***GAMEWEEK 17 DEADLINE: FRIDAY - 18:30 GMT***
A great reminder this week why vice captains exit. Mega drama after the deadline after it emerged that Haaland hadn’t even travelled with the Man City squad to Luton. With so many popular players again failing to deliver, if you didn’t get the jam points of Salah or Son as your vice captain, it was likely a bad week. But there’s always next week - and don’t get caught out by the Friday night deadline. And what should we do about Haaland now? Obviously we’ll get into that as part of this week’s newsletter.
FPL question? Can’t believe Wales didn’t get that pen? Email me: fplislife@substack.com
The top players for the Top 10k
There’s been a load of deadlines in quick succession, so let’s get an update the most popular players with the managers doing well in this insanely frustrating game - those in the top 10k in the world. This is data before any transfer have been made after the last deadline. That midfield five is now insanely popular - and very cheap. You can also see here the top managers weren’t daft enough to bring in Darwin for Watkins a couple of weeks ago (I was among those who did) - that transfer is shaping up to be the worst of the season. They’ve already brought in Porro, who is a terrific transfer.
Don’t panic - we all have injuries/flags to sort
It was always going to be the case at this time of year, but the number of issues appearing in our teams is huge. Don’t panic if you’re looking at a screen full of flagged players. Most will be in a similar boat. There will be a good few managers taking a -4 this week. Even Dubravka, who was brought in by many recently, may have a knock. WAIT FOR MORE INFO - follow this account for updates.
A Wildcard draft - and transfer shortlist
Yes, amazingly there are some people who still have their first Wildcard. I’m not advocating to use one this week necessarily, but this draft gives us a good idea of players to switch to, with a lot of people eyeing up a -4. This Wildcard is by a manager who has a very specific plan - I’d personally feel worried without Saka. Trent delivered again at the weekend (sort of - he got bonus points). To this lot, I’d add Udogie, Pau Torres, Bailey, Gordon - not to mention Haaland. Notice you can keep players with a one-game ban (Trippier, Luiz) on the bench for a week.
The keeper slot has been a nightmare this season - honestly, if Dubravka has an injury, Neto or Pickford look decent options - despite so many managers dumping Pickford earlier in the season.
Should we… sell Haaland?
It’s hard to even utter the words, but Haaland’s no show, and his huge price, means we have to ask whether we should ditch him, even temporarily. A foot injury kept him out of the Luton game. The thing is, if he doesn’t show up for the Crystal Palace match at the weekend, he then Blanks - so selling would be easy. To thicken the plot, FPL Twitter has found that Haaland’s dad sold him for a -4 hit last Gameweek. Guardiola says he could be back for Palace, but couldn’t guarantee it. So what to do? Obviously, it’s a week to WAIT FOR INFORMATION before making decisions. Saving some cash is not a priority here. The latest news is ambiguous - and Alvarez is rumoured to be rested in Europe this midweek.
If you think Haaland doesn’t play this weekend, he’s an easy sell. But it would be short term - you will definitely want him back for Gameweek 20 vs Sheffield Utd, so make a plan or leave the cash in the bank for that.
Solanke & Watkins are the obvious replacements
Anyone who took out Watkins a couple of weeks ago have planned to bring him back - and now there are a load of Haaland owners looking for a new No9. He’s still a great pick, but Solanke has emerged as an alternative. Solanke probably has the best fixtures over the next three, but Watkins is in the better side. A big fork in the road here. It’s a form vs fixture play. There is Alvarez of course, but he Blanks next week.
Chelsea lead the fixture ticker - do we care?
A nice graphic below honing in on the top fixture runs for some FPL-relevant squads. Chelsea remain a hard team to get involved with outside Palmer and Colwill, as a cheap way into the defence. James is a no go once again, poor guy. Perhaps Nkunku will change things. As FPL Is Life said last week (you’re welcome), Bailey has emerged as an option for Villa and Diaby is now regularly benched. Spurs are just an incredibly fun FPL team now - more below.
Spurs are fun - and Son is the main man
Son looks like the third best player in the game to me, but he may be a luxury purchase this week with so many injuries about. I can’t believe his ownership is still so (relatively) low at 36%. Playing out left vs Newcastle, he looked top. Porro, too. I’ve showered praise on him before in this email because he’s like a cut-price Trent, going on his data this season - six assists so far. Don’t expect too many clean sheets, which seem a rarity anyway this season. Brennan Johnson is a nice differential if anyone is fancying a gamble - Maddison is out until January by the sound of it. When Son goes to the Asia cup, we may be thinking about Richarlison, too - but not yet.
Romario is still reassuringly Romario
I think a love of Romario is basically confirmation that you’re now middle aged (sorry to anyone nodding long), but just check out this gracefully grey-haired maestro still belting out some top tunes. Still got it.
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