Remember a few days ago, when I talked about getting a “painful green arrow” in the last round? Right. It did not take long for me to realize, that is still way better than a painful red one.
Welcome back to another edition of Fuzzy’s FPL Favorites. And then, there were ten. Ten rounds left to play in the FPL season, and once the deadline passes on Saturday, more than half of the remaining gameweeks will be marked with blanks or doubles, making for a thrilling finale to the season. Yes, the midweek round was not kind to me...again. It was a small red arrow that would have been green had I not once again picked the perfectly wrong captain. I had my reasons for backing Leroy Sané and I would have been way better off giving the armband to Jan Bednarek. I am doing my best to finish strong, but when it comes to captaincy, I am seriously considering some sort of random pick generator, because my mojo for armbands has gone missing virtually all season.
Yes, this was quite the week to forget for me - a red arrow in fantasy and my reality club lost. No joy in either realm. So let’s quickly put it behind us and look ahead to the weekend. We are inching closer to the first significant “chip” round of the season, Week 31...
As a reminder, clubs who do not have a match in Week 31 include: Arsenal, Brighton, Cardiff, Crystal Palace, Man City, Man United, Southampton, Tottenham, Watford and Wolves.
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If you are planning to wildcard or free hit for Week 31, then you can spend your transfers without having to consider only options that play in Week 31. Keep in mind as well that in Week 32, we have two clubs on a double - Man United and Wolves.
Right, let’s get on with the show and take a look at the have’s and have not’s for Week 29...
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TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
So now it is time to look at the players to think about ahead of Week 4. As a reminder, there are four categories of players which I feel are worth mentioning week to week when making decisions about transfers....
1) Players to buy
2) Players to sell
3) Players to hold onto
4) Players to avoid buying
I will also include later in the section, my top choices for the captain’s armband. While I will consider every player from A to Z, you will normally find the usual suspects there.
Right, so let’s dive in.
GOALKEEPERS
*Just as a reminder, keepers should always be the last position to think about using transfers for, unless there is an urgent need. So, when you see who I have listed here, bear in mind that my keeper advice does not carry as much weight as the outfield positions.
Player to buy: Lukasz Fabianski - I tend to have little trust for West Ham’s ability to keep a clean sheet so their defensive options usually go ignored, but the fixtures are attractive enough for me to take a stab with Fabianski, who has a history in FPL of accumulating points without the benefit of a clean sheet.
Player to sell: Kepa - I figured Sarri would drop Kepa midweek, and he did. I mean, you kind of have to, to maintain order within the club for the manager. I keep Kepa’s name here in case you failed to ditch him for the previous round and assume he has done his punishment and will return. Doubtful. Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Spurs all but guarantees no changed to the XI this weekend, so until they have a slip, expect Willy Caballero to continue.
Player to hold: Rui Patrício - I was a Patricio owner at one point - one of the many poor choices I’ve made this season for my own side. Failing to get a result against Huddersfield, and unable to once again keep a clean sheet, you have every right to say “enough is enough”. That is, unless your next fixture is home to Cardiff. You gotta trot him out one more time.
Player to avoid: Any keeper with a Week 31 blank - Ten keepers qualify for this, and you can look at the list earlier in the column of who they are by which clubs are on a blank.
DEFENDERS
Player to buy: Ricardo Pereira - Can we try this again? It was only a couple of rounds back that I touted Pereira in this spot, only to see him return a goose egg. Well, that dud was behind the sacking of Claude Puel and, heading into this weekend, Brendan Rodgers arrives to lead the Foxes. I am expecting at least an early swell of good results and I think Pereira is the perfect player to own as representation, giving you possibilities of a return by either defending or attacking or both.
Player to sell: Tottenham options - This is what I listed for the midweek, and boy was it the right call, especially for Kieran Trippier owners. Pains me to say it, but they deserve to hold this dubious label again for Week 29, as the North London derby is sure to see goals on both sides. A blank two rounds later followed by a trip to Anfield does not bode well for Spurs in fantasy.
