With January wildcards now active we wanted to offer the community a regular article to look at the key strategies, players and teams we should be considering. This regular article will focus on the thoughts of one of the Fantasy Football Scout team on their winter wildcard progress. Feel free to help them with any deliberations they have and use this article to post your wildcard thoughts or Rate My Wildcard Teams (RMWT). First up is myself.
Jonty’s RMWT
Green/Foster
Terry Clichy Wisdom N.Taylor Hutton
Hazard Fabregas Sanchez Sigurdsson Boyd
Aguero Bony Kane
Forwards
The key issue to consider in terms of timing the wildcard is Aguero’s return. He is the top premium forward to have without question. But if you wildcard before his predicted return (Gameweek 22) you will be playing catch up to squeeze him in. It is probably the key reason I’m waiting until at least I’m certain he is fit to start. Elsewhere up front I think balance is key and the ability to be flexible enough to jump quickly on bandwagons. Swansea’s Wilfried Bony is earmarked for the mid-price attacking slot in my side, but a lot will depend on when he returns from the Africa Cup of Nations. In the meantime I may opt to stick with Charlie Austin and keep some money back. Who else should I be considering in this price range. Our sub editor Tim recommends I consider Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud. Is he right?
There is value in cheap strikers and my final choice likely be Harry Kane, although I’m keeping an eye on Tottenham acquisitions up front. Currently he is the most consistent Tottenham option as the midfielders are sharing returns.
Midfield
The midfield is where formation strategies come into play. The key choice is 3-5-2 or 3-4-3. With Aguero back and players like Austin maintaining form there is a strong argument for playing three forwards, which means I’ll revert back to my pre-Christmas strategy of a four-man midfield. This means reluctantly I’ll draft in George Boyd, who is still offering good value. Elsewhere I’m keeping Alexis Sanchez and Eden Hazard and will look to draft in Cesc Fabregas. His consistent returns mean points on the board each week. For my mid-price midfield position, Sigurdsson has the edge over Stewart Downing for me due to strong fixtures in February.
Defence
Speaking of fixtures, the key set of games I look at when winter wildcarding is February, not January. From Gameweeks 24 to 29 Manchester City, Hull, Aston Villa, West Brom, Swansea, Arsenal and Chelsea have arguably the best fixtures. It is these sides that will dominate my defence. With Manchester City and Chelsea I want a defender from each as I anticipate strong clean sheet returns as the season progresses. But which defender should I get from these elite sides? Currently I’m happy to take a benching or two and opt for Gael Clichy due to price for Manchester City. For Chelsea, John Terry’s goalscoring ability cannot be overlooked. He has the edge currently for me. I’m happy to explore other options in their defence though. Another option I’m considering is Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand.
For the remaining three defensive roles I’m opting for budget options I can rotate. This essentially means keeping my three current cheap defenders Andre Wisdom, Alan Hutton and Neil Taylor. Each have great fixtures in February and have rewarded me handsomely so far. I can’t see any need to change them.
Teams I would recommend avoiding when wildcarding are Liverpool, Burnley, West Ham and Leicester, whose February fixtures are diabolical. Of these, only George Boyd will grace my wildcard side.
Goalkeepers
Cheap goalkeeper rotation is still the most effective policy as Saata showed in his excellent recent community article. I currently have Tom Heaton and Ben Foster. With Tony Pulis taking over at West Brom, Foster is staying put. West Brom’s fixtures also promise strong clean sheet returns in February. To partner him I’m opting for Rob Green who has made the most saves so far this season. This time last year I picked Vito Mannone for my winter wildcard based on the number of saves he’d made – I ended up fielding him most weeks and enjoying several surprise double-digit hauls.
Note: I used the Rate My Team tool in the members area to construct my wildcard team and ensure it was within my current budget.
