The Wildcard chip is the most important powerup in FPL, and if you want to make the most of it, tipster FPLbanovic shares his tips to consider before activating it.

This is a very crucial part of the season, and your team definitely needs your attention. We have a lot of new data and changes, which challenge our pre-season assumptions and require re-assessing for some teams and players. The template team is starting to break, and many managers are trying to figure out what their optimal strategy is as from this moment, your transfer strategy should be dictated by when you will activate your wildcard chip.

In the coming sections, we will try to find the best-suited strategy to adapt and deep dive into some of the most vital points to consider to have a rough idea of what to do. Generally speaking, we all have an extra wildcard which will be automatically activated after GW16, so you should not delay your wildcard for too much to maximize its returns and to be able to utilize it for the maximum number of gameweeks.

Most managers are currently split between using their wildcards on gameweek 7, 8 or 9. This is not a right or wrong decision and whether you will be activating your chip or not totally depends on your own team situation. Let’s discuss the most important factors that triggered this situation.

Top Six Fixture Swing

The top six all clash with each other, which makes things tricky from an FPL perspective.

🔹️ Manchester City will face Spurs, United, Liverpool and Arsenal in four of the next six fixtures and will play every midweek until GW16.

🔹️ Liverpool have a tough run of fixtures going ahead. They face Chelsea, Arsenal and City in three of the next four games. Also, the Reds play every midweek from now till GW16.

🔹️ Arsenal is going through a tough run, too, where they face City, Liverpool and Spurs from GW9 to GW12.

The ownership of the likes of Salah (48.8%), TAA (46%), Diaz (30.5%), Jesus (77.3%), Martinelli (46%), Perisic (25.9%) and Saliba (21.2%) shows how teams are heavily reliant on top six premium assets. With the upcoming fixtures getting much harder, many managers prefer to avoid this batch and offload those assets, then get them back by GW12 or GW13.

The first six gameweeks refuted many assumptions and narratives that were made at the start of the season, requiring a change in strategy, planning and team structures.

Big at the Back Is Not Paying Off

Cancelo is the only premium defender in the top 10 for points returned as several mid-low budget defenders emerged as great options. Dalot (£4.5M), Saliba (£4.7M), Schar (£4.7M) and Veltman (£4.5M) are exceeding TAA (£7.5M), Robertson (£6.8M), Van Dijk (£6.5M), James (£6.0M) and Chilwell (£5.8M) in points/returned till this point.

Moreover, Klopp utilizing the five subs rule to rotate his wingbacks more often and Perisic’s constant rotation fears, in addition to the fact that both Liverpool and Chelsea defences look very vulnerable and shaky, doesn’t justify their premium prices, leading to the same outcome; Big at the back didn’t pay off, especially with the emerging of great value-picks from Arsenal, United, Brighton and Newcastle defences that all comes in the £4.5M price range.

Midfielders Are Underperforming

Most of the (£8M) category midfielders were great picks at the start of the season. Diaz, Saka, Kulusevski, Maddison, Mount, Foden, Bowen and Mahrez were all tipped to have a good start, but they were all quickly ruled out as good options. Only Diaz, Foden and Kulusevski are somewhat justified given their (£8M) price tag. However, as mentioned before, they all have significant fixtures swing and are all subjected to rotation as the UEFA champions league starts.

Team’s Participation in European Competitions

There will be more rotation for key players among players from the top six after GW6 due to the start of the Champions League and Europa league. Newcastle, Brentford, Aston Villa, Fulham, Leicester and Nottingham have some excellent fixtures and should be less rotated and more nailed for the upcoming gameweeks.

New Essential Targets/Third Attackers

The first six gameweeks revealed many great picks that are essential to own. These underlying stats show how significant their influence and threat are, and they also come as great-value picks (under £7M). Many of those great picks are attackers, which led most of us to conclude that having a third attacker is the right strategy to adapt.

Players to Target on Wildcard

Here is a list of the most essential targets from GW7:

Aleksandar Mitrović (£6.8M)

With six goals in the same number of matches, the opponent doesn’t really matter for this Serbian. His 20 shots, eight big chance created, and 2.68 non-penalty xG is hard to ignore.

