FPL GW12 Preview: Breaking Down FPL Dilemmas for Gameweek 12

Welcome to Insanely Football’s Dilemmas blog for Gameweek 12 of the FPL 2022/23 season. This FPL GW12 Preview blog will break down all the popular Dilemmas managers have this week and help you maximize your FPL points for Gameweek 12 and beyond.

Let’s dive right into it. We will start with the first one.

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FPL GW12 Preview & Key Dilemmas Answered

1) How many players are enough for GW12?

As we all know by now, Gameweek 12 is a blank gameweek for Arsenal and Man City. Many FPL managers have at least 4-5 players from Arsenal and Man City combined. To top it up, if you also have players like James and Maddison, you will be in a fix for Gameweek 12.

Ideally, you would want an entire playing XI for your FPL team for GW12. The question is, how many players are ideal for GW12? 

Many managers with a core of Arsenal/Man City players will struggle to field a playing XI. Because of this reason, if you have anywhere between 8-10 starters, you should be fine for GW12. You can take a -4 or even a -8 to get to 11 players, but keep the slightly long-term picture in mind. If you don’t have the Wildcard, you will be in a much better position if these hits are for long-term options rather than short-term punts. 

I mentioned this last week as well. Please don’t stress about fielding the perfect XI this week. You might still have a bad score despite having an entire XI. Do think through in terms of what your team needs and act accordingly. It’s essential to be patient and get through this week, minimising any loss to your overall rank.

Further Read: FPL Blank Gameweek 12 Planning | How to Handle Blank GW12?

2) Should you use your Wildcard now instead of GW13?

With some injuries and suspensions cropping up along with a Blank Gameweek for Arsenal and Man City in GW12, FPL managers are considering using the Wildcard this week instead of GW13. As always, this is a very team-dependent call.

If you have six players from Man City and Arsenal, along with James, Maddison, and a few non-starters in your team, it is worth Wildcarding in GW12. The approach here will be to shift around players and build for the slightly longer term.

Wildcard this week also allows you to jump on players from teams like Liverpool, Chelsea, West Ham, and Crystal Palace. These teams have decent fixtures, and there are several differential picks to go for from these teams. Of course, on a Wildcard, you can get at least three players from Man City and Arsenal and start buying more on priority from GW13 onwards.

Not many managers have doubled/tripled up on Liverpool players. Using the Wildcard chip this week also allows you to get Trent, Salah, and an additional Liverpool attacker for the home game against West Ham. You can keep them ready for the excellent fixture run from GW13 onwards. 

Finally, another crucial thing to consider is your squad for Gameweek 12. See how you are lining up for Gameweek 12 with your proposed set of transfers till then. If you are happy with the number of players, you get in this week and have a settled team, avoid using the Wildcard. 

In this case, a Wildcard is better played in GW13 when premium teams like Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Man Utd all have great attacking fixtures. The points potential looks much higher in that window, and you can take advantage by delaying the Wildcard for one more week.

I have a good team for now, and my planned moves this week cover the basics. I am saving my Wildcard for GW13. It’s essential to look at your team, see what you are gaining and letting go and accordingly take the call. 

Check this Wildcard draft and see how far off you are from the ideal team for Gameweek 12 and beyond.

FPL GW12 Wildcard Draft

3) Who are the best Maddison replacements?

James Maddison got his fifth yellow card of the season in the dying minutes of the game against Crystal Palace in GW11 and is suspended against Leeds this week. FPL managers who own him are looking for potential replacements. There are a lot of midfielders available for selection.

Of all the available options, Trossard stands out the most as a one-week punt. He has been in great form for Brighton this season, scoring five goals in 9 appearances. We know he is an important figure in Brighton’s attack, and he looks good to start against Forest this week. Now, there is confirmed news of Lallana starting, which might mean Trossard plays a wing-back role. That is the only worry with Trossard as a pick. Otherwise, he is a great option.

