Fantasy Football Inside The Mind Of An FPL Player Gameweek 12 Part 1

Fantasy Football Inside The Mind Of An FPL Player Gameweek 12 Part 1

Having launched this new feature last week it seemed to go down very well with our community. And also with the writing team – so much so that when we asked who was up for it again this week we got so many responses we have had to split it down into two smaller chunks. This is part 1 and part 2 will follow on next week prior to GW12.

So, what it’s all about? Well, in essence, each week a selection of our contributors will bring to you their FPL team for the game week ahead. They’ll start by giving a quick recap on the previous game week, what went well, and of course what went not so well! Then look forward to the game week ahead and outline what their initial thoughts are with regards to their starting 11, captaincy, and of course prospective or confirmed transfers.

It should be noted that the teams shown may not always end up being the final teams, players get injured, plans change. What it will give you, is an insight into a variety of different playing and transfer styles (some go early, some go late). When possible, we will post in the comments if plans significantly change.

CAROLYN – TEAM LINK

GW11 points: 83
Total Points: 736
Overall Rank: 70,033
Rank Change: Green arrow 150k
Free transfers: 2
Money In the bank: £1.3m
Chips: First Wildcard used

Season so far…
I am really enjoying the season. I have had 4 green arrows in a row and I am currently sitting at 70,033 which is inside the 100K that I wanted to be at the end of the season, will it last I hope so but we will see. Of course, I am still a Manchester United fan which is nice.

GW11 Review

The good:
I went with Captain Salah again because, well why wouldn’t you? I had 2 FT going into game week 11 and made a very early transfer of Benrahma out and ESR in, this worked well because I got 8 points from ESR not sure whether this is more or less than Benrahma because I am not one for living in the past. On deadline day I kept thinking to my little self I would Bench Boost, this is because I simply didn’t know who to bench and I thought all my players would get something, now I understand the logic of leaving the Bench Boost till a DGW but I had a gut feeling to use it in 11 so I did it, and it worked. I finished the game week on 83 points, a big green arrow and a hangover because I celebrated.

The bad:
Well, I have a front line of Antonio, Toney and Vardy what can I tell you? well, in game week 10 they got a grand total of 5 points and in game week 11 they got another grand total of 5 points so at least they are consistent. The problem is if I get rid of any of them who do I get as a replacement because all the other forwards are also sleeping on the job.

The ugly:
I have STILL got Grealish and he got me a big fat 0 points in 11, he has got to go, I am starting to lose money on him now and it’s really not acceptable. I don’t mind if I have a bad game week because there we have no control over that, I also don’t mind Pep roulette because I can’t control that either, but to keep a player that is going backwards seems pretty foolish. As the old saying goes – Any woman can make mistakes, but only an idiot persists in her error.

GW12 Preview
The team looks OK to get points in 12, but we do have an IB and let’s face it anything can happen, so I am just going to leave it till the last minute to set up my team.

Transfer plans
My most immediate transfer is to get rid of Grealish and maybe get in Cancelo and change my forwards, I am undecided whether to go cheap on top and big in midfield or not, International Breaks give me to much time to think and no one wants that!!

Transfer summary:
Grealish to someone and possibly Cancelo in too

Captain for GW12: Salah

MATT – TEAM LINK

GW10 points: 69
Total Points: 661
Overall Rank: 852,194
Rank Change: Green arrow 486k
Free transfers: 1
Money In the bank: £0.7m
Chips: First Wildcard used

Season so far…

Rubbish but last week I wanted a fresh start so it’s onwards and upwards from here! Keep reading to find out more…

GW11 Review

The good:

Best week I’ve had for a month! Finally, after 4 consecutive red arrows I got that all important, and much more aesthetically pleasing, green arrow. What a jump it was from 1.3 million to 850k. I spoke last week about wanting a fresh start so hit the wildcard and it worked wonders! My defence did anyway with 7 from Ramsdale, James with 7, Trent with 12 (after a beautiful goal!) and Cancelo with 14 points. Salah and ESR were the attacking returns higher up the field! The say defences win championships and whilst I don’t think I’ll be winning any ML’s this year I think building from the back is the way to put some pride back into my rank! Five digits here I come!

