Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek’s 17-19

Welcome to Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek’s 17-19.

The World Cup is all over, it’s been a cracker and putting the political conversations to one side, the football has been brilliant and what a final!!

A huge congratulations to Argentina and to the GOAT himself Lionel Messi, for finally doing what many said was a must if he was to ever be considered the best ever. He’s won the World Cup! A real Fairytale ending. Commiserations to France and in particular Mbappe, who did everything in his power to try and single-handedly win back-to-back World Cups, he’ll be back no doubt about it.

Best final ever? It was certainly the best I’ve ever watched. So, yes I loved it, but if we don’t have another Winter World Cup in my lifetime I won’t be losing any sleep!

Back to FPL. If like me your FPL team is but a distant memory then you’re going to need some help. This week I’m joined by two of my good friends – Matt and Smash. Today we’ll (hopefully) be your FPL shepherds, so grab yourself an eggnog and a mince pie and join us as we follow a star or two!

Goalkeepers and defenders – Matt

Newcastle – Leicester (A), Leeds (H), Arsenal (A)

The Newcastle defence have been more miserly than Scrooge himself having conceded just 11 goals this season, that’s just 0.73 goals conceded per game and they have kept 7 clean sheets into the bargain. Both these stats mean Newcastle are tied for first in being the best defence in the league alongside Arsenal. Given their fixtures in GWs 17-23, it’s highly likely that there will be further clean sheets plus the opportunity of attacking returns from the likes of Kieran Trippier. Newcastle have three defensive players that have 67+ points. Schar (67), Pope (70) and Trippier (96), with Botman (£4.4) also on 55 points, some sort of Newcastle defensive cover is a certainty in most teams. I will add that Schar is one yellow card away from a suspension. Trippier would be my pick in the Geordie defence due to his attacking potential. He ranks as the best defender in the game, has the most goal involvements (5), and is ranked 1st for key passes, big chances created, assists and bonus points. Really, there doesn’t appear to be a downside to owning Trippier so he is likely going to be the first gift on all our Christmas Lists. Christmas might be all commercial these days, but we can’t forget about the religious aspect. This is why the namesake of the man in the Vatican, Nick Pope would be next up in my rankings for Newcastle players being the 1st ranked keeper, equal for clean sheets and fewest goals conceded but I actually think there could be better goalkeeping options than the English shot-stopper, largely due to his expensive price tag. With this cost-of-living crisis, maybe we all need to be a little bit like Ebeneezer Scrooge during this festive period.

Chelsea – Bournemouth (H), Forest (A), Man City (H) /Fulham (A)

Just four clean sheets this season is hardly setting the world alight, but Kepa is a very popular pick as a cheaper way into a Chelsea team who have a DGW on the horizon and a (sometimes) solid backline. He is one of the keepers I feel could be a better and cheaper option than Pope. Matches against promoted sides Bournemouth and Forest before a DGW in 19 surely means you can’t go wrong with some Chelsea cover. Kepa is my pick for that coverage at Chelsea with the rest of the defence being a bit harder to predict. FPL troll, Reece James, may have missed the World Cup but he has returned to training with Chelsea so is back on people’s radars. I am tempted to put him in my side but I’m wary about him playing so many games in such a short time so expecting his minutes to be managed. Maybe going with him and having a bench choice could be a shrewd purchase during these Christmas fixtures. If you don’t want Kepa and also don’t want to run the risk of James, the defender I might go to who is cheaper and not carrying an injury is Marc Cucurella. Only in 7.5% of teams, costing 5.1 mln. With the aptly nicknamed Chilly out injured, Cucurella should be less rotated due to his versatility playing LCB and LWB. If you fancy Chelsea to start turning their fortune around then these next few fixtures are a great opportunity for them to do it.

Man United – Forest (H), Wolves (A), Bournemouth (H)

Christmas is all about Jesus, a fat man in a red suit and of course angels, but this year you need to be looking at some devils, De Gea and a bald man in a suit. Man United couldn’t have asked for a better return after the World Cup with home games against Forest and Bournemouth sitting on either side of an away trip to struggling Wolves. Dalot will obviously be the most popular pick amongst the United defence, but I reckon Luke Shaw can build on his impressive World Cup performances to help break any template at the back. He will be rested after getting an early knockout, doesn’t really have any competition there and was in better form than his Portuguese teammate before the break. This form saw two assists and three clean sheets in the five games running into the break to Dalot’s two clean sheets and a non-appearance in GW16. Someone else who I think isn’t getting enough love this holiday season is the United no.1, David De Gea. He is tied 12th for best keeper (which isn’t great but it’s only eight points off Ramsdale) in the league. He is only owned by 7.3 per cent of managers and is totally fresh with a point to prove after missing out completely in the Spanish World Cup squad. He has 12 save points and 5 clean sheets as well this season so if you were looking to move away from Dalot and Shaw, he’s worth a look.