If you already own Trossard, Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace is the next best replacement. He has a tricky fixture this week against Wolves, a team that has struggled to score goals, but they don’t concede many. We saw Zaha’s potential this season when he scored a brace against Villa. 

He is also his team’s leading man in attack and is on set pieces and penalties. The fixtures after GW12 read Everton (A), Southampton (H), West Ham (A), and Nottingham Forest (A). He is a safe non-premium option, in my opinion. 

Then we come to players who are in decent form at the moment. Mount & Bowen are decent options in midfield. Mount is slightly risky as there is a chance of possible rotation with the squad depth Potter has at Chelsea. Bowen is safer, but two of the following three games are against Liverpool and Man Utd. Both are good long-term options if you want to replace Maddison with no Wildcard available.

Further Read: Maddison- Hold Or Sell? | Best Replacements Ahead Of FPL GW12

4) What to do with Arsenal/Man City players ahead of FPL GW12?

To me, it’s a case of how your team is structured. Suppose you are in a position to field anywhere between 9-10 players for the blank gameweek 12. You should be okay transferring holding Arsenal and Man City players this week.

Let’s dive a bit deeper here. If you have a lot of value invested in players like Haaland and Martinelli, it makes sense to hold them for GW12 and keep them on the bench. Of course, you can take them out, but you will immediately want them back, and I don’t think it’s worth making these transfers.

I think it is absolutely okay to sell Kevin De Bruyne, as you can jump onto Salah this week and then go for Foden from GW13. He looks better than KDB and is in excellent goal-scoring form. Arsenal options like the defender Gabriel and Jesus can be sold too. You won’t have much money tied up in them, and many suitable replacements are available. 

Things become trickier when we talk about Cancelo, Saka, and Foden. It does depend on whether you have the Wildcard available or not. If you do, then take them out and go for one-week punts. If not, see whether you can bench them and still field a satisfying playing XI. That will help you in deciding to hold/sell them in GW12.

I believe there is no clear right/wrong answer here. I have seen many managers ditch Martinelli and Haaland and go for high-upside picks, which is fine too. It essentially depends on two factors, how many players you are okay having for GW12 and whether you have the Wildcard or not. 

As I have mentioned, there is absolutely no single way of playing FPL, and it depends on what approach you want to take. If you are comfortable fielding 9-10 players for GW12, then Arsenal/Man City can be kept this week. Suppose you already have six combined players from both teams and a few other non-starters. In that case, other players with a GW12 fixture may be better suited for your FPL team. 

Further Read: Best Blank FPL GW12 Free Hit Drafts to Consider | Free Hit Guide

5) Is it better to use the Free Hit now rather than later in the season?

Managers who have already used their Wildcard and only have 6-7 players starting week are considering using the Free Hit chip this week. I believe using the Free Hit is better later in the season when we have more information on confirmed blank/double gameweeks. 

This week doesn’t have any standout fixtures. Managers eying Liverpool options can get them with regular transfers. That will also help them with their teams till GW16, when we break for the World Cup. 

The Premier League’s top two teams don’t have a game this week, and the upside elsewhere is limited. The only situation where a Free Hit may be justifiable is when you only have 4-5 starters, and multiple hits won’t help you reach around 9-10 players. 

It is better to save the FH later, but nothing is sure. The important thing is to analyse your team without any noise from the community and see the best direction for you. 

Check out this draft in case you want Free Hit in GW12!

Further Read: Best Blank FPL GW12 Free Hit Drafts to Consider | Free Hit Guide (5+ drafts with key notes)

That will be all from this week. Do let me know what you think about these dilemmas. Also, tell me in the comments or drop me a DM on Instagram/Twitter if I have missed out on anything specific.

All the best for FPL Gameweek 12, and I will see you all very soon!

You can also subscribe to my Youtube channel Insanely Football for more FPL-related content. Follow me on Instagram for daily FPL updates. 

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW12

Link to all our FPL GW12 blogs including GW12 Blank Planning, Fixtures to target, Predicted GW12 Lineups, Differentials, Captaincy metrics, transfer trends, and more. Completely free to access as well!

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