FF247 Site Team News GW17-21 Christmas Special
Ho ho hell yeah, points!!
Welcome to FF247 Site Team GW17
The next few weeks feel like a real chance for us to finally kick-start our season — a festive resurrection, if you will. We’re now lined up to play three chips across the next three gameweeks, and with a sprinkling of Christmas luck, we could head into the holidays looking far more like our former selves. Or at least less like a team that’s been on the naughty list since August.
This week, Lady Luck came dressed as Santa and actually delivered, but let’s face it, now more than ever, this game is all about luck. Planning, watching matches, researching stats? Largely pointless. Dave from accounts is top of the league, has declared himself an FPL savant, and delivers a weekly carol dedicated to FPL Harry and Let’s Talk FPL. Throw in his Hub subscription and, naturally, he owns all the same players as you — just a gameweek earlier. Festive miracles everywhere.
Anyway, back to us. We unwrapped a few points, and the transfers mostly paid off. While Raya and Anderson delivered coal, Ekitike played the role of Christmas miracle with a tasty 13-pointer. Foden kept the goodwill flowing with 11pts, and while we may have slightly fluffed the captaincy — consider it a stocking filler gone wrong — the damage was minimal at just 2pts lost. Four of our eleven blanked, but the other seven worked overtime to drag us safely down the chimney.
By full-time, we’d racked up 82pts — a generous 22pts over the average. A festive green arrow followed, hoisting us up from 3,684,352 to 2,948,834. Not quite a Christmas number one, but definite progress as we edge toward the top half of the advent calendar.
Our Gameweek 16 Result
Screenshot
We have £01m in the bank and 1 free transfer to use ahead of GW17. Let’s go see what was decided….
Our GW17 Transfer(s)
We’ve now pressed the Free Hit button, locking in our festive chip strategy. Next week brings the Wildcard, followed by a slightly unhinged Bench Boost in peak rotation season. Sensible? No. Seasonal chaos? Absolutely.
The XI largely picks itself. There’s a triple-up on Bournemouth for their plum fixture against Burnley, while City at home to West Ham feels like an early Christmas present. Form players Wilson and Foden make the cut, and we’re asking Arsenal for a clean sheet — which feels about as safe as leaving mince pies unattended around Big Sam.
The only mild surprise is our decision to keep faith with Ekitike. But after delivering 13pts last week, he’s earned another go. Add in a Spurs side arriving fresh off a 3–0 stuffing, and suddenly the decision feels very much in the spirit of goodwill.
Haaland wears the armband. He’ll be Triple Captained by plenty this week, so going against him feels like asking for socks when everyone else is opening PlayStations. We’ll take the sensible gift and move on.
To confirm then we have played our Free Hit
Captain – Haaland
Our GW17 team in full…
Screenshot
For the remainder of the Christmas period we shall update the FF247 team and post our moves in the comments to this one.
You can follow the progress of the FF247 Site Team here
Thanks for reading FF247 Site Team News GW17-20 Christmas Special. This article was written by Fantasy Football 247
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
Back by popular demand! Well, sort of… Drafthound have changed their line-up approach this season and what it means for us is that we are no longer able to display a live feed of it on here due to some technical difficulties. That said, what they have done looks great and is still only a click away so if you want to access those they are HERE
VOTE ON THIS WEEK’S CAPTAIN POLL
FPL FIXTURE TRACKER
Fantasy Football 247 League Codes:
This is our main public FF247 League for the 2025/26 season, which anyone is welcome to join and can be accessed using the code below or this auto-join link
League Code: z6n8ox
Our Regulars League* for 2025/26 is sponsored by FF247. The total cash prize pool is £300. The first 4 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:
jamie251069@yahoo.co.uk
Our FF247 Cup is also included and attracts a prize of £50 for the winner.
*terms and conditions apply and the FF247 Management reserve the right to review membership of this league on an ongoing basis which is dependent upon regular comment / community activity.
All prizes must be claimed within 30 days of the final GW.
Both leagues will be closed to new entrants on 01/02/26.
mikekelly12
Morning. Not a regular on here but enjoy the content. Was hoping some of you more seasoned managers might be able to advise on my WC? This team has me fully spent up and I have a BB to play next week. Any help appreciated.
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Terminators
That looks good, difficult to see what could be improved with all the funds spent.
You will need to do this before the prices change as it looks likely Gordon and Stach will go up in price tonight.
MattX
Good team but because you are BB next week I’d maybe rethink Rogers and Rice with a plan to get them in after possibly.
Just might not provide a lot of points that game. Hard to know of course but in isolation I like this side.
MattX
You do also have Alderete and Gudmundsson who play City and Liverpool so I do kind of feel your bench boost might not work.
mikekelly12
Thanks guys… appreciate the input
Nasarkhan1
Any news on this GW team
Rosco
With our Bench Boost active, and New Year’s parties looming, we’ve been forced into a transfer. Much like saying yes to “just one more drink,” once you’ve committed, there’s no graceful way out.
