FPL Tips Gameweek 26
Welcome to FPL Tips Gameweek 26
It’s double GW season and this is the biggest one of all. There will be hits galore everywhere, as well as chips being played right, left and centre. This is where the fun really happens, it’s where you can catch the leaders in your mini leagues and make big gains on your overall rank. If you had Dallas or Barnes in GW25 then congratulations, you probably had a great week. If not it’s time to shake it off and get your head in the game ready to go again!
Goalkeepers
Martinez (now 5.3m) is the stand out pick for a keeper. He has a double GW this week against Leeds and Sheffield United, he has another double on the horizon and he even plays in GW29: the big blank. Martinez is the highest scoring goalie in the game with 130 points and the last 6 game -weeks he’s also made the most saves with 29 and is a magnet for BPS.
I know a lot of people will already be on Martinez and they might be looking for another keeper for a bench boost or still might own McCarthy of Southampton, who lost his expected DGW, if so then Areola at Fulham (4.5m) has looked really good. He’s cheap, he has an ok double vs goal shy Crystal Palace and then Spurs who are not posting the greatest attacking stats. Areola also plays in GW29. Fulham have massively improved defensively in recent weeks with only Chelsea, City, Wolves and Brighton conceding less goals than them in the last six game weeks.
Sanchez (4.5) at Brighton is also offering great value, he only has a single this week but it’s against WBA. Brighton have only conceded three goals in their last six matches.
One final tip for a keeper is perhaps Forster (4m), who might be worth a punt on a wildcard. Yes I know he’s not playing currently but McCarthy was at fault for more goals against Leeds and there are growing cries for him to be dropped by Saints fans.
Defenders
The obvious picks are Man City when it comes to defence. You would back them to keep clean sheets vs anyone in the league on current form. They have conceded just two goals in their last seven games. During that time they have only conceded 35 shots on goal which shows how solid they are looking. They have back to back double game weeks against Wolves and West Ham this week and then United and Saints the following week. All home fixtures too. Stones (5.2m) and the more nailed Dias (5.7m) are looking fantastic assets. If you want someone more attacking Cancelo (6.1m) is your man! No defender has recorded more goal attempts in the last seven matches, with 11. He’s also 6th for chances created for a defender so is certainly threatening attacking returns.
My stand out pick for a defender elsewhere is Luke Shaw (5.1m) from Manchester United. Shaw has a double this week against Chelsea and Palace. United have only conceded 48 shots in the last six game weeks, which sits them at third best in the league. Their xGC is 5.19 which makes them (in recent weeks) stat wise the fourth best defence in the league. What really has caught the eye for me though is Luke Shaw’s attacking numbers
as in the last six game weeks only Pascal Grob has created more chances than Shaws 19. To put this into perspective that’s higher than Bruno Fernandes and Jack Grealish. Three of them have been big chances created which is the fourth best in the league. These are quite phenomenal numbers.
If you find yourself with cash Lucas Digne (6.1m) already has 8 assists this season with limited minutes due to injury. He has a very good double with Everton playing WBA and Southampton this week. He’s also expected to have another double coming soon. It’s just difficult to predict when Everton will keep a clean sheet.
Ricardo Pereira at Leicester (5.9m) is also one to keep an eye on. He’s been playing out of position on the RW. Leicester have a double vs Arsenal and Burnley this week and Leicester have a very nice fixture run right up to GW36 now.
Chelsea under Tuchel have looked a lot more solid defensively. In the last six game weeks they have the lowest xGC rate in the league at just 3.13. That’s even lower than Man City. During this time they have only conceded two goals. Chelsea do have a difficult double of Liverpool and United but quite often these big games are low scoring and then they have a great run of fixtures after. There are two stand out picks for me first, Rudiger (4.6m) has started every game under the new manager and is cheap. Those more prone to a gamble might like the look of Marcus Alonso (5.7m), remember him yeah…?! Well he appears to be first choice LB under Tuchel with Chilwell seemingly out of favour. Last four game weeks he’s had 11 goal attempts which is the same as Cancelo but has created two big chances which not even Cancelo has managed. That’s the Alonso of old stats, now I never thought I would say that this season.
