FPL Hints - Gameweek 38

Transfers: Lukaku OUT / Hernandez IN

*FPLH reserves the right to change this team at any time. 
Any changes made will be confirmed on FPLH's Twitter account.

Folks, it's that time of the season again to say adios and goodbye!  

But not just yet...

It looks like my purchases of Theo and Santi worked a treat in GW37, just a shame I captained Theo and not Santi!  I was on a paltry 3 pts before the last two matches of GW37 and they helped propel me to 53pts.  I took a slight tumble in the rankings, but I am still ranked 5kish and still capable of breaking into the Top 2.5k with a decent GW38.

My team looks very decent for GW 38 and I probably didn't even need to make any transfers.  I wish I could afford Sturridge or Coutinho.  But then I thought that a differential is required if I want another jump up the rankings.  With this in mind I purchased Hernandez aka Chicarito.  

My reasoning for buying Hernandez was that he scored last week, after taking Rooney's starting spot.  Moreover, Sir Alex has said prior to his final match v West Brom before retirement that "I want to win this one more than last week's".  This made sense for me to purchase attacking United coverage.  I couldn't afford RVP and Hernandez seemed like the perfect alternative + differential factor.

Last year I had a disastrous GW 38 that jolted me from 73rd to 110th.  Had it not been for Aguero's last minute winner I may have finished outside of the Top 200.  I wanted a decent starting XI without taking any hits, despite my numerous -4 hits in recent weeks.  8/11 of my first team are playing home matches which is a plus.  4 of my players (Bale, Vertonghen, Santi, Theo) still have something to play for which is a double plus!

I feel that Bale has more incentive to do well on Sunday, especially because Tottenham are at home and must bag a win.  Thus I have captained Bale for the final GW of the season.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 38

Gareth Bale

FPLH's Hot Picks XI

Hart

Zabaleta

Luiz

Vertonghen

Santi Cazorla

Walcott

Mata

Bale

Hernandez

Sturridge

Kone

Reina

Maloney

Kompany

Enrique

10/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW Team

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FPL Hints - Gameweek 30

FPLH's GW 30 Team*

Transfers: Fellaini OUT / Mata IN

*FPLH reserves the right to change this team at any time. Any changes made will be confirmed on FPLH's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Team Reasoning

I ended up with 40 points during last week's truncated GW.  I would have taken 30 points if they were offered before hand.  But the Santon/Coutinho fail didn't help my cause.  Moreover I probably should have gone for the common Suarez or Bale captain option rather than risking Sissoko to boost my tally as my positioning fell slightly.  But it was worth a try nonetheless.  On a side note, GW 33 is confirmed as a DGW for Man United, Arsenal, Everton and West Ham.  I think more DGWs will be likely with fixtures involving Tottenham, Newcastle and Chelsea due to Europa League progression.

This GW I decided to not do too much with my team as next week is the much maligned international break.  However, I decided to sell Fellaini.  I think he will struggle to do well against a rejuvenated City team and their tough defence.  Moreover Fellaini is one yellow card away from a two match ban, so it made sense to ditch him.

I transferred in Mata as I believe he is the linchpin to Chelsea's attacks.  His PL goals and assists are indicative of this.  I always look for a FPL bargain and was shocked to see that his FPL price had nosedived by £0.4M since his last PL outing.  He is due to face an inconsistent West Ham team on Sunday afternoon.  Chelsea will go out for the win as they are still not guaranteed a Champions League place for next season.

My captain for this GW is Robin Van Persie.  He is due a brace or a hat-trick, especially with no more Euro concerns - What better way to do so than against a manager-less relegation bound team?

Recommended Player for Gameweek 30

  Juan Mata

 FPLH's Hot Picks XI

de Gea

Rafael

Luiz

Terry

Sissoko

Mata

Walcott

Gerrard

Bale

Van Persie (vc)

Suarez

Subs:

Mignolet

Shawcross

Dawson

Benteke

5/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW Team

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FPL Hints - Gameweek 25

FPLH's GW 25 Team*

Transfers: Rafael - OUT / Sagna - IN

*FPLH reserves the right to change this team at any time. Any changes made will be confirmed on FPLH's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

 

Team Reasoning

With the passing of another January transfer window, we saw an array of real life transfers ranging from the obvious to the knee jerk.  Samba for £12.5M? He won't be worth half that in FPL!  Not that it affects my team for this GW.  In typical FPL fashion I followed up a cracking GW score with one of my lowest GW scores for this season.  I rarely score sub-40 and for it to happen after the use of my WC sucks.  Ah well...

