J.League Fantasy creator Kurasawa on suggestions to improve Fantasy Premier League by FPL General and his fantasy philosophy.

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Hello to all of you and especially to FPL General!

I have just read your article on how to improve FPL and have decided to share my thoughts as I have a lot to say about it.

But first, let me introduce myself. I go by the nickname Kurasawa and I run my own fantasy games with unique rules thanks to a platform Foontasy and writing detailed previews such as this. Currently, I do only J.League Fantasy (open this introduction article in the new tab to read it later). I stopped playing FPL one year and a half ago because I got tired of elements of randomness in traditional fantasy games.

How is J.League Fantasy different from FPL? Look at the picture below:

As you can see, your mental health is threatened less.

With the introduction over, let me start commenting on the suggestions, in order of least to most disagreement.

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On Re-Adjusting the Gameweek Deadlines

I think the best route to take is to make the deadline coincide with the first kick-off.

There’ll never be a perfect solution

I think I have one. Since not everyone wants to check line-ups an hour before the deadline (especially those in Western Hemisphere), FPL should consider launching two different modes of the game. The first one with the deadline at kick-off with such chips available as post-deadline transfer. And the second one with a deadline of 2-3 hours before kick-off for those who just want to make transfers and don’t follow the games live. You’re welcome.

 

On Higher Prices

Top of my list of requests would be higher player prices. Make it much harder for us to fill our squads with picks from the top teams.

I think doing just that won’t help much. The problem is deeper. Prices don’t change fast enough. Miguel Almirón and Kaoru Mitoma have 15+ goals and assists each and their price didn’t even rise over 6.0. If FPL had a Foontasy price change system, they would be priced 8.0-9.0 (Haaland, for comparison, would be 16.5, and you would think twice about owning him).

How does that price change system work? To express it shortly, prices change based on player performances rather than managers making transfers (glad I don’t check potential price changes every evening anymore). The player price can change by 1.0 in four GWs.

You may wonder: with price changes so fast, aren’t budgets also becoming bigger making it easier to pick top players? Yes, they are. To stop this, every six gameweeks, I do dekulakization called ‘budget reset’, where a manager can make changes only if his new squad fits the budget equal to the initial one at the start of the game. Not a delicate solution, I know, but for me it’s when it gets interesting.

By the way, switching from a transfer-based to a performance-based price change system could allow such features as cancelling your transfers.

 

On FPL Chips

I don’t like them. Why? Because you know when you are going to use them: double gameweeks. I don’t like them too. Why? Because your range of choice is significantly narrowed, making you pick a player with 2 matches. On Foontasy, rather than summarizing points from two games, only one with the highest score is counted. But I digress from the main topic. For me, the ideal chip is the one where you don’t know when you will use it. This criteria is met by two Foontasy chips: post-deadline transfers and free-hit transfers (where you can loan in a player for just one gameweek). You could use them on average every three GWs.

To add another argument, FPL-esque chips are as much guesswork as picking a captain and bench.

 

On Making Captaincy Exciting

Captaincy delenda est (must be destroyed). I hate this part of the game the most. In some cases it makes you root against your own player just because you didn’t captain him. Also, if the optimal strategy is picking the obvious choice, then there’s no point in it. If you want to pick a differential captain, most likely you will fail, and those managers who didn’t fail are viewed as luckers in your eyes. I don’t like choosing between a 50% chance of return and 40%, that’s also why there’s no ‘pick the bench’ option on Foontasy.

Also, captaincy could mess up a game even with Foontasy price change system. If you can clone any player, why not clone the highest-priced one?

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Other Things That Grind My Gears

Bonus points system and detailed scoring: A long time ago when Stat Revolution started, I wanted players to be awarded for such things as key passes, last-man tackles and clearance off the line. But when some games started to do it, I realised that it makes Fantasy even more difficult and even more random. Choosing between the one who simply contributes some goals and the other who makes a lot of event actions for me is an unnecessary headache. Also, this kind of scoring makes it harder to find a good differential, because the underlying stats are already translated to points. So I’m rooting for BPS delenda est too. I don’t like detailed scoring so many midfielders are not given one point for a cleansheet on Foontasy. Those who already play there may wonder: “But didn’t you start giving one point for defenders for every six clearances?“. OK, OK, you got me here. I did that to get managers to pick centre-backs more often than full-backs.