Player to hold: Ricardo Pereira - Pereira was my defender to buy a few days ago, and he wound up with a 0 point dud. For that, I apologize. All I can advise is that you do not drop him out of frustration. I still believe you will get rewarded in the long run.
Player to avoid: Lucas Digne - Digne got a decent five-point return via a clean sheet midweek, but let’s not forget how bad a month he has had. In the previous five games, he has combined for a total of zero points. Two games with negative points and one where he didn’t feature. Even if he gets back into attack mode, it’s tough to imagine returns playing three of the league’s top six over the next five rounds.
MIDFIELDERS
Player to buy: Raheem Sterling - Well, it has worked for most of the season. When a high-profile attacking player for City is left out of the XI for a match, it only makes it more certain that they should be back in for the next game, and, if the gods are kind, will be safe for at least a few rounds after getting the rest. Such is the case with Sterling, who could line up in a center forward/false 9 role if Pep thinks Aguero needs rest and Gabriel Jesus isn’t quite fit yet. Even with a blank, playing Bournemouth, Watford, Fulham and Cardiff in the next five should be lucrative for several City players
Player to sell: Richarlison - I did not have the chance to see Everton play midweek, but from all accounts, Richarlison was doing his best impression of Mr. Invisible again. I would not wait for the form to return. Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and two road games in the next five should see you only sticking with Sigurdsson among the Toffee options.
Player to hold: Felipe Anderson - Anderson owners are dwindling, but if you are one of them, I would stay the course. The form isn’t there but the fixtures are, and he has the talent to snap out of his funk against some very attractive opponents.
Player to avoid: Mesut Özil - There has been an Ozil sighting. You get the feeling he may be one to keep in mind for the run in, coming off a goal/assist combo, but you should probably avoid all Arsenal investment until after the Wee 31 blank. The Gunners face Spurs and Manchester United before their blank.
FORWARDS
Player to buy: Gonzalo Higuaín - No room for Kane or Aguero? Now is the window to take a chance on Higuain. Yes, he didn’t get on the scoresheet against Spurs but at least Chelsea investment looks relatively safe after that performance and following Kepa-gate. Playing Fulham’s defense this week, even with a managerial shakeup...again, does not change who they have on their roster at the back, and no combination looks to save them. Brace potential here and no blank in GW31.
Player to sell: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - PEA got on the scoresheet, much to the satisfaction of owners who kept the faith after his benching last weekend. It is time to offload now though, Kane is back fit and Aguero continues to score...hard to imagine Aubameyang fitting into our budgets and, as mentioned with Ozil, the schedule makes this decision easier.
Player to hold: Wilfried Zaha - Owners should not have expected much in Zaha’s last fixture, playing a tough Man United defense to crack these days. Zaha should have every chance to get back on the score sheet this weekend at Turf Moor.
Player to avoid: Romelu Lukaku - If I am playing a weekly salary cap-style game, I would probably look to fit Lukaku in. He is coming off a brace and United host Southampton this weekend. My concern is beyond that. Sure, if he bangs them in again against the Saints, he has every right to keep his spot. But, one average shift and some other options returning to fitness could see him on the outs again.
TOP CAPTAIN CHOICES
1) Paul Pogba
3) Eden Hazard
4) Mo Salah
5) Gonzalo Higuain
That’s it from me this week folks. Please, bear in mind much can change between the publishing of this column and the FPL deadline on Saturday. Remember, some injuries are not revealed until just before the deadline. Always try to refrain from executing your transfers for as long as possible to avoid wasting it on a player who turns out to have had a problem in training. That said, if you only have just enough money for the player you are looking to bring in and that player is at risk of rising in price, then sometimes you need to take a calculated risk and hope the fantasy gods will be kind to you.
Good luck, and may your arrows be green.