FPL Fixtures Gameweek 18
No sh*t, Sherlock
Writing this so early may yet prove to be folly, and no doubt the second it is published the PL will announce a circuit breaker and B(lank)GW18 will become B(leak)GW18 and we shall be back into the territory of adding ‘+’ symbols to GW’s again. But just in case we somehow avoid the above doomsday scenario we have decided to break the upcoming week’s down into words. You could always just look at the Fixture Tracker but sometimes it also helps to have the lay of the land spelt out in simple terms.*
*On the above, and to confirm what BoJo said on Monday evening, as far as he is concerned he is happy for it to continue. But that does of course depend on Covid cases within clubs not escalating and the players behaving responsibly.**
**Gulp
FPL FIXTURE TRACKER
But first up that all important Fixture Tracker itself…
FIXTURE TRACKER LINK
For those who would like to make their own copy to play with;
Observations on GW’s 18 to 23
We thought we would begin with a quick overview of what lies ahead, as a few obvious things jump out here;
GW Proximity
The first thing which strikes us (other than the obvious blank and double) is that the fixtures pile up pretty quickly after GW18;
GW18
Begins: Tues 12th
Ends: Thurs 14th
GW19
Begins: Fri 15th
Ends: Thurs 21st
GW20
Begins: Tues 26th
Ends: Thurs 28th
GW21
Begins: Sat 30th
Ends: Sun 31st
GW22
Begins: Tues 2nd
Ends: Wed 3rd
GW23
Begins: Sat 6th
Ends: TBC
That’s potentially 7 league games in less than 4 weeks for some teams. Not to mention some FA Cup games and Milk Cup semis too. And you thought rotation at Christmas was bad…
A list of teams
In essence the following is just that. We did say we would keep this simple though! But if you look more closely you will see that it is a list of teams split by how they transverse both BGW18 & DGW19. And hopefully it may be one to refer back to in the next week or so as it splits them all down into who has what over the ‘rather difficult to naviagate’ BGW18 & DGW19.
Teams with 3 games over both
The following play in 18 and then back that up with a double in 19;
ASTON VILLA
BURNLEY
MAN CITY
MAN UNITED
Teams with a Blank 18 then a Double 19
CHELSEA
FULHAM
LEEDS
LEICESTER
LIVERPOOL
SOUTHAMPTON
WEST BROM
WEST HAM
Teams with a game in both (i.e no blank or double)
ARSENAL
BRIGHTON
CRYSTAL PALACE
EVERTON
NEWCASTLE
SHEFFIELD UNITED
SPURS
WOLVES
Blank GW18 Fixture Strategy
The above list(s) should give you a bit of a guide as to whether or not you need to ship or buy a player. And it is very objective. If we are to jump to the exact opposite for a moment then here is quick subjective guide to 18:
Originally it looked very difficult to play both 18 & 19 without using some sort of a Chip. Since the PL added a few loose fixtures to both 18 & 19 it now looks a tad easier, albeit not ideal.
We have had a fair few questions on site in relation to the ‘minimum’ number of players one would dare approach BGW18 with. The consensus seems to be that 7 would be borderline, 8-9 would be more ideal and anything in excess of that would be perfect.
Our answer would be that it depends on your team and who that 7/8/9 actually are. If they are all good players with decent fixtures then crack on. Just bear in mind that most us carry 3, 4 or even 5 players who get us a point or two every week, and we play them knowing they will do just that. Your BGW18 strategy may simply come down to what balance of those you have in relation to the aforementioned point scorers.
Double GW19 Strategy
As we see it you have multiple plays here. If you can build a 15 man squad that you are happy with then a Bench Boost may be in order.
If you have a weak bench then perhaps deploying a Triple Captain could be the way to go, but just bear in mind rotation is very likely.
The alternative is to do neither and wait on future DGW’s, the likelihood of which grows with every Covid postponement.
Free Hit Strategy
If you find yourself with less than desirable numbers / the wrong players in BGW18 or simply fancy chasing DGW19 with similarly more suitable assets then playing the Free Hit could be the ideal solution. It may sound simple but here are the basics once more, just in case you are confused on any aspects of it;
- In essence it simply means that you can change your entire squad for one week and have it restored to its former glory for the beginning of the following GW.
- Any transfers or point hits taken in the same GW that the FH is activated will be cancelled.
- You will emerge with only 1 free transfer the week after playing it, effectively meaning you would lose any previously unused ones that you would ordinarily carry over.
- You cannot gain from price rises whilst using your FH, so in this respect it differs from playing the usual Wildcard when you can play the market a bit.
- You will however lose value on a player if he falls in price.
