Fantasy Premier League Promoted Teams Analysis FPL 2018/19 Cardiff City
We start our look at the promoted teams with a trip across the Severn Bridge to Cardiff. Neil Warnock’s men finished second behind Wolves in last season’s Championship which sees them return to the top flight for the first time since their relegation in 2014. The Bluebirds kept 19 clean sheets in 46 games last term, with 11 of those coming at home where they won 16 out of 23 matches, losing just three. The Welshies scored 69 goals with only midfielder Callum Paterson reaching double figures. Junior Hoilett and Kenneth Zohore both scored 9, while interestingly defender Sean Morrison scored an impressive 7 goals.
Fixtures
The fixture computer has handed Cardiff a straightforward looking introduction into the Premier League as they are pitted against Bournemouth, Newcastle and Huddersfield in GWs 1-3. And then the computer bites back, with a vengeance as they then face Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Burnley, Spurs, Fulham and Liverpool over the next 7 game-weeks. Ouch!
They then face a comparatively simpler task until the end of March when they face a tough run-in. Not nice for Warnock and co but for us FPL managers this may play into our hands somewhat because Cardiff last season were very much a team that were able to go on long runs of positive results. They started the season with five straight wins and then recorded eight straight wins in February and March. On the down side they lost four successive matches over the Christmas period.
If these trends continue then it may give us a clue when to hop on and hop off Cardiff assets.
Fantasy assets
Given that Cardiff conceded less goals than anyone else in the Championship last season it would seem fair to assume we should be concentrating on their defensive assets rather than their offensive ones. I’m not sure that’s completely the case however as FPL has been its usual mean self and priced star defender Sean Morrison at 5mln, which values him alongside the likes of Alexander-Arnold, Bertrand, Shaw, Keane, Douglas and all first-choice Burnley defenders, while proving more expensive than Daniels, Cédric, Tomkins, Zabaleta, Duffy & Dunk. Looking at those comparisons I’m not sure I want to pay 5mln for Morrison just yet but maybe he is worth a look from GW11 onwards or indeed for the first 3GWs if you are planning a very early wildcard. For those Morrison fans that need a convincing argument to hold onto him despite the fixtures it may be worth pointing out that the defender had a goal attempt at a rate of one every 66.6mins better than any Premier League centre half last season.
Cheaper budget options in defence are Joe Bennett and Lee Peltier. Both are priced at 4mln and if they can secure starts then either could prove to be great enablers. Don’t expect much in the way of attacking returns – the pair returned one goal and five assists last season, hence their FPL price. Be aware that Bennett faces competition from the more expensive Greg Cunningham.
In goal Neil Etheridge is priced at 4.5mln and could offer an interesting combo with Wayne Hennessey as the pair would give an early fixture run of fulham, NEWCASTLE, huddersfield, SOUTHAMPTON, huddersfield, NEWCASTLE, BURNLEY, WOLVES, FULHAM, ARSENAL, LEICESTER, BRIGHTON, everton, WOLVES, brighton – not the worst if you are looking for two cheap, rotating keepers. Though be warned that Etheridge could miss up to 5 weeks in January to play in the Asian Cup and could also face competition from new signing Alex Smithies.
Midfield sees two obvious FPL potentials – namely Joe Ralls and Danny Ward.
Ralls is Cardiff’s playmaker and is on set pieces, including penalties. Loved by Warnock, the manager said of him last season, ‘he’s the first name on the team sheet. I’m running out of adjectives to describe him.’ Ralls scored seven goals last season and created four assists and has come through the ranks at the club. Priced at 5mln the left footed midfielder is as rotation proof as you get with Warnock and will be fundamental to the Bluebirds’ chances of creating enough chances for his team mates.
