Here’s part 2 of our fantasy premier league team tips GW21 articles where 4 FFGeek Contributors show their teams for GW21. There’s Andrew Whitfield, Kris O, Rob Reid and Sergio Torija. Between them they have 11 top 1% finishes in the last 4 competitive seasons
Fantasy Premier League Team Tips GW21 – 4 FFGeek Contributors Teams Part 2
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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
GW20: 30 -4 (FPL average 37) Total points: 1,308, Overall Rank: 9k, red arrow: 7k Team Value: £104.7m
Kris has used his wildcard
Listen to Kris on this weeks FFGeek FPL Podcast
I expect that the Southampton vs Newcastle game will be cancelled, so I’m feeling a bit exposed with a weak bench. My plan is to sell Alonso – I was going Thomas before the Leicester game was cancelled. Now likely to either by Targett or Keane. Captain Son and vice Salah. Good luck all
Transfer summary: likely Alonso out for Targett or Keane
Here’s the team prior to any transfers being made
Andrew Whitfield
Andrew’s last 4 seasons overall ranks were 34k, 132k, 6k and 19k
GW20: 42 -4 (FPL average 37) Total points: 1,238, Overall Rank: 120k, red arrow: 14k Team Value: £104.4m
Andrew has used his wildcard
Gameweek 20 review:
Well plenty of drama and no shortage of headaches and frustration, with the heavily captained Mo Salah’s missed penalty typifying the agony and ecstasy of FPL depending on which side of the fence you were on.
The Man City juggernaut continued with their 10th successive win to go a massive eight points clear at the top, much to the delight of Phil Foden owners who stepped off Peps naughty step to net the winner. Dropped points from Liverpool who fell flat on their faces at Leicester after Mo’s spot kick woes. And from Chelsea who conceded in the last minute with Reece James leaving the ground on crutches.
Crystal Palace brushed aside poor Norwich but Covid struck Gallagher missed the party. Kane and Son combined again but spurs had to settle for a draw. Bowen was the star turn with three assists as Westham dismantled Watford. And Man Utd barely got out of 2nd gear as Christiano Ronaldo inspired a comfortable win.
My GW20 score and rank:
42-4 = 38 points. I managed to put 11 players on the pitch but just 5/11 returns with a nil points captain was always going to make it a tough week. All my three strikers returned in the Watford v Westham game, as did Cancelo, with Phil Fodens 11 pointer my highlight. My Liverpool trio all blanked, my double Chelsea defence stumbled again and De Gea conceded to conclude a disappointing week.
Down from 106k to 120k so not huge damage as I was just three points behind the top 10k average. But it’s a red arrow which ends a run of two greens before it.
My GW20 talking points:
Everything started well. My three strikers all faced off in the opening game and all delivered. It had been a patient wait for my double Hornets strike force after three successive Watford postponements. King assisted Dennis after just four minutes in the perfect start. Dennis also missed a late one on one, as did Antonio who had to settle for a solitary assist, Bowen was the rank killer as he ran the show. But three returns from three in my opening game offered hope of more to come, particularly given nice looking fixtures for Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea who provided 6/7 of my remaining players.
Then, that Mo Salah penalty miss !! It wasn’t particularly a “rank killer”. More a great rank boost opportunity lost, with plenty of managers having moved off him and hiding behind the sofa. One of the pluses of my free hit last week was holding on to Mo against a porous Leicester side who had conceded six at Man City just a few days earlier.
If the poor penalty wasn’t bad enough, missing the simple headed rebound onto the bar with the goal gaping was exasperating. Non owners rejoice. Jota and Trent blanking too made it an unexpected triple disappointment. The first time Liverpool had failed to score all season.
Hopes were high for a double Chelsea clean sheet v Brighton. An opportunity presented itself with Reece James and Rudiger named in the starting line up for me, and the popular non owned Alonso benched. The first twist arrived when Reece James limped off after 28 mins, thus allowing Alonso an unexpected clean sheet opportunity off the bench and surrendering my advantage. Matters almost got even worse with Rudiger pretty fortunate not to be sent off. I very nearly had one defender leave on crutches and the other with an early bath and a three match ban. Of course Rudiger then lost his clean sheet in the last minute. One clean sheet in eight games for Chelsea and the double clean sheet up in smoke.
So 3/3 returns became 3/8 as my Gameweek started to unravel.
