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

Guest Post: Do you really need to be reliant on Robin?

With the second half of the season upon us, our blog will host a series of ad hoc guest articles.  The first one is about FPL's talisman Robin Van Persie (RVP) and whether he is a must or not.  It is written by a person who has not had him in his team all season!

RVP-Free FPL Team & Its Exploits

A tweet related to FPL certainly got my attention this week. Surely no manager can be top of their super league, having not had Robin Van Persie at all this season. Can they? 16 league goals, numerous assists, and bonus points galore. To have the new Man United hit man in your Premier League Fantasy squad is a no brainer isn’t it? Surely? Well not for me.

I’ve been top of my super league since the very beginning of the season (currently by 54 points), and whilst the 5 people below me all have RVP (usually as Captain), I’ve held firm with my strategy of differentiators.

With 1195 points and ranked 7339, I thought it worth reflecting on some of those tough and instinctive decisions that as Fantasy Football managers we all sometimes make.

Robin Van Persie, is now at the £14m mark, and part of 40.9% of teams, having racked up 149 points. Compelling figures for sure. But he hasn’t been a part of my squad at all this season, and as his price continues to soar, it’s unlikely that he will be. Some will see this as a huge error, and suggest that a player of this calibre is an absolute must for any manager looking for success. But the one thing I have tried to remember over the years of playing this ridiculously addictive and frustrating game, is that a squad is there for a reason. For me, it’s as much about finding the hidden and unsuspecting gems, as picking the top goal scorer.

Spending £14m on one player probably means that you’ll be rooting around in the basement for a couple of bargains, or that you may not have many star players elsewhere. A sacrifice that I wasn’t willing to make.

There is an enormous amount of luck involved in the game we love, we know this. Despite all of the hours of research, and fretting over pressing the submit button, it’s so often about that instinctive timing.

At the start of the season, I made a conscious decision to stay clear of RVP, his future still uncertain and other strikers guaranteed games. My first picks were Aguero, Tevez and Defoe. City I thought would get off to a flyer, and with Spurs set to play 1 up front, and Defoe the only recognised striker at the time, my front 3 was set.

I then filled my squad with what I hoped would be goal scorers. Michu is one player I take the most satisfaction from this summer. In from the start, having read rave reviews about him in June and July, he’s been a roaring success. Alongside Bale, Walters and Hazard I was pretty confident that I had enough fire power to get me off to a good start. Aren’t strikers that are listed as midfielders just the greatest thing?!

As always, injuries, suspensions, fixtures and form dictate a certain amount of jiggling about with the squad, but in the main, my squad remains. The one constant, Aguero as captain and no RVP.

As his price began to rise once he joined United, and the goals began to flow, of course I began to wonder, should I put him in? Is it now or never? Will that change the make-up of my squad? Replacing Aguero with RVP would be a significant price jump, and sacrifices elsewhere would have to be made. I continued to hold off, my strikers and midfielders were still banging in goals, so I wasn’t worried at all.

Personally, I’d rather have 4 or 5 players capable of scoring double figures in any given week, then just be praying for a brace by RVP, with nothing else to back me up. You can see it on twitter, the relief of managers that captain RVP every week, when he gets an assist or a goal. Surely spreading your risk across your squad, gives you more opportunity for a decent return each week?

Tevez has been and gone, replaced by Hernandez in recent weeks, who even by coming off the bench for 20 minutes and getting a goal, (which is what United do best to kill teams off) has gained me some decent points. The introduction of Walcott has also paid off, whilst Fellaini, Mata and Toure have all played their part as well. All of which helping to maintain my healthy super league lead, with me still not having RVP within my squad.

I think we all assume that in the form RVP is in, he’ll probably bag 30 goals plus this season, which is an incredible achievement. And quite clearly, with nearly half of the season remaining, my strategy could all too easily come back to bite me. But for now, I’m happy with my choices. Aguero’s injury may further complicate things if it’s any more serious than first thought. That’s a bridge to cross when it comes to it.

