FPL Tips GW17 to GW19

Welcome to FPL Tips GW17 to GW19

Christmas Craziness is upon us! Basically a match a day, four gameweeks over 16 days. I love this time of year for just watching football but it is a difficult time of year for FPL! FPL Managers have to deal with injuries popping up, rotation from the likes of Pep or just being too hungover to make the next deadline!

We know you can use all the help you can get so we have combined some of the thoughts from OddDane, JamieMc and MattX. Our three not-so wise men! Will they lead you to glory by following a star or lead you to a steaming pile of donkey doo-doo? You can decide and let us know in GW20 when the dust settles!

OddDane – Rearguarders

Another week is upon us and it’s time to spin the wheel of scarce clean sheets to see if you get the joker clean sheet of the week. Don’t worry, you won’t. Unless, of course, you’re facing yours truly in H2H then amazingly your entire XI gets one…

Anyway, those clean sheets are what those goalkeepers and defenders are meant to get away with from time to time, so before we go any further, let’s round up the fixtures by likelihood of a clean sheet. Probably the list goes as; Arsenal away (vs CRY), Fulham home (vs SOU), Chelsea away (vs EVE), Newcastle away (vs IPS) and then maybe the two Manchesters or even Bees or Liverpool but these feel less likely.

Then we have the coming two weeks, well here Liverpool looks decent and so does the two Manchesters. Brentford though, we can take off the list again.

So, who to pick then?

Goalkeepers

(Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images)

First on the list we have Mr. Sanchez (4.8) from Chelsea who is facing Everton (A), followed by Fulham (H) and Ipswich (A). He sits #5 on points for keepers despite a missed game and slightly bumpy start. Admittedly Chelsea sits in the middle of the table for expected goals against (xGA), so this one may not pay off – but, they’re in good form with decent fixtures.

Then let’s have a look at our premiums, where Alisson (5.4) is now back and after Spurs is facing Leicester (H) and the Hammers (A). He’s averaged just north of 5pts/start so far and could be a cheap(ish) way to Liverpool’s defense which, together with Arsenal’s, is amongst the very best.

And thus in due turn, we have Raya (5.6) facing the Eagles and after that Ipswich (H) and the away Bees (they sting much less away from home it seems). Had enough of the price rices for the Gunners’ defenders? Raya’s the solution for your broke, sorry …*ahem*… your unlucky behind…

Finally, there’s Leno (5.0) to consider against Saints (H), Chelsea (A) and then Bournemouth (H). Fulham has mustered a decent defense thus far and sits on par with Bournemouth and Everton as the 5th (ish) best team for xGA.

Of course you can get away with any goalkeeper (please don’t say Ramsdale…), personally I’ll probably keep Sels but his fixtures are not appealing. Then there’s Onana with ok fixtures, but his blunders are also not appealing haha 🙂. Ok, moving on…

Defenders

(Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

There’s bound to be a déjà vu when it comes to teams here, but well, we’ll try and keep it short.

Let’s start with Fulham, where every man and his dog is getting rid of RAN for Robinson (4.8) and rightfully so; on top of the decent fixtures and defending he can also deliver attacking returns. Fret not, however, we know you have an empty wallet – there’s also mister Andersen (4.2) who is bound to make his return to the starting XI soon. It might not be vs Saints (H), so watch the presser there.

From Chelsea there’s Colwill (4.6) who’s become a mainstay in their defensive line, he comes with a good range of decent fixtures – even if Chelsea’s more about just scoring goals for the time being.

The Toon gets a mention too with Lewis Ha(u)ll (4.6) rewarding his owners last week. Well, they’re facing Ipswich followed by AVL (H) and MUN (A), then TOT (A) and a decent run after that. He’s probably one who could be for this week mainly.

A couple other cheap options could be Martinez (4.4) and Dunk (4.4), but in terms of clean sheets are a bit secondary/tertiary options compared to the others.

Then, for Mr. & Mrs moneybags out there, we have the usual suspects from Arsenal; Saliba (6.3), Gabriel (6.1) and Timber (5.7), we all know what they can do – and that is getting a set-piece goal whenever you have ‘that other one’. Of course, in the same premium bracket there’s Trent (7.0) and Virgil (6.5) who, after Spurs, should be on track for clean sheets again. And finally we have Gvardiol (6.1) who’s taken upon himself to see if he can become Man City’s new top goal scorer.

There you have it. Easy right? Congratulations in advance with all the yellow cards, early substitutions and own goals.

Jamie Mc – Midfielders

(Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)

The FF247 bosses have requested tips to cover game weeks 17 – 19 only; so which midfielders should you be considering for this three games week period.

Based on the fixtures and not necessarily form then I present for your consideration…

Mohamed Salah (£13.4m & 63.4% ownership) – everything that could be said about Salah has been said many times over. I only have to draw your attention to Rosco’s recent captains article detailing the merits of owning Salah. We should all have dumped Haaland by now to make space for Salah in our team. With fixtures at injury ravaged Tottenham, home to leaky Leicester City and away at West Ham United then Mo will be looking to add to his thirteen goals & nine assists and maintain his position as the top points scorer in the game.

Cole Palmer (£11.2m & 63.4% ownership) & Noni Madueke (£6.3m & 7.0% ownership) – Matt has provided a great write up on Palmer in the recent captain’s article. With fixtures at a defensive Everton, a London derby at home to Fulham and away at relegation threatened Ipswich Town then Palmer will be looking to add to his eleven goals & seven assists in the chase to be top points scorer again in the game. If you do not own Palmer or looking for a Chelsea double up in midfield then Noni Madueke might be the one to grab your attention. Madueke has started most of Chelsea’s league games earning seventy-five points to date making him nineth in the game for all midfielders. Madueke has scored five goals & provided four assists and obtained ten bonus points over four games.

