Pro Pundits

FPL Gameweek 26 Wildcard tips: Maddison, Kane + the Free Hit

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Here, two-time Indian FPL champion Lateriser talks us through some Wildcard thoughts.

The FFS Pro Pundits 34

So just like most managers, I’ve deployed the Wildcard. It is just how the chips fell for me, having no players from Brighton and Hove Albion or Brentford. Owning players like Eddie Nketiah (£6.7m), James Tarkowski (£4.4m) and Hugo Bueno (£3.9m) didn’t help either and for my team, it just made sense to hit the Wildcard button.

THINK BEFORE WILDCARDING

FPL review: Bueno benched, Tete terrific, "never" sub Mitoma

I do want to mention that every team doesn’t need to Wildcard in Gameweek 26. Just because you see a ton of Wildcards being deployed elsewhere, it isn’t fully necessary to activate the chip. Managers who already have two to three players from Brighton and Brentford and maybe have a Harry Kane (£11.7m) in place can very much postpone using the Wildcard to a later stage (anywhere between Gameweek 28 to 33, based on your team).

THE TEDIOUS TEMPLATE?

FPL review: Goals for Martinelli, Salah, Saka + Odegaard 4

Now while building my Wildcard squad, one thing I didn’t enjoy was that I very much felt handcuffed as my team was dictated by how the schedule landed. That said, there are a few places to get creative or keep an open mind.

When we’re long-term planning, we make a lot of assumptions about how things will be one month down the line. Simply put, it just isn’t going to be the case. As my fellow Pro Pundit Pras pointed out on the excellent Burning Questions stream this week, only a month ago, people were selling Gabriel Martinelli (£6.5m) for Nketiah and here we are today potentially looking to reverse the same move. Things change in FPL and it is a very dynamic game. If it was so predictive that you can smoothly plan until later in the season, we wouldn’t enjoy it as much and wouldn’t be playing it.

There are a lot of ways in which the chalk FPL Gameweek 26 Wildcard squad picks itself and there are really not many reasons to divert in a different direction. Just because of how the cards have fallen with fixtures, the route pretty much sorts itself. But there are a few important things I want to point out.

MADDISON + UNDERREPRESENTED CLUBS

Which Leicester players should we have?

When I look at people forward planning their team in Gameweek 29, there isn’t much representation from Manchester United, Chelsea, Leicester City or West Ham United – and all of those teams, on paper, have very strong-looking Double Gameweeks. We might instead be handcuffed by players from Brentford and it is worth weighing up whether in the quest to optimize the ‘volume’ of players until Gameweek 29, are you giving up on some obvious quality and upside? That is the decision for you to make, especially when you consider that Manchester United have a likely double in Gameweek 34 in addition to Gameweek 29. Leicester also have good follow-up fixtures before and after Double Gameweek 29.

Keeping that in mind, I am trying to find a way to shoehorn James Maddison (£8.1m) into my team, as the England international has pretty much been averaging a return a game in the last year. I do think that Leicester City have found the right balance with Maddison, Harvey Barnes (£6.7m), Kelechi Iheanacho (£6.2m) and Tete (£5.5m) as their front four and if they play together, there are goals in that team. It comes at the cost of an Arsenal midfielder or an extra transfer, though, so this is something I am going to have to weigh up.

KANE A NO-BRAINER

FPL Gameweek 19: Wednesday's goals, assists, bonus and statistics

The likes of Marcus Rashford (£7.3m), Ivan Toney (£7.6m), Kane, Erling Haaland (£12.2m) and Bukayo Saka (£8.5m) pick themselves, for me, given the immediate fixtures. I really wanted to punt on a Chelsea attacker given their next four home matches (Leeds United, Everton, Aston Villa and Liverpool) but I’m not willing to chance and roll that dice against Kane, who plays travel-sick Nottingham Forest at home in Gameweek 27 and Southampton away in Gameweek 28. It might be a blessing in disguise, though, as we can monitor potential strikers from Leicester City, Chelsea and West Ham United before jumping on the right one, should we feel like doing so in Gameweek 28 or 29.

FREE HIT IN GAMEWEEK 32?