Alexander Isak (£7.0M)

The expectations are high for this young new signing. He started his premier league career with a goal against Liverpool at Anfield, and his 0.83 xGi/per 90 combined with the absence of Wilson and Newcastle’s run of fixtures makes him one of the most promising attackers in FPL.

Ivan Toney (£7.2M)

Toney comes second only after Haaland among forwards in FPL for the most points. His underlying stats were always great, but his hattrick against Leeds proved his worth. He has five goals, two assists, and eight big chances created in just six games so far.

Kieran Trippier (£5.2M)

Newcastle’s defence looks very solid. Trippier’s three clean sheets, eight chances created, 0.91 xGi and one goal combined with his upcoming fixtures put him directly into the essential category.

Nick Pope (£5.1M)

His 23 saves, 0.70 xG prevented, three cleansheets and two double-digit hauls show that he is the stand-out keeper to own in FPL at the moment.

Marcus Rashford (£6.5M)

Rashford scored twice and picked up an assist as Manchester United beat Arsenal to raise his tally to three goals and two assists in six matches. At £6.5M, his value is too good, given United’s much-improved form and a good run of fixtures.

FPL Wildcard Strategies

So, after all, When should you use your wildcard chip in FPL? As mentioned before, people are split between a GW7/GW8/GW9 wildcard. It depends on your team’s situation, but we will try to analyze the pros and cons of each decision.

GW7 Wildcard

Pros:
▪️ Jump in before the price rises and gain significant value for your team.

▪️ Other than Halaand, you should try to avoid Spurs vs City. A GW7 wildcard will enable you to do this.

▪️ Keep Arsenal assets for EVE(H) and BRE(A).

Cons:
▪️ team is loaded with Brighton players. With the blank in GW8, you will lose some of them before BOU (A) on GW7.

▪️ Newcastle face WHU (A). A tough fixture that may restrict you from having three Newcastle assets.

▪️ Selling Liverpool assets before WOL (H) to avoid the fixture swing.

GW8 Wildcard

Pros:
▪️ Having three Newcastle assets after avoiding WHU (A).

▪️ Have your Brighton assets for BOU (A) as their game in GW8 has been cancelled.

▪️ Avoid Liverpool vs Chelsea.

Cons:
▪️ Since Arsenal fixtures from GW9 are very hard, you should consider selling them in the wildcard, therefore, losing them vs Brentford.

Gameweek 9 Wildcard

Pros:
▪️ The international break gives you more time to analyze. Also, It is usually followed by lots of injuries and absences, so it is generally wise to try to use your wildcard in an international break.

▪️ Keep your Arsenal assets For Everton and Brentford.

Cons:
▪️Though we don’t recommend prioritizing your transfers on price changes, waiting for two gameweeks would probably let you get your targeted players at a higher value than you get them now.

Wildcard after GW 12/13

▪️ Another strategy you can use is to sell the top six Premiums assets with free transfers and wildcard them back on GW 12/13.
By this point, your team may be loaded up with assets from weaker teams such as Leicester, Newcastle, West Ham, Fulham and Villa.

▪️ Gives you more time to re-evaluate Chelsea and Brighton after new managerial changes.

You can find Fantasy Premier League (FPL) resources for the 22/23 season here.

With favourable fixtures for almost every big team including Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs, selecting the right captain in FPL is a bit of a dilemma for gameweek 4. But tipster FPLbanovic is here to help, sharing his thoughts on the best captain for the week in this article.

Captaincy is one of the most important decisions an FPL manager can make. It is essential for a green arrow. so, who is the best captain for gameweek 4? In this list we will take a closer look at players that we think are the best captain picks for this gameweek.

Mohamed Salah vs. Bournemouth (H)

• Anytime goal-scoring odds this week – 60%.
• Expected goals (xG) – 1.20.
• Expected assists (xA) – 1.14.

Mo Salah has scored in all six of his league matches against AFC Bournemouth and boasts an impressive record against newly-promoted sides in general with 18 goals against them. With two consecutive losses, conceding seven goals while scoring zero in their last two meetings against Arsenal and Manchester City, Bournemouth comes to the game with poor form and Liverpool’s game will not be any different. Their xGC (away) is 2.76 per match and they will probably concede. The Egyptian king is the safest bet and the standout captain. He also tops the projections for most expected points in FPL this GW.