A slightly cheaper option than Palmer for you to consider is Bukayo Saka (£10.6m & 44.4% ownership) – With a fantastic corner deliver, Saka has provided the most assists in the game with eleven along with his five goals scored. With two away London derbies at Crystal Palace and Brentford and a home game against Ipswich Town in between then Saka will be looking to improve his position as the third top points scorer in the game (behind Salah & Palmer).

Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m & 14.3% ownership & Amad Diallo (£5.2m & 11.1% ownership) – Fresh off their “smash & grab” victory at City last game week. Bruno is still the Red Devils main man and will be looking to add to his four goals and six assists with more than decent fixtures over the next three game weeks at home to Bournemouth, away at Wolves and home to Newcastle United. Bruno has scored eighty-one points this season making him sixth for all midfielders in the game. Amad Diallo has developed into Bruno’s new wing man instead of it seems the now departing Marcus Rashford. Amad is the third highest points scorer for United with sixty-five points. Amad has scored two goals and provided seven assists this season. Amad has played the full ninety minutes of five of the last six United league games scoring a goal & providing six assists & earned eight bonus points in this six games period.

Alex Iwobi (£5.7m & 5.0% ownership) – Iwobi is a relatively cheap midfielder and potentially a nice differential for you to consider. Iwobi has scored seventy-eight points this season making him seventh for all midfielders in the game. Iwobi has started every league game for Fulham this season scoring five goals and provided three assists. Fulham have some nice fixtures at home to Southampton & Bournemouth with an away London derby at Chelsea in-between.

A word of caution, with four game weeks over the next the next seventeen days then there is a real risk of squad rotation affecting our teams. It may be prudent on your part to have playing substitutes to fall back on if any of your starting eleven is rested.

Merry Christmas & good luck for the game week.

Matt – Forwards

Gone seem to be the days where we just needed to pick Haaland and then pair him with a 2nd striker and bench fodder. The Norwegian Robot has been malfunctioning this season and this has given the opportunity for others to come to the floor. There are some obvious picks like Isak (8.7) who once again has no competition after Wilson is out for another 2 months; or Jackson (8.2) who has amazing fixtures but there is a feeling he may be a rotation risk with games coming thick and fast.

The two mentioned already would be priority targets if you had the money and but below are a few more budget friendly options to replace the naughty Cunha after his possible ban! Beside it’s Christmas and we all love a bargain!

I’ll start with the striker that has the most form of the 3 picks I’m going to suggest which is the man from Down Under… adjacent – Chris Wood (6.6). Forest have been flying high this season and beating teams like Liverpool, United, and Villa. This is largely down to Wood’s performances as he has 10 goals this season and is sitting on 90 FPL points; only 10 shy of Haaland who is double his price. Talk about value for money! Wood is purely a number 9 scoring goals as he has zero assists to his name, so don’t be expecting him to share the ball too often. His fixtures probably aren’t the best of the three players as he has away trips to Brentford and Everton with Spurs at home sandwiched in between. Brentford are much better at home, Everton play for clean sheets and Spurs are like Jekyll and Hyde. If you want assured starts and a player tipping along then GET SOME WOOD!

The one who I like the look off is Raul Jimenez (5.5) at Fulham. A team that is also doing well in the league this year. Maybe overachieving slightly but they have shown on a few occasions this season they have the ability to beat any team in front of them! Coming up against Southampton this weekend should be a nice entry to buy the Mexican against a Saints side that are destined to go down and have just sacked their manager. Raul only has 5 goals and 2 assists but their fixtures have been tough. They are about to embark on some tasty looking fixtures playing the 3 promoted sides in the next 6 games. Chelsea and Bournemouth in GW18 and 19 are tougher challenges, particularly the former. Bournemouth and Fulham feels evenly matched where it could end 0-0 or 3-3. Both sides have scored 24 goals with Fulham leaking 1 goal more than Bournemouth. At his price though Raul is a nice pick and my only worry would be rotation with Muniz as he hasn’t played 90 minutes since GW9.

Someone I’m considering punting on, and this could just be the Baileys talking, is Rasmus Hojlund (6.9). Yes, I can hear you all laughing through the screen but hear me out! Since Amorim has come in United have played Arsenal, Forest and City which are not easy fixtures but the derby win will surely put some confidence into the side. Hojlund appears to be the preferred striker over Zirkzee since the Portuguese manager came in. He has a home game against Bournemouth who I pointed out have conceded 21 goals this season, a trip away to Wolves who have been terrible and might take some time to get used to their new manager before a visit from Newcastle who aren’t as solid as they were 2 seasons ago. Playing 77+ minutes in the last 3 games, getting a goal and possibly being the focal point, he does need to improve his finishing though as he had an xG of 0.00 in the Arsenal and City games. Granted this is the massive, massive punt with him only being owned by 1.7% but if you are chasing points then maybe this is the player to punt on! I say MAYBE!

Honourable mention for Jean-Phillipe Mateta (7.2). He is someone I really like and would seriously consider getting in but the next two games of Arsenal and Bournemouth aren’t the easiest fixtures to jump on the bandwagon. I will seriously consider him over the coming days but right now Raul is the leading candidate.

Thanks for reading FPL Tips GW17 to GW19. This article was written by Jamie Nc, Matt , and OddDane

Follow @FantasyFooty247

VOTE ON THIS WEEK’S CAPTAIN POLL

FPL FIXTURE TRACKER

Both leagues will be shut to new entrants as of 01/01/25.