Man City – Leeds (A), Everton (H), Chelsea (A)

I wasn’t sure I would put these players in but then I noticed the upcoming fixtures and with not one but TWO DGW’s in the future for Man City it is a Christmas gift that you just can’t pass up! Cancelo will be the one in everyone’s Santa letter and while he is likely the most nailed and best defensive option, I’m not sure if he is worth the 7.4 mln price tag. He did not have a very good World Cup so this could affect his mental state when returning to England. He is in 53.7 per cent of teams so you can’t go wrong with owning him but let me please talk you into a less shiny gift that might be overlooked. Only costing 5.0 mln, centre back Manuel Akanji has quietly been going about his business getting 30 points in 8 appearances with 7 of those being all 90 minutes. This is basically a consistent 4 points a game and the biggest factor over Cancelo is he is only in 1.3 per cent of teams which is a massive difference to his teammate. If you don’t want to pay the premium for Cancelo, Akanji is a great budget option. If you don’t fancy a City midfielder (because let’s face it, we will all own Haaland) then a defensive double-up of Akanji and Cancelo could get you solid points. Ederson is 100% nailed bar any suspensions or injuries, but he is low down on my list of keepers to own.

Southampton – Brighton (H), Fulham (A), Forest (H)

It’s Christmas so you might think I am putting the team nicknamed the Saints into this article for the sake of it but honestly, I genuinely feel like there are points to be had on the South Coast this Christmas. We are all going to be looking at new teams in FPL due to the unlimited transfers, and new presents we open on Christmas Day and Southampton fans will be looking at a new face in the dugout as Nathan Jones has made the swap from Luton Town. We don’t know much about how he will change the fortunes of Southampton, but he has to be given a chance. There will be a new manager bounce, excitement over the fresh ideas and also the World Cup break has allowed for Jones to work with his squad as they didn’t have many international players leaving the team. Honestly, though the only option I’m looking at here is one Romain Perraud at 4.4 mln. Owned by less than 1 per cent of managers he is right in my wheelhouse for differential potential. Something I did not know until this article is Perraud actually beats a certain Portuguese wingback from the blue side of Manchester in most stats. Both players have scored 2 goals and 2 assists, but Perraud has played half the minutes. Perraud has 5 points per start to Cancelo’s 4 points per start. More big chances created and is obviously a hell of a lot cheaper! He currently sits on my nice list but I will have to check it twice before the big deadline comes to see if the Frenchman stays!

Midfielders – Rosco

At the top of our Christmas list, we have a couple of Christmas crackers. FPL managers looking out the window longingly for a bearded man dressed in all red bringing Christmas gifts will have to shell out £12.8m for the privilege. For many that will seem too much for Mo Salah, after all, he’s no longer essential for FPL captaincy, playing for a Liverpool side that prior to the break looked to be severely lacking its gold, frankincense and myrrh. However, the rested Egyptian will once more have to shoulder the attacking responsibilities of his team who will be without forwards (in the real-world sense) Jota and Dias for some time yet. His underlying data is still right up there and his 15pt return in GW15 (away to Spurs) is a timely reminder of what the reds talisman is capable of, and let’s face it, an FPL side without Salah is like skipping the pigs in blankets on your festive plate – it’s just not the same right?

If you’re not waiting patiently for the man in red, then you must surely consider the one in blue. Kevin De Bruyne (£12.6m) heads home from a disappointing World Cup and you could easily be put off your Christmas dinner if you put too much merit in both his and Belgium’s collective performances. However, Kevin has been serving up gifts for his teammates all season and he’ll return to the Etihad with a point to prove. Leeds (A) and Everton (H) should prove fruitful and if you can stomach Chelsea (A), he does have a double, and whilst Man U (A) and spurs (H) are not the dream double by any stretch of the imagination, I would still put my faith in KDB to deliver.

One player who did himself justice in Qatar was Bruno Fernandez (£9.8m). Portugal (and Bruno) may not have gone as far in the competition as they would have expected, but the Red Devils midfielder showed exactly what he can do when a certain Portuguese forward is not the focal point swinging his big Christmas baubles, or indeed even in the team. Bruno returns to a Man Utd no longer hamstrung by the now-departed Cristiano Ronaldo and FPL managers will be hoping we see the return of 20/21 Bruno who notched 18 goals and 14 assists. Now that truly would be a Christmas miracle and bring joy to the world … too much? Let’s crack on, shall we?

Next, we’ll jump down to the ‘£8m’ bracket. At the start of the season the advice was to go with at least one midfielder in this bracket, this in theory would allow you to move between players as their respective fixtures improved or lessened, but for a while, that advice looked to be misplaced.

