Fantasy Premier League Team Tips DGW22 – 4 FFGeek Contributors Teams Part 2

Contributors, Fantasy Premier League

Here’s part 2 of our fantasy premier league team tips DGW22 articles where 4 FFGeek Contributors show their teams for DGW22. There’s Andrew Whitfield, Kris O, Alex Ball and Costas Chari. Between them they have 12 top 1% finishes in the last 4 competitive seasons

Fantasy Premier League Team Tips DGW22 – 4 FFGeek Contributors Teams Part 2

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Following the teams of 12 top FPL managers who’ve finished in the top 10k OR the last 3 seasons

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Introduction

It’s worth noting that the teams shown may not necessarily end up being the final teams or the transfers may have been made in the days prior to the posting . It’s an informal situation to give you an idea of trends. However the FFGeek team and the Contributor tracker team mentioned above on the FFGeek Patreon site all make transfers as articles are posted. So you’re always up to date and live

Kris O

Kris’s last 7 seasons ORs were 19k, 39k, 44k, 46k, 23k, 12k and 19k

GW21: 79 -4 (FPL average 46) Total points: 1,383, Overall Rank: 10k, red arrow: 1k  Team Value: £104.2m

Kris has yet to use any Chips

As things currently stand my plan is a very simple one, Son to Jota. This assumes no further injuries/postponements and my expectation that Alexander Arnold will be back. My biggest problem is lack of a captain favourite – Ronaldo and Kane. It would be a -4 to get one of them, but I’d lose Antonio and couldn’t get Jota, so realistically a -8. Ronaldo might not play both games and I have Rashford (try not to laugh), so maybe that’s ok.

Kane is more of a problem, so I’m hoping King can have a storming two games against relegation rivals. A small red arrow would be a good result. Clearly plenty of things could change before Friday

Transfer summary: Likely Son to Jota

Here’s the team prior to any transfers being made

Fantasy Premier League Team Tips DGW22

Andrew Whitfield

Andrew’s last 4 seasons overall ranks were 34k, 132k, 6k and 19k

GW21:  78 -4 (FPL average 46) Total points: 1,312, Overall Rank: 113k, green arrow: 7k  Team Value: £104.2m

Follow Andrew on twitter here

Andrew has used 1 Free Hit Chip

Gameweek 21 review:

Well that seemed like the longest gameweek in FPL history. It started at the Emirates, way back on New Years Day when we were still nursing our New Years Eve hangovers , took in the EFL Cup, the FA Cup , Afcon, and just ended at the London Stadium 11 days later.

We lost three games to Covid, one of them a rearranged “double” that wasn’t, as well as losing Foden, Gallagher and Watkins to Covid too. Man City went ten points clear as Chelsea and Liverpool dropped points against each other, and everyone piled into Westham captains for their double gameweek which brought two wins to take them into the top four. It was Bowen captainers who were singing loudest with a whopping 42 point captain haul which could and should have been much higher still !!

It’s certainly proving a challenge right now, as many brought in Everton players for “hits” only for their “double” to be cancelled. Calvert Lewin owners shed the most tears after he missed a penalty before his 2nd game was off. All the planning and strategy is out of the window right now, testing the resolve of many a good manager. With games off at short notice and even postponed after the deadline, restricting points hits and holding back on those “chips”, just putting eleven shirts on the pitch and “hope and pray” feels like the best tactic right now. All we can do is keep making good decisions and trust we will be rewarded.

We had 32 FA cup ties all played at the weekend as the FA instructed clubs to play the tea lady and the club cat to get games played at all cost. How frustrating that the Premier League are taking a very different approach and games are being lost so easily. Sadly, money talks in the Premier League, much to our frustration.

My GW21 score and rank:

I scored 78-4 = 74 points. I had only 5/11 “returners” – My three Liverpool players and my two Westham boys. 42 of my points came from Jarrod Bowen who well and truly saved my gameweek.

I escaped with a welcome green arrow, up from 120k to 113k, which considering I had 6/11 players blank, I will take all day long.

My GW21 talking points:

I had shed my three Arsenal players over the last three weeks ahead of the opening clash of the gameweek v Man City, switching out Smith Rowe this week for Bowen, which was vindicated with ESR failing to start for the 6th successive game and Bowen delivering 42 captain points. Probably my best transfer of the season !! It meant with Phil Foden struck down with the virus, I only had Cancelo in the first game who is highly owned and rank neutral anyway. He blanked as spirited Arsenal can count themselves very unlucky to lose to a late City smash and grab. City attackers bring their rotation risk but they bring goals too – 20 in their last five games. Man City don’t have double gameweeks but it’s prudent to have at least one of their attackers.