For this GW I have decided to take a few calculated risks.  I am playing all 3 of my Reading players in the hope that they can maintain their good run of form with a clean sheet to boot.  It means that I am benching Suarez, but I feel he may be due a 2 point game as he will face up to Man City at the Etihad. I have also decided to bench O'Brien as punishment for his own goal and also due to the fact that West Ham's defence can be leaky.  In fact I may even sell O'Brien and re-sign Davies for GW26, but will wait and see.

With GW 26 being confirmed as a DGW, due to the League Cup final the week after, I decided to take no transfer hits.  The only change I made was to bring in Sagna for Rafael.  Why? you may ask.  I feel Rafael isn't value for money at the present time.  He is being outdone by the more expensive Evra in the attacking department.  In addition it seems United aren't bothered by clean sheets with de Gea in goal - they will gladly settle for 2-1s, or 3-1s so long as they win.  Signing Sagna may appear odd as Arsenal haven't kept many clean sheets of late, but they have a good run of upcoming fixtures as follows:

GW25 - Stoke (H)

GW 26 - Sunderland (A)

GW 27 - Aston Villa (H)

I plan to use the extra money on purchasing Reina for DGW26.  Sagna could also be a fail despite the aforementioned run, but at least I am not paying over the odds for him.  My captain for GW 25 is Walcott, based on the fact that he is on form with Fellaini as vc.  Stoke have recently been a difficult nut for Arsenal to crack, but their defence has been shabby of late, where as Arsenal have a good goalscoring record at home.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 25

  Theo Walcott

 FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 25

Cesar

Sagna
Baines

Samba

 

Walcott-cpt

Mata

Fellaini-vc

Bale

Michu

Remy

Van Persie

Subs:

Howard

Lambert

Clichy

Harte

7/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW Team

FPL Hints - Gameweek 14

FPLH's GW 14 Team*

Transfers: Nolan (OUT) / Sessegnon (IN)

*FPLH reserves the right to change this team at any time. Any changes made will be confirmed on FPLH's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Team Selection Reasoning

Ok folks, guilty as charged, I shouldn't have sold Defoe!  Murphy's law and all that.  To be honest it was a low scoring GW and I got lucky to score higher than the average and rise in the rankings.  You may be astounded as to why this post is going out now, if you haven't already realised, GW 14 starts tomorrow!  

I have made one change.  I have sold Nolan for Sessegnon simply due to the fact the former's fixtures will become more difficult and the latter's are more interesting as follows:

GW 14 - QPR (H) - Very High goal/assist scoring potential

GW 15 - Norwich (A) - Moderate goal/assist scoring potential

DGW 16 - Chelsea (H) & Reading (H) - Very High goal/assist scoring potential

GW 17 - Man Utd (A) - Low goal/assist scoring potential

GW 18 - Southampton (A) - Very High goal/assist scoring potential

If I am not mistaken, Sessegnon operates in the hole behind the striker.  He is capable of both scoring and assisting.  Despite having a barren spell for most of the season he has finally hit some form.  1.4% ownership (differential), good upcoming fixtures and his proven attacking pedigree are the reasons why I signed him. 

I was gutted that Valencia was sidelined last GW, despite buying and championing him.  He probably won't play this GW either, but just in case, I have kept him in my starting XI with Sterling as the auto-sub.  Other than that, I have subbed Riise (facing Chelsea) in place of Davies (at home to WBA).  I expect neither to keep a clean sheet, but think Davies may have a slightly better chance than Riise.

I have decided to captain Sessegnon due to the potential rewards available if he succeeds, with RVP demoted to vice-captain after his fail against QPR.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 14

  
Stephane Sessegnon

Scored twice and assisted once in his last two matches

Listed as a midfielder but plays as a de facto striker

  Sunderland have good upcoming league fixtures

At £7.3M he won't be listed any cheaper!

Sess est Magnifique!

FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 14

  de Gea (MNU)

  Cuellar (SUN)

Kompany (MNC)

    Rafael (MNU)

Bale (TOT)

Michu (SWA)

Silva (MNC)

Sessegnon / c (SUN)
  

Tevez / vc (MNC)

  Van Persie (MNU)

  Fletcher (SUN)

Subs:

  

  Begovic (STO)

Huth (STO)

  Lallana (SOT)

Clyne (SOT)

7/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW 14 Team

FPL Hints - Gameweek 12

FPLH's GW 12 Team*

Transfers:Vorm (OUT) / Ruddy (IN)

*FPLH reserves the right to change this team at any time. Any changes made will be confirmed on FPLH's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Team Selection Reasoning

I'm back. I am pleased to say that International football is over for a good few months now, just enough time to recover from Zlatan's wonder goal!  Back to real fantasy football... 

I have only made one change this GW. In doing so I have saved £0.5M, with £2.2M in total banked.  I sold the injured Vorm for Ruddy.  This move may come as a surprise, but he has kept 4 clean sheets (joint 2nd best).  I intend to have him as a back up to Begovic but may use him as my first choice keeper in GW 15 (Home - Sunderland) and GW 17 (Home - Wigan) respectively.  I don't intend to make any changes to my goal keeping combo till at least GW 20.

With my other spare transfer I was very tempted to shop around for a striker to replace Defoe.  But then realised that GWs 13 and 14 are only separated by two days, which could result in players being rested and the transfer being wasted.  Moreover, My 5 midfielders seem to have good upcoming fixtures this GW and with Defoe being a doubt I thought it best to go 3-5-2 and give them all a run in the first team.

On a side note, I was recently reminded of an old FPL ace transfer tactic - The Differential.  I will explain more about it in my FAQs page shortly.  But I think now is the time to shop around for differentials as FPL teams look more and more similar.  Narrow margins will be the difference between you winning your private league or finishing mid-table, thus look out for Premier League footballers that are not owned by many!

Recommended Player for Gameweek 12

  
Luis Suarez

Wigan have conceded 1.6 goals per game in the league so far

Suarez has scored 3 & assisted 2 in his last 4 PL matches

At 10.0 he is still cheaper than other top forwards

 Remains Liverpool's sole de facto goal threat

Generates Headlines

FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 12

  Hart (MNC)

  Kompany (MNC)

Baines (EVE)

    Rafael (MNU)

Cazorla (ARS)

Sterling (LIV)

Fellaini (EVE)

Ben Arfa (NEW)
  

Ba (NEW)

  Tevez / cpt (MNC)

  Suarez / vc(WIG)

Subs:

  

Schwarzer (FUL)

Johnson (LIV)

Michu (SWA)

Riise (FUL)

6/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW 12 Team

FPL Hints - Gameweek 9

FPLH's GW 9 Team*

Transfers (OUT): Cech

Transfers (IN): Begovic

*FPLH reserves the right to change this team at any time. Any changes made will be confirmed on FPLH's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

 

Team Selection Reasoning

Following a bumper Gameweek 8 you would think that my team selection for Gameweek 9 would be easy?  Well no!  After much toing and froing I have decided to only make one transfer, which may come as a surprise to some.  I have sold Cech and brought in Begovic.  Despite Chelsea being top of the league they haven't kept many clean sheets.  With Terry's suspension I don't think that task will become easier for them.  Thus I decided to cut my losses and bring in a cheaper alternative.  Begovic appealed to me due to Stoke's dogged defensive "park-the-bus" system.  Moreover their upcoming fixtures are fairly kind to them as follows:

Sunderland (H) - High clean sheet potential

Norwich (A) - Moderate clean sheet potential

QPR (H) - High clean sheet potential

West Ham (A) - Mild clean sheet potential

Fulham (H) - High clean sheet potential

Newcastle (H) - High clean sheet potential

West Brom (A) - Mild clean sheet potential

Aston Villa (A) - Moderate clean sheet potential

Everton (H) - Moderate clean sheet potential

I can't stress how much I pondered over the second free transfer.  Defoe was an option, but I was worried he might tire after his European encounter.  Berbatov, Ben Arfa, Crouch, Aguero and Lennon were of interest too but I wasn't fully convinced.  I really want to get rid of Podolski but have decided to give him one more chance v QPR.  Fellaini has also lost favour with me, but I will bench him for now.  I then thought of beefing up my defence, but the overall lack of clean sheets this season was a put off.  In the end I opted to maintain the free transfer, despite the lack of captain options in my first XI.  I decided to captain Van Persie (even though he will face up to Chelsea), as he is a big game player.  Remember his hat-trick at Stamford Bridge last season?  I doubt I will score 80 points again for Gameweek 9, but never say never...

Recommended Player for Gameweek 9

Asmir Begovic

(Stoke)

Why?

