This FPL GW31 Wildcard special blog is written by FPL Architect. He is an FPL writer now writing weekly threads on Twitter and weekly articles here on allaboutfpl.com. He likes to combine eye tests and stats when making FPL decisions. He is also currently ranked 10,958 and is poised for a strong finish. Do give him a follow on Twitter and check out all of his blogs here.
With many managers looking to play their second wildcard in GW 31, I have listed 11 players that are all good options to build your wildcard team around.
Goal keeper to consider in your FPL GW31 Wildcard team
Edouard Mendy (£5.2) – Chelsea
Ownership: 9.3%
Despite the terrible performance by Chelsea in GW 30, Mendy would be my first-choice goalkeeper. Chelsea’s defense is still remarkably high class and if we exclude the game against West Brom, Chelsea only conceded twice in 14 games in all competitions which is extremely impressive and motivates investing in defensive assets from The Blues.
The next four fixtures for Chelsea are Crystal Palace (A), Brighton (H), West Ham (A), and Fulham (H), fixtures that are quite possible to keep clean sheets in, to say the least. I would not focus on the West Brom game when considering Chelsea assets as it was that kind of performance that’s unlikely to happen again, with an early red card and a bit of bad luck. When N’Golo Kanté and Antonio Rüdiger come back to the line up I believe we will see the same, strong Chelsea defense again.
Further Read: FPL GW31 Wildcard- Best Combinations, Tips, And Team Reveal
Defenders to consider in your FPL GW31 Wildcard team
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.3) – Liverpool
Ownership: 13.5%
Liverpool seemed to be back to normal in GW 30, winning 3-0 away to Arsenal, and Trent delivered another good performance. If Liverpool can get defensively solid again, which I believe they will, Trent is a great option with his constantly high attacking threat. Over the last six matches, Trent has created an average of 2.67 chances per game, of which 0.67 has been big chances. These are the kind of numbers that justifies a price tag of £7.3 million.
Liverpool have arguably the best fixtures of all teams from now until the season ends, with Man United being the only one classed as difficult and I expect a superb end to the season from Trent, looking to show Gareth Southgate why he should get back into the England squad for the Euros this summer.
Ruben Dias (£6.1) – Manchester City
Ownership: 24.3%
Despite the heavy rotation that’s always ongoing in Manchester City Ruben Dias has managed to start all Premier League games, apart from Tottenham in GW 24 when he wasn’t fit, since he joined in GW 4. During this period, he has delivered 16 clean sheets and a total of 133 FPL points which just proves that even though he costs £6.1 million, Ruben Dias is great value for money.
I expect him to keep racking up starts in the league even if UCL is City’s focus at the moment. If we look at City’s fixtures, we see that they are only going to face Chelsea among the usual “Big Six” teams from now until the season ends and instead, they have games against both Leeds, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, and Brighton. Getting a nailed City defender with these fixtures is too good to pass on, Ruben Dias is a great FPL GW31 wildcard option.
Further Read: Teams and Players to Consider for the Final stretch of FPL Season | FPL GW31 ~ GW38
Aaron Cresswell (£5.9) – West Ham
Ownership: 28.6%
West Ham are definitely in the race for Champions League qualification and with only the league to focus on they will go all in to reach their big goal. If they are going to succeed, they will need the key player Aaron Cresswell to perform in line with what he has done already this season. With 10 clean sheets and 10 assists Cresswell is the highest scoring defender in FPL with an impressive total of 136 points.
In the last six games, Cresswell has created 0.5 big chances per game and with 10 assists this season it’s clear that these chances often result in goals. West Ham face Leicester in GW 31 which of course is not ideal for a defender but after that they have games against Newcastle, Burnley, Brighton, WBA, and Southampton before the season ends, making Cresswell a season keeper. However, Declan Rice’s injury situation must be followed closely. If he is ruled out a long term that would seriously harm the West Ham defense and make Cresswell a less appealing option.
Luke Shaw (£5.3) – Manchester United
Ownership: 15.2%
Despite blanking against Brighton in GW 30 Luke Shaw has averaged 7.4 points per game over the last 5 games, numbers of a high class. Prior to the Brighton game United had four clean sheets in a row and if they can keep up a solid defence, Shaw’s attacking threat makes him a great option going forward.
Over the last 6 games Luke Shaw has created 13 chances, averaging 2.17 chances created per game. That’s particularly good for a full back that’s not extremely expensive in FPL, and Shaw presents value for money. Burnley and Leeds in GW 32 and 33 are two games where I expect Shaw to deliver points and managers wildcarding in GW 31 have a great opportunity to buy the Englishman now.
Further Read: FPL GW31 Wildcard- Best Combinations, Tips, And Team Reveal
Midfielders to consider in your FPL GW31 Wildcard team
Mohamed Salah (£12.4) – Liverpool
Ownership: 29.4%
Mohamed Salah found the net against Arsenal after 5 consecutive blanks, just in time for a great run of fixtures. Aston Villa, Leeds and Newcastle in the next three gameweeks, followed by Man United and then another run with four “easy” fixtures.
