FPL GW8 Wildcard Structure and Best Possible Drafts and Combinations

After a low-scoring GW 7 and a break for international games many FPL managers are looking to finally hit the Wildcard button and rebuild their team for the first time this season. This particular gameweek was targeted even before the start of the Premier League campaign as very apparent fixture swings for some teams urge many to reevaluate their FPL squads. The value of this chip is in the long term effect it can have on your team but what strategy should you adopt to maximise the results? Should you prioritise a balanced team with strong bench cover or should you go all-in on your starting 11? What about the overall flexibility of your new team, can you react to new FPL options that can appear and can you get them in easily, without breaking your whole team apart? Let’s see some interesting FPL GW8 wildcard team structures that you should definitely consider before making your final decision:

Note: You might not be able to afford exactly the same teams based on your team value.

Before going further, Do vote in this week’s FPL GW8 allaboutfpl captaincy poll. The same will be available in the captaincy analysis and metrics blog written by @AK_FPL1. The metrics has been delivering consistently with a 6/7 return record this year. Stay tuned for the GW7 Captaincy metric to see who tops it. Link to all our FPL Gameweek 8 blogs.

[Total_Soft_Poll id=”17″]

The results and the captaincy metric blog will be published soon based on the votes.

Big at the back ~ FPL GW8 Wildcard Draft

A current trend among the FPL community is to put considerable funds in your defence to try to cover the 2 best defensive teams in the league – Chelsea and Man City who have kept outstanding 4 and 5 Clean sheets respectively in just 7 games. Both sides have great upcoming fixtures. The addition of Trent Alexander-Arnold as an almost set-and-forget pick (if he makes a return from injury) will save you at least one transfer in the future as there is no doubt you will have to bring in the Liverpool full-back at some point even if you wildcard without him. Livramento comes as a cheap enabler who is a regular starter and will allow you to spread more money in midfield and attack.

The midfield in this draft is fairly balanced as the only premium option is Mohammed Salah. A mid-priced Phil Foden gives you the flexibility to potentially switch him to one of the many cheaper midfield options in the future, such as Saka, Townsend, Gallagher, Sarr, Benrahma or even Jota without worrying about the price. This is also the spot where you can potentially get Heung-Min Son in GW 12 when his easy fixture run start. However, you will have to downgrade one of the attacking options or get a bench fodder defender to be able to fit him in by making 2 moves.

The forward picks include Romelu Lukaku as the second premium player in this team who is the best forward candidate for a GW8 Wildcard draft. Michail Antonio is a safe pick that you can easily switch to other similar priced options such as Bamford or DCL who are not available right now but should be considered at some point. Hee-Chan Hwang represents the riskiest addition to this team as he isn’t 100% nailed but will surely get starts in the short term. The major concern about a 5.6m striker is that there aren’t many options in this price bracket that you can get so you will probably have to make 2 moves to even stretch to Armstrong, Toney, ASM or other cheap strikers.

Overview

Choosing multiple expensive defenders is a good way to structure your team if you are a patient FPL manager who will not react impulsively if a clean sheet wipeout occurs. It targets the gradual accumulation of potential 6 pointers instead of hauls that are usually associated with the midfield and forward options. Rotation is essential here and although you limit the risk of not filling an 11 if one or two injuries occur, you also have a benching headache almost every week. You can use various formations here but the most common will probably be 4-3-3 or 4-4-2. Sometimes you can also opt for a 3-defender formation. The biggest disadvantages here are not being able to get a third premium without breaking your team apart and being stuck with Hwang who is not easily replaceable with just 1 move.

FPL GW8 Wildcard Draft with Vardy

This draft relies more on big-hitters in attack and therefore requires some sacrifices on the defensive front. It is still possible however to cover both Chelsea and Man City options at the back and even get the most expensive defender – Trent Alexander-Arnold. You can argue this is a more standard way of structuring your defence that doesn’t include any double-ups which can be seen as risky despite great fixtures. Shane Duffy and Tino Livramento will usually be on your bench but it is a bonus that they start every single game and can get a potential clean sheet here and there.

The midfield is the biggest concern as even though there are some great options included in the team, the flexibility is fairly low and you will need to make 2 transfers to upgrade the likes of Smith Rowe and Bryan Mbeumo when you decide to sell.