Has kept 2 clean sheets from his last 3 matches 

Stoke play a very dogged defensive system

They have generous upcoming fixtures

Priced at sub 5.0 - Bargain!

Stoke's Solid Metal

FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 9

  Begovic (STO)

  Vermaelen (ARS)

  Riise (FUL)

  Kompany (MNC)

Nasri (MNC)

  Bale (TOT)

  Ben Arfa (NEW)

Sterling (LIV)

  Defoe / cpt (TOT)

Van Persie / vc (MNU)

  Aguero (MNC)

Subs:

  Mannone (ARS)

  Mertesacker (ARS)

  Lowton (AST)

Nolan (WHA)

5/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW 9 Team

FPL Hints - Gameweek 8

FPLH's GW 8 Team*

Transfers (OUT): S Taylor

Transfers (IN): JA Riise

*FPLH reserves the right to change this team at any time. Any changes made will be confirmed on FPLH's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

 

 

Team Selection Reasoning

After a few below par Gameweeks you may think that I would radically tinker with my team.  Not so.  I am confident that I can bounce back in Gameweek 8, especially due to the fact that 9/11 of my first team players are at home.  The only change I have actioned for this week is to sell S Taylor (a doubt) with dodgy upcoming fixtures for the ever attacking JA Riise.  He may not be a prolific goalscorer from defence as he was at Liverpool, but his attacking prowess still exists.  In fact he has assisted in his last two league matches.  I am confident he can obtain more FPL points in the upcoming weeks due to the aforementioned fixtures:

GW 8 - Aston Villa (H) - Strong clean sheet potential

GW 9 - Reading (A) - Strong clean sheet potential

GW 10 -  Everton (H) - Mild clean sheet potential

GW 11 - Arsenal (A) - Mild clean sheet potential

GW 12 - Sunderland (H) - Strong clean sheet potential

GW 13 - West Brom (H) - Strong clean sheet potential

Despite Suarez diving a fair bit and failing to score versus a dogged Stoke, I have decided to captain him again as he faces Reading's leaky defence.  The vice captain is Michu as I feel that he too can take advantage the Latics touch and go defence.  Let's hope for the best this time around!

Recommended Player for Gameweek 8

John Arne Riise

(Fulham)

Why?

 
Has assisted twice in his last two league matches

Is Fulham's first choice left back

Capable of scoring free kicks

Solid defender

Lethal Left Foot

FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 8

  de Gea (MNU)

  Rafael (MNU)

  Riise (FUL)

Ivanovic (CHE)

Nolan (WHA)

Hazard (CHE)

  Michu / vc (SWA)

Sterling (LIV)

  Suarez / cpt (LIV)

Van Persie (MNU)

Rodallega (FUL)

Subs:

Vorm (SWA)

Johnson (LIV)

  Baines (EVE)

Bale (TOT)

9/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW 8 Team

FPL Hints - Gameweek 7

FPLH's GW 7 Team*

Transfers (OUT): Mertesacker

Transfers (IN): B Davies

*FPLH reserves the right to change this team at any time. Any changes made will be confirmed on FPLH's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

 

Team Selection Reasoning

Last Gameweek saw a mild improvement in fortunes for the FPLH Blog Team, with a third consecutive net points increase.  The Suarez transfer proved a masterstroke as he bagged 20 points, if only I dared to captain him.  As for Gameweek 7, I didn't wish to tinker too much as the international break will be shortly upon us once again.  I was looking to replace Mertesacker, who is no longer a first team choice, for a cheaper alternative.  Ben Davies of Swansea came to mind, especially due to his team's upcoming fixtures:

GW 7 - Reading (H) - Clean sheet potential

GW 8 - Wigan (H) - Clean sheet potential

Swansea haven't kept a clean sheet since August, but I believe they are due one soon against teams that do no travel well.  Ben Davies has had a look since Neil Taylor's long-term injury and I believe he will provide value for money.  As for my starting XI, it is almost the same, but I have ditched S Taylor to the bench as Newcastle face Manchester United and have given Ben Davies his place.  The choice of captain was a tough call between Suarez and Hazard, but I felt form was on Suarez's side thus I opted for him.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 7

Luis Suarez

(Liverpool)

Why?

