FPL Hints - Gameweek 28

FPLH's GW 28 Team*

Transfers: Walcott & Pogrebnyak OUT / Sissoko & Lambert IN (-4 Hit)

*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

Before I waffle on about how lucky I got with damage limitation last week and this GW's team I must say...

TRUNCATED GW29 ALERT!

Due to FA Cup fixtures, the likes of Everton, City, United and Chelsea will not play Premier League football.  8 teams will be affected in total.  Some of them could play in a super-extended GW29, but that is unlikely.

As for GW 27, it was disappointing.  My Tri-Reading connection failed with Pog getting sent off.  Lamps missed a penalty which further diminished my score.  Buy my recommended player/one-time bogey player didn't let me down - Bale's brace and Joey O'Brien's assist bailed me out on Monday night and doubled my score from a paltry 19 to 38! #damagelimitation

For this GW, I almost thought of selling RVP, due to his injury and no-show for GW29.  In addition, with United's involvement in the FA Cup and Champions League, his PL impact will be limited.

I decided to sell Walcott as I felt that he is being drowned out by the likes of Cazorla, Wilshere, Podolski and even Giroud.  Walcott may have shown form in December and January, but I feel the time is right to sell him.  

I decided to draft in Sissoko this GW with GW 29 also in mind.  His stunning form since joining Newcastle can't be ignored.  At sub-7.0 he is a steal.

I couldn't stand relying on one striker, even for one GW.  That's why I decided to cut my losses with Pog and bring in Lambert.  12 PL goals, with 2 goals and 3 assists shows his calibre.

I believe Lambert will be the reason why Southampton will avoid relegation.  Their match v QPR is like a Cup Final and I think he will once again shine.  Southampton are also due to play in GW29.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 28

  Marouane Fellaini

de Gea

Rafael
Baines

Cahill

Bale

Sissoko

Mata

Fellaini (c)

Suarez

Aguero (vc)

Lambert

Subs:

Hart

Michu

Zabaleta

Shawcross

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

---

Get Paid Cashback!  Help yourself and help FPLH:

Sign up for FREE

Football's New Fantasy Stock Market

In the past week's we have heard some buzz on Twitter about a new Fantasy Football game that is launching. In fact, we just heard today that Football Trader has just gone live with it's Beta game, meaning anybody can now play it! We ourselves were invited to try the game last week, and we really liked what we saw.

Football Trader is a new type of Fantasy Football game where you Buy & Sell shares in players on a live stock market called the PlayerDAQ. Unlike most fantasy football games, this is played in Real-time, meaning the price of players is changing constantly based on users trading on the market and also player performances. 

Every user starts with £100M budget and the goal of the game is to Grow the Value of your Players, and therefore your Team, as much as you can.

What makes the game different to traditional Fantasy Football games is that it's all about investing in players, as opposed to picking a team for the weekend. Finding good value in players is something a lot of FPL players look for, but this is always outweighed by having to look to pick players who we think will score or assist or keep a clean sheet. In Football Trader, you look to Invest in players and sell them when you think their value has peaked. 

You also get Match Dividend Bonus cash added to your cash balance after the weekend's matches that gives you extra money to buy more shares in players. This dividend is based on how your players performed in their matches. What we liked about the game when we tried it was the Live historical graph feature and also Breaking Player News, we haven't seen something like this before and is something that should go down well.

The Beta game is now open Live for users to play till the end of the season.

Users can play the game on the link below on their mobile or on web. Football Trader plan to launch native apps very soon.

Football Trader Game Link: http://mobile.footballtraderapp.com

FPL Hints - Gameweek 27

FPLH's GW 27 Team*

Transfers: Gerrard - OUT / Bale - 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 was 5 short of a ton during DGW 26.  The lows and highs I felt of Liverpool's two matches must have been a FPL microcosm!  If only Gerrard didn't miss the penalty... If only I captained Suarez... If only I captained Michu... Meh, overall I can't complain.

In GW 27 we see the absence of Liverpool and Swansea players, due to their fixture being played a week in advance.  Luckily I have enough players to field a starting XI without taking a -4 hit.  It means that I am playing all three of my Reading players who have a decent-ish match v Wigan.  

I decided to sell Gerrard for Bale, in part due to various Liverpool attack-orientated players hitting form. The emergence of Coutino and solidification of the Suarez/Sturridge combo could push Gerrard into a less attacking role.