Finally, some cheap assets to consider. I mentioned Brighton earlier who have kept 4 clean sheets in their last six matches and have some great value assets with Dan Burn (4.2m) and Ben White (4.4m). They don’t have a double but have a very nice fixture of Newcastle at home in the big blank GW. In the last six game weeks they have an xGC of 4.04 which is the third best in the league. Notable mentions for Konsa (4.6m) and Targett (4.9m) from Villa also who have a double GW and play in GW29 are also great value assets to own.
Midfielders
In midfield the stand out premiums are Bruno Fernandes (11.6m) and Mo Salah (12.6m), the latter in particular who I would not be selling personally, as some are They sit second and third for goal attempts in the last six game weeks and are the two top scorers in the league. Their numbers certainly have not dropped off either.
Raheem Sterling is posting great numbers currently. He has returned in four of his last five games. In the last six game weeks no player in the game has more opposition box touches than Sterling and he also has the highest xG for all players in the game at 3.95. Gundogan (6.1m) for me is must own, he is that good value. He has 11 goals in his last 14 Premier League matches. No player has more FPL points than Gundogan in this period. He’s taken the DSilva role this season and is more attacking than ever.
Now we need to talk about Leicester. They are flying currently and sit third in the table. Arsenal, Burnley, Brighton and Sheffield United in their next four and a double GW this week so I’d expect that run to continue. There are two stand out picks in midfield; Harvey Barnes (6.9m) and James Maddison (7.1m). Barnes has returns in eight of his last eleven games including 12 points against Liverpool and 13 against Villa in his last two games. He sits 8th on the list for goal attempts for the last six game weeks and is clearly in red hot form. His team mate James Maddison has gone about his business more quietly. In the last six game weeks no player in the game has had more shots than Maddison. Only Bruno, Cresswell and Raphinha have created more big chances during this time. Similar to Barnes, Maddison has been consistent having returned in seven of his last nine fixtures.
Leeds have just had their double GW but if you missed the boat Raphinha is still looking like a great player to own. No player has created more big chances (5) than Raphinha in the last six game weeks and only GroB has created more chances during the same time, 19, which is the same as Luke Shaw. He’s also consistent as he’s technically not blanked in his last seven matches. Leeds also play in GW29 so he could prove to be useful.
My last two picks for a midfielder are Lookman at Fulham who is just 5 million. Only four players have had more goal attempts in the last six game weeks. All have been mentioned in this article. They have a double this week so he could be a shrewd move on a bench boost. The last notable mention is Smith-Rowe at Arsenal who is featuring for Arsenal every week now is a great bench option at just 4.3m.
Strikers
I have not mentioned Spurs yet in this article which might surprise people considering they probably have the best double this GW against Burnley and Fulham. Well their top man is my top pick for a forward this week; Harry Kane (11.1m). He’s played 90 mins in this last three games since returning from injury now. We know he takes a few games to get going so maybe now is the time when he will start firing again. No forward has more points than Kane this season and he’s a great captain shout this week. Only Bruno has had more goal attempts than Kane this season and that’s what you want in an FPL player; someone that is not scared to shoot.
Also having recently returned from injury is Dominic Calvert-Lewin who has a great double this week; WBA and Saints who are conceding for fun currently. DCL scored a hat trick against WBA earlier in the season. Also Saints have an xGC of 11.84 for the last six game weeks which is the worst in the league. If that’s not enough to tempt you he’s the fourth highest scoring forward in the game and he also has another DGW coming soon.
My final three picks for strikers are as follows. Firstly Jamie Vardy (10.1m) who has the highest xG in the league this season at 14.39. I have mentioned Leicester throughout this article and he is at the heart of everything they do. If Leicester are playing well and have good fixtures, which they are and do, I’d expect Vardy to score big FPL points. One other pick is Ollie Watkins at 6.5. He’s the sixth highest scoring forward in the game and has a double against Leeds and Sheffield United. He also has another double coming and plays in GW29 so what’s not to like there. Lastly and maybe least is WBA’s new striker Mbaye Diagne (6 million) who is less than 1% owned. He plays Everton and Brighton this week and follows that up with games against Newcastle and Crystal Palace. He has 3 returns in his five and only matches this season. At 2.76 xG for the last six game weeks this is the sixth best in the league behind Sterling, Antonio, Gundogan and Salah!