Foden’s absence meant King sprung from my bench to pair up with Dennis in a Hornets double up v Spurs. Since I paired them up in GW17, Watford then failed to play the next three games, so it’s been frustrating. They did combine with a goal and assist in GW20 which was overdue payback when Dennis could easily have scored twice. This time, Dennis left early at half time. King came close early on and would probably also have converted what looked a penalty too. Not to be, but Watford do now have three double gameweeks to pay me back, starting at the weekend.

Saturday was also about captain Bowen and dodging the points from the popular GW21 West Ham clean sheets and also dodging my biggest rank threat in Son. Just when Spurs looked like being the first team to fail to score against Watford, up popped Son on cue with a 93rd minute assist. The Hammers goal was almost breached in the 1st minute and lived a very charmed life before they did thankfully concede. Bowen duly landed a lucky captain assist, Antonio scored too, for a moderate Saturday escape despite my Hornets blanks. Plenty opportunities lay ahead on Sunday.

For Raphinha to not be involved in three goals for Leeds when he was a tasty differential was very disappointing, especially as he missed an open net too. My Everton clean sheet lasted only until the 3rd minute and then the Toffees had their 2nd game cancelled, so an inauspicious start for new signing Michael Keane !! I went Everton defence over Westham which backfired and cost me points, but I did so to avoid tripling up on teams with games at risk, and Westham have no more planned doubles. Everton have three !!

It was left to my three Liverpool players to all return in the first 25 mins on Sunday which briefly pushed me into a green arrow position. Everything looked promising as Salah as a differential threatened to really cut loose. But the Chelsea comeback took the bonus points away from my Liverpool boys, and the only player of any threat, Alonso, grabbed an annoying assist and bonus to turn my Sunday red.

Step up David De Gea. There is nothing more tense than watching a game with only a goalkeeper interest. With Ronaldo helpfully blanking, DDG was poised on a healthy score including bonus right up until the 83rd minute. That would have definitely turned me green before the long mid gameweek break, but Man Utd somehow found a way to concede to a team who had scored twice in their previous eight games !!

After an eternity, the double gameweek extra fixtures duly arrived, well two of them anyway with Keane not in action after all. Antonio was pretty rank neutral to me due to ownership and captaincy, so it all came down to captain Bowen to put a stamp on my gameweek and he certainly did that, hitting the bar and post, having a goal disallowed but finding the net twice. All is well that ends well they say !!!! What a crazy 11 days.

So what next ?

I have one free transfer and 2.3M in the bank. We now have a further double gameweek, with eight teams poised for two games. We hope !! I currently have just four doublers.

Many were expecting a much bigger double gameweek and many were set to play free hits to maximise the doubles. But with Westham, Liverpool, Everton and Man City players looking very capable of outscoring the doublers on just one fixture, and some underwhelming doubles, it’s not an obvious opportunity. Especially so if you free hit and own Son or Salah who you would just get back again a week later when they are still probably going to be missing. Man Utd and Spurs look the best doubles to attack and load up on, but both have been inconsistent and unconvincing.

We also need to heed the lessons of last week and not throw too much at the doubles. Will Leicester be even playing twice including Saturday if their game on Tuesday was off ? Which players will be struck down next ? Are you still taking hits for double gameweek players that might not double after all ? Do nothing until Friday. Information in the press conferences will be priceless.

So what are my transfer plans ?

The injury to Son came out of the blue, midway through the gameweek and six days after Spurs played. Even as a non Son owner, it was disappointing as my planned transfer this week was a very simple transfer indeed of Salah to Son, with Mo off to Afcon for probably 2-3 gameweeks. Son had a GW22 double and was an ideal “placeholder” until Salah came back. With money in the bank there was also an option to keep Son in alongside Salah when Mo returned, and move Foden to Salah instead.

I would probably have been happy to run with five doublers including Son and take no hits. The added attraction was Son as the likely captain favourite too, so he afforded good rank protection, as well as being a seamless switch back to Salah, who could miss just two games.

With Son now injured, I can stick to the “place holder plan” and get anyone I want until Salah’s return. De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount or Maddison, the last three all have a double. And that looks like my plan. I can leave it at that and have my flexibility of a quick flip back to Mo. Keep it simple.

But who to captain without Son ?

My problem with Son missing, I don’t have an obvious captain. All my best players only play once. I don’t trust Maddison or Bruno if I bring them in against the heavyweight options. It doesn’t make sense to captain a player with one game when others play twice. Do I trust my Watford strikers with the armband ? Not hugely. Ronaldo and Kane are screaming at me. I don’t own either.

