In his latest article, two-time Indian Fantasy Premier League (FPL) champion Lateriser looks at the best teams to target if you have no Free Hit chip left.
There is so much content in the FPL space around a certain chip strategy: the Bench Boost in Gameweek 32/33 in conjunction with a Free Hit in Gameweek 34.
So, I thought I would look at the fixtures from the point of view of those that do not have a Free Hit chip to use.
What I hope this activity does is take away some of the tunnel vision that we (read I!) have around Double Gameweek players and help cast an eye on teams and genuinely good fixtures until the end of the season.
LOOKING PAST VILLA + ARSENAL
There are enough doubts around rotation surrounding Aston Villa and Arsenal players, given their European escapades. If you don’t have a Free Hit chip on you, these are the teams I would be looking past, hoping for reduced minutes for some of the popular assets.
In this ticker, I have omitted Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Crystal Palace, all of whom blank in Gameweek 34.
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Newcastle United immediately stand out as a team worth investing in. They tick a lot of the boxes for me. With UEFA Champions League (UCL) football a certainty for those teams qualifying in fifth, the motivation for all teams competing for a UCL spot goes up significantly.
The Magpies have three home games in the next four Gameweeks and from an attacking point of view, don’t really face a stingy defence until Arsenal in Gameweek 37. Their fixtures aren’t the best from a clean sheet point of view so I like an attacking double-up over a defensive one for their assets.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Motivation is high for Nottingham Forest, too. Their assets have good fixtures until the end of the season, with some good home ties for them. While Nuno is still ‘day to day’ monitoring the fitness of Chris Wood (£7.0m) and Anthony Elanga (£5.5m), once they become fit, they become great purchases until the end of the season.
The one caveat with Forest assets is that should they beat Manchester City in the FA Cup, they could blank in Gameweek 37 and double in Gameweek 36. This should not be a problem as long as you have 11 playing in Gameweek 37.
If someone like Elanga is fit, he becomes a good option to replace Newcastle United assets should you feel like it. The Tricky Trees play Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 33, a team with their sights firmly on Europe.
LIVERPOOL
Champions-elect Liverpool have three juicy fixtures coming up, which is why if you want to add a Conor Bradley-sized (£4.7m) punt in addition to Mohamed Salah (£13.8m), I have no problems with it.
The Reds’ last four fixtures of the season are not clean-sheet friendly but Salah, who is about to sign a new contract, looks a good pick until the end of the season – especially as we have nowhere else to spend the money in the absence of Erling Haaland (£14.8m).
WEST HAM UNITED
A team whose fixtures I like from next week onwards are West Ham United. They have games remaining against Southampton, Spurs and Ipswich Town, all of whom are obliging defences to say the least.
For those looking at a steady pick, Jarrod Bowen (£7.6m) has caught my eye despite West Ham United’s struggles. His underlying numbers are impressive, as well. He has had 16 shots in the box in eight games under Potter – no FPL midfielder has more in that time.
The Hammers have a juicy tie against Southampton at home in Gameweek 33, so in case you’re looking to Bench Boost in then, he’s a great option to bring in instead of rotation risk Aston Villa midfielders. This goes especially so if you don’t have a Free Hit to deploy in Gameweek 34.
The caveat of Bowen is that he possibly has a double in Gameweek 36 and a blank in Gameweek 37. West Ham face Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 37, who are still in the FA Cup.
BRENTFORD
Brentford are another team that look in good form and their assets, Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m) and Yoane Wissa (£6.6m), could be shrewd purchases until the end of the season. They are capable of scoring points against stronger opposition and have a game against Ipswich before the season ends.
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
Brighton and Hove Albion assets will be on the shopping lists of a fair few managers this week (especially those looking to Bench Boost in Gameweek 32). They have some more juicy ties before the season ends, including West Ham, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Spurs.
MANCHESTER CITY
Not many teams have a run of ‘greens’ until the end of the season, except perhaps Manchester City, who have good fixtures now as well as after Gameweek 34. If you can afford to bench a couple of Man City players, then I would not mind purchasing them as their run is good until the end of the season. The problem with them is that there is no stand-out pick outside of Omar Marmoush (£7.6m) and Josko Gvardiol (£6.1m).
That is all from me this week! Good luck with your Gameweek 32.