Despite being named as a midfielder by FPL, Ward plays higher up the pitch, usually on the left of a front three and has scored four goals so far in pre-season, albeit against fairly ordinary opposition. Ward has the no.9 shirt for the Bluebirds and missed three months of last season with a knee injury which curtailed his scoring to just four league goals. Priced at 4.5mln he could well be the cheap OOP we have been looking for if he can get enough game time with the likes of Reid, Murphy and Hoilett all jockeying for spaces up front.
Striker Bobby Reid joined Cardiff from local rivals Bristol City in a £8mln deal this summer. Reid scored 19 goals in the Championship last season and attracted interest from the likes of Bournemouth and West Brom before agreeing terms with Cardiff. Warnock has been impressed with both Reid and new signing, winger Josh Murphy, in preseason but is managing their minutes as he deems them indispensable for the GW1 kick off vs Bournemouth. At 5.5mln Reid certainly comes under the budget options but is likely to be a ‘wait and see’ to see if he can perform in the top tier before attracting significant FPL interest.
Be sure to keep an eye on Cardiff’s pre-season friendlies and any clues as to who Warnock prefers in goal and at left back and as to whether Ward and Peltier can nail down a starting berth.
Thanks for reading Fantasy Premier League Promoted Teams Analysis FPL 2018/19 Cardiff City. This article was written by Cookie
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES
Usually we run an article and ask people to get involved and cover the friendlies with any info they can gather. And it’s usually fun but in all honesty it’s usually also a bit messy and difficult to refer back to. This season we have one link that you will need need for all such info, courtesy of Mito –
Here you will find all the pre-season info you could ever wish for in one place – line-ups, scorers, assists, match info, sarcastic comments….
FPL FIXTURE TRACKER
(It’s scrollable btw, just swipe left or right)
FIXTURE TRACKER LINK
It’s been a busy summer already with Arsenal, Everton, West Ham and Chelsea appointing new managers, Manchester City adding to their already dominant squad, Man Utd continuing to splash the cash and Liverpool trying to protect Karius by beefing up their midfield. Spurs may even have a new home soon.
And FPL wise, this is the place to discuss strategy, learn about the promoted teams and their players while in the days and weeks to come we’ll have plenty of articles, interviews, player analysis, Bore Offs, Tips, etc, etc.
So be sure to get involved in the discussions, the RMTs and the banter as we look forward to another season of Fantasy fun!
The League Codes for FF247 for the 2018/19 season are as follows –
The main public FF247 League , which anyone is welcome to join, can be accessed using the following code 1581-751 (auto-link below).
The prize pool for this one will be confirmed in due course.
Join Our League – Quick Link
League Code: 1581-751
View league standings
Our Regulars League* for 2018/19 is now open and has a cash prize pool of £300 paid directly to the winners from the FF247 management team. The first 5 places are paid out in a tiered system.
To enter this one you need to be an active and recognised site member and you need to e-mail us for the league code – elleffcee@gmail.com
*terms and conditions apply and are available upon request. Management reserve the right to review membership of this league on an ongoing basis. If you enter and win a prize you have to have commented on the site at least 5 times for 8 consecutive months between August 2018 and March 2019 or you will not be considered for a prize. That’s basically 1 comment a week all season, we think that’s a reasonable ask to be considered a ‘regular’.
In your e-mail could you please supply:-
Your name.
Your site user name.
Your team name from last season and your new team name if it has changed,
Optimistic I think but does anybody know how many games Aguero played no part in while he was fit last season?
Or was he always a used sub, and only missed games due to injury?
Also, do we think he struggles early doors with a second XI behind him? Guess Community Shield will give a good indication of that soon.
Got burnt without attacking City cover early last season but struggling with options currently.
There were 7 or 8 games, at least, when he came off the bench when fully fit I think, plus a couple of games after returning from injury. Was still #4 on forwards list, so just risk it maybe
https://www.transfermarkt.com/sergio-aguero/leistungsdaten/spieler/26399/plus/0?saison=2017
As good as I can get you.
Cheers
Cheers AT, this is brilliant.