With Calafiori and Grealish both flagged, but with three transfers in hand, we actually find ourselves in a decent position.
After a bit of end-of-year back and forth — including one particularly unhinged moment that involved selling VVD and using all three transfers — we eventually settled on a compromise. A sensible middle ground. The sort of decision you make before the prosecco kicks in.
We’re choosing to believe (and hoping desperately) that Jack’s illness is the predictable result of festive overindulgence and not something more sinister. He should recover. He stays. Sadly, the Gunners’ full-back does not.
We’re shamelessly point-chasing. Dorgu comes into the XI after his eye-catching 17pt haul at the weekend. We’d love to say this was part of a long-term plan, but with Wolves at home, a budget-friendly price tag, and the very real chance he’s deployed out of position again, this felt more like a classic “New Year, why not?” move.
The Robot keeps the armband. No bold resolutions here, no promises to do things differently — just sticking with what we know while pretending that next year will be more disciplined.
We’re hoping to make up for a pretty dismal Wildcard showing last gameweek. Fingers crossed the Bench Boost — which largely dictated that Wildcard in the first place — does the heavy lifting.
Like all good New Year resolutions, we’re full of optimism, armed with good intentions, and quietly bracing for disappointment by mid-January.
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Shrivathsa
All the best site team. Double Man U defence, but then very likely to be CS bankers
Rosco
With Grealish still a doubt we’ve moved him on to Szoboszlai, he’s nailed on pens and he has a nice name!
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Nasarkhan1
Any more updates
hammerfan_lm
Ftx5, 0.1m itb
What can I do?
Do O’Reilly and Rice need to be ditched?
Captain – either Ekitike or Bowen
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Shrivathsa
Would not ditch Rice, I think he may not play and Arteta will unleash him on Liverpool. Wilson can come in. Looks a short term thing in the case of Rice. O Reilly no official comments but there was a strange report on Manchester evening news that Guardiola was angered by something he was doing and subbed him off for Gvardiol. Reminds me a bit of the Rico Lewis episode last year and after that Rico never started. Would be nice if you could upgrade O Reilly to Nunes. And maybe start Alderete over Dorgu. Have a nasty feeling that Leeds are going to score at least a goal or two vs Man U
hammerfan_lm
I can do O’Reilly to nunes. Basically a straight swap.
Will keep rice.
50/50 as spurs could score as well, so dorgu/alderete might not get clean sheets
hammerfan_lm
Or I could do O’Reilly->Thiaw
Terminators
I think keep Rice for now, you either need him or Saka.
I would go O’Reilly >Thiaw then you can do Chalobah > Matheus Nunes
I am going to captain Haaland now because of Chelsea sacking their manager, hence why I mentioned the Chalobah move.
hammerfan_lm
Terminators, good moves.
i could still get Nunes if I ditched O’Reilly, but you think I should do the Chalobah move as well?
hammerfan_lm
One quick question, doing those moves, would you play both? Originally I benched Chalobah.
Would you play both, seeing as Rice may not play, or put one as 1st bencher, and if so, who?
Terminators
O’Reilly > Nunes it is a very sideways move but Nunes looks better for the long term.
Thiaw (or Gabriel if possible) for Chalobah.
For this week I think Thiaw is better as Palace are in poor shape at the moment, they don’t have anyone to score goals.
If you do Chalobah > Thiaw then I would play him and bench Dorgu, have Rice first on the bench.
hammerfan_lm
ok, those transfers done, but not enough to get Gabriel in.
Attachd team, so not sure how i can bench Dorgu unless i play Wilson
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Reg83
I think m nunes is an upgrade to o reilly. Few weeks ago i got o reilly but instinct was to get nunes. O reilly has slightly more goal threat but nunes has much better assist and defcon potential..
Having said that probably pep will bench or sub off nunes before 60 next game.
Terminators
Looks good.
I thought you would only do the one move, Chalobah > Thiaw.
Sorry, I meant to say play Rice as it was 50/50 if he was to play, it still is as apparently he has travelled with the squad to Bournemouth.
Maybe play as you have it set-up, play Dorgu and have Rice first on the bench, the other is just to switch them around, Wilson did well against Man City though.
I think you’re going to have to go with your gut on who to play out of Dorgu, Rice or Wilson, they will all score just 2pt or the one you bench will get a goal, they can all score/assist which they all need to do, but Dorgu could get a clean sheet, that is 50/50 but they will be surely trying to do better after the last game.
hammerfan_lm
Nah terminators, go bold or go home lol.
Might as well use my transfers. They are there to be used.
Rice 1st bencher and dorgu in team.
Just have to hope my setup works