One free transfer between gameweeks: You make your only FT, it goes wrong, and you have to use another FT to sell him, but you also want to sell other players. Your unlucky choices delay your wished transfers or sacrifice points for them. You are literally getting penalised. To reduce this element of luck, I recommend giving 2 FT, but no more. If you give 3, managers will make more short-term picks therefore game becomes more random.

 

Well, that’s all! If you folks don’t want to take a break from fantasy, why not hop into J.League Fantasy?

— But didn’t it start 15 GWs ago?

Not a problem! You can compare yourself with others by average points per gameweek!

Go to that introduction tab you’ve opened earlier (if you haven’t, I give you one more chance). Create your team before the deadline on Saturday 3rd June 6:00 AM BST, the kick-off of the first match between 1st-placed Vissel Kobe and vice-champions Kawasaki Frontale.

Also, by following the game’s Twitter account, playing will be funnier and easier.

The end.

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

Need some differentials to boost your rank? Tipster Bornob shares the best differentials to consider in gameweek 32 of FPL.

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I know that many FPL managers are now thinking like me, to use their free hit chip on gameweek 34 rather than going for it now. But for those who are going to use it in 32, here are my differential picks below:

 

Andrew Robertson

🔴 Club: Liverpool

💰 Price: £6.8M

🚀 Ownership: 6.5%

• Up against Forest, who are ranked 19th for xG since the restart.

• Ranked 3rd among defenders for xGI (last 6 matches).

• Very high competition in attack – Nunez, Jota, Gakpo, Diaz, and Firmino fighting for two spots – Robertson’s place is more secure.

 

James Maddison

🦊 Club: Leicester City

💰 Price: £8.1M

🚀 Ownership: 8.3%

• Generated 0.72 xGI in a tough fixture away to City – along with one big chance missed.

• Playing very advanced in the support striker role, just behind Vardy.

• Wolves ranked 14th for xGC since the restart.

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Jarrod Bowen

⚒️ Club: West Ham United

💰 Price: £8.0M

🚀 Ownership: 3.7%

• Do not be deceived by Bournemouth’s good form – they are ranked 20th for xGC since the restart.

• BOU have conceded the most chances down Bowen’s flank this season.

• Minutes more secure than Benrahma, and often plays 90 minutes.

• On set piece duties.

 

Andreas Pereira

⚫️ Club: Fulham FC

💰 Price: £4.3M

🚀 Ownership: 14.2%

• Up against Leeds who rank 18th for xGC since the restart.

• More goal-hungry in Mitrovic’s absence – 14 shots in the last three games.

• An impressive 0.49 xGI in the last six games.

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Gabriel Jesus

🟥 Club: Arsenal

💰 Price: £8.1M

🚀 Ownership: 30.5%

• Four goals in the last three starts.

• Averaging a ridiculous 1.22 xGI per start since returning from injury.

• Arsenal will look to bounce back after dropping points in two consecutive games – triple Arsenal attack provides a unique option on FH with very high upside.

 

Eberechi Eze and Micheal Olise

🦅 Club: Crystal Palace FC

💰 Price: £5.5M each

🚀 Ownership: 6.7% and 3.6%

Since Roy Hodgson has joined Palace, Eze, and Olise have had more points than their previous last 10 GW. Eze played 90 minutes in all three Premier League matches under him. His xG rate has risen up high which is 0.38 and 0.64 and 0.21 from 0.0 of previous GWs. xGI is 0.73 and 0.23, and the creative rate is 42.8 and 34.6 while the threat rate is 41.0 and 23.0 against Leeds and Leicester city in the previous GWs.

Olise is in a more devastating form while partnering with Eze. He has been the team’s most creative winger on the pitch and has xG of 0.05, 0.010, and 0.20 against Southampton, Leeds, and Leicester City. While if you look at his xGA, it is 0.13, 0.90, and 0.17. Though he looks inconsistent he has the class and responsibility to take the game away from opponents through his creativity which is 13.3, 83.5, and 46.8 in his last three GW.