FPL Gameweek 22 Scout Picks:

Given that Manchester United and Brighton and Hove Albion probably won’t play in Gameweek 32, it is very likely that we might deploy the Free Hit chip in that round of matches. In Gameweek 32, Arsenal play Southampton at home and Liverpool face Nottingham Forest at Anfield, so there are some attractive picks up for the taking.

The fixtures for the Gunners after Gameweek 32 are Manchester City (away), Chelsea (home) and Newcastle United (away), so it’s worth thinking about the (ballsy/risky) strategy of losing some Arsenal assets from Gameweek 29 onwards, knowing that you’ve got coverage for their very attractive Gameweek 32 fixture against Southampton at home.

Manchester United and Brighton are likely to have attractive doubles in Gameweek 34, which means you want to hold onto them during Gameweek 32 when they blank.


These are perhaps a few strategic factors to consider while you build your Gameweek 26 Wildcard draft. I hope it helps and I wish you all the best with your tinkering.

We discuss the Wildcard in a monster pod which stretches to almost two hours in our current episode of The FPL Wire, which you can view below:



892 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Fernandito
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Kepa Raya
    Trippier Schar Estu Henry Zinc
    Saka Martinelli Rashford March Mitoma
    Kane Haaland Toney

    A Raya & Mitoma
    B Sanchez & Maddison

  2. Jet5605
    • 10 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Morning all, 1 FT and 0.8 ITB. All chips available. Will WC this week or next. 27 means more info next week

    A - Gakpo & Nketiah > Ode & Mbeumo for -4
    B - WC now

    Kepa
    TAA - Trippier - Gabriel
    Almiron - Saka - Rash - Salah - Gakpo
    Haaland - Nketiah

    Ward - Shaw - Tark - Greenwood

    1. Lingard’s Shin Guards
      • 5 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      nketiah, triple liverpool, trippier and almiron starting against city, ward = wildcard

      1. Tasty Jerk
        • 12 Years
        1 year, 8 months ago

        ^This

  3. Hotdogs for Tea
    • 9 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Is there likely to be early Man City team news before the deadline ? and is it likely to be reliable ?

    1. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      there's no regular leaker specifically for Man City but Team News and Ticks might get it.

      1. Hotdogs for Tea
        • 9 Years
        1 year, 8 months ago

        Thanks

  4. Clueless_91
    • 5 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Play or hold the WC? Not sure what moves I could make next week

    Ward
    Estupinan Trippier Tarkowski
    Salah Saka Rashford Martinelli
    Toney Kane Haaland

    Iverson Bueno Perraud Perreira

    1. Mr. O'Connell
      • 12 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      You've already got the template WC midfield less a Brighton player.

      Defence is also fine for this week.

      1. Clueless_91
        • 5 Years
        1 year, 8 months ago

        Thanks - what would you do next week? tempted to hold WC for a few weeks yet

      2. AC/DC AFC
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        1 year, 8 months ago

        isn't that the template front 3 too?

    2. jammie26
      • 3 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      No need to WC here imo.

    3. bitm2007
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      Not much wrong with that. WC next GW, Tark out if you've got an FT to burn.

      1. Clueless_91
        • 5 Years
        1 year, 8 months ago

        Sadly no transfer to burn, thinking of holding the WC, and taking a -4 next week (Salah, Bueno - Mitoma, Mee) freeing up some funds going forward

  5. mr messi
    • 14 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Henry or Mee?

  6. Mr. O'Connell
    • 12 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    WC in 28 and loading up on non-Potter Chelsea assets could be a game-changer

    1. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      just free hit around it.

  7. The Count of Monte Cristo
    • 12 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Thinking A for this week? I like C but benching headache…

    A) Darwin + Bueno —> Watkins + Estupiñan
    B) TAA + Andreas —> Estupiñan + Mitóma
    C) Darwin + Andreas —> Watkins + Mitoma

    Toney is my only BRE/BRI player ATM

  8. Jet5605
    • 10 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Leaning towards WC in 27 so who is the best one week punt striker for 26? 8.8m budget.

    A - Watkins
    B - Toney
    C - Other?