Despite Bale's form, I have captained Walcott due to Arsenal's easy fixture at home to Villa.  They may not have had much luck in the FA Cup and Champions League, but will be wanting to prove a point or two to their detractors.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 27

  Gareth Bale

Szczesny

Evans
Harte

Debuchy

Bale

Sissoko

Santi Cazorla

Walcott (c)

Fellaini

Podolski

Van Persie (vc)

Subs:

Federici

Pogrebnyak

Zabaleta

Hangeland

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

FPL Hints - Gameweek 26

FPLH's GW 26 Team*

Transfers: Begovic - OUT / Reina - 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 am pleased that my risk of benching Suarez paid off last GW.  It was just a shame that my other outfield subs bagged 12 points between them and that my last minute captain switch from Fellaini to Walcott minimised my overall points haul.  Either way, 70 was a good tally for last GW and I shouldn't complain too much.

For this GW I have decided to make only one change.  I sold Begovic for Reina, due to it being a DGW for Liverpool and Swansea.  Reina has had much stick of late but he is due a few more clean sheets and good matches.  In addition the combo of Reina/Federici seems to be potentially viable for the next two months.  I already have Gerrard, Suarez and Michu so didn't need to take any hits.  I didn't want to go over-board with Swansea players as I think some of them may be rested with the League Cup final due soon.

As for the captain's arm band, I decided to give it to Gerrard due to his good form.  Suarez was an option but I feel he has been cancelled out by Sturridge and Michu hasn't done well of late.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 26

  Steven Gerrard

 FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 26

Reina

Davies
Evra

Cahill

Lampard

Mata

Gerrard (c)

De Guzman

Michu

Suarez (vc)

Van Persie

Subs:

Begovic

Martin

Dawson

Benteke

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

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 24

FPLH's GW 24 Team*

Activated Wildcard - Transfers in (8/15 changes):

Federici, Clichy, O'Brien, Martin, Gerrard, Fellaini, Lampard, Pogrebnyak

*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

Following last Gameweek's bumper points haul you would think that I would keep most of the same team despite the wildcard?  Wrong.  Whilst Davies, J. Cole, Cazorla and Podolski did me proud they won't score that heavily week in week out.  The new bunch are a varied mix of semi-differentials, bargains and obvious picks.  My individual player reasoning for those transferred in is as follows:

Federici (4.7% ownership):

The reason I bought him was partly based on his price (£4.4M), but also due to the fact that he alternates so well with Begovic for almost the next 10 Gameweeks. Thus it made sense to bring him in as a backup, with the intention to utilise him in some upcoming matches too, i.e. GWs 25, 27, 29, 32.

Clichy (6.2% ownership):

I have lacked City defensive coverage for a large part of this season.  This was initially due to their leaky defensive record which has now improved.  With some decent upcoming fixtures for the next two months it made sense to draft someone in who didn't cost over the odds.  Clichy fitted the bill due to his price and limited rotation risk.

O'Brien (13.3% ownership):

I didn't purchase him during West Ham's DGW as I knew it would be difficult for them to keep clean sheets in those matches.  However, I think West Ham will improve their defensive record and he is a key pick, especially due to his attacking prowess and OOP potential (can operate in midfield).

Martin (4.2% ownership):

Norwich have had a shoddy time keeping goals out of late, but Martin has been doing the opposite at the other end.  At £4.1M he is cheap and can act as a good backup defender.  I intend to play him in the odd home match due to their good record at Carrow Road.

Gerrard (7.0% ownership):

He has been in fantastic form of late.  I intended to buy him weeks earlier, but was unable to afford him.  The return of Lucas has allowed Gerrard to attack more and has led to him bagging 4 goals/8 assists in his last 10 PL matches!  With Liverpool challenging for a European spot, expect him to carry on shining.

Fellaini (34.5% ownership):

Despite Everton purchasing Fer, Fellaini will continue to be their most integral player until the end of the season.  I had him earlier in the season and thought it best to re-sign him now due to Everton's good upcoming fixtures.  He scores and assists.  At sub £8.0M he is a bargain!

Lampard (3.6%)

I actually re-signed Mata again, but felt I needed more low-ownership players.  That's when I decided to reconsider Lampard.  He may not be the "Fat Frank" of old, but has had a good run of form of late.  And would you blame him?  His Chelsea contract is due to finish in the summer and he is also aiming to become the club's all-time record goalscorer!  As a result he will be looking to finish off with a bang.  Interestingly he has scored as many goals as Mata in the PL this season, despite his low ownership and cheaper value.

Pogrebnyak (8.0%)

Some players think football is a game of one half.  If that is the case, The Pog had a cracking season from January to May last year.  Funnily enough he could be repeating that pattern with 3 goals in his last 4 PL matches.  The reason I bought him was not mainly due to this.  It was more due to the fact that I wanted to utilise a 3-5-2 formation, without having to worry about an expensive striker on the bench. Of course I intend to use him in some matches (see Federici above), but he is the perfect sub1 candidate otherwise.

