***GAMEWEEK 36 DEADLINE: FRIDAY - 18:30 GMT***
So last week, I talked about how there could be a lot of pain for people who were Wildcarding last week, bringing in a load of Chelsea and Spurs at the expense of Liverpool and Arsenal. That was looking pretty likely when Arsenal were 3-0 up before half time, but a Son penalty has helped eased things somewhat. As for Nico Jackson, well that pick has gone pretty much as expected. Owners, cover your eyes for the Spurs match tomorrow. Those who topped up the bench ready to ensure a good Gameweek 37 Bench Boost have been unlucky as a few injuries have cropped up - popular picks like Ederson, Schar and Van Hecke all have issues. We’ll get into that.
This is a bit of a low key Gameweek ahead of the season’s biggest Double Gameweek next week - save a transfer this week if you can. I’ve thrown in a few more wider bits to think about.
Got a transfer dilemma? Begging for the end? Email me: fplislife@substack.com
Three weeks left…
It’s been a long old season, but the end is now in sight. In fact, if you’ve been planning, many of your big decisions will have been made now - Wildcards have been played and most people will be focussing on next week, the big Double Gameweek 37. With Spurs playing Liverpool this week, Newcastle, Man City and Chelsea seem the teams to target - though the three remaining Arsenal games all look good for them if you don’t want/need to go all in on the Doublers. Holding a transfer this week to have two next week may be the play for a lot of managers out there.
Injuries at Man City - new options?
It was a really unlucky weekend for many Wildcard picks - Ederson was seen leaving in a sling and is surely out at least for now - though we have no news. It could open up Ortega (£3.7m) as a cheap option, but we need more info from Pep to be sure. It turns out Foden was ill at the weekend, so there shouldn’t be an issue this week. The big call for many people will be KDB - what a pick he could be, but it does come with sacrifices, given his price. Haaland is now back and a big captain shout vs Wolves this week.
Other Ederson replacements? Well, Vicario and Onana are the Double options for next week. Onana makes a lot of saves (one point for three saves in FPL). In terms of the best value keepers with three games left, it’s hard to look past Raya I’m afraid. But remember, you may want an Arsenal attacker for the last week when they play Everton.
Leicester are back - any FPL options?
They tried to screw it up, but Leicester are now coming back to the Prem. Who could be the options? Dewsbury Hall has been great, but my personal favourite from their side this year has been their Ghanian winger, Abdul Fatawu. He’s actually on loan with them at the moment, but word is he’ll sign over the summer. Here’s hoping he becomes a cheap FPL option with upside.
Newcastle: Schar out… Gordon still bangs
Gordon (10) and Isak (13) proved at the weekend what we said last week - they are the picks in attack. Schar looked like the most exciting pick in defence, but he picked up some kind of knock, so *wait for news* on him. If he’s out, Burn is an obvious sideways move. There is also the chance Trippier could be back soon, so maybe benching Schar and waiting is the best option if you can. There may also be the option of Gusto at Chelsea, who is another attacking option and affordable.
Palmer has almost broken FPL this season
No surprises here - it’s a chart plotting player ratings with transfer fee - though just from an impact point of view, surely Palmer is out on his own. His value must have doubled since Chelsea bought him, which is unusual for the Amortisation Crew. How much will he be next year in FPL? £9.5m? He’s been so good this year he’s almost broken the game, as he’s meant money has never really been an issue. And to think, there was a Gameweek early in the season when people were choosing between Palmer (210 points) and… Adingra, at Brighton (89 points).
As for other Chelsea assets, Nico Jackson owners, don’t despair - West Ham have the second worst xG conceded stats in the league over the last six games (Luton are bottom). This could be the week he accidentally scores!
Benching headaches galore this week
Don’t be surprised if you have a benching headache this week. If you Wildcarded last week with a view of using the Bench Boost next week, you’ll of course have some benching issues. It’s hard to bench the likes of Bruno, Gordon, Palmer, Foden, Son, Isak, Haaland or Jackson. People will be tempted to bench Jackson - I worry about that given West Ham’s defensive numbers at the moment (see above). In close calls I tend to bench the away players - so that’s Son (vs Liverpool), Bruno (vs Palace) or Gordon (vs Burnley) for me. Of those three, only Gordon doesn’t take penalties.
Liverpool have destroyed a lot of managers
With Klopp off in the summer and the Salah to Saudi rumours still circulating (despite what the club says), it was sad to see the touchline row at the weekend. Salah’s FPL drop off has also been sad - he’s probably the greatest FPL pick we’ve had during his Liverpool years. The below post makes the point that he really hasn’t shone for a while. Many seasons have come unstuck because of underperforming Liverpool - Salah, Van Dijk and Darwin hurt many in the last Double Gameweek. But Liverpool have a great last game vs Wolves - so maybe there’ll be one last dance with the Egyptian King then.
Footballer loves his nan
Good content this from Riccardo Orsolini, who celebrates Bologna's qualification for a European competition after 22 years of waiting with his nan. Ahhh.
Please get in touch with any FPL dilemmas or general football internet gold. PS - I’m on Twitter here. Pics always link to the original source where possible. Please help me grow FPL Is Life by sharing… thanks! Typos entirely deliberate, but thanks for noticing.