Postponments
A quick final word on postponments. If, unlikely as it seems, ALL games in a GW are cancelled then any Chips, Wildcards or transfers made will be lost forever. And any hits taken will still be counted. All of which means it may be wise to delay pressing that confirm button on anything until the last possible moment. But obviously don’t forget to actually press it at some point!!!
All of which may leave you simply repeating the title of the article, but I thought it was worth going over again.
Thanks for reading FPL Fixtures Gameweek 18. This article was written by Inittowinit.
VOTE ON THIS WEEK’S CAPTAIN POLL GW18
***NEW ARTICLE FIXTURES GW18***
Let’s start looking ahead to BGW18 & DGW19 with a simplistic take on the pair.
I was going to put somethig about City being favourites for the title, looking at their forthcoming fixtures and the run they should be able to put together, before realising they have 7 games to play in about half an hour.
Init, the short and sweet style is still in vogue.
Well done :good:
Hiya everyone! Hope you had a great gw! Had both WH players on my bench
and lost about 17 points ..
Thoughts on my first FH draft? Would ideally prefer to have SON over grealish but not sure how to fit him in.
I like the Kdb / Sterling combo – haven’t seen that in many sides. That seems the game to focus on. Why not get a third City player* – Holding in for Tierney should enable that (Bailly being the one to make way).
*realises you already have that angle covered. This advice will self-destruct in 10 seconds.
Only route I can see is Wilson to fodder. Downgrade Tierney to Holding and upgrade Kilman. Formation would be 4-5-1. Whether it’s a good idea is another matter.
Darlow to Sanchez (should rack up save points atleast) & Tierny to Holding…And you will have the cash to splash on Gre – Son….
FH has been activated. Which one is better? Essentially it’s whether to squeeze in Sterling or not. I would like to think Mahrez starts the next game but who knows. Equally, he could become Grealish in that team.
Cheers
I prefer team 2.
Thanks Kralin. Playing 4-5-1.
Anyone obvious I have missed you reckon?
No not really. Some may say Rashford but that City midfield terror duo you have should cover that.
+1
Favour team 2, but not that keen on Saiss. Newcastle defender could be useful seeing as SHU’s attack is dreadful, which gives funds to upgrade defence. Or go Stones for double City possibly.
Rerally not convinced by Uniteds defense to be hones so I would rather do Wan Bissaka – absolute cheap bench fodder (I think there is a guy at 3.8), Dias to Stones and Brewster to Wilson perhaps…Option 2 of course. Not at all convinced by Mahrez…Game time or attacking threat…
Hope everyone had a good GW, I finished with a respectable 79. Could have been more had Salah not blanked, Bellerin not being taken off 7 minutes before receiving CS points, and Bednarek on the bench.
Just wondering if people who were planning on using their TC in the double had decided who to put it on yet? I was set on Salah but after his third straight blank not sure anymore, Bruno and KDB are also options. Could still go with Salah as he’s gotta start getting points again very soon, and I expect Liverpool to be hungry for the games against United (who will likely be topping the table at that point) and Burnley
Salah, Bruno and KDB are the obvious candidates there. Who is the best option, though? No idea! We always need a bit of luck with our TC chip!
Currently for me – KDB 34%, Bruno 33,5%, Salah 32,5% (and this changes by the hour) :laugh2:
Great article, guys! Again and again you deliver!
A bit of a random question: Justin to Stones – yay or nay? I am 50/50 on this one, as Stones plays 3 games in the next 2 GWs wheres Justin blanks in BGW18.
Also, I’d lose 0.3M TV if I sold Justin. Leicester boy was supposed to lose his spot ages ago but he still looks nailed (for the time being) wheres Pep is Pep and he could always surprise us by taking Stones (or whoever really) out without any indication. Both have good fixtures ahead but Stones’ are slightly better in general and marginally better in the DGW19.
What do you think about this move and should I just try to find another way to bring Stones (or someone else) in (without selling Justin)?
Think that’s a good transfer myself. I think I’d prioritise KDB for GW18. Most direct route would be Salah to KDB, however I know some are reluctant due to transfer value.
Thanks leeboy!
I have 2 FTs and one of them will most likely be Salah to KDB.
Salah to KDB definitely.
Maybe Adams to Wilson or play with 9 and save the second FT for GW19.
Cheers Otieno! I will check on Adams’ situation and go from there.
Many thanks Init, a simple overview is often needed to see the wood from the trees and I was especially surprised to see the close proximity between game-weeks.
Appreciate all your work on this, its a perfect guide to keep close by when planning a route through these next few weeks.
I’m planning on getting through BGW18 & DGW19 without using WC2, BB or FH – what are your plans?
Thanks, simple is sometimes better.
Probably FH myself as I’ve been building for 19 a bit, then I’ll see about TC.