Teams & Players to Target in FPL Between GW31-34 | Fixture Analysis

Hey everyone, FPL Flair(Currently ranked: #547 in the World & Pakistan: #1, Do follow him) here – today I’ll be bringing the best players and teams to target for FPL GW31-34! We’ve enjoyed a chaotic and Covid-hit season so far, and the madness is only likely to continue as we enter the final stretch with DGWs in 31 and 33 announced and more to come.

Currently, as it stands, Burnley and Everton are the only teams who double in both DGWs. The other teams guaranteed to double are Southampton, Brighton, Newcastle, Leicester, and Arsenal, all in DGW33. There is also a chance of Villa and Burnley receiving a double in GW34.

I personally believe playing twice is important, with a second chance at points, even if it’s just for appearances, very valuable to my playstyle and has paid dividends so far. As such I’ll be focusing on teams that have a double, which many FPL managers will no doubt be looking at themselves. 

Before going further, Do vote in this week’s FPL GW31 allaboutfpl captaincy poll. The same will be available in the captaincy analysis and metrics blog written by@AK_FPL1. The metrics has a 25/30 record this year. Stay tuned for the GW31 Captaincy metric to see who tops it. Link to all our FPL Gameweek 31 blogs.

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

FPL Ficture Ticker between GW31 and GW34

BURNLEY

Burnley have had a disappointing season so far, sitting in 19^th, not helped by postponements and injuries. However, with more games in hand than their relegation rivals’ motivation will certainly come more into play compared to other teams they’ll be up against, such as Norwich and Southampton. FPL managers can benefit from this, with 2-3 DGWs coming up in the next 4 weeks Burnley’s value assets should be on the radar for most managers. 

The strongest aspect of Burnley’s appeal are the fixtures – not only do they have a lot of them, but the fixtures are excellent and very targetable – unlike Everton, who have a similar quantity but much lower quality. 

Here’s a list of the xGA rankings of Burnley’s upcoming opponents, as in how porous their opponents have been this season, according to fbref.com.

• Manchester City – 1^st 
• Everton – 11^th 
• Norwich – 20^th
• West Ham – 9^th 
• Southampton – 14^th
• Wolves – 16^th 
• Watford – 18^th 

Now we can access the xG rankings to assess how goal-friendly the Burnley opponents are.

• Manchester City – 2^nd
• Everton – 16^th 
• Norwich – 19^th 
• West Ham – 7^th 
• Southampton – 9^th 
• Wolves – 17^th 
• Watford – 15th

For me, this shows that Burnley’s upcoming opponents have, on average, shown themselves to be leaky and goal-shy and this will be a quality Dyche will no doubt be looking to impress upon his players – and a factor us FPL managers can take advantage of. 4 of these games will be at home too, and Turf Moor will be sure to be doing all they can to give their boys a boost!

Wout Weghorst (6.4M)

Weghorst comes to the PL with an impressive record from his time at Wolfsburg, averaging .52 npxG+xA/90 and recording 59 goals and 17 assists in 118 league appearances. Burnley have themselves a very impressive striker on their hands, and he’s shown glimpses of form with 3 attacking returns in 9 games so far. With fixtures like Norwich, Watford and Everton to come there’s no doubt for me that Weghorst will get chances and likely be able to put them away. There is also a decent chance he will be on penalties too. 

His value is a key part of his appeal too, at 6.4M he’s generously priced enough for you to not have to make key sacrifices to get him in – if anything, his enabler status will be useful to afford the expensive strikers and midfielders. For example, he’ll be my Jimenez replacement to free up 1M. I’d recommend getting him now, not later despite the City fixture – Everton at home is a fantastic game and an extra 2 points vs City, possibly more, is always appreciated. 

Further Read: FPL Chip Strategy For The Remainder of The Season | All Scenarios 

Nick Pope (5.4M)

An ever-present option for FPL teams during the past few years, Pope should be back on your radars. Burnley’s defense has been the defining feature of their consistently strong league performances, and Pope has been a major part of that. With saves, BPS, and clean sheets I am confident he’ll be well worth the price tag – so much so that I’m almost certain to be bringing in both him and Weghorst ahead of GW31. Norwich, Everton, Watford and Wolves are all cleanable fixtures for Dyche’s men and Pope will be a major part of their efforts to make it happen, with him tending to pick-up double-digit hauls whenever he picks up a CS. 