For this GW I have captained RVP and have assigned Fellaini as vice-captain.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 24

  
Robin Van Persie

FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 24

Begovic

Rafael
Clichy

Evra

 

Walcott

Lampard

Fellaini-vc

Gerrard

Michu

Van Persie-cpt

Suarez

Subs:

Howard

Shawcross

Baines

Fletcher

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

FPL Hints - Gameweek 23

FPLH's GW 23 Team*

Transfers: Mata & Sidwell (OUT) / Cazorla & J.Cole (IN): -4 hit

*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 had to hit the drawing board following my DGW 22 screw up.  A column of red arrows followed by a below average GW score (after -4 hit) sucks!  I didn't expect Southampton to play so well, hence no Saints coverage.  Aside from Mata, who scored 32/53 points for me, everyone else failed and my overall ranking tumbled dramatically.  I was tempted to use the wild card this GW but have opted to wait.

With another DGW ahead I have decided to take no chances this time around.  I purchased Joe Cole as I believe he will play a key part to boosting West Ham's attack.  His two assists v Man United on his return debut in the FA Cup is testament to his pedigree.  He is also a differential due to his low ownership.

My other transfer is a -4 hit and may come as a shock.  I have sold Mata, who I only bought last GW, despite his heroics.  The reason being that I think Cazorla is due a big haul and Mata was the only player I could sell.  Of course they will face each other this weekend, but with Chelsea's poor home form and with their other midfield options I am taking a risk at the fact that Mata will have a quiet game.  I can obviously bring him back if I wish to once I activate my wild card.

The other reason I brought in Cazorla was to complement Podolski and Walcott in their DGW.  I believe their match v West Ham will be a goals-fest, when taking into account the Hammers injuries and their lack of clean sheets of late.  Moreover I have decided to captain Walcott due to his "OOP" role as a striker.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 23

  
Santi Cazorla

Can score and assist goals from across the park

Is a game changer and can instill creativity

At sub £10M, he is value for money

Is definitely due a hatful of points

FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 23

Reina

G. Johnson
Kompany

B. Davies

 

Walcott-c

Cazorla-vc

Michu

J. Cole

Van Persie

Podolski

Suarez

Subs:

Jaaskelainen

Cabaye

Debuchy

Shaw

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

FPL Hints - Gameweek 22

FPLH's GW 22 Team*

Transfers: Valencia & Riise (OUT) / Mata & Harte (IN): -4 hit

*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

If you don't already know, GW22 is in fact a Double Gameweek (DGW)!  Chelsea's re-arranged fixture with Southampton is due to be played on 16th January at the back end of GW22.  Naturally you would think that I would take a transfer hit to buy an array of DGW players?  Yes and No.

I decided to take a -4 hit to only bring in Mata (9.9) from Chelsea.  He has shined this season and it makes perfect sense to captain him in GW22, as he is an on form first team regular player.  Of course he didn't start v QPR, but naturally he was due a rest as a result of the busy festive period.  I decided to buy him as this season he has performed well against both big and small teams.

Following Chelsea's shock loss to QPR, I doubt they will be resting their big guns.  I was close to signing Ba, but ultimately decided against it as I wasn't convinced he would get 160-180mins during their DGW, due to competition with Torres.  I was also put off by purchasing Turnbull as he is a short-term solution, prone to conceding goals.  In addition Azpilicueta may seem a bargain, but with the imminent return of John Terry their defence could be reshuffled.  Luiz, who is already in my team, seems safe in his new midfield role especially with Mikel's departure to the African Cup of Nations.

My other purchase will be a surprise for some.  I bought Ian Harte.  At £3.8M he is ridiculously cheap and allows me to free up funds.  Sure Reading concede goals, but he has the capability to score them!  His career strike rate in league football is 18%, which is fantastic for a defender.  He has a history of taking penalties and free kicks, and in fact hit the woodwork against Tottenham in Reading's last PL match.

Since his return to the first team, Harte has scored 21 points, which can't be ignored either.  He may not have scored a goal, but I think he is certainly due one soon.  I could potentially keep him till the end of the season.  Call me crazy, but he might bag a few goals from now till May!  The extra benefit with him is that he is a safe bench option.  However, I would also play him in certain home matches, as follows:

GW 22 - West Brom (H)

GW 25 - Sunderland (H)

GW 27 - Wigan (H)

GW 29 - Aston Villa (H)

GW 32 - Southampton (H)

GW 35 - QPR (H)

I have captained Mata for this GW, which is a no brainer due to the DGW, with Luiz as the vice-captain.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 22

  
Juan Mata

Usually plays behind the striker in a support role.

So far scored 7 and assisted 8 goals in the PL. 

Has scored in both home and away matches.

At sub £9.9M, he is value for money.

FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 22

Howard

Luiz-vc
Jagielka

Harte

 

Snodgrass

Hazard

Mata-c

Fellaini

Van Persie

Berbatov

Defoe

Subs:

Lloris

Pilkington

Cuellar

Martin

4/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW Team