KDB scored 49 points more last season than Aguero, and he is 1 million cheaper this season… KDB should be in your team (barring the first few games perhaps unless it seems he will start the season), I really do have a feeling this season he will outscore his 209pts tally from last season, and he’s still nailed in that team! Sterling had 229pts last season but he’s now more expensive than KDB and with Mahrez there he’s more likely to get rotated than KDB! KDB was third highest scoring mid last season, could do even better this season!
Also, when it comes to Aguero vs KDB, there’s the captain dilemma obviously, is KDB captainable? But if Aguero is not 100% nailed then it’s tough to captain him with Jesus lurking there… Or will they both start? Or if you captain mostly Salah, then KDB is way better value than Aguero imo! KDB is the most nailed City asset and could be even captainable against poor defenses…
This was supposed to be a reply for Mr Bean above!!!
Also KDB was 4th highest scoring player in the game last season… Aguero had better PPG than KDB, so I would have both in my team if Aguero was nailed, but is he nailed? KDB is!
A very good point. Who knows he might even be available at the start
Surely you go by PPG, so Aguero is a better pick because he scored 1 more point for every game he plays?
He was only rested for 4 games last year, so a covering bench player will help, and then when the inevitable injury comes along he can simply be replaced?
Must admit, I had in in my head for a while that for the games he doesn’t play, any points from the bench will only increase his ‘theoretical’ PPG but i realise that is wildly wrong (completely the opposite) and may help me make a decision come August 10th.
Yes, PPG over Total Score IF both players are nailed and likely to play similar amount of games… But KDB is nailed to play I’d say at least 90% of the games, whereas Aguero might not be. He was rotated last season and only played a lot during the spring when Jesus got injured, and that time really boosted his PPG too with his two hat-tricks… If Jesus is fit, Aguero is more likely to get subbed off early around the CL games and so on, and he might even miss entire games altogether… Rememer, Jesus is the future, Aguero is already 30 years of age, and Pep is famous for his rotation… With Mahrez there Sterling could play centrally as well… I am tempted by Aguero but I’m wary of his minutes whereas KDB is nailed, if Jesus gets injured then Aguero is a shoe-in!
Morning gang. This is my second draft. Comments welcome as always. Thanks
Looks pretty solid to me. Im a fan with a few constraints. I’m not convinced by Bellerin as he has competition. Do we think Milovejevic will get that many pens again I’m not convinced I’d prefer someone else
Hey Smash, i hope you are well. Thanks for the feedback. Bellerin I am happy to swap out, Mili I went for as I think he will play and for the pens. Had a thought on Sessengnon but not sure how he will do.
Might be my favourite team i’ve seen on here so far in terms of spreading of funds.
I would second Smash’s comments on Bellerin and Milivojevic.
Also, not convinced on an Everton double up in defence. Would rotate 2 £4.5m or pick a £5.5m and stick. Could use the extra cash to upgrade Mili.
Second this, in full. Everton double up at the back scares me slightly. Think we are getting blinded by the fixtures a little. They were hardly a paragon of strength at the back last year, and Allardyce played for it!
Cheers AT. Ok I’m gonna have a tinker and then repost. Many thanks for the feedback. How is your team coming along?
Umm, yeah it is getting there. My main dilemma is Aguero really. That and whether I am being too risky in defence; Luke Shaw and David Luiz are not really doing it for me at the moment haha. Will have to see what pre-season shows up.
I hear you in Aguero. Post up a draft when you get a chance
I’m guessing a lot will change in the coming weeks with transfers, so at the moment I’m just gaining information and seeing what fits. Nothing to trouble the community with!
Cheers Mr Bean thanks for the feedback. I’ll most likely shift bellerin based on the comments so far. I’ll post up another draft shortly. How is your team coming along
I found making a team so easy at the beginning of last season, hit 97 points in GW1, and was very happy.
This year i’m pulling my hair out, can’t find anything I like and so am leaving it until after the Community Shield before i give it any serious consideration.