Here’s my own Wildcard btw!
Or at least this is what I have so far…
Whatever your chip strategy is I wish you all a good double GW. Strap yourselves in, this may be a bumpy ride!
Thanks for reading FPL Tips Gameweek 26. This article was written by Smash.
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Thanks a million Smash, that’s very helpful. I just have 1 question, should I take 2 more hits for – 12 to bring Areola/Pickford and Watkins in for Steele and Bamford to give me 13 dgw players and 2 singles and then play bb.
Or leave as is with – 4 and have 11 dgw players and no BB.I’m not sure we’ll get a better time to play it though. Sorry this is doing my head in. :wacko:
Kind of get the impression you want to do it as you keep asking so Areola and Watkins. It could pay off. With Pickford you are stuck with two expensive keepers. Anything can happen with a big hit.
-20 here and this person scored 226 points so it’s all relative
Oh my. What a score.
Ok you’ve convinced me :laugh2: I think I’ll just go for it and be done with it, I still have my wc and fh anyway.
That’s an old shot, quite a few seasons back! I remember that there were plenty of TC on Sanchez and Aguero which paid dividend more than most BB.
Very nice read. Cheers.
Thanks
Please rate my team below
I already done with -8 by getting DCL, Barnes &Kane instead of Barnes burnley, Sterling & Ings
I still have WC , BB and TC
Please advice to use WC or TC on kane ??
A -8 and you still have Grealish who might be injured if be tempted to wildcard. It does not necessarily need it though so it’s pretty tough to advise. You would have to keep an eye on GW29 though without a free hit
Great stuff Smash :good:
After reading it, I think your WC draft from last night could be the final one after now explained in details
Ha yeah you can see the similarities can’t you
Yep, and I liked it a lot.
Just because we have a couple of more days, don’t go mad and change it 😉
Yeah I seem fairly settled with it. Still hoping Mitchell goes down in price
The best part is that you still have FH for 29. I need to decide whether to take a hit bringing in Kane and save the WC for later or do full refurbish.
Great write up Smash :good2: thanks
Hello there one and all – a moment of great clarity has come upon me. I have spent 3 days ruminating, and listening to podcasts, coveting various assets that I don’t possess (Barnes, Vardy, DCL, Digne and co.), weighing up the possibilities of hits galore to BB, TC or whatever, and in fact I know what I have to do, thanks to Smash, Cookie, Kralin, Innit, GP et al. It’s just to stop whining, do the 1 FT I have available (applicable for this GW AND GW 29), and make the best of the team I actually possess!
What’s more, I am going to TC the man who hurts me most even if he’s in my squad (tho’ have had him from the start!!!), Bruno Fernandes!!! Such a simple solution (do the best with what you’ve got, rather than tearing up your team for the mythical pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!), so obvious, yet so easily forgotten! I know that every situation is different, but when I saw that 14 points separated 400K from 500K (I’m right, smack bang in the middle!), I definitely thought twice about that -4 or -8 that I was envisaging! (Fool’s gold AJW, fool’s gold! Just shut your trap and get on with it, I hear you say!).
That’s all folks – many thanks to those who have kept a cool head!
Bon soir AJW – that sounds like a very sensible, cool headed plan. You must have laid off the Stella and instead been opening that Chateau Lafite case which has been staring at you!
Cookie’s just taken the words – or nearly the words – from my mouth. I feel all dressed up with nowhere to go.
But I think that approach is exactly the right one to have this GW. I am planning the same – in fact I may try to outchill you by rolling my transfer (though I daresay I’ll move Ings along, come Friday).
Like you I’m planning to stroll to a quiet spot this GW and watch it all unfold.
PS that Bruno punt – if you can call it that – seems all right to me.
While the DGW may well paper over a hit or two I’m hoping (not for the managers on here, of course, none of whom I compete against and all of whom I love like brothers and sisters) that there will some demented and thoughtless hitting this GW as the DGW heaves into view.