Both Olise Eze only have to play Spurs in the future which is a big threat but they will face West Ham, Wolves, and Nottingham Forrest too. So taking up both rather than Arsenal’s midfield is an excellent option for me. Olise is also on set-piece duties.

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Alex Moreno

🟣 Club: Aston Villa

💰 Price: £4.5M

🚀 Ownership: 2.7%

Five cleansheets in the last seven games for Villa. Moreno is playing more minutes now and has more responsibility on his shoulder as Cash is still out so he is the best differential pick from Villa’s defence if you want one. Since Villa played Arsenal At home, Villa has conceded only two goals, which shows how their defence is providing them. Moreno had 0.71 xA and 0.71 xGI against Newcastle at home.

 

Emi Martinez

🟣 Club: Aston Villa

💰 Price: £5M

🚀 Ownership: 7.2%

All though everybody is picking Raya, Steele, or Alisson, here’s a great differential pick in my opinion. If you look at his number of points since the disaster performance at home against Arsenal, it goes like this:

• 9 vs Eve.
• 7 vs CRY.
• 3 vs WHU.
• 11 vs CHE.
• 3 vs LEI.
• 9 vs NFO.
• 6 vs NEW.

In the last seven games, he has made 25 saves. All though he has to play Spurs Liverpool and United in the future you can rely on Dibbu. But he would be a backup for your team rather than the first choice.

 

Thanks for reading this article on FPL. I would appreciate your valuable comment and shares.

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

Which are the best picks for gameweek 32 in FPL? Which captain options should you consider? FPL Mayor takes a look in his free hit guide. 

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Goalkeepers

Arsenal and Liverpool have by far the highest cleansheet odds this gameweek. Naturally, this makes Ramsdale and Alisson good picks at home to Southampton and Forest respectively.

See more

GW32 clean sheet % 🧤🥅

ARS: 58%
LIV: 54%
CPL: 44%
NEW: 38%
LEI: 33%
WHU: 33%
BRE: 31%
FUL: 30%
AVL: 29%
BOU: 29%
WOL: 29%
EVE: 28%
LEE: 27%
TOT: 21%
NOT: 8%
SOU: 8%
BHA: 🚫
CHE: 🚫
MCI: 🚫
MUN: 🚫

— Abdul Rehman (@FPL_Salah) April 18, 2023

The main issue is we’ll likely want three outfield players from both of these teams.

Palace are third for clean sheet odds this week which makes Johnstone at home to Everton a great pick at 4.4m (Guaita is currently injured). If you’re looking for a slightly different option, Nick Pope is also a great pick. Despite not keeping many clean sheets recently, Newcastle are still one of the best defences in the league.

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Defenders

The pool of defenders to choose from isn’t the best for GW32. The obvious top pick is Trent. Don’t overthink it, just put him in your team. As mentioned earlier, Liverpool and Arsenal are the favourites for a clean sheet this week. This makes Gabriel, Robertson, VVD, and White all good picks.

The problem is that we’re going to want midfielders and forwards from these teams so won’t be able to fit many defenders in. Therefore we’ll have to look to other teams like Newcastle and Palace. Trippier is the obvious next-best pick after Arsenal and Liverpool defenders due to his assist threat and a home fixture against Spurs. A cheaper alternative from Newcastle is Fabian Schär. He’s had 26 shots since the World Cup, making him one of the most dangerous CBs in terms of goal threat.

As mentioned earlier, Palace have the third highest chance of a clean sheet this week. They have some great cheap options like Andersen, Mitchell, Guéhi, and Ward if you’re struggling for defenders.

Midfielders

Salah and Saka are the easiest spots to fill on free hit this week. They’re the best midfield options and should both be in everyone’s teams. The third midfield spot is likely to be used on either Ødegaard or Martinelli or Bowen. Choosing between them comes down to how you evaluate Martinelli’s expected minutes for the game and Bowen’s threat in attack.

The only midfield option from Liverpool other than Salah is Gakpo. Once again it comes down to expected minutes. If he was guaranteed to start and play most of the game then he’d be an easy pick. However, Klopp now has five players for two positions alongside Salah in the front three. For me, this makes Gakpo too much of a minutes risk so I doubt I’ll be picking him.