The captaincy without Son will instead now be dominated by Ronaldo and Kane with their doubles. If I don’t buy either, I am heavily exposed to a potential strong captain favourite I dont own. That is something I really try hard to avoid. I use captaincy as a ranking shield, not a sword. The “elite managers” and those that I follow closely seem heavily invested in the Ronaldo captaincy, and the free hitters will be all over Ronaldo and Kane too. They both represent a significant ranking risk as the two strong captains of the week.

There are two circumstances where I consider a points hit. When I need to ensure I have 11-12 starters, and to cover the ranking risk of a heavily owned captain favourite I don’t own. So buying Ronaldo or Kane to captain them becomes a strong consideration when I don’t have a strong captain and Ronaldo could also be the strongest captain for the next two weeks. That’s huge exposure if I don’t go there.

It’s a two week punt for me. Ronaldo has a higher ownership around my rank level. I will need to monitor his fitness and availability in the press conferences, with Kane the reserve plan. Kane probably stands out on form and looked very sharp in the EFL semi. Both are strong options.

If I upgrade to get Ronaldo, my midfield Salah replacements are more limited in value but two I fancy are Maddison and Moura, who both have the attraction of doubling in GW21. They only need be place holders for Salah. Maddison has four double figure hauls in his last six games. I will need positive vibes for the Leicester game on Saturday before I choose him over Moura. Leicester seem a postponement risk so that will really need watching prior to the deadline. Maddison is my first choice, but if doubts remain over Leicester, I will go Moura, which also acts as a hedge against Kane if I take the Ronaldo route.

That would mean taking a -4 hit and giving up one of my strikers to get one of the premium strikers. And it’s not really an easy choice at all !!

Which striker to lose ?

I have Antonio v Leeds and he is a player I have worked hard to get back in, and we know how it is right now. If I lose him for a couple of games, I might not get him back anytime soon if Covid creates other fires. I am happy putting Ronaldo or Kane up against Antonio over the next two with their extra games but I want to reverse it to get back to Salah. Will that prove messy and put me in a pickle with no Antonio and no Salah. Entirely possible. It’s a big risk and one that does concern me. Two transfers from Salah and two transfers back is not really logical when we have so much else that could blow up in our faces. How easy will it be to get back to Salah and to Antonio .

I could upgrade either of my two Watford strikers to Ronaldo or Kane instead. But Watford now play the bottom three teams in successive games and two of them in a GW22 double. Having held my two Hornets for the last few weeks, it seems folly to give them up now ahead of these next three games against the three basement boys. I have to keep them now. This is their time.

My conundrum:

As regards GW22, if I go through with my double transfer, spending -4 to get SIX doublers, and the gameweek captain favourite looks like a good play. At the moment it’s all about dealing with what’s in front of you in the next gameweek and grabbing the points you can. I am not the only FPL manager who is going to need two transfers to get Mo Salah back. Certainly many of the top managers I link into closely will be doing that. That’s something to tackle when I need to. Unlike previous seasons, it’s all about grabbing the points you can NOW.

So my big decision is whether to go without Ronaldo or Kane, have one doubler less, save a points hit and have a far easier route back to Salah. Or protect myself with covering Ronaldo or Kane, and deal with the fallout later. That’s my conundrum. Not an easy decision.

If I go ahead with the double move, I would supplement my six doublers with Jota and Trent v Brentford, Foden and Cancelo v Chelsea and Bowen v Leeds, with cover on the bench, so that should give me a fighting chance. It would also mean I am not too badly placed against the free hitters who will probably have both Harry Kane and Ronaldo but if I own one, probably Ronaldo, I have most other bases covered apart from Kane.

Further transfer thoughts:

Now Chelsea have seen the job through in the 2nd leg and reached the EFL final, they are likely to miss GW24, GW25 and GW27, including their trip to the World Club Championship. Do I hold Rudiger when he potentially plays only one game in four, or switch him out. Reguillon, Emerson or Tierney would be my attacking defenders of choice.

I might look to bring in Reguillon, Emerson or Tierney anyway, with Livramento injured and Michael Keane far from a solid clean sheet machine and not offering the threat of those two attacking full backs. It makes sense to keep Keane with his doubles to come and move on the injured Livramento.

With Wolves having conceded only two goals in eight games, a Wolves defender could be a priority too, even without the obvious attacking threat. Clean sheets talk.

A second keeper is rapidly becoming essential now with games being called off frequently. Sanchez of Brighton would probably be my chosen back up to avoid overspending on keepers. However, with my flagged back up Foster just about ready to return, I am hoping he gets straight back in the team and saves me a transfer !!

My route back to Salah is going to be my first priority, so all eyes on Egypt. If they reach the semis at Afcon, he might be touch and go for GW24. If they crash out in the group stages, he might even only miss one game !! Holding Ronaldo until he returns is my intention. Salah might even have Covid issues on his return, who knows, another reason to invest the Salah cash and try and maximise points while they are available rather than sit on over 4M until he returns, that can be invested into that starting eleven. Those extra points could more than pay for the points hits to get Mo back.

