reasonably expect to deliver a healthy Gameweek 31 score.
Newcastle have slipped up a few times in the last couple of months, but their only four losses since Gameweek 15 have come against Liverpool, City, Fulham and Bournemouth.
On the past several months worth of evidence, Leicester are unlikely to put up anywhere near the level of fight of those four teams, meaning this should be as straightforward a win as the reverse fixture for Eddie Howe’s (£1.5m) group as they hunt for a top four spot – even if they may be left sweating over the fitness of a few important names. The Toon are heavy favourites with the bookies, too, with only one fixture this weekend given more lopsided odds…
For all their struggles this season, the distraction of their looming European knock-out commitments and the little spunk left in Southampton… you’d expect Spurs to handle their business at home to the division’s whipping boys.
The reverse fixture has proved to be Tottenham’s biggest win of the season so far, with that match wrapped up entirely by half-time. Ange Postecoglou (£1.1m) will no doubt be aiming for a similar scenario here, not least so he can prioritise rest with the Frankfurt match a few days later.
Spurs have the biggest backing to win this weekend by the bookies of any Premier League side – it would be a new low if they instead hand Saints their third win of the season.
CURRENT ASSISTANT MANAGER POINTS PROJECTIONS
The betting market heavily influences these points projections, so the odds of each Assistant Manager capable of earning table bonus points are factored in.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Gameweek 31 in isolation
Newcastle’s Eddie Howe (£1.5m) is probably the most reliable “banker” for a respectable Assistant Manager score in Gameweek 31, thanks in no small part to the woeful form of Leicester.
While Spurs have one eye on Europe, Newcastle’s focus is exclusively on the Premier League and a tilt a Champions League qualication.
Among the Assistant Managers eligible for table bonus points, Thomas Frank (£0.8m) is projected to score highest by our Members’ Area’s points predictor tool and gets our vote. An extra day’s rest and Chelsea’s away-day struggles just about tip the scales.
One word of warning: the Brentford boss still hasn’t managed to beat any team 5+ places ahead of the Bees this season. As mentioned, Graham Potter (£0.5m) has done this twice since taking over at West Ham in Gameweek 21.
Marco Silva (£1.1m) isn’t very highly recorded by our points projector tool as he prepares to host Liverpool, but it’s worth noting that the Fulham boss has taken more points from such situations than any other manager.
LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD
The Assistant Manager chip lasts for three Gameweeks after you first activate it, meaning some of you could therefore have one or two more weeks to plan for.
Firstly, that takes us firmly in Double Gameweek territory, with Newcastle and Crystal Palace both featuring twice in Double Gameweek 32 before four teams – Arsenal, Aston Villa, Palace and Manchester City – double in Double Gameweek 33.
Sorting our colour-coded Season Ticker by overall fixture difficulty across Gameweek 31-33, Palace come out on top. It’s quantity over quality: the Eagles are the only team with five fixtures.
Still, that boosts the appeal of Oliver Glasner (£0.8m) as an Assistant Manager given he’ll contest five total league matches between now and Gameweek 33, and – as things stand pre-Gameweek 31 – be eligible for table bonus points in three (vs City, Newcastle and Arsenal) of his four Double Gameweek matches.
Mikel Arteta (£1.5m) won’t have that same potential upside, but the ticker is kind to Arsenal, who you could see winning this and next weekend ahead of their own Double Gameweek 33. Of course, selecting the Spaniard – or indeed Glasner – does take away a spot that another Gunner could fill. It all depends on your chip strategy, with this stretch looking like an optimal opportunity to maximise Assistant Manager returns.
City also rank highly on the short-term Season Ticker, and with fewer of their on-field assets attracting interest compared to Arsenal and Palace, a spot could be open for Pep Guardiola (£1.5m).
However, in the same price bracket you could back Eddie Howe (£1.5m) this weekend and (saving a free transfer) in Double Gameweek 32, when he’s the highest projected Assistant Manager scorer. In Double Gameweek 33, pivot to Arteta for Arsenal’s appealing double header.