The January wildcard poses an interesting dilemma for most of us. My last probable chance of getting RVP in, I’m pretty confident that I won’t cave. Will I regret that? Well we’ll have to wait and see.  For now, I’ll continue to search out the next burst of form, and have a squad that I think capable of scoring decent points each week. For what it’s worth, Papiss Cisse is high on my agenda.

RVP, undeniably a top goal scorer, and for most, a fantasy football dream. But at £14m, and whilst there are 15 players to pick, he’s not the man for me.

Written by Rob Taylor

FPL Hints - Gameweek 21

FPLH's GW 21 Team*

Transfers: Sessegnon (OUT) / Walcott (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

Sometimes you have to go with your gut instinct even if it means a -4 hit.  Alas I didn't do that last GW and lost out on 26 points, as well as my place in the FPL Cup!  You guessed it, I wanted Theo Walcott but stalled at the last hour.  I even recommended him as one of my ideal XI hot picks for GW 20.  I suppose at least that purchasing Podolski for Tevez was a minor masterstroke and gained me a further 11 points.

The problem was that I wanted to give Valencia one final chance (and he just about delivered).  Another option was to get rid of Michu but I didn't want to panic sell a top goalscorer due to his short-term injury.  The final choice was to sell Sessegnon, despite his quasi-return to form.

For this GW I have gone with the obvious and brought in Theo Walcott.  I had in fact bought him in November before he was struck down with injury and had Reading not had a DGW I wouldn't have sold him for the ill-fated Robson-Kanu.  Ironically, Theo has an upcoming DGW and I thought it best to plan ahead and bring him in now, especially with Southampton (A) being his next fixture.

I was looking at a -4 hit for GW21 and many options stood out; Marveaux (4.2), Gibbs (5.5), Evans (5.8), Azpilicueta (5.6) to name but a few.  Knowing my luck they will probably score goals and keep clean sheets between them in GW 21.  In the end I decided to hold my horses and not make any other rash changes as my team looks relatively strong.

My captain for GW21 is Theo Walcott, which was a no-brainer.  I doubt he will be rested v Southampton as Arsenal didn't play on Boxing Day.  On a more positive note, as I won FPL Dugout's league last season I gained automatic entry into their Champions League for this season and I look forward to dominating it!

Recommended Player for Gameweek 21

  
Theo Walcott

Scored a colossal 40 points in his last 3 PL matches!

Listed as a midfielder but now playing as a striker.

At sub £9.0M, he is value for money.

FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 21

Hart

Luiz
Walker

Gibbs

 

Lennon

Walcott-c

Valencia

Mata

Van Persie

Defoe-vc

Podolski

Subs:

Lloris

Azpilicueta

Marveaux

B. Davies

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

FPL Hints - Gameweek 20

FPLH's GW 20 Team*

Transfers: Tevez (OUT) / Podolski (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

Not sure what to say about the previous Gameweek.  I bought and recommended Sidwell, yet stupidly didn't save the team and he ended up on the bench.  Fortunately he didn't score or assist v Southampton.  To add to my woes, RVP didn't get any bonus points (despite bagging a goal and an assist), I ended up scoring a paltry 44 and just about won my cup match by 2 points.  For the last 2 months it seems that a good GW is followed by a bad GW for me!

For this GW I have had to retract my previous statement about Tevez.  With loss of form and the fixture jam, I believe he will feature less, especially after failing to score in his last few fixtures.  He is in need of a rest and I think you will see Dzeko line up with Aguero, rather than Tevez.  With this in mind I decided to draft in Podolski.  I had him in my team previously yet sold him when his form faltered, only for him to bite me back and score more points!

Podolski is listed as a striker but plays in Arsenal's midfield, whilst Walcott is listed as a midfielder and has recently begun playing as their main striker.  Confusing?  Don't let it be.  Podolski will be a key purchase, especially with Arsenal's upcoming fixtures which includes a Double Gameweek:

GW 20 - Newcastle (H)

GW 21 - Southamption (A)

GW 22 - Man City (H)

DGW 23 -  Chelsea (A)

DGW 23 - West Ham (H)

I have decided to captain Van Persie again for GW 20 following his blistering form, with Podolski as my vice captain.  I have benched Michu as I think he will not recover in time for GW20, with Rafael also benched due to his on-going injury.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 20

  
Lukas Podolski

Scored 5 and assisted 5 in the PL so far this season.

