This blog is written by @FPLNima (overall rank 1,102 in the 19/20 season). Nima writes the weekly transfer tips article for Fantasy Football Hub and you can find more of his work here. Do give him a follow on Twitter here
FPL Gameweek 15 is still going today with four more fixtures to complete. Mohammed Salah plays at 16:30 GMT with an effective ownership of around 170% so there will be a lot of manager’s eyes on that game. I used my two free transfers to bring in Anwar El Ghazi and Andy Robertson for Jack Grealish and Benjamin Chilwell respectively on Boxing Day. So far so good and here’s hoping that Robertson can further cement a green arrow in the overall rankings for my team.
This is my first team reveal article and we thought we would bring you a wildcard special to run through my thinking on-chip strategy as an FPL manager who has his first wildcard to use before tomorrow’s 28th December FPL GW16 transfer deadline.
Ordinarily, I would have a Gameweek 15 review followed by a Gameweek 16 preview and draft wildcard. However with eight teams still left to play it feels premature to begin reviewing the Gameweek. Instead, I will show my current in-play team and then move straight onto my picks in my draft wildcard. I will also be sure to include some alternate combinations that I am considering, in case you do not like some of my picks (think of it like a watchlist).
Gameweek 15 Review
Points: 31 from 5 players. 6 players including captain to go.
I’m very happy with the El Ghazi and Robertson moves and excited to finally use my first wildcard. I am going to be keeping a keen eye on the matches today so I can monitor the Leeds, Burnley, West Ham, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspurs assets specifically.
I’m also happy with my small green arrow, going from 453,415 to 416,403 overnight. I have 2 fewer players played than the overall average which gives me optimism for this green arrow. Son is the biggest remaining threat to my overall rank this week (I survived the threats from Calvert-Lewin and Grealish).
FPL GW 16 Wildcard Preview:
I have activated the first wildcard and have my first FPL GW16 Wildcard draft that I am happy with over here (£0.1m in the bank):
Some thoughts about this plus my overall chip strategy going into the blank and double game week:
- I am considering captaining Kane vs Fulham in Gameweek 16 and then selling him for Jamie Vardy in Gameweek 17. I am also considering captaining Son in Gameweek 17 vs Leeds.
- I will be using Free Hit in Gameweek 18 as I will only have 2 players that Gameweek (Son and Dias).
- I intend on Bench Boosting in Gameweek 19 with around 11-13 double gameweek players
- I shall use the second Wildcard in Gameweek 24/25 once we’ve been given the double gameweek fixtures for 26 and corresponding blanks in gameweek 29.
- Likely then to use Triple Captain in Gameweek 26 (on Son or Kane, if Spurs make the EFL cup final then it is likely they will have a double in Gameweek 26).
- Second wildcard team will have some blank gameweek 29 players as I only need 11 for the double gameweek 26 triple captain team. I can use 3 free transfers between Gameweek 26 and 29 to bring in more blank gameweek players.
- Finally, the Gameweek 33 blank is likely to be much smaller with just 2 matches being moved out of the fixture list.
The core players which are nailed on for my final wildcard team are: Johnstone, Robertson, Dias, Coufal, Balbuena, Salah, Fernandes, Soucek, Kane and Bamford.
The players that I may still change are McCarthy, Taylor, Son, Lookman and Wood.
- McCarthy alternatives: Meslier, Areola or Martinez
- Taylor alternatives: Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Chilwell, Walker-Peters or Dallas
- Son alternative: Rashford
- Lookman alternative: Raphina
- Wood alternative: Rodrigo, Adams or Watkins
- The plan is to transfer Kane in Gameweek 17 to Vardy but could be Martial instead.
Let me explain some of the above alternatives with some more details.
Goalkeeper: I kept McCarthy last night as he was rising in price to £4.7m. I can now sell him for £4.6m and bank the £0.1m gained to go to an alternative keeper (I like Martinez even though he has no double in Gameweek 19).
Defender: Taylor was originally Dallas but I am 0.1m short due to picking Wood over Adams in the striker position. If I sell McCarthy for Meslier then I am likely to make Taylor into Walker-Peters which would leave me with £0.0m in the bank. If I am willing to go with Martial instead of Vardy in Gameweek 17, then my free transfer in Gameweek 19 could be to get Trent alongside Robertson and double up on Liverpool defence.
Midfielders: I want Son as he is the biggest threat to my overall rank and a solid Gameweek 17 captaincy option vs Leeds. However, if I go for Rashford then I have an extra double gameweek player to maximise the free hit 18 and bench boost 19 strategy. Also, it means that when I sell Kane in Gameweek 17 I can go for Vardy instead of Martial.
Initially, I went for Raphina but picked Lookman as on an individual level he has better underlying attacking stats (plus I couldn’t afford Raphina as it stands). I am likely to downgrade Chris Wood so that I can upgrade Lookman to Raphina before the Gameweek 16 deadline.
Forwards: Wood has great underlying numbers and Burnley have been playing much better lately too. I wanted a cheeky punt and Wood has fantastic Gameweek 16 and 17 fixtures, before double gameweek 19 matches. If I do not get Meslier or Dallas then I could have a third Leeds spot available for Rodrigo. Otherwise, if I get both Raphina and a Leeds defender, then I may pick Adams or Watkins over Wood pre-deadline.
Finally, it sounded like Vardy may be due a rest in Gameweek 16 and so it makes sense to me to start with Kane and move to Vardy in Gameweek 17 with my free transfer. This then frees up some extra funds in Gameweek 19 to potentially bring in Reece James for one of my cheaper defenders like Taylor.
*Pre-Deadline Changes to my FPL GW16 Wildcard Team*
I may make some late changes on Monday morning nearer the deadline but won’t have time to update the article. As such I have included some ideas of what these changes may be in the article above so that you can see the thinking behind my decision-making process. Additionally, you can find some alternate wildcard drafts from me here at the end of the article.
l look forward to hearing your thoughts and discussing your transfers in the lead up to the Gameweek 16 deadline at 13:30 GMT on Monday 28th December.
If you are looking to follow more of my content or interact on all things FPL, follow me on Twitter.
Good luck with Gameweek 16 and your chip strategies!
Alternate FPL GW16 Wildcard draft combinations:
Two variations of my wildcard draft that I am tinkering with below. The first variation has Raphina instead of Lookman and Rodrigo instead of Wood. Not sure if I want to pile in with triple Leeds attack though.
The second FPL GW16 wildcard variation has Rashford instead of Son. It also has Raphina instead of Lookman and Adams instead of Wood.
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Nima Kafai
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