The standout pick from the rest of the teams is James Maddison. Admittedly Leicester have been terrible of late but if there was ever a fixture to turn it around, it’s Wolves at home. His minutes don’t appear to be in question and even against City he managed to find himself on the end of a couple of chances. Some other cheaper options that I like are Eze, Olise, and Andreas. For what it’s worth if I was picking one of Eze and Olise I’d go for Eze.

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Forwards

The forward spots are the trickiest as there are plenty of good options. I think it comes down to picking three of the six below:

• Solanke v WHU (H)
• Jesus v SOU (H)
• Watkins v BRE (A)
• Toney v AVL (H)
• Kane v NEW (A)
• Isak v TOT (H)

One name not mentioned is Darwin. If he was getting regular starts over the last few weeks then he would absolutely be an option but the risk of him being benched is too high for me to consider him. For me, Isak is also too much of a minutes risk to pick him. We saw a couple of games ago that Howe is happy to rotate his two strikers and with so many other good options, I don’t think he’s worth the gamble.

Once again, if you think Jesus starts the game and is likely to play most of the match then he’s probably the best option. The tough decision comes when only picking three Arsenal players. Solanke, Toney, and Watkins are all nailed starters that are on penalties. Solanke probably has the best fixture with West Ham at home. However, Brentford and Villa are better attacking teams and create more chances.

All three are great options. Finally, Harry Kane is clearly the best forward on the list but he has the worst fixture. As mentioned earlier, Newcastle are still one of the best defences in the league, making it a tough away fixture for Kane.

 

Captaincy

For me, it’s easy this week. Salah is the best captain option. The only other player that I would consider is Saka but I can’t see myself going for him over Salah.

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FPL Gameweek 32 Draft

This is my current free hit draft. Players that I am considering:

• Jesus
• Martinelli
• Playing Trippier

 

Full credit to Brad who wrote this on Twitter as a thread and agreed to let me post it here on Fantasy Tipsters. You can Follow Brad on Twitter @FPLMayor. You can follow us on Twitter at @TipstersFantasy also you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @munna_rambo. We are waiting for your valuable reaction and comments. Thank you.

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

FPL enthusiast Bornob shares his wildcard and chip strategies for gameweek 26 to gameweek 29.

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FPL Gameweek 26 Wildcard Team

• 3x Brentford (Raya+Henry+Toney)
• 3x Brighton (Mac Alister+Estupinan+March)
• 3x Arsenal (Gabriel+Saka+Odegaard)
• 2x Newcastle (Trippier+Botman)
• Rashford
• Watkins
• Haaland
• Ward

This is the actual GW26 WC team

Triple Brentford and Brighton set you up nicely for future weeks, it allows you to keep all the season keepers and will allow you to have a great week and fly past all those not using WC. These 15 players give you 6x doublers in 27, 10x players in 28, and 14x doublers in 29 for a bench boost (of course using free transfers from 27-29). Will probably be 13 doublers in 29 actually, keeping Haaland and Saka as the single gameweek players.

Bench boost of Ward, Saka, Haaland, and Henry (6 fixtures).

Free hit will then be played in either GW32 or GW34 depending on FA cup progression.

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Best Brentford Picks on FPL Wildcard

Who should be picked from Mee v Pinnock v Henry?

Let’s look at the xGI/90 numbers since the restart:

• Henry – 0.18
• Pinnock – 0.13
• Mee – 0.08

Surprisingly, the data suggests that Mee’s attacking threat has been massively overhyped in comparison to the other Brentford defenders.

Considering Pinnock + Henry are basically just as nailed as Mee is, I don’t see any reason to pay £0.5-0.6m extra for him. Pinnock is better on the BPS than Henry, however, Henry has the additional attacking threat. This makes it a very close call between the two.

However, Henry’s ability to be shifted out to LWB when Frank switches to a back 3 during the tougher games, offers an additional element of attacking potential. This has historically been common during tougher games. Hence, I would slightly favor Henry over Pinnock.