However, a quick look at the top 10 scoring midfielders and you will see 3 players from that price bracket have made it in and just 1 point separates our three wise men. So, the advice is to perhaps pick one for the long haul and take what comes your way. Of the 3 James Maddison (£8.2m) has remained relatively consistent, scoring points when the Foxes struggled early season, and maintaining that form when things improved. Maddison will be well-rested following a World Cup no-show, and he’ll be keen to show what he can do with a potential move to Newcastle still much discussed (I can dream!). Leicester have 2 tricky fixtures over the festive period; Newcastle (H) and Liverpool (A), but Maddison has shown he can perform against anyone and come January 3rd the visit of Fulham sees a run of ‘green’ fixtures that are sure to see the Leicester man in the goals (and assists).

If you don’t fancy Maddison, Phil Foden (£8.3m) and Bukayo Saka (£8.0m) are both viable options. Foden has played considerably fewer minutes than both Saka and Maddison yet sits level on points with the Saka (76pts) and just 1 behind Maddison, his 3 concurrent bench starts in game weeks 13-15 hurting both his points tally and his reliability for many FPL managers myself included. Both Foden and Saka performed well in the World Cup, of the two, Saka was the more consistent and he’ll surely be looking to put his World Cup disappointment behind him. The main issue with Saka is that you can probably buy 2 of his midfield teammates for less and get similar returns.

As we drop down to the next price point we’ll talk about both the aforementioned gunners. Both Gabriel Martinelli (£6.8m) and Martin Odegaard (£6.4m) come in significantly cheaper than Saka and both have 1 more point (77pts each). Of the two, Martinelli is perhaps seen as more explosive, however, he has 2 double-digit hauls to Odegaard’s 4 and despite significantly fewer minutes (100+) and 8 attacking returns vs Saka (11) and Martinelli (9) he’s still performing on a par with both for what’s important – FPL points. Going against Martinellis’ 48% ownership is a big ask, but perhaps doubling up with Odegaard could prove to be the brandy sauce on your Christmas pudding – right tasty!

Manchester City in GW17 is not the ideal start for Rodrigo (£6.3m), but after that, Leeds have an attractive run of games that stretches through to Gw26. His early season form saw him pick up 35pts in his opening 3 matches, his form petered off but 5 goals and 33pts in the 4 matches before he headed off to the World Cup should put him firmly on people’s radar. Teammate Crysencio Summerville (£4.4m) is also a player who should be in your consideration, like Rodrigo, Summerville picked up 33pts over the same fixtures thanks to 5 attacking returns (4 goals, 1 assist) and he could prove a handy stocking filler as your 4th or 5th mid if funds are needed elsewhere

Two more players worthy of inclusion are Leandro Trossard (£7.1m) and Marcus Rashford (£6.7m). Trossard sits 4th for points scored (from midfielders) this season and as his hattrick at Anfield in GW9 proved, he is somewhat fixture-proof. Certainly, something worth bearing in mind when looking at his opening 4 fixtures which include both Arsenal and Liverpool at the Amex. Rashford meanwhile is more a case of what he can do as opposed to what he has done (at least this season). He has 6 attacking returns so he’s hardly pulling up Christmas trees, but like Fernandez, many will hope that he will be one of the prime beneficiaries of Ronaldo’s departure. It’s only 2 seasons back that Rashford finished the season on 174pts following 22 attacking returns (11 goals, 11 assists), and that was on the back of a season where he scored 177pts with 25 attacking returns (17 goals, 8 assists).

Whilst some of his teammates jetted to sunnier climes to warm their respective international benches, you could be mistaken into thinking poor Miguel Almiron (£5.8m) had been left Home Alone. However, following his own sojourn to the Middle East, the little Paraguayan will be keen to pick up where he left off come December 26th. It’s been quite the season thus far for us Newcastle fans, we’ll all get to rock around the Christmas tree come the 25th, having spent our winter break sat in third, thanks in no small part to ‘Miggy’; 8 goals, 2 assists and his 93pts make him the third highest points scorer in the game (behind Haaland and Kane). Can he sustain it? Who knows. He has the form, he has the fixtures and at £5.8m he’s surely worth inclusion on your Christmas list.

Strikers – Smash

If you don’t have Haaland are you even playing FPL? We will move on quickly from that one as he scores every week, had a month’s break and is nailed for the best-attacking team in the league and unless Pep is in full Grinch mode then surely he’ll get plenty of minutes over the festivities. In case you have been in Santa’s grotto all year Haaland has 18 goals in just 13 games making him the highest-scoring player in FPL so far this season.

Harry Kane has been largely overshadowed by Haaland this season but Kane has shown extraordinary consistency scoring 12 goals and making 3 assists. We kind of know what we will get from Kane he scores FPL points every season. However, it must be said only half of those goals have come from open play this season with two penalties and 4 from corners/set pieces. More reasons to go against Kane are the 4 yellow cards and the trauma from the World Cup (we won’t dwell on that). Only Haaland has had more shots and has a higher xGI than Kane so far this campaign. However, if you can afford Kane he will always be a fantastic pick with only Haaland scoring more FPL points.