I best not tell you my plans then :big-lol:
Not a -28 I hope Cookie. That’s Terminator territory and you don’t want to go there too often.
Oh boy! is it double figures?
Then atleast my -8 plans seem sensible in comparison :wink2:
There have been a few anger management treble figure ones over the years, OddDane. You know – the ones where rage transfer paralysis sets in and a player is transfered out, then brought back in so he can be transfered out again, and again…
It’s like a mechanical act of some strange lust.
It was -24 and a magnificent BB at last count but I haven’t pressed the button as yet :manic:
This is starting to take on the flavour of a hostage situation.
A lot of patient negotiation then, sadly, yet maybe inevitably, the cathartic bloodbath of a 275,000 fall in the OR.
But think of the fun Kralin. And after all we are only playing a game.
What’s a little 24pts between friends?!
Let him be another sweet soul saved for Jesus. Maybe I preach temperance so much because deep down I yearn to dive into the turbid waters of hits and chaos and fleeting exhilaration and then comforting oblivion.…the problem I see is that once started down that path
will lead you into the arms of Satanthen next time it just gets easier to justify – ‘it’s only a -16’ then we’ll have lost you.This springs to mind…
What’s in the briefcase, pop?
What a véritable cascade of comment ! All very heart-warming and indeed flattering -I guess I am now condemned to being reasonable!
The fear of being driven through the streets, hands tied behind my back and pelted with rotting vegetables prevents me from going back on my word! Thanks one and all! 
Kralin, let me explain. This is like Dave Allen at the confessional!
I played what turned out to be a bad WC that leaves me not well set for DGW26 and beyond.
So a -8 got me the bare minimum; -16 got me a decent BB and one or two more hits get me a really good looking BB and…and this is the clincher for me….it also leaves me well set for the weeks ahead.
I weighed up the -8 team which was ok but only ok going forward and looked if another 12 points could be made up by the players coming in. I think it’s got a fair chance.
Of course I’m looking at this from a best case scenario – an unexpected result or two will screw me but if all goes to plan I’m in better shape.
That’s the trade off – the gambler in me wants to roll the dice and not die wondering.
I’m aware the odds are likely against me but the only chance I have is to go hard at the biggest DGW of the season.
There won’t be another chance.
One has to be grateful this game wasn’t played in the Middle Ages, AJW – and one’s job wasn’t ‘Phantasy advisor’ to a deranged and impatient monarch.
The playing it patient lark would have ended in a lot worse than being pelted with offal.
Say three hail marys Cookie – then go outside and mercilessly flog yourself with twigs.
Then thy foul sin shall be absolved.
Kralin, I only play this game for the punishments on offer.
I will press the button and thrash myself once for every point hit partaken.
Photos may or may not be available.
I suppose there could be some sort of hypnosis therapy, whereupon managers making hits get what they think is a huge electric shock every time they do so.
Those playing within their means get an imaginary pat on the back, maybe a sense of their hair being mussed up a little sexily and the lights being dimmed.
My oh my boys – a night’s slumber has separated this comment from your previous contributions. Just woke up with a chuckle!
The idea of ‘Phantasy Phootballe’ is an appealing one – imagine the random nature of scoring in a game which at the time, may or may not have been played between 2 massive bands of rival village rabble, with a ball made of shreds of leather and filled with hair (‘Footballhistory.org’, states that “The rampage of these games would cause damage on the town and sometimes death.”). Phantasy scores of up to 500 points per player being possible, as games often lasted until sundown (undoubtedly, Phantasy Phootballe Ligue would have been scored by the clergy, faithful to local lords, thus individual points attributed in a totally subjective manner!). A system called V.A.R. (Vultures Arriving Rapidly) may possibly have been used to alert scorers of any deaths occuring from ‘free kicke’ or ‘pennalittie’ situations, resulting in massive bonus/malus points!
Ah the possibilities must have been endless – but as a player of the modern game, you have to feel pretty well protected, don’t you?
Choose ye well, younge people!
Bye for now!
AJW, look up Andy Smart and Ashbourne, this still happens annually, makes for hilarious live radio too!
Hey Innit – I think I read about this last year – sounds like a load of fun!
Thanks mate – see you round!