Jota, Robertson, Azpi, and Aguero/PEA (maybe both) will probably be the basis for my team. Trying to pick guaranteed starters from the off (avoiding the urge to gamble on David Luiz/Luke Shaw etc, City midfielders and World Cup semi-finalists) because my season fell off a wagon during my GW32 wildcard last season – think I had 10 playing players on my BB 2 weeks later – when I tried a few risks.
Sounds like a great plan. After reading your and a few others comments, I think I may need to get Aguero in. I also like the Azpi pick as he is most likely to be starting.
Why have Pickford with Fabianski? That’s a waste of funds imo, go with someone at 4.5m to rotate with Fab, like Bettinelli or even McCarthy… And if Courtois goes to Real and Schmeichel goes to Chelsea, then that’s all of our goalies sorted right there 😉
Getting there…. I think.
Like it, Ant. The only thing, and I know you will probably disagree with me given your allegiances, is that three Everton players inc. Richarlison seems risky to me. I had Keita and Tosun and switched (albeit with a bit more cash involved) to Rich and Firmino. Rich is my only ‘Everton’ player currently.
Ant, my first thought is the lack of City attackers……look at their fixtures mate.
The worry is who’s gonna play tho mate. I can’t be bothered with the hassle of one of them being benched, plus I’m not quite sure how to fit one in.
Yes it is very tough this year (we do say this every year!).
For City we know that Mahrez and Sane will almost certainly play the first 2/3 matches….Kun is fit, Jesus is around, KDB, Sterling likely not around the first 2/3 weeks….
given the fixtures I’d rather have Kun than Auba early doors. Martial can be downgraded to a cheapie to allow an upgrade of Rich to Mahrez for example.
The fixtures are too good to ignore for me. Yes Pep can frustrate can we can only use the facts we have for the initial period.
I agree. Ignore the best team in the league against the 6 most recent newcomers at your peril!
You have to have City attackers mate
My plan is to start off with Mahrez (likely to be involved in the first few games) and then switch to KDB when he comes back… Will have the 0.5m in the bank for that from the beginning!
Sorry 1m in the bank needed for that move, or maybe start with Sane and have 0.5m in the bank, either way, KDB will be my nailed on City attacker before long!
As a few more faces are on this morning, I’m sure Init and the rest of the site team would really appreciate some more comments on the Around the Grounds post Init made last night: https://fantasyfootball247.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-promoted-teams-analysis-fpl-2018-19-cardiff-city/comment-page-4/#comment-484271
how about this then.
Hey Ant,
I think you need one premium striker for the balance of your team – Kun or Auba would be the obvious choices initially I feel. Without one it would prove tricky to get an inform premium striker if one emerges (ie Kane or Luk may prove necessary).
I’m not meaning to sound critical, i’m trying to be helpful with my opinion.
I maintain it’s very tough this season, especially as Salah is seen as a must at 13mln! That doesn’t help.
An instant cash saver for you here is to sell PVA – if you’re not playing him vs Fulham you may as well get Tomkins for 1mln cheaper or even Bennett of Wolves for just 4mln.
Crystal Palace have great fixtures so I’d consider just Coleman to a 4.5m def instead, PvA with those fixtures would be fun to watch, he could score a bunch of goals in the first 10 GWs or so…
That said I currently have Coleman and Tomkins instead of PvA as Tomkins is great value at 4.5m for me and don’t want to double up on Palace defense…
I do like this team, only concern for me would be how to get the 11m strikers Aguero or Auba to that team… But there are yet so many question marks that we have to just wait and see, Lacazette could be great value too and with those Arsenal fixtures after GW2 that team would be quite ideal for such a scenario, just sell Firmo to Laca… But I’d be afraid Auba would score more points and I’d probably start with either Auba or Aguero in order to have that 11m striker slot already in the team… Also I’d choose between Alisson and Ederson for the goalie at 5.5m… Just seems 6m for De Gea is too much with those two could easily outscore him for 0.5m less!