The bad:

Even though I got a massive green arrow and things looked rosy, there are always things that could be improved… maybe it’s the teacher side of me coming out. I mentioned Salah and ESR being the only forwards getting me points and that’s the bad side. Mbuemo, Antonio and Kane all got 2 with Foden getting a 3. Strikers are bloody useless this season, especially in recent weeks!

The ugly:

The Ugly is pretty simple, Foster sitting with 11 points on the bench and Livramento with 6. I was so close to playing 541 last week and benching Antonio but Smash, Rosco, Swirls and some others convinced me to play Antonio. I’m not too fussed to be fair and I highly doubt anyone saw Foster getting a double-digit haul yet still losing the game. He couldn’t do that when I was playing him every week!

GW12 Preview

This is the team set up for this week with a 442. I might try and get Livramento into the starting lineup but not exactly sure who I would drop. Possibly ESR or one of the Chelsea boys but if not this side will stay as is.

Transfer plans
I said the side will stay as is and I honestly think it will. I’ll probably keep my free transfer this week in case anything happens during this international break. Team looks solid on paper this week so don’t see anything urgent that needs changing. Although I do have an eye on moving Mbeumo out if he doesn’t do anything against Newcastle.

Captain for GW12: I’ll probably just leave it on Salah to be honest!

SMASH – TEAM LINK

GW11 points: 69
Total Points: 741
Overall Rank: 55,138k
Rank Change: Green arrow 36k
Free transfers: 1
Money In the bank: £0.9m
Chips: First Wildcard used

GW11 Review

The good:
I had a great GW scoring 69 points and I am just 2 points outside the top 50k. I like my team going forward and I feel pretty set having a very attacking and expensive backline, TAA, James, Chilwell and Cancelo. They are so attacking for their teams they feel like midfielders! TAA, Cancelo both hauled and it looks like I picked the right keeper on my WC. Raphinha scored again and if I could have afforded Jota I might have made that switch. I did contemplate benching Cancelo but after his hat trick of assists in the Champions League that was never going to happen so I got it right with Antonio. I do feel I got away with benching Antonio though as he really could have scored and that was a pretty uncomfortable watch. My transfer also paid off as I bought Reece James 15 minutes before the deadline, who got another attacking return for Rudiger who blanked. Some said it was sideways and unnecessary but I am happy with the move going forward and it instantly paid off. It was a move I would have regretted not doing, though it does make life a bit more difficult this week as I only have one free transfer.

The bad:
I benched Livramento again for his 6 points. Will I ever learn? Aston Villa had scored in their previous six matches to be fair. Well, I was never really going to play him this week so it’s all good I can live with that. Vardy who I can’t really stand owning blanked again and really did not look like doing anything again. Typical Vardy when everyone buys him his form goes to pot. Havertz who I sold two weeks ago outscored Foden again. Seeing Foden hit the post was a painful watch. Chelsea losing their clean sheet from the one and only Burnley attack was pretty unbelievable and a pain in the ass too. Sighs what could have been…..

The ugly:
My two Brentford players are looking pretty ugly right now, I appear to have made a mistake going with Mbeumo on my WC over ESR and Gallagher who have smashed him for points in these last two game weeks. Toney also continues to blank so owning the two is getting pretty frustrating. If only that Mbeumo goal from Toney was allowed to stand that would have been so good, I hate VAR. Maybe they will at least look better when I am surrounded by beautiful beaches In Jamaica this week. Yes, I have booked it now. Vardy in the three games I have owned him has just four points snd I am itching to get rid of him. Foster had eleven points on my bench but you can’t predict when a keeper will save a penalty and I was never going to play him over Ramsdale.

GW12 Preview

Transfer plans
My team looks good on paper this week again. I have a benching headache again who the hell do I bench. Maybe there will be some injuries over the international break I see Livramento is already flagged. Maybe it will become clearer after a few Jamaican cocktails. Do I roll out a 5-2-3 formation this week? It looks very sore on the eyes. I think I’m between benching Mbeumo who has Newcastle away or Livramento who has Norwich away. Raphinha on the bench does though feel strange. Do I want to play double Brentford with their current form though?

