Seven-time top 10k finisher Zophar takes questions from the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) community ahead of Gameweek 35.
Q: What’s your opinion on the Aston Villa assets for their great run (barring Gameweek 38)? I have one Free Hit and plan to use it in Gameweek 37 where I can get triple Aston Villa. (@FPL_Rony)
A: Aston Villa are ranked top of the Fantasy Football Scout Fixture Ticker for Gameweeks 35-37 and while they failed to score against Leicester City, they did create some good chances which they would have easily converted on another day. They have great options available in all three Fantasy positions, so let’s have a look at their numbers over their last six matches:
In attack, Ollie Watkins (£7.4m) looks the best pick with his expected goal involvement (xGI) figure of 2.77 – not to mention his game-time – significantly better than second-placed Danny Ings (£7.7m). The former was also praised by Steven Gerrard recently and is the Villa attacker most secure for minutes over the rest of the season. Ings’ place in the team remains a bit iffy.
In midfield, Philippe Coutinho (£7.0m) has taken on more of a creative role with his 10 chances created top amongst Villa players. He is not shooting as much, with just four attempts in the box over their last six matches, and none of these efforts were big chances. Even Villa come off the period of an extended break due to a Blank Gameweek 33, I am slightly worried about the Brazilian’s minutes when his side have back-to-back midweek fixtures in Gameweeks 36 and 37. Even if he does start all of them, he is often substituted early. Jacob Ramsey (£4.7m) looks to be an excellent enabler but is not attacking as much as he did when Gerrard first took the helm.
In defence, Matty Cash (£5.2m) is the undisputed pick. The full-back has managed four shots on target across his last six starts, two of which were big chances. He has only created three chances though so while assists might be hard to come by, the higher upside of a goal is worth chasing.
Q: For those that punted on Raheem Sterling on a Wildcard with the idea to move to Son Heung-min, should that plan stay? Or is it better to bank a free transfer for Gameweek 36? (@MSkeadas)
A: This is a very tricky situation to be in. Tottenham Hotspur have failed to register a single shot on target across their last two matches but with the Foxes having their eye on European commitments, the London side should have plenty of opportunities to put that right. I think that Spurs assets are possibly the best picks for captaincy this week with Liverpool playing in-form Newcastle United. This would be even more true if Bukayo Saka (£6.8m) is ruled out for the weekend game against West Ham United.
Jesse Marsch said after the match against Crystal Palace that his side would not sit back against Manchester City and would instead take the game to them, which means that goals could be on the cards at Elland Road. Raheem Sterling (£10.5m) was rested midweek and should start against Leeds but his game-time again for Gameweeks 36/37 becomes a risk. So despite the risk of a Sterling haul, I would still move him on for Son as you get a captain pick for this week as well as a reliable starter for Double Gameweek 36.
Q: Who is the best budget fifth starting defender to own (£5.0m or less), if we’ve gone for a ‘big at the back’ strategy for the other four defender spots? (@Hobbes3103)
A: Spurs have some interesting options at budget prices: Ryan Sessegnon (£4.3m) started the game against Brentford but with Sergio Reguilon (£5.1m) lurking about, I wouldn’t feel secure going there. Emerson Royal (£4.5m) has been very poor as well and I feel he could lose his spot anytime with either Dejan Kulusevski (£6.4m) or Lucas Moura (£5.9m) playing at right-wing back. So my pick would be the reliable Ben Davies at just £4.4m. He offers a bit of goal threat himself from set pieces and open play and is a very reliable starter for the season run-in.
There are other options, too. Nathaniel Clyne (£4.3m) is starting games regularly if you need to save some more cash. Joel Veltman (£4.2m) also seems to be getting regular minutes and Brighton are always a decent shout for a clean sheet.
Q: Should I sell Harvey Barnes or Raphinha? I am looking to bring in Phillipe Coutinho or Phil Foden (@joshua___tan)
A: Harvey Barnes’ (£6.6m) game-time is very difficult to predict going forward and his minutes in the two doubles (Gameweeks 36/37) are going to be largely dependent on whether Leicester progress against Roma in the Europa Conference League. Jamie Carragher did a segment on Jesse Marsch’s new tactics on Monday Night Football where he mentioned how Raphinha (£6.4m) is playing a much narrower role, almost as a number 10, rather than playing out wide. Marsch emphasised this again in his post-match conference, talking about how he sees the wide guys as number 10s and almost as forwards, rather than wingers.
We can only score points from our FPL assets if they are on the pitch so though Leeds’ fixtures are difficult, I would keep Raphinha over Barnes.
Q: Who are the best budget forwards (Eddie Nketiah, Teemu Pukki, Emmanuel Dennis etc)? (@TechXEO)
A: Before talking about the credentials of the players themselves, I want to discuss motivation for the teams that the aforementioned players play for. Norwich and Watford are as good as relegated and I think there is a big chance that their performances drop off even further towards the last couple of Gameweeks. Arsenal, by contrast, are likely to be fighting till the last day of the season to secure Champions League football, unless Spurs tail off significantly.
I have been very impressed with Eddie Nketiah (£5.5m), and I think Arsenal are a much better team with the youngster leading the line over Alexandre Lacazette (£8.2m). He offers an ability to run in behind the defence which Lacazette sorely lacks and also has demonstrated excellent link-up play and pressing off the ball, which was the weakest part of his game. Mikel Arteta usually doesn’t change a winning team and with Lacazette going public with his desire for a move, I think the spot is Nketiah’s to lose. However, this is performance-dependent of course and a poor showing from the rookie could see him lose his shirt to his positional rival. For now, I think Arteta will show faith.
Watford do have a decent run of fixtures with three home matches in the next three Gameweeks and I think Emmanuel Dennis (£5.8m) is worth considering. It’s a close call between him and Teemu Pukki (£6.0m) but I think I marginally favour the Nigerian. My order of preference would be: Nketiah, Dennis, Pukki.
Q: Who is the best Man City midfield option, apart from Kevin De Bruyne, for the remaining four Gameweeks? (@fpl_Krrish)
A: It has to be Phil Foden (£7.8m), in my opinion. Prior to his rest in Gameweek 34, he had started 11 consecutive league games for Manchester City and was impressive even against Real Madrid in midweek when playing on the wing. His versatility allows him to feature in different positions and the price is also one where he doesn’t cripple the rest of your team.
2 years, 6 months agoWith far too many hits, my plan is to field this for 36. Marks out of 10?
Allison
Robertson / Cancelo / Laporte / Cash
Salah / KDB / Saka / Coutinho
Nketiah / Pukki