Gabriel Jesus vs. Fulham (H)

• Anytime scoring odds this week – 51.22%.
• Expected goals (xG) – 2.06.
• Expected assists (xA) – 0.76.

Anyone who watched the game vs Bournemouth knows that It could’ve been much better for Jesus last week. VAR ruled out his goal with an offside of the tightest of margins and he missed a one-on-one attempt against Tavares. So despite returning only four points, he could’ve easily had another double-digit haul to his name.

Fulham have conceded four goals in three matches so far. Their xGC (away) is 2.18/match and with the Gunners’ current form, they will probably concede more than once. Jesus is expected to be a popular captain pick again even amongst the top 10K managers and has massive ownership (82%, which is an FPL record) that makes him a reasonable captain pick.

Harry Kane vs. Nottingham Forest (A)

• Any time scoring odds this week – 48.94%.
• Expected goals (xG) – 1.62.
• Expected assists (xA) – 0.95.

Following his last-gasp equaliser at Chelsea last week, Kane proved to be clinical again after his header helped his team to a 1-0 win vs wolves. Kane now has two goals in three matches and his next opponent is Nottingham Forest, a team that is weak at stopping opponents from creating chances. They have an xGC of 2.45/match and Kane can exploit their weaknesses with his potential to score goals as well as assist.

Erling Halaand vs. Crystal Palace (H)

• Any time scoring odds this week – 65.22%.
• Expected goals (xG) – 3.37.
• Expected assists (xA) – 0.71.

Crystal Palace have failed to keep a single cleansheet so far. They have conceded four goals in three matches and they have an xGC (away) of 2.56. Opponents Man City on the other hand have an xG of 2.44. They are very strong in creating attacks and finishing and will probably win this match with multiple goals. Given how many chances City create and with Halaand obviously as their target man, there is no doubt that he is always a great captain pick. And in a week where most people will captain Salah or Jesus, he could be a decent differential if you entrust him with the captain’s armband.

You can find Fantasy Premier League (FPL) resources for the 22/23 season here.

With the first three gameweeks of the Premier League season now over, tipster FPLbanovic is thinking long term, sharing the best players and teams to target in FPL for GW4-GW8.

Three gameweeks are not enough to have a firm, full opinion on teams, but we have more data to try to figure out which are the best teams, fixtures and assets to target in the next four gameweeks of FPL until the international break which is the perfect time to wildcard. Even if you plan on using your wildcard you can use this as a guide on who to buy. Here is a list of budget-friendly players (Below £8M) that have a high projection of expected points from GW4 to GW8.

Players will be classified into three categories:

• Must have: players that are absolutely necessary to own.
• Top pick: players that aren’t essential but could do well.
• Differential pick: players that we expect to do well with a low ownership percentage.

Arsenal

Arsenal are currently in 1st position in Premier League, with nine points from three matches played. They have a 100% win record and have scored nine goals and conceded two goals while keeping two cleensheets. The Gunners are also the most in-form team. Their Expected Goals for (xGF) is 2.11 and Expected goals conceded (xGC) is 0.73.

FUL (H), AVL (H), MUN (A), and EVE (H) are all coming up next. A relatively easy run of fixtures which put Arsenal at the top of the list. Three of their next four games are at home and against defences that have only one cleansheet in their last eight games so you should fulfil the quota of three assets from them.

Must-have Pick

Gabriel Jesus (£8.1M) is selected by (81%) of players which is sufficient to put him in the must-have category. Jesus has played in all three matches so far and has scored two goals (2.05 xG) to go along with three assists (0.76 xA). He also has seven shots in total (three on target).

Gabriel Martinelli (£6.4M) is selected by (41.4%) of FPL managers. He has played three matches and scored two goals but is yet to have a non-FPL assist to his name. His (xG) is 1.26 and his (xA) is 0.51. He has a total of seven shots (three on target) just like Jesus.

Top Pick

Martin Ødegaard (£6.4M) – Selected by 13.1% managers. He has played three matches and has scored two goals. Ødegaard also has two shots on target from a total of six shots. His (xG) is 0.82 and his (xA) is 0.08.