Summary:

🥇 Henry (£4.5m)
🥈 Pinnock (£4.4m)
🥉 Mee (£5.0m)

Attack

🦁 Watkins v Toney 🐝

xGI/90 since the restart:

• Toney – 0.76
• Watkins – 0.54

Not only does Toney have the better underlying stats, but he’s also been slightly underperforming his xGI/90 (-0.04), which is a sign that his current form is sustainable. On the other hand, Watkins has massively overperformed his xGI/90 (+0.35) in the same time frame.

This could be a sign that Watkins’ returns will soon slow down, as he is typically the type of player to underperform rather than overperform his xGI. Owning both is definitely an option by bringing in Watkins for GW28 (potentially for Haaland/Kane) It is worth noting that Watkins will have two extra fixtures over Haaland over GW28-29. There is also an opportunity to move Toney back to Haaland in GW30.

Summary: Toney>Watkins

Note: Toney’s hearing will be in April, so it’s highly likely we can get through DGW29 before a potential ban is given.


🦁 Watkins (£7.3) v Kane (£11.7m) 🐓

Stats per appearance since the restart:

• xG – 0.4 v 0.4
• xGI – 0.5 v 0.5
• Pen area touches – 4.8 v 4.9
• Shots in the box – 2.2 v 2.5
• Big chances – 0.8 v 0.6

Watkins has an extra fixture over Kane in DGW29 and a better BGW28 fixture. The main benefit of going for Watkins over Kane is that it allows us to keep Haaland and not worry about selling in GW28 and buying him straight back again in GW30.

Keeper – Raya

My reasoning for Raya ahead of Sanchez is that Raya makes more saves and I really like Estupinan. I know you get an extra fixture with Sanchez, still prefer Raya.

Saves Per 90 Season:

• Sanchez: 2.14
• Raya: 4.35

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Saves Per 90 Post World Cup:

• Sanchez: 1.75
• Raya: 4.50

Raya and Estupinan have a significantly higher ceiling than Sanchez + Brentford defenders for me. I’m not saying they 100% outscore them, but on paper, it’s a better pairing, IMO. Because then you only get five doublers in GW27 unless you bench boost (and I prefer BB in 29).

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Best Brighton Picks on FPL Wildcard

Pick from MacAllister v Mitoma v March.

xGI/90 of the Brighton midfielders since the restart:

• March – 0.67
• MacAllister – 0.61
• Mitoma – 0.39

Despite the hype around Mitoma, I’d much prefer MacAllister + March as my Brighton attacking duo. Alongside Estupinan

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Best Newcastle Picks on FPL Wildcard

Schar v Botman v Burn

Looking at xGI/90 since the restart, Schar is by far the standout option:

• Schar – 0.32
• Burn – 0.11
• Botman – 0.08

Now, is Schär worth the £0.6m premium over Botman or Burn? In isolation, I’d say he definitely is. However…

If the second Newcastle defender you select (+ Trippier) will be your 4th/5th defender, you may be better off opting for Botman. Chances are, you will need that extra cash down the line. I’d avoid Burn as he could be rotated with Targett, who is back from injury.

Summary:

🥇 Schar (£5.1m)
🥈 Botman (£4.5m)
🥉 Burn (£4.5m)

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Best Arsenal Picks on FPL Wildcard

Now comes the triple Arsenal. One is obviously Saka. Who would be possibly the next two?

Defence

Gabriel v Zinchenko v White v Saliba

Let’s first take a look at the xGI/90 stats, since the restart:

• Zinchenko – 0.21
• White – 0.12
• Gabriel – 0.11
• Saliba – 0.06

We can rule out Saliba. He is the most expensive, has the worst attacking threat and is a yellow card magnet. Whilst Zinchenko looks to have the highest upside with an impressive 0.21 xGI/90, there is a notable rotation risk with Tierney.

Arsenal have a tough Europa League tie against Sporting, so the fixtures will be coming thick and fast. This is where Gabriel’s nailedness is important. We know for sure he will start every game, unlike Zinchenko and White, especially at this stage of the season. This is why I’d slightly prefer Gabriel over Zinchenko. White is also a fine pick if you need to save £0.5m.

