Gameweek 11 – Best Teams and Players to Target in FPL

With the exciting GW12 pivot just round the corner, and many players falling out of favour and back in, GW11 profiles as a pivotal section in the season. Leaders are pulling away, templates are emerging and fixtures are turning. Here’s how to maximise the fixture turns and take advantage of the GW12 pivot.

Also make sure you check out our Predicted Line-Ups Hub before making any moves to ensure all players you target will be fit and ready to go.

Also if like me, you are stuck still needing to chase rank, then make doubly sure to check out BigManBakar’s Best GW11 Differentials. Happy hunting!

Without further ado, we present the best teams and players to target over the upcoming fixture stretch:

Crystal Palace

Despite only scoring 14 goals in 10 games, which to be fair isn’t even that bad, Palace top the Premier League Table for xG. Their attack is the sleeping giant of the Premier League.

They are about to face 4 of the worst 8 defences for xGA in their next 5, and have a plethora of both defensive and attacking talent to pick from. The hard bit will not be trusting Palace assets, it will be deciding between them.

Nonetheless, we have managed to pick our favourites:

1. Daniel Munoz – If you’ve read anything I’ve written since GW1, you’ll know my love for Munoz. Fantastic attacking threat, decent Defcon potential and with these fixtures, great clean sheet potential.
2. Jean-Philippe Mateta – Sitting 2^nd only to Haaland with a whopping 0.9xGI per 90. With other options at striker seemingly deprecaitating. Gyokeres, JP, Woltemade etc. Mateta should be at the top of everyones shopping list.
3. Chris Richards – We round out our favourite Palace assets with the 3.3% owned Chris Richards. Costing only £4.5m, averaging 10.5 DefCons a game, averaging 0.12 xGI per 90, and coming into a fantastic set of fixtures. Richards is a fantastic differential option at the £4.5m mark.

Honourable Mentions: Sarr & Pino.

Liverpool

No one has enjoyed Liverpool’s downfall more than me these past few weeks. However, the wind is about to blow very strongly in the other direction. There is not a single team in the league with a better set of 10 fixtures than Liverpool from GW10 onwards. Tripling up will likely be an inevitability.

Now even though there are a lot of questions marks surrounding Liverpool, there are no doubt some fantastic assets to target over that stretch.

1. Virgil Van Dijk – 2nd among all defenders for DefCons, there is not much more that needs to be said about Virgil’s FPL value. He encapsulates the CS + DefCon winning combo, and sprinkles in an ever present set piece threat.
2. Dominik Szoboszlai – Averaging a whopping 12 DefCons per game, Szobo comes in at our number 3. Averaging 0.36 xGI in his last 5, against tricky opposition. The stage is set for Szobo to bag some serious returns against way easier opposition. He may however find himself at RB at times so make sure you check in with our Predicted Line-Ups hub.
3. Cody Gakpo – With an even higher xGI than Salah this season at 0.57, Gakpo finds himself in our number 3 spot. He is talented and greedy, which is a combination which often bodes well for FPL. Considering his goal threat and relatively low ownership percentage of 13.9%, he profiles as a fantastic option. He also looks locked into starting as the only true actual left winger at the club (Wirtz isn’t, argue with yourselves). So while Ekitike and Wirtz could be options on the left, while Isak is out injured I still think Gakpo gets the majority of those LW minutes.
4. Mohamed Salah – With 2 in his last 2, its safe to say the Egyptian has definitely not fallen off a cliff. He still has 6 returns in 10 games, and is locked into 90 mins a game. He has hit form again just in time for Liverpool’s best run of the season. He may also be a differential among elite managers so could be a great option to gain rank and a great captaincy option.
5. Hugo Ekitike – I am all in on Ekitike and think his time has come. The 2nd best striker in the premier league can no longer be ignored. When he’s on the pitch he is as good an option as any. There is however just the unfortunate rotation risk, which is why he finds himself at 5. What a waste…

Honourable Mentions: Gravenberch & Konate.

Man United

It feels weird referring to Man United as a Cinderella story, but also quite appropriate. They started the season terribly and were being crucified in the media following some poor results including a loss to Grimsby. However since then the turnaround has been fantastic. Sitting top 5 for goals scored and top 3 for xG, its safe to say Man United (Attack only for FPL) are back. Don’t touch their defence though.

Here are the best options:

1. Bruno Fernandes – One of my favourite and most underrated FPL options is non other than Bruno Fernansh. The man just has so many routes to points. 0.62 xGI per 90, 10.72 DefCons per 90, bonus point magnet and Everton, Wolves and West Ham in their next 5. If he’d scored those pens we’d likely be discussing him very differently.
2. Bryan Mbuemo – Mbuemo has provided the exact spark that Amorim teams had been missing. He combines a high xGI per 90 of 0.57 with lethal finishing ability. An excellent option for those looking to move over from a Salah.
3. Matheus Cunha – Another great option who is slightly cheaper and far less owned than Mbuemo at only 4.4% is Matheus Cunha. Despite currently producing lower returns, he has now strung together 3 starts in a row and could be a great differential alternative for those without the funds to reach Mbuemo or Fernandes. We also don’t mind a United double up at the moment.

 

Brighton

Our final great team to target right now is Brighton.  After Liverpool, Brighton also find themselves with one of the best 10 fixture stretches in the league. With only 1 loss in their last 6, they have also come into some great form, punctuated by wins against Newcastle and Chelsea. Scoring only 1 less goal than the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, its safe to say the Brighton attack is purring right now.

But most importantly, their assets are incredible value, so could really enable those big moves to assets like Liverpool players.

Here are our favourites:

1. Yankuba Minteh – Minteh has made a mockery out of his price tag of late with 6 returns in his last 7 games. All at a very healthy xGI of 0.38 per 90. The upcoming fixtures are fantastic, his minutes are safe as houses, has only 4.5% ownership and costs only £6m What’s not to love?
2. Jan Paul Van Hecke – If you’ve read anything else I’ve been saying the last few weeks, it’s how much I love Van Hecke as an option. Their early season fixtures were torrid and I mentioned clean sheets were due with the upcoming fixtures, and lo and behold, one arrived. The man is averaging around 11 DefCons a game in his last 7 games as well so hits the sweet spot of CS potential and DefCon potential for only £4.4m and an ownership percentage of 1.4%.
3. Danny Welbeck – Speaking of attacking returns (Minteh not Van Hecke obvs), Welbeck rounds out our favourite Brighton assets. Another man making a mockery of his Fantasy value, Welbeck has now scored 6 in his last 5, including a brace against both Newcastle and Chelsea. Carrying a healthy xGI of 0.67 into these great fixtures, Welbeck is as good an option as any up top right now. A seriously slept on asset at only 8% ownership.

 

Whether you need punchy premium assets or fantastic enablers, it is hard to go wrong with any players from these teams.

Remember to check out our Game Week Tips segment for more great advice on all GW11 related decisions. Good Luck with those green arrows.