I have one free transfer and still the cash to bring in Lukaku for Vardy. This is a move I like. Lukaku is due to return after the international break and I can’t wait to boot Vardy out of my team. I really like the idea of bringing Jota into my team as Firmino is injured again. Liverpool quite simply score the most goals and they usually come from the front three. The problem is I don’t see an obvious way to do it. I like the idea of bringing in Kane despite having no form for his good run of fixtures. The issue with this though is I will need a downgrade from somewhere, most likely Mbeumo or Toney. There are some mid-week Premier League fixtures coming up and we are approaching the Christmas period, so I am hesitant to reduce my bench options at this current time due to the inevitable rotations on the horizon. 10 Gameweeks in 40 days to be exact so I bench could well be very useful ahead of the congested period. So maybe I keep Vardy and save a transfer or I bring in Lukaku if he’s fit and ignore Spurs. Toney and Vardy out for Kane and Broja is another option for a hit. As is Jota and Kane for Foden and Vardy currently but do I want rid of Foden? I am not sure.

Watchlist
Lamptey: I’m happy with my defence but if I need a downgrade he’s looking very lively.
ESR: Looking like Arsenal’s best player and only 5.8 now. Seems to be a better option than Mbeumo
Jota: Firmino is injured again but not sure how to fit him in
Lukaku: Easy escape from Vardy who is not performing again. Waiting for him to become fit again.
Kane: new manager bounce and good fixtures but no form
Broja: Might need a cheap enabler at some point to fund a big hitter for Vardy. Potential Toney replacement.

Transfer plans:
Lukaku (if fit) in for Vardy.

Captain for GW12: Salah

LOUD ATLAS – TEAM LINK

GW11 points: 56
Total Points: 655
Overall Rank: 885,537
Rank Change: Green arrow 78k
Free transfers: 1
Money In the bank: £0.2m
Chips: All of them left

Season so far…
On the whole, things haven’t been too bad. I’ve scored above average in 9/11 gameweeks but taken three four-point hits in a row, which didn’t prove beneficial so I’ll try and curb those!

My main philosophy is that if the free transfers and budget allow, get the right players who have both good form and good fixtures. It doesn’t always work out that way, but there are always good intentions. A good start (95 points in GW1) soon slipped, but ho hum. It’s a marathon, right?!

Biggest fluff of the season: captaining Havertz (Chelsea won 7-0 vs Norwich, but he only contributed with a clean sheet) over hat-trick-scoring Salah in GW9. Argh.

GW11 Review

The good:
After five red arrows in a row, one that’s green – hallelujah! TAA, White, Raphinha, Salah and Havertz all delivered to varying degrees: you beauties!

The bad:
Sánchez’s minus one-pointer. Insert your favourite unutterable utterance here. That’s my second red card in a row, too (see Laporte in GW10). One area of my team blanked for the second week in a row: my front line of Toney, Antonio and Vardy continue their dry run (only five points from them altogether!). My punt on Thiago Silva (I was 0.1m short on James) didn’t pay off.

The ugly:
26 unclaimed points on my bench, courtesy of Messrs Foster, Walker, Livramento and Bissouma. The most I’ve had there since…well, last week (14). Back to ones and threes next week, please!

GW12 Preview
I’m nigh-on elated to have two players facing the bottom two clubs – that’s a start (even if one of them has a knock, but he’ll shake that off undoubtedly). Everyone else is a little unpredictable. Will my City players remain unscathed and in Pep’s good books? An in-form Arsenal might cause an upset versus a faltering Liverpool, but will Raphinha vs Spurs (maybe!) and Antonio vs Wolves (surely!)? Hmm, tricky.

Transfer plans
A wildcard is possibly on the cards, especially if the international break throws up some surprises. In the firing line are Vardy (lack of form), Havertz (Lukaku might be back soon) and Sánchez (suspension), at least. I could do with a Chelsea fullback or two and an in-form striker who scores goals regularly. One of the latter seems particularly hard to come by these days!

Teams I’m eyeing up from afar are Arsenal and Crystal Palace who, unexpectedly, have started to look pretty good! And just over the horizon Man Utd have their excellent run of fixtures. So perhaps it’s time to hop back on the Ron train? I don’t know. I’ll follow the games over the international break and take it from there.

Transfer summary:
Out: Whoever is broken during the International Break.
In: Anyone who’s survived and – most importantly – scoring or assisting!

Captain for GW12: Salah

Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Inside The Mind Of An FPL Player Gameweek 12 Part 1. This article was written by Carolyn, Matt, Smash and Loud Atlas

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