Summary:

🥇 Gabriel (£5.2m)
🥈 Zinchenko (£5.1m)
🥉 White (£4.7m)
4️⃣ Saliba (£5.3m)

 

Midfield

The third pick from the Gunners and an attacking one from the fox Maddison?

Odegaard v Martinelli v Maddison

xGI/90 since the restart:

• Martinelli – 0.60
• Maddison – 0.53
• Odegaard – 0.49

Despite Martinelli having the best numbers when filtering only appearances over 45 minutes, there is a major rotation risk present. With Jesus due back very soon, we probably won’t see Trossard + Martinelli in the same lineup.

And with the Europa league and the fixtures coming quick, I wouldn’t be confident of Martinelli’s xMins going forward. Many are planning to sell Odegaard to strengthen their BB29 teams. However, is it a better option to select Maddison instead and save yourself a transfer?

Upcoming fixtures:

• Maddison – sou, bench, bre, cry+AVL.
• Odegaard – BOU, bench, CRY, LEE.

It really does depend on how much you value Odegaard’s BOU and CRY home fixtures over Maddison’s sou and bre away fixtures. For me, the safer option is to start with Odegaard, but there’s not much in it.

Summary:

🥇 Odegaard (£7.0m)
🥈 Maddison (£8.1m)
🥉 Martinelli (£6.5m)

 

This is how I plan to get through GW 26-28 then go for Bench boost in 29 and probably free hit after 31 realizing the situation of the FA Cup schedule.

The plans I am exacting are pretty similar to FPL expert @FPL Raptor (Ross), @FPLOLYMPIAN, and @FPLEwork27. They all shared outstanding thoughts which I kind of overlooked even tho I had already played my WC.

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

With a massive double gameweek coming up in FPL GW25, tipster FPL Bakchod shares his insights, data, and strategy on how to make the most of it. 

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Who do we keep on the bench? How do we optimize it without compromising GW25 performance? Also who do we get in for the players that we are moving out? Read on for these answers and more.

I will be evaluating basis the following factors:

– Current ownership/performance of MUN, NEW, BRE, and BHA players
– Who to bench/Transfer Out
– Who to transfer in?
– GW24-25 fixtures/teams to target
– GW26-28 fixtures to target
– Doubles in GW25 – Key picks
– GW25 Captain Options

Current ownership of MUN, NEW, BRE, and BHA players in FPL (10%+):

1. Trippier – 69%
2. Rashford – 54%
3. Almiron – 30%
4. Toney – 29%
5. Shaw – 27%
6. Pope – 25%
7. Schar – 17%
8. Mitoma – 13%
9. Fernandes – 12%
10. Mee – 12%
11. Sanchez – 11%
12. Gross – 10%
13. Raya – 10%
14. De Gea – 10%

Performance of top owned players from these teams (Player – Points post GW17 – GWs with 5+ Points post GW17):

• Trippier – 49 – 5/7
• Rashford – 74 – 7/7
• Almiron – 31 – 2/7
• Toney – 37 – 4/7
• Shaw – 54 – 5/7
• Pope – 38 – 5/7
• Schar – 34 – 5/7
• Mitoma – 46 – 5/7
• Fernandes – 54 – 5/7
• Mee – 37 – 4/7
• Sanchez – 31 – 3/7
• Gross – 26 – 2/7
• Raya – 43 – 5/7
• De Gea – 40 – 5/7

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Team-Wise Top Picks

Manchester United

Rashford is definitely the top pick and has to be retained – 74 points in FPL since the restart (highest), Mahrez next at 60. Shaw and Fernandes are both at 54 points (tied 5th for points since restart).

FPL Points at a team level since GW17 (before the Arsenal-City fixture*)

1. Manchester United – 491
2. Fulham – 394
3. Brentford – 390
4. Newcastle – 362
5. Brighton – 361
6. City – 359*
7. Chelsea – 348
8. Spurs – 337
9. Arsenal – 318*

Manchester United are almost 100 points greater than the next team. They have had easy fixtures (and an extra fixture) but they have also faced Arsenal and City in this period. United double-up is the minimum after GW25.