Liverpool are due a home win, Stoke have yet to win away

Has no major rivals for his position in the team

Scored 5 league goals in 6 matches

Is a natural goal poacher

On form

FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 7

Cech (CHE)

  Davies (SWA)

  Walker (TOT)

Kompany (MNC)

Fellaini (EVE)

Hazard (CHE)

  Bale (TOT)

Michu (SWA)

  Torres (CHE)

Suarez (MNU)

Aguero (MNC)

Subs:

Friedel (TOT)

Baines (EVE)

  Nolan (WHA)

Davies (SWA)

8/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW 7 Team

FPL Hints - Gameweek 5

FPLH's GW 5 Team*

Transfers: None

*FPLH reserves the right to change this team at any time. Any changes made will be confirmed on FPLH's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Team Selection Reasoning:

Last week was a spectacular flop for FPLH.  We sold Bale who finally hit form and brought in RVP (c) who gave us a 1 point cameo.  To top it off, Sterling was purchased but ended up as lost points on the bench.  This week no transfers have been made to offset the -8 hit from the last Gameweek.  All of FPLH's first XI midfielders are at home for GW5 which is a plus.  The selected strikers have difficult but juicy fixtures against top opposition.  As for the goalie and defence, fortunately all are playing at home - so let's hope for an up turn from last week!

Recommended Player for Gameweek 5

Raheem Sterling

(Liverpool)

Why?

Has arguably been Liverpool's best player so far

Rodgers is using him as a first choice winger

Is valued at a very cheap price of 4.6

Starred & assisted in his last match

Cream rising to the top

FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 5

Cech (CHE)

Ivanovic (CHE)

Demel (WHA)

Walker (TOT)

Bale (TOT)

Hazard / cpt (CHE)

Michu (SWA)

Sterling (LIV)

Ben Arfa (NEW)

Tevez (MNC)

Van Persie (MNU)

Subs:

Friedel (TOT)

S Taylor (NEW)

Berbatov (FUL)

Ridgewell (WBA)

8/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW 5 Team.

FPL Hints - Gameweek 3

FPLH's GW 3 Team*

Transfers (OUT): Ramsey, Terry, Harte

Transfers (IN): Fellaini, Rafael, S Taylor

*FPLH reserves the right to change this team at any time.
  

Any changes made will be confirmed on FPLH's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 3

Carlos Tevez

 (Man City)

Why?

He has scored two goals in his last two games

Is City's de facto main striker after Sergio Aguero's injury

City's opponents (QPR) have let in 6 goals in their last 2 games

Has a proven pedigree of regularly scoring in the Premier League

Comeback King

FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 3

Hart (MNC)

Kompany (MNC)

Walker (TOT)

Rangel (SWA)

Bale (TOT)

Nolan (WHA)

Michu (SWA)

Kagawa (MNU)

Tevez / cpt (MNC)
Adebayor (TOT)

Van Persie / vc (MNU)

Subs:

Vorm (SWA)

Rafael (MNU)

Fellaini (EVE)

Maloney (WIG)

8/15 of the Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW 3 Team

FPL Hints - Gameweek 2

FPLH's GW 2 Team*

Transfers: None

*FPLH reserves the right to change this team at any time.
  

Any changes made will be confirmed on FPLH's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Recommended Player for GW 2

Michu

(Swansea)

Why?

Had a decent start in his Premier League debut

Capable of fulfilling the "Gylfi Sigurðsson role"

Swansea maximise their home advantage

Scored 15 goals in La Liga last season

Michu on-song in Spain

No wonder Laudrup signed him

FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW2

de Gea (MNU)

  Vidic (MNU)

O'Shea (SUN)

  Walker (TOT)

Hazard (CHE)

  Bale (TOT)

  Michu / vc (SWA)

 McClean (SUN)

Sessegnon (SUN)

Adebayor (TOT)

  Rooney / cpt (MNU)

Subs:

Vorm (SWA)

 Tevez (MNC)

Ivanovic (CHE)

Lowton (AST)

5/15 of the Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW 2 Team

FPLH's League and Cup invite codes

We are pleased to announce that FPLH will maintain the regular private league competitions for 2012/2013, which will be complemented by the innaugral Player Exchange league.

The invite codes are as follows:

Fantasy Premier League Hints League (twitter.com/fplhints):

161429-47051

Fantasy Premier League Hints Cup (#FPLHints Cup):

161429-221886 (Entries close at the start of GW1)

FPLH's Player Exchange League

203-327

All abilities welcome.  No restrictions on the number of entries. 

The league and cup both start in GW1.

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FPLH Blog Team