The Fantasy Premier League deadline is approaching ahead of Gameweek four; Managers have until 11am on Saturday to make their transfers ahead of the opening game of the weekend between Wolves vs Liverpool; FPL expert Sam from FPL Family reveals her wildcard team
This time, FPL expert Sam from FPL Family answers the burning questions ahead of Saturday’s 11am deadline for Gameweek 5…
Sam from FPL family: I think if you own Jackson you have to keep the faith with him. His 15 attempts on goal are only bettered by two other forwards in the game and whilst he isn’t converting his chances currently, he is still having them.
With a fixture against a Bournemouth side that will likely play a high press, Jackson should get plenty of opportunities in GW5. I would give him another match because it could be the ideal fixture for him to improve his shot and goal-conversion tallies.
Which midfielders would you sell for Son?
Sam from FPL family: This is going to be a big decision for FPL managers. If managers have money in the bank and can move up some of their mid-priced midfielders then the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Kaoru Mitoma and even Gabriel Martinelli or Martin Odegaard could be sold for the Spurs captain. All of these assets have more difficult fixtures in the coming weeks and therefore you could invest in Son by sacrificing them.
For managers who have the double up of Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, selling one of the Man United midfielders could be a good strategy, especially as they face Brighton in GW5.
Is Kieran Trippier essential for the coming weeks and are any other Newcastle assets on your radar?
Sam from FPL family: I don’t think that we have seen anything from Trippier to suggest that he is essential. The Newcastle fixtures are swinging for the better but they have a horrible Champions League group that the fixtures are sandwiched between.
This could mean some rotation in the league especially in the games immediately preceding and following a Champions League fixture which is when you would want Trippier or Newcastle assets to play.
For example, Newcastle face Brentford in GW5 and Sheffield United in GW6 but in between they have a difficult trip to Milan. This could see rotation in GW6. I would invest in Sven Botman over Trippier and use the saved budget elsewhere.
I also really like the Alexander Isak pick but I worry about rotation with Callum Wilson in the coming weeks. Newcastle could be a difficult investment so I would spend less on the defence and make sure your third forward is a good pick just in case we see league rotation for Isak if you invest there.
What advice do you have for those with Phil Foden and/or Julian Alvarez?
Sam from FPL family: I am a Phil Foden owner and I am holding. He played well for England against Scotland and I think remains a key part of Pep’s team for GW5. Julian Alvarez I would also hold if I owned this week as he has been in excellent form.
Pep used to play Aguero on the back of long international trips and could do the same with Alvarez. Even if the forward doesn’t start I would expect him to come off the bench and therefore could still get points.
I don’t think I would buy either if I didn’t own this week though as there are other options that could be less risky and with a nicer fixture in Gameweek 5 such as Son, James Maddison, Moussa Diaby, Raheem Sterling, Ollie Watkins, Jackson or the Liverpool attackers.
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Who is the best captain for GW5?
Sam from FPL family: Most managers will go for Haaland. He braced away at West Ham in GW1 of last season but his away form isn’t as prolific as his form at the Etihad.
If I had Son this week I would hand him the armband because he’s playing as the No 9 in a very attacking Spurs side at home against a newly promoted side which is ideal.
I think I am going to captain James Maddison this week. The midfielder has four attacking returns in his first four Premier League matches for Spurs and his set-piece threat gives him an incredible route to points.
What would your wildcard team be?
Goalkeepers:
Ederson: Man City are one of only two teams to have kept two clean sheets so far this season. With rotation rife in the City defence and with the Champions League about to start, Ederson feels the best pick for Man City’s nice fixture run.
Areola: The West Ham man rotates nicely with Ederson, and at £4.1m he is a perfect budget enabler.
Defenders:
Saliba: Arsenal have a good run of fixtures and Saliba has shown already this season that he has potential for attacking returns. I think he is worth paying the extra over Gabriel.
Chilwell: Chelsea haven’t been great defensively but he plays so advanced that attacking returns look likely. He’d be in the squad for the next four weeks for Chelsea’s nice fixtures and then I would look to move him on.
Udogie: All the Spurs defenders are viable options. Udogie, Pedro Porro and Cristian Romero all registered attacking returns in GW4 and, with their advanced positions, they always look likely to bring in points. Rotation should be less of a risk too with no European football either.
Cash: The Aston Villa right-back has scored the joint-most goals among defenders along with Romero. He has also had the most attempts on goal with nine, seven of them from inside the box. His three big chances are also more than any other defender. Their fixtures are great too.
Kabore: Up until the double gameweek announcement this position had Botman or Trippier in it. After the double in GW7, I would move Kabore to a Newcastle defender but it makes sense to hold the Luton defender for the double especially as he is one of their more attacking defenders.
Midfielders:
Saka: Saka has had more touches in the final third (217) than any other midfielder. The next best is Enzo Fernandez with 171. Saka has created 14 chances so far, only Pascal Gross has created more. The Arsenal man is also top with Maddison and Mbeumo for successful corners taken.
Foden: The City midfielder has three attacking returns in three starts and a cameo – he didn’t start in GW3 because of illness. His seven attempts on goal and 12 chances created is the same as Alvarez and top across the City team. He has also taken five corners and had one goal attempt from set plays so far.
Son: Playing in the No 9 fundamentally changes his attractiveness in FPL. He is second best at Spurs for both xG and xA but three of the four matches were played out wide, so I would expect to see him top the xG stats at Spurs if he continues to play up front. He is the perfect out-of-position pick.
Maddison: Since the start of last season no midfielder has more Premier League goal contributions than Maddison. When you consider that last season he played for Leicester who scored 51 goals and Maddison played just 28 times and was directly involved in 19 of them, he already has four attacking returns for Spurs in four matches.
Diaby: The fixtures are really promising for Aston Villa all the way through to GW14. He has three attacking returns in four starts and his nine attempts on goal is just one less than Watkins. Diaby has also created seven chances, three of them big chances.
Haaland: The man picks himself. His hat trick in GW4 is a reminder to all FPL managers how vital he is to own.
Darwin: The Liverpool forward has nine attempts on goal so far despite only playing 132 minutes. In that time he has returned two goals and two assists. The Liverpool man has lovely fixtures and I would expect to start in GW5 with Luis Diaz not playing his international fixture until 3am on Wednesday and Liverpool having the early fixture.
Archer: The budget forward got the start on his first game available for Sheffield United registering 12 points from a goal, assist and all three bonus points. He is also probably the only player from this front eight who is benchable.
AI predicts best wildcard team from GW5
We’ve used Fantasy Football Hub’s powerful AI Points Predictions to generate the best FPL wildcard team from Gameweek 5 and beyond.
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