Eight-time top 10k finisher Zophar hosts his weekly Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Q&A ahead of Gameweek 37. Here, topics include the best remaining Triple Captain picks, what to do with Crystal Palace players and thoughts on Chelsea assets.
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Q: Thoughts on taking Crystal Palace players out for hits? They could be rested this week and have Liverpool away in Gameweek 38, but there are only a couple of weeks left.
(via Fulchester’s New Centre Forward)
A: Palace’s rescheduled game in Gameweek 37 is on Tuesday, three days after they play Manchester City in the FA Cup Final. We obviously expect the Eagles to play a full-strength side at Wembley, and we have no way of knowing before the deadline whether that match will go to extra-time/penalties etc.
It is reasonable to assume that we will see some rotation for their league home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday, irrespective of how the final goes. Oliver Glasner has managed Jean-Philippe Mateta’s (£7.6m) game-time over the last few weeks, so it would be no surprise to see Eddie Nketiah (£5.9m) start against Wolves. Similarly, Ismaila Sarr (£5.6m) has seen some rotation over the Double Gameweeks earlier in the season, so he could also make way for someone like Justin Devenny (£4.5m).
Eberechi Eze (£7.0m) is a bit trickier. He has been one of the best FPL picks since the international break and it’s always risky benching such an explosive player. Just because of the sheer potential of the player, I would be tempted to keep and start him.
With Daniel Munoz (£5.2m), he is a fitness monster and seems to start every game, irrespective of fixture congestion. With none of the other defensive assets particularly appealing, I would keep and start Munoz.
So in short, Mateta and Sarr are a sell, in my opinion. Eze and Munoz are worth starting and holding. That being said, if you are inclined to sell any of them, I wouldn’t put you off – it’s only two weeks to go and anything goes, especially with Liverpool in Gameweek 38.
Q: Are any Chelsea midfielders worth a punt if you have spare free transfers? Cole Palmer or a cut-price Pedro Neto/Noni Madueke?
Q. Is it worth a -4 to get a Chelsea player? Mohamed Salah to Cole Palmer or Ismaila Sarr to Pedro Neto/Enzo Fernandez, for example.
(via HAIRY POTTER and Coleye1977)
A: Chelsea’s next two games are a must-win for the Blues in order for them to secure UEFA Champions League football for next season. Nicolas Jackson’s (£7.7m) suspension means that the London side will have to adapt. However poor Jackson has been in front of goal, he is still key to Chelsea’s game plan of stretching teams.
We saw Pedro Neto (£6.1m) deputise earlier in the season when Jackson was out and I expect the same to continue. Noni Madueke (£6.0m) and Neto’s gametime should be secure and of the two, if you are looking for a punt, I prefer Neto.
Cole Palmer (£10.5m) is top for shots amongst midfielders (19) over the last six Gameweeks but a large number of these have been from outside the penalty area. He has looked better in the last two games but the low volume of big chances still worries me.
I like the move for a free transfer, but not so much for a hit. I expect Manchester United to put out a decent line-up with such a lengthy turnaround to the UEFA Europa League final, while Nottingham Forest will be no walkover on their own patch, either.
In order of preference, my preferred Chelsea assets would be: Palmer, Neto, Enzo Fernandez (£4.7m) and Madueke. For the last two, I don’t think I would really bother making a transfer.
The move from Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) to Palmer appeals especially if you are already tripled up on Aston Villa this week but still need another captaincy option. Bryan Mbeumo (£8.3m) is also a perfectly good alternative, though, and I think Salah will do well in Gameweek 38, so selling him isn’t easy.
Q: Thoughts on Kevin De Bruyne’s chances of a start on Tuesday? It’s his last home game, so you’d think he’s nailed to start. But we have the cup final in the way first – there could be an injury or even 120 minutes of football. It’s tempting to move back to Cole Palmer and captain him versus this Manchester United shambles.
Q. Is it worth moving from Kevin De Bruyne to Cole Palmer with my one free transfer, then Palmer to Bukayo Saka in Gameweek 38? Or should we save two free transfers for Gameweek 38?
(via SHIRTLESS and @AR_FPL147)
A: Kevin De Bruyne (£9.6m) was benched for Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest and I expect that to be the case again this weekend, with Pep Guardiola showing loyalty to players like Jack Grealish (£6.4m), who have helped the Cityzens reach the final. De Bruyne can come off the bench if needed, for 30-60 minutes.
While I wouldn’t be comfortable captaining De Bruyne for Gameweek 37, I think starting him is still a good play. However, if you need a captaincy option in Palmer and don’t want to sell Salah, I wouldn’t put you off it. I still think Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) is the top captaincy pick this week, though.
Also, if you can find an alternative captaincy option, I don’t like the idea of De Bruyne to Palmer this week and the move to Bukayo Saka (£10.3m) the week after. Both De Bruyne and Palmer could score similarly this week and having two free transfers on the final day is always fun.
Q: Who are the best Jean-Philippe Mateta replacements for people already on triple Aston Villa?
(via @FplNordic)
A: I think my top picks in order of preference would be: Yoane Wissa (£6.8m), Chris Wood (£7.2m), Evanilson (£5.8m) and Matheus Cunha (£7.1m). Evanilson would have been in second if not for the matchup against Manchester City this week and I don’t trust Cunha’s gametime as much as I did earlier. Jamie Vardy (£5.3m), if you’re in it for the vibes!
Q: If you are already on triple Villa (Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers) is it worth doing Konsa and Alexander Isak – with his form and potential injury – to Dean Huijsen/another defender and Ollie Watkins (and captain him) for a -4?
A: As mentioned earlier, I really like Watkins for captaincy this week and he’s also a great pick in Gameweek 38 against a Manchester United side that might be suffering a Europa League hangover.
However, is it worth reshuffling your Villa trio, who have all served you well over the last few weeks, to accommodate the forward? I don’t think so. You can captain Mbeumo this week, while Watkins isn’t significantly better than the other forwards in Gameweek 38. Villa’s defence has been really good and they could still keep clean sheets in both of the next two.
Q: Can we still trust Mohamed Salah with the Triple Captaincy in Gameweek 38 with Liverpool clearly on the beach, or is Bukayo Saka v Southampton now the best remaining option across Gameweeks 37 and 38?
(via @yala_leopard)
A: I think the two best Triple Captaincy options this week are Watkins and Palmer, both playing teams with an eye on the Europa League final. However, I still expect both teams to put out strong-ish sides given the long turnaround. Villa are also without Youri Tielemans (£5.5m), while Palmer doesn’t exactly scream 20-pointer any more given his lack of big chances.
Most of us have seen pictures of the Liverpool squad literally on the beach this week but I think in Gameweek 38, in their last home game of the season and one where they’ll be presented the trophy, they’ll put out a strong side and a strong performance. So, I like Salah Triple Captain in Gameweek 38 a lot.
Arsenal will also want to end the season on a high and, depending on how the game against Newcastle United goes, may even need a result against Southampton to secure Champions League football. Saints have got the unwanted ‘worst team ever’ record out of the way now after hitting the 12-point mark, so I don’t expect them to be as defensive in their last home game of the season. Saka could go big. So I prefer both the options in Gameweek 38 to the ones in Gameweek 37.
We discuss these questions and more on the Gameweek 37 pod of The FPL Wire. You can check it out here.