    1. ididnt
      • 13 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      A

  9. BobbyDoesNotLook
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Play Trippier or Brentford def?

  10. Thanos
    • 3 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Which GW is Jesus most likely to be back?

  11. Littlebitwizardoföz
    • 12 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Morning - set team on WC and now feeling like some tinkering. As a long term pick, would you go for:

    (a) Newcastle def (currently on Botman); or
    (b) Spurs def (Davies or Royal)

    Spurs def isn't template but you can't argue against their form and fixtures. No Spurs double in GW29. I wouldn't play this 5th defender until next week, so can discount Newcastle having City away in GW26.

    Any thoughts appreciated.

  12. Mornar Bar
    • 4 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Kepa
    Robertson Trippier White
    Mahrez Saka Ode Rashford
    Haaland Kane Felix
    Ward Shaw Summerville Bueno

    Would you WC this or save WC for one of the upcoming GWs? I have 1FT, 0.3m in the bank.

    1. Krafty Werks
      • 10 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      Defo WC for me.

  13. MHG
    • 7 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Tempted to pick Mahrez over Maddison on a WC.
    Feel I need a City asset in a team awash with lower ranked Clubs to manage DGW and BW
    Foolish?

  14. GoonerSteve
    • 15 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Salah in a 3-5-2 or Toney in a 3-4-3?

    Salah, Saka, Odegard, Martinelli, Rashford
    Kane Haaland

    Or

    Or Kane Haaland Toney and no Salah.

    1. Jebiga
      • 12 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      For utd salah

  15. Jebiga
    • 12 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Play pinnock or mings?

  16. Krafty Werks
    • 10 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    WC locked and loaded & plans (if they hold up sketched til GW33)...we move!!

    Kepa
    Zinchenko / Mee / Estupinan
    Saka / Odegaard / Rashford / March
    Haaland / Kane / Toney

    Raya, Mitoma, Trippier, Schar

    1. Jebiga
      • 12 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      What if salah score a hatty against united ? 🙂

      1. The Ilfordian
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        1 year, 8 months ago

        I’m not sure that’s likely but 3 goals over the next two could get people thinking

      2. Krafty Werks
        • 10 Years
        1 year, 8 months ago

        LMAO, what if TAA gets 3 assists and a goal too? Unlikely, Salah might get one goal but that'll be it!! All about forward planning now my friend?!

  17. sthelenslad92
    • 9 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Start Mitoma or March?

    1. Krafty Werks
      • 10 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      Heads or tails?

    2. THAT'S LIFE
      • 11 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      Im going Mitoma purely on ownership

  18. Gazzpfc
    • 8 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Kepa
    Zinchenko Mee Estupanan
    Maddison Martinelli Saka Rashford
    Haaland Kane Toney

    Ward Mitoma James Trippier

    -20 but set up up until 29

    1. jammie26
      • 3 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      You took a -20 ?????

  19. niaz1982
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Top captain choice this week?

    1. Hy liverpool
      • 10 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      Iheanacho.

  20. Spiceyduck
    • 1 Year
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Kepa

    Zinchenko Emerson Tark

    Saka Martinelli Rashford Mahrez

    Haaland Kane Nunez

    Ward, Tripps , Robertson , March

    1FT , 0.6ITB

    I was thinking WC next week, what do you guys think?

    If I don’t I’m debating who to bring in for this GW.
    A) Mahrez > Maddison /Barnes
    B) Nunez > Iheanacho
    C) Nunez > Watkins
    D) Wildcard this week

    Thanks in advance folks

  21. gkoc
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 3 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Gonna go Maddison and double Brighton defence instead of double Brentford defence and March/Mitoma. Maybe it's not better for next week, but think that it's better for 29 and beyond. Just undecided who to go for, March or Mitoma..

    1. Hy liverpool
      • 10 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      Mac allister?

      1. gkoc
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 3 Years
        1 year, 8 months ago

        Not really interested in him, think the wingers are far better options with defined roles that aren't going to change.

        1. Hy liverpool
          • 10 Years
          1 year, 8 months ago

          March for me then.

  22. Jebiga
    • 12 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Play mings or pinnock ?

    1. Hy liverpool
      • 10 Years
      1 year, 8 months ago

      Mings.

  23. Jebiga
    • 12 Years
    1 year, 8 months ago

    Haland or saka for captain ?