FPL GW17 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down Key Dilemmas

Welcome to Insanely Football’s Dilemmas blog for Gameweek 17 of the FPL 2023/24 season. This blog will break down all the popular Dilemmas FPL managers have this week and offer FPL GW17 tips that will help you address the key dilemmas and maximize your FPL points.

The blog is written by Insanely Football. Do subscribe to his YouTube channel Insanely Football for more FPL-related content. You can also follow him on Instagram for daily FPL updates.

FPL GW17 Tips – Key Questions/Dilemmas Answered

1) Is it time to sell Erling Haaland before Gameweek 17

Erling Haaland didn’t feature in GW16 against Luton and was out because of an injury.

Pep had mentioned on Erling Haaland’s injury: “A bone stress reaction in his foot and after the last game he felt it. He cannot play… I don’t know [how long he’s out]. Week by week, day by day, we will see what happens…”

The ManCity manager hoped he could be fit for the FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia.

The latest on Haaland that Pep mentioned was that he will return on Thursday, with an assessment of his fitness ahead of the weekend to be made then.

As expected, he didn’t make the Champions League squad for Man City midweek.

Now, this means we have two scenarios here.

The first one is where we have a confirmed no from Pep in his presser before the GW17 deadline. This seems unlikely, but it’s still possible. In this case, if he is confirmed out, you can take him out in GW17 and get a different forward option. You will not miss out on much with Man City and Haaland blanking in GW18. You can also spread your funds by getting Salah/Son if you don’t have them and get Haaland when both Salah/Son will be gone for the AFCON/Asia Cup. (Post GW20).

There is a second scenario as well. If Pep does not give much information, or if he is not out, start him for GW17. Predicting with Pep is always tricky, and you may get lucky. Afterwards, you can bench him for the GW18 blank and play him in your XI from GW19 onwards.

Latest on Haaland(Press Conference Quote from 15/12/2023):

Further Read: Top FPL GW17 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of Deadline

2) Who are the best Haaland replacements GW17

There are quite a few names if you want to replace Erling Haaland in GW17. The first and most obvious replacement for me is Ollie Watkins. The Aston Villa striker is the 2nd best striker in the league right now after Haaland. He is 2nd for FPL points, just behind Haaland, and is an important part of the impressive Villa attack. The fixtures in the medium to long term also look quite good. If you don’t have Watkins, get him on priority.

The next recommendation would be to get Dominic Solanke, who is already the most transferred player this week. The Bournemouth striker has scored 4 goals in his last 5 games and is looking good for more. There is a clear improvement in how Bournemouth plays, and Solanke benefits from the same. He is definitely worth the risk with good fixtures in the next 3 gameweeks.

Suppose you have an Arsenal spot open and are okay with taking a risk. In that case, Gabriel Jesus can be an exciting differential pick. He is owned by only 4% of managers, and you can get him much earlier than the rest of the crowd. Fixtures till GW22 look good, and Jesus is worth a conversation.

Newcastle’s Alexander Isak is also an option, but it’s more of a good fixture pick. Isak has only scored once in his last four starts, but with Fulham, Luton and Forest in the next three, these numbers can change dramatically. I still consider him behind Watkins, Solanke and even Jesus.

Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez is a tricky one. I have him on my FPL team, and it hasn’t been a great hold. His last goal came back in GW10, and he has provided just 2 assists since then. Because of his poor finishing, I don’t suggest buying him right now. Still, if you have him, it may be worth holding him this week against a struggling Man United defence.

My Ranking
1. Ollie Watkins
2. Dominic Solanke
3. Gabriel Jesus
4. Darwin Nunez
5. Alexander Isak

Further Read: FPL GW17 Transfer Targets & Watchlist Based on Eye Test & Stats

3) What do we do with Newcastle’s defence?

Newcastle has only managed to keep a clean sheet in their last 5 games, conceding 10 goals, and look quite vulnerable at the back. The long-term injury to Nick Pope hasn’t helped, and to make matters worse, Kieran Trippier is suspended for GW17.