Can cut in from the flanks to score/create goals.

Is regularly used as Arsenal's free kick taker.

At £8.2M, he is reasonably priced.

FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 20

de Gea

Huth
Riise

Gibbs

 

Sidwell

Walcott

Sessegnon

Bale

Van Persie-c

Hernandez
Podolski-vc

Subs:

Schwarzer

Baines

Luiz

Sterling

8/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW 20 Team

FPL Hints - Gameweek 19

FPLH's GW 19 Team*

Transfers: Robson-Kanu (OUT) / Sidwell (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

Looks like my team changes from last week were half successful.  Bringing in Luiz and recommending him worked out a treat.  However my purchase of Tevez (c) didn't come good against a dire Reading team, where as the player I sold (Fletcher) did in fact score.  Despite my captain only bagging 2 points, I scored 65 points overall and can't complain with the much needed bounce back.

For the boxing day fixtures (GW19), I realise that some regular first team players across the board will be rested.  Naturally this means that my bench could come into play and I am confident that I have reasonable subs at hand.  Moreover I am lucky that I have no Arsenal or West Ham players as their fixture has been postponed. 

I decided to buy Sidwell due to a number of reasons.  Firstly, he is a key member of Fulham's first team.  Despite only being a central midfielder he has scored a credible amount of goals in the league so far this season (4).  I am confident he will start in Fulham's next two matches, which are reasonable:

GW 19 - Southampton (H)

GW 20 - Swansea (H)

Sidwell tends to do well at home against non-elite clubs.  In fact all 4 of his goals were scored at home.  This is good as I can easily alternate him with confidence when he has an away fixture.  In addition his bonus points accumulation this season has been impressive - 10 bonus points, 11th best for a midfielder.  A better record than the likes of Arteta, Hazard and Silva!

All the above is amazing when you see that he is only priced at £5.1M.  I have never been a fan of his, but I now see a pattern with him and I like it.  He won't score week in week out, but he is the perfect pick for certain home matches, as is the case now!

As for my captain I have opted for Van Persie, even though I fear that he could be rested.  In which case Michu should kick in for me against Reading.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 19

  
Steve Sidwell

Likely to start upcoming matches, unlike some other players.

Less than 3% ownership makes him a differential.

At £5.1M, he is definitely a steal purchase!

FPLH's Hot Picks XI for GW 19

de Gea

Evra
Riise

Baines

 

Sidwell

Pienaar

Taarabt

Michu-vc

Van Persie-c

Berbatov
Jelavic

Subs:

Silva

Luiz

Huth

6/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW 19 Team

FPL Hints - Gameweek 18

FPLH's GW 18 Team*

Transfers: Fletcher & Shorey (OUT) / Tevez & Luiz (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

Following last GW's fail, I have decided to spruce up my team.  Out goes Fletcher and in comes Tevez.  Despite the rotation risk, I am confident that Tevez will feature for City over the festive period and do well with their upcoming fixtures.  Moreover City will be looking to catch up lost ground from United.

I have also decided to sell Shorey due to Reading's poor defensive record and brought in Luiz.  I was encouraged by his midfield role (despite being a defender) during the World Club Cup and I believe he is due a goal or two.

On a side note, I must apologise for my recent slump in form.  A good festive period points haul would be the perfect tonic to my recent woes.  It's not time for me to go gung ho, but a bit of high points consistency wouldn't go amiss.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 18

  
David Luiz

Attack minded defender that can score goals.

Less than 3% ownership makes him a differential.

Recently deployed as a midfielder which is promising.

Hart (MNC)

  Luiz / vc (CHE)

  Cole (CHE)

Johnson (LIV)

 

Sterling (LIV)

Hazard (CHE)

Valencia (MNU)

Toure (MNC)

Van Persie (MNU)

  Tevez / c (MNC)

  Suarez (LIV)

Subs:

Foster (WBA)

Walker (TOT)

Rafael (MNU)

Michu (SWA)

8/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW 18 Team