Mohamed Salah will deliver during this period, despite a lot of blanks recently his stats points towards goals and assists to come. In the last 6 games Sala has (despite blanking in 5 of them) averaged an xGI (expected goal involvement) of 0.52 per game, showing that he heavily underperformed his stats. I hope this has changed now and with superb fixtures, I would be confident including him in my FPL GW31 wildcard.
Bruno Fernandes (£11.6) – Manchester United
Ownership: 58.3%
Bruno assisted again in GW 30, making it a total of 29 goal involvements this season. He has arguably been the best asset in the game this season and I would not wildcard without him. Over the last six games he has averaged an xGI of 0.63 per game, which is on a remarkably high level.
The fixtures are also quite good for United. Spurs in GW 31 might seem difficult but considering the fact that Spurs had an xGC of 4.07 against Newcastle, I can definitely see Bruno returning in that game and after that he has Burnley (H) and Leeds (A). That’s a fixture run where I would not want to be without Bruno Fernandes.
Heung-Min Son (£9.4) – Tottenham
Ownership: 43.0%
Son was apparently not ready for a start against Newcastle in GW 30 but after his 45 minutes long appearance I think we can expect him to start the upcoming games. He has partnered brilliantly with Kane this season and Son has already been involved in 22 goals since GW 1.
Manchester United at home might not be the best fixture in GW 31 but you can always count on Kane and Son to create difficulties for the opposition, no matter who they face. However, the biggest reason for including Son in your team is the DGW 32 where Spurs go up against Everton and Southampton, two games that should suit Son perfectly and I am definitely expecting delivery from Son in that DGW.
Diogo Jota (£6.8) – Liverpool
Ownership: 9.3%
Now we are talking value for money. After returning from an injury Diogo Jota scored against Wolves before the international break followed by 3 goals in 2 two games for Portugal and a brace against Arsenal in GW 30. Costing less than 7 million this is insane value for money.
Jota is involved whenever Liverpool creates something and with the previously mentioned fixture run Liverpool has from now until the end of the season, I don’t see a single reason for not including him in your wildcard. Given what he brings to this team I believe Klopp will play him as much as possible so I would not be too concerned about rotation either.
Further Read: Teams and Players to Consider for the Final stretch of FPL Season | FPL GW31 ~ GW38
Attackers to consider in your FPL GW31 Wildcard Team
Harry Kane (£11.6) – Tottenham
Ownership: 47.4%
Harry Kane should be the first name you confirm in your team, without a doubt. After a brace against Newcastle in GW 32, Harry Kane now has 32 goal involvements in the Premier League this season, which is stunning numbers. Nothing points towards a stop of this form, it seems more like he’s warming up for a superb end to this season.
With a DGW32 consisting of games against Everton and Southampton where he is the standout captaincy option, Harry Kane is the true definition of a must-have at the moment. He blanks in GW 33 but with very nice fixtures (Sheffield Utd and Leeds) in GW 34 and 35, Harry Kane is a player you can hold the entire season from now on.
Kelechi Iheanacho (£5.8) – Leicester
Ownership: 4.0%
Kelechi Iheanacho has quite surprisingly presented himself as a great value-for-money pick after scoring 5 goals in three games between GW26 and 28. He looks good in play and with Leicester fighting for the top four he has a lot to play for. With Maddison returning from injury some people fear incoming rotation for Iheanacho but considering the form he’s in, I don’t think Brendan Rodgers can afford not playing him.
Leicester’s fixtures are brilliant, after West Ham in GW 31 they face WBA, Crystal Palace, Southampton, and Newcastle between FPL GW32 and FPL GW35. That’s almost as good as it gets for a striker and as Iheanacho only costs £5.8 million I don’t see a good reason for FPL GW31 wildcarders not to pick him.
Further Read: FPL GW31 Wildcard- Best Combinations, Tips, And Team Reveal
Other players to consider in your FPL GW31 wildcard team:
This leaves four spots left to fill in different ways depending on how much money you have got to spend. Nathaniel Phillips (£4.0) from Liverpool is almost a must-have if you don’t already have three Liverpool players given the low price tag he has. Wolves have a great run of fixtures and I see both Conor Coady (£4.8) and Pedro Neto (£5.7) as good options. It’s easy to forget Leeds considering their difficult fixtures but of course, Raphinha (£5.7) is still interesting as he keeps delivering extremely good stats.
I hope you found this article interesting and helpful in the process of building your own wildcard team. if you found the article interesting, here is a link to my Twitter account @FPL_Architect.
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Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW31:
FPL GW31 Wildcard- Best Combinations, Tips, And Team Reveal
Teams and Players to Consider for the Final stretch of FPL Season | FPL GW31 ~ GW38
History Of Fantasy Football And Origin Of FPL
FPL History: Highest Scoring FPL Players Each Year Since The First FPL Season in 2002/03
FPL Tools guide for managers: Free and Paid
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What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW31 Deadline?
Our team of good writers are working relentlessly as we strive to deliver good FPL good content. Stay tuned for our, Differential picks(10% TSB), Best wildcard team with various options, Our star writer Nima’s team reveal, FPL GW31 Captaincy analysis, and Matchups blogs. All the blogs should be out soon ahead of an early Friday night FPL GW31 Deadline.
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FPL Architect
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