Differential Pick

William Saliba (£4.6M) – TSB (9.0%). He has played three matches and has one shot on target—a goal in the last game against Bournemouth (0.11 xG). Saliba also kept a cleansheet in that game and has a 100% tackle success ratio.

Gabriel Magalhães (£5.0M) – TSB (8.0%). He has played three matches so far with a total of two shots for 0.22 xG). Plus, he has kept two cleansheets in addition to five successful tackles with a 71% success ratio.

Brentford

Brentford are currently in 8th position in the league. They have won one match, drawn one, and lost one while scoring eight goals and conceding five goals in the process. Their (xGF) is 1.46 and (xGC) is 1.71. Brentford face EVE (H), CRY (A), LEE (H), and SOU (A) in the coming weeks; teams that have conceded in all games for a grand total of zero clean sheets in their 12 games played.

Top Pick

Ivan Toney (£7.2M) – TSB (16.7%). Toney has played in every Brentford game, scoring two goals and assisting another two. He has a total of five shots (two on target). His (xG) is 1.46 and his (xA) is 1.15.

Differential Pick

Josh Dasilva (£4.6M) – TSB (11.0%). Popular budget enabler Dasilva has started in just two matches so far (plus one as a sub) but has scored two goals. He has two shots on target from a total of two shots and has an (xG) of 0.07.

Brighton and Hove Albion

Brighton and Hove Albion are currently in 5th position in the league, with seven points from three matches played. They have won two matches, drawn one, and are yet to lose a game. They have scored four goals and conceded just once with an (xGF) of 1.85 and (xGC) of 1.08.

LEE (H), FUL (A), LEI (H), and BOU (A) are the next four fixtures for them. Teams that have conceded many goals and Brighton are expected to score in each of these games. Also, no team has conceded fewer big chances than Brighton and they have produced two cleansheets out of their three matches which makes them a team to target in FPL, especially when it comes to picking defenders.

Must-have Pick

Pascal Groß (£5.7M) – TSB (8.8%). The top scorer for Brighton and Hove Albion has played all games for the Seagulls with two goals and an assist to his name. He has accumulated (1.59 xG) and (0.89 xA) and has two shots on target from a total of three shots. His performance and ownership make a must-have on a budget and also worth a shout as a differential pick thanks to his low ownership.

Top Pick

Robert Sanchez (£4.5M) – TSB (13%). At £4.5M, Sanchez offers great value. He has kept two cleansheets so far in addition to nine saves and has only conceded once in three games which was because of an own goal.

Differential Pick

Danny Welbeck (£6.5M) – TSB (1.6%). Welbeck has played all three matches and even though he is yet to score, he has two assists and a total of six shots. His (xG) is 0.51 and his (xA) is 0.61. At 1.6% ownership, he could be a great differential.

Leandro Trossard (£6.5M) – TSB (2.3%). Trossard has played three matches and has scored one goal from nine shots (five blocked, two on target, two off target). He has an (xG) 0.80 and (xA) of 0.21.

Leeds

Leeds United are currently in 3rd position in the Premier League, with seven points from three matches played. They have won two matches, drawn one, and are unbeaten. They have scored seven goals and conceded three. Their (xG) is 1.72 and (xGC) is 1.11.

They showed great form and resilience in the first three games and their attack was very aggressive and dangerous against Chelsea. Their upcoming fixtures are BHA (A), EVE (H), BRE (H), and NFO (A), a great run of fixtures that their rejuvenated attack will most likely take advantage of.

Must-have Pick

Rodrigo (£6.3M) – TSB (21.6%). Leeds’ star player has played every match so far and has scored four goals from a total of 10 shots (six on target) and his (xG) of 1.96 and his (xA) is 1.00. He is currently at the top of the Premier League goal-scoring charts ahead of the likes of Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane. His form and numbers combined with a favourable set of fixtures put him directly into the must-have category.

Differential Pick

Jack Harrison (£6.0M) – TSB (2.7%). Harrison has scored one goal and produced three assists in the first three games. He has two shots on target from the same number of shots and created three big chances. His (xG) is 0.59 and (xA) is 1.32 per match. Harrison is one of the few players who have returned in all of the matches so far and at 2.7% ownership, he can be a massive differential in FPL.

You can find Fantasy Premier League (FPL) resources for the 22/23 season here.