After Rashford, personally, I am inclined toward Shaw over Fernandes. Shaw is the highest-scoring defender since GW17 at 54 points. In fact, only two other defenders have got >40 points in this period – Trippier (49) and Ream (47). Meanwhile, there are equally good and even cheaper options in the midfield (Fernandes is at 9.9m). Midfielders with >40 points after GW17 – eight players, of which three have got more points than Fernandes. As for De Gea, he is the 3rd highest-scoring keeper since the restart and can be retained as well.

Newcastle

Just like Rashford, Trippier definitely should be retained. As we mentioned in our last thread, he is a season-keeper alongside Haaland and Kane. He is third highest with regards to points across all GWs, in fact, the only defender in the top 15 players by points.

If we look at the Newcastle forwards or midfielders, not a single player from Newcastle is in the top 20 forwards and midfielders by points since the restart. I would recommend moving those out over the next few GWs and not utilizing a spot on the bench for them.
Pope, like De Gea, can be retained. He can easily be your keeper till the end (I am planning to move to him whenever I wildcard as well). With regards to defenders, Schar/Botman/Burn can all be retained. However, they come after Rashford, Trippier and have to compete with Shaw/Fernandes and Brighton/Brentford assets.

Brighton/Brentford

Of the top 20 players by points since the restart, there are two from Brighton and three from Brentford:

• March – 59
• Mitoma – 46
• Raya – 43
• Toney, Mee – 37

The upside for Brighton/Brentford assets over United/Newcastle ones are the confirmed doubles for each of these teams in GW27 (and both against FDR 2-rated teams). In case you have Mitoma or March, you should definitely hold on to them as you might anyway get them back for GW27 and may even want to double up with Estupinian being another contender. While I do have Mitoma, between the two I would recommend March now. Since the restart, March is higher than Mitoma for shots, goals, assists, chances created, xA, and similar for xG, and SoT. Estupinian can also be retained, though low on priority.

With regards to Brentford assets, I think Toney definitely can be retained. Just like Mitoma/March, if you have him then you should definitely keep him in the 3-4 non-playing assets in GW25. He is the 5th highest-scoring forward by points since the restart, only one point behind Nketiah (38). Mee can be retained, with similar priority as Newcastle defenders but lower than Shaw. With regards to keepers, Sanchez and Raya definitely should be retained and your other keeper should play in GW25.

To summarise, retain priority (for outfield players):

1. Rashford, Trippier
2. Toney, Mitoma, March
3. Shaw
4. Newcastle defenders, Mee, Estupinian

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FPL GW24-GW25 Fixtures/Teams to Target

Now that we have looked at which players can be retained and transferred out, let’s look at which teams we target to bring in players.

If you haven’t tripled up on Arsenal in FPL as yet (or have slightly weaker links now like White or Martinelli), you should definitely focus on getting the right triple-up.

Arsenal fixtures: AVL (A), LEI (A), EVE (H) in GW24 and 25.

For xG against since GW17 – AVL are 2nd worst, LEI are 3rd and EVE are 9th.

City have NFO (A) and BOU (A). While BOU are 5th worst, however, NFO are 5th best.

NFO have an XG against of only 8.5 since the restart. Only Newcastle (5.9), City (5.9), Brentford (7.3) and Chelsea (8.3) have been better.

Everton have LEE (H), AVL (H), ARS (A). Leeds and AVL are in the bottom 5 with regards to xG against.

Meanwhile, Liverpool play NEW (A), CRY (A), and WOL (H). Palace worst with regards to xG against, Wolves are 6th worst. As mentioned earlier, Newcastle are the best with regards to xG against since the restart.

Also, Newcastle are still unbeaten at home – 6W 5D 0L (the only team in the PL unbeaten at home). Newcastle will be a difficult fixture but the double in 25 definitely looks exciting.

Despite their performances, Liverpool still are 4th highest for xG since the restart (13.4), however, they are 12th for actual goals scored (6).

