FPL GW18 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down Key Dilemmas

Welcome to Insanely Football’s Tips and Dilemmas blog for GW18 of the FPL 2022/23 season. This blog will break down all the popular Dilemmas FPL managers have this week and help you maximize your points for FPL GW18.

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Link to all our FPL GW18 blogs including Fixtures to target, Predicted GW18 Lineups, Differentials, Captaincy metrics, transfer trends, and more. Completely free to access as well!

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

FPL GW18 Tips – Preview and Dilemmas Answered

1) Is it wise to save a transfer this week?

Avoiding making forced transfers early on can be crucial at the FPL restart. If you believe your team is in good shape and there aren’t any major issues to solve, saving a transfer is a right call.

We’ve just had one round of fixtures played in the Premier League after the World Cup. You can only draw so many conclusions from one gameweek. It’s always better to be patient and get as much information as possible before making your moves. g

Right now, no game-changing transfer trends are emerging apart from getting already popular players like Haaland, Trippier or even one of Salah/KDB. 

Unless you have picked another defender at the risk of not starting in GW18, and you don’t even have enough bench cover for Reece James, you can save the transfer. This will give you two free transfers for Gameweek 19 and one additional gameweek worth of information which could be vital. 

If you have players like Nunez, Martial or even Wilson in attack, they are worth holding for me. Still, suppose you are afraid of not having Mitrovic against Southampton and are planning to get him for the Double Gameweek soon. In that case, that is a transfer to look at for your team.

There is no right or wrong answer here, as there is no one way of playing FPL. It depends on how comfortable you are with your team this week and how much risk you are okay taking. If any player would improve your overall squad, lock in that transfer before the deadline. 

2) Who are the best replacements for Reece James Ahead of FPL GW18?

Reece James has had a tough season, getting injured in Gameweek 10 and missing out on the World Cup. He would have hoped for a better return but got injured in Gameweek 17 against Bournemouth and is likely to be out for a month. Now, the question comes: who are the best replacements in defence?

If you don’t have players like Cancelo and Trippier, they should be a priority. Trippier is the best value defender in the game, already 32 points clear of the following best points scorer, Saliba from Arsenal. Cancelo, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same returns as Trippier but still ranks 5th among all defenders for points this season. 

The third option is to look at teams like Man United and Arsenal. They have some great, slightly cheaper options that are high value and can act as great Reece James replacements.

I am starting with Arsenal, who has Ben White as a >£5m defender pick. He is slightly cheaper than Saliba and Gabriel, and I feel it is worth saving the extra £0.5-0.6m with him. The fixtures are somewhat tricky for Arsenal, though. The next four include BHA(A), NEW(H), TOT(A), and MUN(H).

The alternate is to go for Luke Shaw from Man United. The following two fixtures are WOL(A) and BOU(H) before a tricky set of games of ARS and MCI. Post that, the fixtures get better, so it’s easily a longer-term move. 

If you are looking at another alternate option, you can target Sven Botman (£4.4m) from Newcastle. He is an excellent double-up option with Trippier, as you are getting a cheap defender from the best defence in the league. 

I wouldn’t say I like the other Chelsea options much, as some level of rotation is expected in the coming games. Also, James’s appeal was mainly for his attacking threat, which players like Cucurella and Azpilicueta do not have. I will look elsewhere for more nailed and attacking options. 

Further Read: Best Reece James Replacements ahead of FPL GW18 (With ranking)

3) Should we sell Phil Foden in GW18?

FPL managers who went with Foden were frustrated as the Man City attacker was benched again by Pep Guardiola in Gameweek 17. There will be some respite at least, as KDB, despite starting, just scored two points and blanked against Leeds. 

I expect Foden to start at least one of the following two games, considering it’s a short turnaround time between matches. Still, it is always a risk with Pep Roulette.

If you want to play safe, you can go for Bukayo Saka from Arsenal, who looks like the attacker to target from the Gunners. The other option is to go cheaper with options like Rashford, Martinelli/Odegaard or even Almiron if you are looking for some serious value in midfield.

The issue with this move is that you expose your midfield with no players from Man City, possibly the best attack in the league right now. Plus, they have a double gameweek in GW20 and 23. When looking at Man City midfielders, I will still prefer KDB, but if it is not easy to get to him, I’d suggest you hold Foden to cover off the Man City attack. 

It’s a personal choice, but I would hold Foden for a couple of gameweeks before making any required switch. 

Further Read: FPL Gameweek 18 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold & Sell

4) Which are the forwards to go for FPL GW18 and beyond?

Assuming that everyone has Haaland as one of the strikers in their teams, the real competition is for the other two spots. It’s an excellent strategy to play with three strikers up top. It reduces your ability to play five across midfield or, most likely, a back four. Because of this, you must ensure this third striker outscored players in those two positions. So you have to pick and choose carefully. 

There are a couple of strategies in play here. If you want to go safe, then a combination of Kane/Nunez and Mitrovic is the one for you. You are investing some extra funds with Kane, but he has been in great form and is the 2nd highest points scorer among forwards. 

If your team balance takes a hit, you can avoid Kane and go with Darwin Nunez. Many managers who went for the same move are considering selling him. It’s rushed. His performance against Villa was good. The only thing missing from it was FPL returns. We know he gets big chances for fun; sooner rather than later, he will convert those big chances and give us massive points hauls. 

Be patient and experiment with the third striker spot. Mitrovic is one to consider here. A lot of managers sold him on the FPL restart. He punished his sellers and came away with a double-digit haul in GW17. It was against a 9-man Palace side, but is it worth getting him in for GW18? 

If you have Wilson, the decision is slightly easier. Wilson is struggling to remain fit, and I am confident he can’t start consecutive games in such a short period. So you can easily switch Wilson to Mitrovic despite the risk that he can get suspended for a match and may miss out on one of the games in Double Gameweek 19. (on four yellow cards for the season)

If Martial is your third striker, the decision becomes tricky. He has good fixtures in GW18 and 19 and can score a good chunk of points. One thing to note is that Martial will likely play fewer minutes than Mitrovic because of his fitness levels. It is about how much risk you are willing to take for your team. 

Mitrovic feels like the higher ceiling move but comes at the risk of missing out on a game. I have Martial as my 3rd striker option, and I am willing to give it one more week to get more information. Wating out will help me get additional information crucial to understanding to decide if Mitrovic is a legit pick for GW19. 

That will be all from my side for this week! All the best for Gameweek 18, and I will see you next week.

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

Check out my ‘Team Selection’ for Gameweek 18!

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW18

FPL GW18 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More
FPL GW18 Tips – Transfer Trends and Best Transfer Combinations
Top FPL Gameweek 18 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
Best Reece James Replacements ahead of FPL GW18
FPL GW18 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down Key Dilemmas
FPL Gameweek 18 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold & Sell
FPL GW18 Scout Picks with Justifcation Based on Stats
FPL GW18 Differential Picks to Consider | FPL GW18 Preview
Predicted GW18 Lineups of All 20 Premier League Teams
Players close to a suspension ahead of FPL GW18

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