You never know what you’re going to get with Darwin Nunez (£9.0m) and he’s been on and off Santa’s naughty and nice lists more times than Emi Martinez! He was in good form before the World Cup scoring 3 goals and registering an assist in the last five games. His World Cup was disappointing but he appeared to bounce back in pre-season with a brace vs Milan on his return. His xGI of 5.1 was the highest amongst forwards during the period(GW12-16). Nunez also has good assist potential as well and was second only to De Bruyne for big chances created in the last six matches before we stopped for the World Cup. Diaz having a major setback with his injury and Jota continuing to sit on the sidelines for the foreseeable future makes Nunez a great pick. He will frustrate and miss big chances but he will always be involved and with the injuries, he should find himself nailed in that Liverpool attack.

When fit Callum Wilson (£7.4m) is always a great FPL option. Newcastle are flying high this season and really going for the top four, currently sitting third in the table. Callum Wilson has 9 goal involvements in just 786 minutes of PL action (9 starts). When he plays he’s always the main focal point of the Newcastle attack and he’s also on penalties. In the last six Premier League matches no team scored more goals than Newcastle United’s 12.

Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.8m), is very difficult to leave out with a Double Gameweek on the horizon. Fulham are very attacking as a team and fixtures don’t seem to matter as much for the Serbian striker, who already has four goals scored against big-six clubs this season. Mitrovic is the fourth top scorer in the league with 9 goals, top for goal attempts with 56 and fifth for xG. The stats continue to be good as with the opening set of fixtures Fulham play Palace (A), Southampton (H) and a double GW of Chelsea (H) and Leicester (A). One major problem is that Mitrovic is on four yellow cards and with his disciplinary record he is likely to pick up another one sooner rather than later. Fitness no longer seems to be an issue after his group-stage involvement with Serbia at the World Cup.

Anthony Martial (£6.7m) remember him? is likely to become United’s starting forward with Ronaldo now completely out of the picture. The manager really likes him and is consistently talking up the Frenchman who has three great fixtures to begin with Forest (H), Wolves (A) and Bournemouth (H). There will always be the question of how long Martial stays fit, however you can cross that bridge when you get to it. Martial has two goals and two assists in just 200 minutes played this season. This is a pick that really could give your Christmas that special sparkle!

A Christmas without Jesus? Say it ain’t so. It’s a big disappointment to many that Jesus returned early from the world cup having picked up an injury. The beneficiary is likely to be Eddie Nketiah (£6.5m) who is expected to lead the Arsenal line after the restart with Jesus being ruled out for 3 months following knee surgery. Jesus will be a big miss for Arsenal as he’s been instrumental in the way he plays, creating space for others and holding up the ball so it’s hard to tell how badly Arsenal will miss him. Nketiah will now get an opportunity to shine and it must be said Arsenal did show some faith in him towards the end of last season. Nketiah in the summer was given the number 14 shirt and did sign a big 100k new contract. He has 6G, 3A from 7 games in the summer pre-season, 2G, 1A from 6 games in Europa and a couple of goals in this recent pre-season.

Wild punts for those that have had one too many Bailey’s this Christmas with next to zero % ownership are Che Adams (£6.4m) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£8.7m). Both are refreshed after a long break and both should lead the line at their clubs. Broja has picked up a serious injury which only leaves Auba and Havertz as the recognised strikers at Chelsea now. Why these two? They are purely fixture picks as the Saints play Brighton (H), Fulham (A), Forest (H) and Everton (A). Chelsea also plays Bournemouth (H), Forest (A), and a double GW of City (H) and Fulham (A). If these two are ever going to score goals it will be in this run of games.

If you want to go 3-5-2 Greenwood at £4.2m from Leeds is the one who has been getting the most minutes. He has managed one goal and an assist so far this season. Lastly, one notable mention is Ivan Toney (£7.4m) the third top scorer in the league with ten goals and he is also third for xG in the league. Why have I not gone into more detail about Toney? Well, mainly as he has a potential upcoming ban for gambling, and it should be noted that he has been charged for the offence. He also has an unfavourable opening set of games with Spurs (H), West Ham (A) and Liverpool (H). It’s fair to say Santa will not be visiting Ivan’s house this weekend, but that doesn’t make him a bad albeit potentially short term solution for your FPL side, yes the fixtures are not great, but he showed us in GW16 with his brace away to City, that he can score against anyone. I’d put money on him grabbing a few over the festivities, lets hope he doesn’t do the same…

Well, that’s your lot folks! It’s good to be back, as ever I wish your arrows are as green as your Christmas tree and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. God bless us every one!

Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 17-19. This article was written by Matt, Smash and Rosco.

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