My first thought is that it’s not as bad as it looks. Trippier is only out for GW17, and if you have a bench cover who is not Matty Cash or any other non-playing defender, then it’s okay to wait to sell Trippier. If you have Matty Cash in your team, you can take him out on priority and bench Trippier. He is still expected to play Luton and Forest in GW18-19, and some decent points can be gained here.

The only scenarios in which I recommend selling Trippier is if you are trying to upgrade to Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool. He is worth getting in right now but needs some additional funds. The other scenario will be if you need additional funds to make other high-priority moves in midfield or attack. In that situation, Trippier can be sold for a slightly cheaper defender.

The situation with Dubravka is a bit tougher. Howe mentioned that Dubravka has been ill and may not feature in the coming games. But he did start the crucial match in the CL against Milan. Now, the logical thing to do is to wait for Howe’s presser and then take a call closer to the deadline. If you are in a situation where you have Dubravka and Areola, you may have to make a goalkeeper transfer this week.

Any other defenders like Schar and Livramento are worth holding for now. Unless we hear that Botman is in contention to start in GW17, even Lascelles is an okay hold for this week.

Further Read: Top FPL GW17 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of Deadline

4) Is distributing funds across your team by selling Trippier and Haaland wise?

Many managers are contemplating selling players like Trippier and Haaland this week and distributing the funds to get a better-balanced team. Now the question remains: Is it worth it?

It’s not a very straightforward answer. As mentioned earlier, Trippier is not a priority sell if you have a decent playing first bench player. If not, then selling is a possible scenario.

Trent is a more than capable replacement, and if you already have the additional money, go for it. I understand the upcoming games for Trent aren’t that great for clean sheets, but there is decent attacking potential that you can take advantage of here. I won’t go out of my way or take hits (-4, -8, etc.) to get in Trent this week.

It’s still easier to distribute the Trippier funds if you need money to get to a Salah/Son or upgrade your 3rd striker to a Solanke if you plan to hold Haaland for all this while.

With Haaland again, if he is confirmed out for longer (Till GW20), you can take him out and get in Alvarez. Man City have some decent games in those weeks and a cover in Alvarez looks straightforward. Or you go with one of Watkins/Solanke instead and get Haaland back post-GW20 by selling Salah/Son, as they will be missing PL games (because of AFCON/Asia Cup).

But if Haaland is only missing GW17 and returns for GW19, then a switch again to one of Watkins/Solanke this week and upgrading your 2nd striker, i.e. Nunez/Isak in GW19 to Haaland, may be the move. Here, you don’t miss out much as you are getting Haaland back in GW19.

The 3rd possible scenario is if Haaland is fine for GW17 itself. I don’t recommend selling Haaland in this situation, as he can do great damage even if Man City isn’t in top form.

Fund distribution is team-dependent, and I suggest doing it only if there is confirmed news about Haaland being out for a slightly longer term. You can get to Salah/Son if you still need to get them on your team. I would not recommend distributing to bring in players like Trent or even Saka this week.

Of course, it’s doubtful we will get a confirmed yes/no from Pep, but play out these scenarios in your mind and then take the Haaland decision.

That will be all from my side for this week! I wish you all the best for FPL Gameweek 17, and I will see you all next week.

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

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Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW17

FPL GW17 Scout Selection- Top Picks Based on Stats and Matchups
FPL Gameweek 17 Transfer Tips: Two Players To Buy, Hold & Sell
Top FPL Gameweek 17 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
Premier League Players who will miss PL due to AFCON
FPL GW17 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down Key Dilemmas
Top FPL GW17 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of Deadline
FPL GW17 Transfer Targets & Watchlist Based on Eye Test & Stats
What is FPL CUP? What are the rules? | 2023/24 FPL Cup Guide
FPL GW17 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More

Link to all our FPL GW17 blogs including buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!

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