Here's the average squad of the top 10k managers
Stay for the mind-blowing wage inflation stats at Man Utd
DEADLINE FOR TRANSFERS AND TEAM SELECTION: SATURDAY, 11:00 GMT
And so Ole At The Wheel, the real-life third series of Ted Lasso that nobody asked for, has finally and literally ended in tears. His apology for smiling was Peak Ted… I mean, Ole. Maybe he had Emmanuel Dennis in his FPL team.
The bad news this week - FPL is pretty much broken. The good news - it’s broken in a way that probably helps us get points. Defenders are playing like midfielders. Midfielders are playing upfront. And strikers are, well, presumably somewhere in the stands, wondering what the point of them is anymore. It’s a shame we have to pick THREE of them. Other bits this week - a BIG POTENTIAL INJURY, the template squad of the top managers and Harry Redknapp commits a TV first.
Full-backs are the story of the seasons far
This list, of the top 15 players for FPL returns, tells the story. Full-backs are all the rage. And it’s a good job, because strikers have been pretty hopeless.
Players like Alexander-Arnold, Cancelo, Reece James, Ben Chilwell and even the budget player Tino Livramento are all basically playing as midfielders. Even Chelsea’s nailed centreback Rudiger is displaying attacking threat. If you haven’t already, consider playing a back 4. Many FPL addicts have brought in both Chilwell and James, rather than choosing one. They have Man Utd next, so it made sense, until last night…
Chilwell went off injured last night and managers are freaking out
NEWS FLASH: As one of the full-back kings, Chilwell's potential injury last night in the Champions League was huge FPL news. It didn't look great (can you tell I'm not a doctor?). CHECK ON FRIDAY for an injury update, but I reckon he’ll be out.
Who can possibly replicate his incredible attacking potential? Well, probably Chelsea’s other incredibly attacking left full-back, Alonso (£5.6m). Also, if you don’t have James (£6.1m), get James! Elsewhere at Chelsea, Rudiger (£5.9m) is a centre-back, but seems to have a contractual obligation to have a run and a shot every game.
Tottenham probably have the best defensive fixtures over the next 5 games and Conte players with attacking wing-backs - currently playing there are Reguilon (£5.1m) and Emerson Royal (£4.9m). If you want a budget option, Ben Davies has been playing a costs just £4.4m. Apart from that, Dias (£6m) at Man City isn't very attacking, but the City defence is on another level (see below)...
Harry Redknapp does something stupid on TV
A nation cries Sylvester Stallone. Our Harry says…
Surely he should’ve phoned a friend (presumably Patrik Berger).
FPL Twitter is in despair at the forwards
People are angry that there are no decent strikers - some are considering Watford’s Josh King or Norwich’s Pukki to fund better players elsewhere. But caution - Lukaku will be back this soon (maybe this week) - Dominic Calvert Lewin and Patrick Bamford have also been missing, as has Ings at Villa, but is now back under Gerrard. My advice is don’t box yourself in by taking too much money out of the frontline now. King has a lot of points, but was involved in two bizarre games - the free-for-all that was the 5-2 against Everton, and that Man Utd implosion. Benteke has done well, but is sharing minutes with Edouard.
If you’re striker shopping, here’s some decent data from the last 4 FPL Gameweeks:
Cheaper midfielders are a thing
The two cheaper midfielders people are turning to this week are Conor Gallagher, who delivered an assist again at the weekend, and Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe. Both have been rising in price as their ownership shoots up. Here’s the top 10 midfielders priced under £7m*, in terms of expected goal involvement (their expected goals and assists so far, or xGi):
Bowen (WHU)
Gallagher (CRY)
Zaha (CRY)
Sarr (WAT)
Mbeumo (BRE - he hits the post A LOT)
Fornals (WHU)
Tielemans (LEI)
Raphinha (LEE)
Saka (ARS)
Trossard (BRI)
Here’s the average squad of the current top players
This the template of the top 10k players in the game as it stands, from the amazing Live FPL website. The %s are the proportion of top 10k managers who own them.
It’s boring, but Cancelo is insanely good…
If you need any further proof the Man City full-back is everywhere, it’s the below tweet. Combine this with the fact that Man City’s defence is way out on their own. Man City concede a big chance every 114 minutes. The second best team is Crystal Palace, at 76.1 minutes*.
Sick note corner
Chilwell as discussed is the main issue. Jota bashed his knee so has a flag against his name in FPL - but appears to be back in training. Lukaku may be back, so if you have someone like Havertz, it may be time to drop them. Also, Tsimikas owners - CHECK ON FRIDAY to see if Robertson is back. Gray at Everton, who had been doing well, limped off at the weekend. Here’s a great website for checking injuries.
Wage inflation at Man Utd since 1975 is running at 100,000%
Yes, I know there’s inflation in here and we know wages have gone insane since the inception of the Premier League, but these numbers are still mind boggling…
Please get in touch with things we should be covering. FPL stories of triumph/total disaster, and transfer dilemmas, also welcome. Just reply to the email. I’m also on Twitter. See you next week!
Notes
*Stats from Fantasy Football Scout