Further Read: FPL Chip Strategy For The Remainder of The Season | All Scenarios 

Connor Roberts (4.4M)

The best value pick from the Burnley defense and a man who looks surprised in every other picture of him ever taken, Roberts is the third player I’m considering from Burnley this season. Similarly to Pope, his CS potential looks great with the fixtures, but he also has the potential for 1-2 attacking returns during the run-in.  His ability to bomb forward and provide key passes through hanging up crosses for Weghorst and co will be useful for his bonus accumulation. At 4.4M, it’s difficult to go wrong with Roberts and such a value price can be great for FPL managers looking for a Wolves or Villa defender replacement. 

Further Read: FPL Chip Strategy For The Remainder of The Season | All Scenarios 

ARSENAL

The gunners have been a staple of our teams for a while now and there value looks like it will only grow further going forward, with Arteta’s men gunning for their first CL qualification in years and looking more and more impressive on the pitch. They’ve established themselves as one of the best defensive teams in the league and with the youthful core of Odegaard, Saka and Martinelli behind Lacazette they’ve impressed going forward as well. 

The fixtures look fine for Arsenal, with Palace, Brighton, Southampton and even United at the Emirates all very winnable games. Chelsea away will be a tricky one, but with 3^rd place on the line and a highly congested fixture schedule (FA Cup, Madrid in the CL before this game) for their opponents Arsenal should fancy their chances here. Brighton and Southampton especially have been in horrid form and should be great fixtures to take advantage of. There is also the very high likelihood of an additional DGW in 36!

Gabriel Martinelli (5.3M)

Martinelli is a player who’s always impressed me, with tricky footwork, a fantastic eye for goal and an impressively consistent ability to find the right positions all great traits for a player so young. With 5 goals and 3 assists in 15 starts this season, he’s producing on the pitch. He averages .50 npxG+xA/90 over the previous three seasons, which is highly impressive for a player this young and shows that unlike his positional rival Emile Smith-Rowe, his goals and assists are sustainable and likely to continue. However, he tends to average under 80 minutes a game as an early sub risk, so this is a drawback worthy of consideration when picking Martinelli. I do consider him close to nailed at this point though, with him consistently starting every game before becoming sick ahead of the Villa game.

For 5.3M though, I’d be all over him – it’s an insanely good price in my view and opens up fantastic opportunities. For comparison, he’s just .5M more than Jacob Ramsey and 1.3M less than Harvey Barnes. Having a player as good as Gabriel as an enabler is a gift worthy of consideration by every FPL manager.

Further Read: FPL Chip Strategy For The Remainder of The Season | All Scenarios 

Alexandre Lacazette (8.4M)

I’ve greatly enjoyed owning Thierry Henry lookalike Lacazette this season, with him returning 2 goals and 6 assists in the weeks I’ve owned him (GW19 and GW24-30). With his fellow strikers like Jimenez and DCL stinking up the FPL world he’s worthy of consideration for your FPL spot. Aubameyang’s departure was a win-win for all parties, with Laca now allowed to start regularly and show how suited he is to this Arsenal side with his fantastic linkup play and leadership in a group of younger players. 

Averaging .54 npxG+xA throughout his Arsenal career, he’s shown himself to a well-rounded player who can contribute in many ways. While goals have deserted him this season, I would chalk this down to being unlucky more than anything – he’s getting the chances served to him by the brilliant creators around him and the goals should come. Similarly, with Saka and Martinelli causing havoc in the box the fact that he’s on pens has also come in very useful. A drawback is definitely the higher price he has compared to more cheaper options like Weghorst and Toney, but if you can afford it then I’d recommend taking a closer look at Lacazette. 

Further Read: FPL Chip Strategy For The Remainder of The Season | All Scenarios 

Bukayo Saka (6.7M)

Mark my words, Saka is getting a 2M price rise next season. The boy wonder has finally started delivering on his promise, recording 9 goals and 6 assists this season and spearheading Arsenal’s charge to the CL places. It seems astonishing that his price is just 6.7M, only a .2 rise from his original price, and because of this he looks like he’ll continue to deliver fantastic value. 0.50 npxG+xA shows that his performances are sustainable, similar to Martinelli, and with 80% top 10k EO in GW31 rank protection may come into play for many players. Bukayo and co should be great options from now until the end of the season and if you don’t own already, I’d seriously look at if it makes sense to bring in him.

Further Read: FPL Chip Strategy For The Remainder of The Season | All Scenarios 

Manchester United 

United, as always, have had a drama filled and topsy turvy season with managerial changes, player outbursts and varying levels of football. As always, however, there will be a demand for strong performances as United chase CL football with Spurs, Arsenal and West Ham all in the mix. I think United tend to get underrated in FPL terms because of the extreme media attention on them and this is a great time to get on board.