Attack might compensate with two premiums being part of the front three as well as Raul Jimenez who has not only got great fixtures in front of him but is also mid-priced and can potentially be switched with Antonio, Bamford and DCL in the future. Vardy is high-priced and can also be moved to most other striker options without the need to make a second move to acquire the necessary funds.

Overview

With this team the 3-4-3 will be most commonly used and there is a possibility to play one of Duffy and Livramento if Smith Rowe or Mbeumo don’t have a good fixture. Decent enough bench cover but not any major benching headaches here. This team however might miss out on the clean sheet potential of City and Chelsea defence with no double-ups. The midfield looks shaky with 3 players below the 6m price bracket and flexibility is limited. If you opt for a similar team, you must have complete faith in Vardy as a differential to make up for going cheap in other areas of the team. Another question is how you would be able to fit a mid-priced midfielder in the future without sacrificing the English striker.

FPL GW8 Wildcard Draft with Son

This draft also includes three premium options (above 10m) but there is a significant difference in how the team is structured. Defensively, you can get the expensive options from Man City and Chelsea but also use this area for one punt by having double Arsenal defence. Kieran Tierney is the best option below 5.0m as he offers not only clean sheet potential but also a considerable attacking threat. If you are unsure whether Arsenal will be solid enough at the back you can replace Aaron Ramsdale with Robert Sanchez for 0.1m cheaper to cover Brighton’s defence. This team has a well-balanced defence and you can easily limit the risk of double Chelsea at the back sometimes by playing Livramento or Tierney based on a favourable fixture in the respective gameweek.

The strongest area here is the midfield which offers as much price flexibility as possible. You can get almost every midfielder you want in one move. Downgrading Phil Foden at some point might be your best bet if he does not perform to the levels you expect him to and the likes of Benrahma, Sarr, one of the Everton or Arsenal midfielders might come in handy. Heung-min Son has been historically a very consistent option and if you want to get him in before everyone else in GW 12 you might consider building a similar draft around him.

The three spots on top include the third premium in this team, Romelu Lukaku, who is almost a no-brainer for all of these drafts. Going cheap with Ivan Toney and Hee-chan Hwang might make it a bit more difficult for you to move up to mid-priced strikers in the future so you should think about whether you have faith in those two options. Hwang also might also be a slight rotation risk so plan ahead what are you going to do if he gets benched at some point in the near gameweeks.

Overview

With this team you will be using the 3-4-3 formation most of the time. Livramento and Tierney can come in the starting 11 in case one of Hwang or Foden do not feature in 90 minutes. By adopting such a strategy you will have fairly decent rotation options without spending excessively. The disadvantages of this draft are mostly about not being able to transfer in Alexander-Arnold or a mid-priced striker without making a second move elsewhere from which you will get the necessary funds. Having a third premium, however, might compensate for such limitations and you should think about whether you are willing to hold Son for the next 6-7 gameweeks.

Conclusion

There is no perfect wildcard team but it is best to build yours based on logical reasoning and consideration of the long-term effect that a player might have for your side. Try to focus on assets that compliment your managerial tendencies and will not get transferred out after the first bad performance. Above all, don’t overthink it. In the words of Jessica Brody: “sometimes the most obvious choices are the hardest to see.”

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 8:

We have also made an elaborate guide covering every rule and chip available in FPL for the 2021/22 FPL Season ~ 2021/22 Fantasy Premier League Season Rules, Tips | The Ultimate Guide

Link to all our FPL Gameweek 8 blogs.

Thanks for reading the ‘FPL GW8 wildcard structure’ blog. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for regular blogs. Also, follow our 37000+community on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay updated on regular Posts and FPL updates. Link to all our FPL Gameweek 8 blogs.

Visit **Drafthound.com** for more free stats, data, and more!

What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 8?

We’ll be covering fixture analysis, differential picks, GW8 Wildcard drafts, captaincy metrics, transfer trend analysis, expected line up, press conference summaries, Buy, hold, sell analysis for FPL GW8, our expert panel team reveals and more. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for all our blogs and subscribe to our free newsletter through the link below. We’ll also be posting regularly about the same on our social media accounts so follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook keep our notification ON.