My GW22 team:

Below is my team BEFORE changes. If I go ahead with the double move, assume Salah is Maddison / Moura and Antonio is Ronaldo / Kane who I will captain

I will probably play Foden and Cancelo over Keane who plays Norwich. Keane has a realistic ceiling of six points. Cancelo and Foden can double that, even if Foden starts on the city bench.

I have six flags at the time of writing and before transfers. Hopefully Trent and Foden are routine Covid recoveries and will be ready to play, Dennis has a minor knock from which he is being “preserved” for future games and is back in full training to be assessed before DGW22, Foster shouldn’t be needed but is the same. Salah I am replacing anyway. Which only leaves Livramento who may be facing a knee op.

As always, I won’t be doing anything until an hour before the deadline . I will update my final changes on Twitter close to the deadline.

Good luck everyone, stay strong, and patient and trust that making the right decisions will see you come through in the end.

Transfer summary: Likely assume Salah out Maddison/Moura in and Antonio out Ronaldo / Kane in who I will captain.

Here’s the team prior to any changes assume Salah is Maddison / Moura and Antonio is Ronaldo / Kane

Fantasy Premier League Team Tips DGW22

Alex Ball

Alex’s last 7 seasons overall ranks were 3k, 312k, 523k, 17k, 10k, 28k and 3k

GW21 Points: 88 -8 (FPL average 46) Total points: 1,321, Overall Rank: 90k, green arrow: 21k  Team Value: £105.3m

Follow Alex on twitter here

Alex has used none of his Chips

transfer summary: Likely moves are Son and Broja out to Maddison and Dennis in

Here’s the team prior to any transfers being made

Fantasy Premier League Team Tips DGW22

Costas Chari

Costas’s last 5 seasons were 191k, 17k, 84k, 29k and 27k

GW21 Points: 77 -8 (FPL average 46) Total points: 1,256, Overall Rank: 344k, green arrow: 25k  Team Value: £104.4m

Follow Costas on twitter here

Costas has used none of his chips

Another green arrow (25k) for my team! given the -8 points deduction I took, I’ll definitely take it. Although had I gotten my 50-50s right I would have had a phenomenal gameweek!

I captained Antonio ahead of Bowen and took an extra hit to get Keane in instead of just playing Trent!

looking forward I think my single gameweek players have a good enough fixture this week with Alexander Arnold home to Brentford and triple West Ham! so I wont be playing my free hit and will navigate through using my FT and taking a four point hit!

Son is injured so he is out to fund a heavy striker! I would have loved to keep Watkins and sell Antonio but Watkins plays Man United and Antonio has Leeds at home! So its Watkins out who I am sure I will buy back soon again! Son to Lucas Moura and Watkins to Kane!

I do not think Spurs will go crazy, but at 6.5 Lucas Moura has great form and value! I am
reluctant on going for a Leicester player as I am not sure they will play both games and they have a dismantled team! I am going Kane ahead of Ronaldo as United look dreadful and I am not sure Ronaldo is going to play both games ! I do have the disappointing Rashford in the team as well who I don’t think will start but still its enough funds invested in Manchester United along with De Gea.

I do have a benching headache… currently I have Bernardo Silva, Coufal and Keane on the bench!! I did think about adding an playing Gk and hitting the BB to be honest….

Kane is the captain

transfer summary: Likely Son to Lucas Moura and Watkins to Kane!

Here’s the team prior to any transfers being made. Assume Watkins is Kane and Son Moura

Fantasy Premier League Team Tips DGW22

The FFGeek Contributors League

The highlighted FFGeek contributors combined team finished with an overall rank of 8k last season and 52k the season before. It has started ok in 5th place with total points of 1,360 and an overall rank of 25k. You can follow that team, including live transfers as well as the FFGeek team currently also in 16th position at 139k and the team run by Joe’s Transfer Planner in 7th place on 29K, all on our subscription Patreon site

There’s loads of other features on the Patreon site that you can read about at the top of this page

Fantasy Premier League Team Tips DGW22
Fantasy Premier League Team Tips DGW22

Other Posts

Joe’s transfer planner FPL team

Analysing the teams of 12 top FPL Managers

the GW21 review so far

Joseph Crilleys transfer planner and Points projection tool

The FFGeek Fixture Ease Schedule

Defender Player Rankings

Midfield player rankings

Forward player rankings

2 FFGeek Contributors teams for DGW22

Best FPL Attacking Defenders

The FFGeek Captain and transfer Polls

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