The fixtures are, quite simply, fantastic – Leicester, Everton, Norwich and Brentford, 3 of the 4 being at home, are all games that the team will see as not only winnable, but opportunities to deliver comprehensive victories and continue the momentum of the team. The xGA rankings of these teams are 17^th, 11^th, 20^th and 12^th respectively. The opportunities for goals will be there, and having been knocked out of the FA Cup and Champions League, rotation should be less of a concern than previously. 

Jadon Sancho (8.9M)

United’s shiny new winger has had a difficult start to life in English football, but for me there’s no doubt he’s a fantastic player with huge potential once he settles into life with the English side. With 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 4 games, not returning in the game he was benched for, he’s shown that he’s back in form and ready to tear it up. His stats at Dortmund were incredible, averaging .63 npxG+xA /90 and 78 league goal contributions in 3 seasons there. 

As said before, he’s tailed off on return to English football, coming down to .40 npxG+xA, but for me his long-term stats showcase a far better profile of what Sancho can offer and his recent form indicates that he may prove my words correct. At 2.7% overall ownership, he’s a differential too that will be great for players trying to sneak into the top 10k. If you have your WC, I’d definitely consider dead-ending into 34 with Sancho included if affordable. 

Cristiano Ronaldo (12.2M)

If there’s one man who we can back to score against Everton, Norwich and Leicester it’s CRY7, goalscorer extraordinaire. 12 goals and 3 assists in 21 PL starts this season with a fantastic .68 npxG+xA/90 tells us the same story of Ronaldo’s career – if you can get him, Ronaldo is a fantastic asset to have. 

Putting up these numbers even with United’s dysfunctional attack shows how impressive his performances can be and with no other commitments, it’s less likely he’ll end up being rested in between matches this season. For me, he’s the best captain for DGW33. Norwich at home is a prime CR7 fixture and he’s always got a chance to get a return in the derby madness at Anfield as well. If you’re looking for a premium striker, I’d get Ronaldo over Kane – you can always make the swap later. 

Further Read: FPL Chip Strategy For The Remainder of The Season | All Scenarios 

Leicester City

Another team that has struggled so far this season with injuries, Rodgers’ men finally look to be getting back a functional team together and with 3 doubles to come end of the season, FPL managers should be keeping their eye on the Foxes. Rotation and European commitments are the main concerns here, but there’s value to be found if you look closely enough.

In the immediate term Leicester’s fixtures look fine. United away is likely to be a goal-fest with exploitable defenses on both sides, while Palace and Villa at home are games that the Foxes home support should push them over and fixtures of Newcastle and Everton create the best DGW of the week. Schmeichel could get points here and is the best GK option alongside Pope, but it’s the attackers I’m putting my greatest priority on here. 

Harvey Barnes (6.6M)

Barnes has quietly impressed during recent weeks, recording a goal and 3 assists in his last five games and averaging 5.6 points per game. Lack of competition, form and consistent starts are why I like him better than his teammate Maddison, for me xMins is the most important aspect of the game and Harvey wins out in this department. The fixtures are ripe for dribbling and impressive finishing abilities to bring his owners points, with Leicester’s attack full of talent ready to work together and exploit defenses. 6.6M is a really nice price point as a very cheap midfielder and for this reason he’s one of the better value assets in the game as it stands. 

Kelechi Iheanacho – 7M 

Iheanacho is the main maverick pick of the entire article, as he’s a player who can put up fantastic returns when he starts. I have fond memories of owning him last season when he tore it up alongside Vardy. Vardy and Daka’s injuries provide an opportunity for Kelechi to take and he could make himself undroppable for the run-in. 2 goals and 5 assists in 8 starts this season and 12 goals and 2 assists in 16 starts the last shows the potential he has if he’s allowed to play. Vardy’s return could benefit him if the latter is reserved for Europe. With fantastic underlying stats, .57 npxG+Xa/90, Iheanacho is a player to prioritize if the xMins look right. 

That’s it for today’s article, greatly appreciate it if you read this far and I hope your arrows will be green this week! Very much hope this helps and I’m happy to answer any dilemmas, concerns or discussions in the tweet’s comment section. 

As for me, I’ve had an excellent season so far with a current top 1k rank and Pakistan #1 and I’m hoping that’ll continue with Pope and Weghorst lined up to come in for 2 FT this week. If you wish, you can follow my moves and discuss with me below – https://twitter.com/fpl_flair.

Have a great day!

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 31:

Impact of FA Cup Results on FPL Gameweek 33 | FPL GW33 Fixtures

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