21 Nov, 2024

Game Week 12: Sam FPL’s Key Questions

Finally, the internationals are over, and there isn’t another international break until March after GW29. We also have 9 game weeks in 40 days that begin with GW12, so my advice is to remain flexible with the quick turnaround and pay more attention to this period, as it will significantly affect your FPL season.

A hectic schedule will result in some rotations in addition to injuries. You should simply avoid any injury-prone assets or players with low expected minutes. This is why I may prefer Bruno Fernandes over De Bruyne for the festive period.

Alexander-Arnold replacements

Unfortunately, the most expensive defender in Fantasy was injured last game week and couldn’t get clean sheet points when Liverpool beat Aston Villa at Anfield. He is doubtful for Southampton, and I don’t think Slot will risk him before the games against Madrid and City. He faces Man City and Newcastle in game weeks 13 and 14, respectively, which puts me off.

His teammate Konate and Gabriel are the two obvious replacements for him. If your budget and transfer plans can’t afford them, you can downgrade him to a 4.7 defender such as Ait-Nouri or L. Digne, or even go for cheaper assets priced at 4.5m or less like Hall, Colwill, or Van Hecke. All the above-mentioned picks have a good schedule and are first-choice options for their teams. Digne and Nouri have huge attacking threats and are worth the extra cash.

My Haaland and Solanke replacements

The change in bonus points this season has enabled forwards to earn bonus points more frequently when they score goals, and some of the cheap forwards are much higher-scoring than in previous seasons. We can see this by finding Wood and Welbeck in the top 3 forwards for the first 11 game weeks of the season. I think downgrading Haaland and Solanke to cheaper forwards isn’t a bad idea at all if you need the funds to add a premium midfielder such as Salah or Palmer.

Pedro is one of my targets. His manager praised him following his comeback from injury, and his goal and assist helped the team beat City. He is their key player and leader, taking penalties, and his minutes shouldn’t be an issue.

Isak or Jackson?

My initial plan was to bring in Jackson for the next 3 weeks before switching to Isak in GW15, as Chelsea has very tempting fixtures in these 3 game weeks, facing 2 newly promoted sides. I’ve observed that GW14 is going to be in the midweek, and Jackson’s minutes will likely be reduced. The second observation is that Jackson has already been yellow-carded 4 times and is 1 card away from suspension. I think it’s wise to target the safer Isak, who is in decent form and also has the penalty-taking advantage.

Wildcard 12 foundations

Fabianski, the Polish goalkeeper, has proven that he is the best 4.0 GK in the game with his 3 consecutive starts and 9 points in game week 11.

Gabriel is a great pick for his huge threat at set pieces; his 11 shots in the box lead the team. Arsenal is primarily a defence-first team, yet they still offer excellent investments given that the more difficult games are mostly behind them.

In midfield, it is hardly necessary to explain Salah’s inclusion as the Reds’ top scorer and captain in roughly every game week. Second, Cole Palmer may be the best-value premium because he is maintaining his performance from the previous season. In the upcoming five GWs, he is a solid choice for captaincy. Semenyo or Rogers, who are more reasonably priced, will also be included.

No forward is essential, but it looks like you should get 2 out of Isak, Jackson, Pedro, and Cunha.

What to do with Wood?

Since the previous season, Wood has been one of the most reliable and clinical assets. Although he blanked last game week, he is still the second top-scoring forward, thanks to his 8 goals! Sadly, Wood’s track record against superior opponents indicates that he might find it difficult to sustain his recent performance when he plays Arsenal, City, and United over the next four weeks.

If you’re a non-owner, you should prioritize Cunha, Pedro, and Welbeck over him for this price tag. But regarding his owners in GW12, I’m leaning towards benching him for Semenyo and Rogers, who rotate perfectly with him over these tough fixtures. If you own both Semenyo and Rogers as 7th and 8th attackers, you can easily start them ahead of Wood in GW12 and GW14, as shown in the fixture ticker below.

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By: SamFPL

Last Updated: 21/11