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FPL GW26-GW28 Fixtures/Teams to Target

• ARS: BOU (H), FUL (A), CRY (H). Also LEE (H) in GW29
• BRE: FUL (H), EVE (A), SOU (A), LEI (H)
• BHA: WHU (H), LEE (A), CRY (H), MUN (H)
• LIV: MUN (H), BOU (A), FUL (H)
• MCI: NEW (H), CRY (A), WHU (H)
• TOT: WOL (A), NFO (H), SOU (A), EVE (A)

United does have tricky fixtures from GW26: LIV (A), SOU (H), BHA (A), NEW (A)

Doubles in GW25 – ARS, EVE, LIV, WOL – Key picks:

Arsenal

Odegaard and Saka preferred over Martinelli. xGI for Odegaard and Saka from GW17-23 is 4.2 each, for Martinelli, it is at 3.2. Also with regards to minutes, Odegaard and Saka have played 610+/630 minutes, and Martinelli meanwhile has played 545 mins (data prior to the City-Arsenal fixture in GW23).

The third Arsenal pick is either Gabriel or Nketiah. I am inclined toward Gabriel over Nketiah. While no clear return date for Jesus as yet, He should be back in the first half of March as per the latest reports. That will then mean reduced minutes for Nketiah. Meanwhile, Gabriel is the best pick among Arsenal’s defenders. As a White owner myself, I am planning to upgrade to Gabriel. White has had fewer minutes and he didn’t even start the City game last night. Gabriel is the 6th highest defender by points. He is highest across defenders for xG. Also, Trippier-Shaw-Gabriel is a back three that I can see myself settling down to for the medium term.

Everton

From GW17-22, there is not a single Everton player in the top 70 players by points. Gray is highest at 25 points, Tarkowksi next at 21. Tarkowski is 4th highest across defenders for shots though in this period (6 shots) and is priced at only 4.2m. He looks like the only player that you can consider getting in. Although he will be permanently on your bench after the double as Everton don’t have great fixtures from GW27: BRE (H), CHE (A), TOT (H), MUN (A). nHowever, at 4.2m, he is not a bad bench pick. He has played all minutes since the restart (compared to other bench picks like Bueno or Nico). That is the only reason I am considering him.

Liverpool

Salah looks like the best pick, although Darwin has more xGI since the restart. xGI for Salah at 4.5 (630 mins) and for Darwin at 5.6 (453 mins).
Salah and Allison are the only two players who have played all minutes since the restart. Personally, I have KDB and Kane. I will be making the KDB to Salah move but definitely not the Kane to Darwin move.

Two reasons – Firstly as a former Darwin owner, I have a feeling that points from one fixture from Kane should be similar or not much lower than two fixtures of Darwin.n Secondly, Kane has a good run of fixtures from GW26 and while many other owners have transferred him out, I am keen on holding him and getting the gains.

After Salah, I might actually consider TAA or Robbo as the next-best Liverpool assets. Darwin is a good pick, no doubt. There is no ceiling and he could get a huge number of points in a DGW. Other than Salah and Allison, the next two players based on minutes for Liverpool are Robbo (551 mins) and TAA (541 mins). However, they are tough to bring in given their pricing (premium defenders).

xGI/90 – Key Liverpool Players:

• GW1-8: Salah (0.8), Firmino (0.7), Robbo & TAA (0.3 each)
• GW9-16: Darwin (1), Salah (0.6), Robbo (0.4), TAA (0.3)
• GW17-23: Darwin (1.1), Salah (0.6), Gakpo (0.6), TAA (0.4), Robbo (0.3)

Wolves

Similar to Everton, there are no Wolves players in the FPL top 50 players by points since the restart. Sa is highest at 29 (52nd rank), followed by Kilman (26) and Podence (25). Just like Tarkowski, Kilman has played all minutes and is priced at only 4.3m. However, I already have Bueno and so I am inclined towards Tarkowski over Kilman just to hedge the risk (avoid double Wolves).

GW25 Captain Options:

• Saka/Odegaard vs LEI (A) and EVE (H)
• Salah vs CRY (A) and WOL (H)
• Haaland vs BOU (A)

Personally, I will definitely be going with either Salah or Saka but I haven’t decided yet. Hopefully, GW24 helps me decide that.
Haven’t done the math but am inclined towards Salah as I will have only one Liverpool player and three Arsenal assets so captaining Salah will be like a cover for other Liverpool assets, while I already will have cover for Saka with the Arsenal triple up.

Salah vs Saka since the restart (s