Step up Phil Foden, recalled to the team after his recent indiscretions and a deft finish brought the only goal of the game and a much needed eleven points. The Cancelo clean sheet actually hindered rather than helped my rank, with the city clean sheet effective ownership over 100% due to those doubled up on two sky blue defenders. Cancelo can only help now if he gets me an attacking return.
I could just about have salvaged a green arrow if De Gea shut out Burnley and Ronaldo blanked, but I got the complete opposite outcome instead. De Gea duly failed to deliver a clean sheet and that man Ronaldo, after blanking as my free hit captain last week v Newcastle, duly rubbed salt into my wounds with a 12 pointer. Goodnight Vienna.
So what next ?
I have 1.7M in the bank and one free transfer.
As I said last week, my game is firmly based on future fixtures based planning and being 3-4 moves ahead. But that’s simply not possible right now. With games being called off, it’s fighting fires, taking out players with no fixture each week and replacing them to try and scrape 10-11 players together. All we can do is make sure we bring players in who have extra games in hand and double gameweeks to come.
We now have two gameweeks where some of those earlier postponed fixtures are going to be slotted in to. Pay attention to which teams are going to be having those extra games. As I write this, no official confirmation is out of the extra games but it’s imminent and we have a pretty good idea. They might be out on Friday and by the time this is published. It will help with GW21 planning if they are. These GW21 and GW22 doubles are going to be key to maximising points.
My possible transfer thoughts:
I have my own version of “the template” where I try to ensure that I cover the most highly owned players, above a certain threshold, amongst a range of very respected managers I follow. I am not tied to it but it does help me focus on key players and highlight where my rank exposure is. I currently have three players who in that template I don’t own. One is Son, the other is Bowen. I really want to own both. The third is Alonso but given I own Rudiger instead and we will all be stepping off Chelsea soon given their tough fixtures and two game disappearance to the World club championship, it’s Son and Bowen who are my top targets.
I have Salah and Dennis who are due to play this weekend but then head to the Afcon tournament for what is likely two games although it seems Dennis won’t be going now. We have some big gaps in the Prem schedule with two FA cup weekends, limiting the damage of the Afcon event. I don’t particularly want to carry Mo on my bench for more than one game. My only question is whether to sell him this week ahead of Chelsea away or hold him one more week. Liverpool had scored in every game prior to the Leicester blank, and Chelsea have just one clean sheet in eight. If Brighton can batter Chelsea with 18 shots, then I think Salah can easily score a couple.
I had two plans for replacement of Salah and Dennis when they went to Afcon. One involved moving them to Bowen and Ronaldo which sounds tasty. Or with Spurs showing more, Bowen and Kane, which covers Son to a degree and Kane is on pens. The alternative plan is Salah and Dennis to Son and Watkins who has a likely GW21 double. That gets me Son. I can easily get Bowen separately from Smith Rowe or Raphinha.
The problem with my two “double moves”above are that I likely want Mo Salah back easily and quickly which would mean another two moves back. That’s not sensible to do two moves to sell Salah and two more moves to bring him back. Not when any pre planned moves are just going up in smoke when games get postponed and other fires are breaking out.
So my moves to bring in Son and Bowen will likely come from Smith Rowe or Raphinha to Bowen, and Salah to Son, a move that can easily be reversed if necessary without spending and spreading that cash. Raphinha is the Leeds talisman on penalties with a great fixture this week so I might be more inclined to lose Smih Rowe who plays Man City, has started the last four on the bench and has two blanks in GW25 and GW27 too. It depends if Leeds are over their Covid outbreak by the weekend.
Reece James injury is annoying. I had planned on holding two Chelsea for now, and replacing Rudiger with Reguillon. I was hoping Alonso would disappear out of the template the same way, with James staying, removing the Rudiger v Alonso problem. It looks like that battle will remain for now. So Reece James to Reguillon seems to be my move now instead of Rudiger to Reguillon. I want the spurs man as Spurs have lots of outstanding games to fit in and he really passes the attacking eye test.
That would mean holding on to Dennis for two games, not ideal, particularly if Livramento might still be injured.
So I have three planned moves, one of which has been enforced by injury. It’s just a case of prioritising them and deciding if i want to take a hit to do two of them this week.
Salah to Son I think can wait a week as I think Salah can score v Chelsea. But if Son is a heavy captain favourite, that could influence me to make that move to protect rank.
Smith Rowe to Bowen I like with Westham due a double gameweek and Bowen becoming a significant rank threat.
James to Reguilón also sees Reguilon stacking extra games up.
I am undecided just now as to which one / two of those moves I make this week. If I am set on these three moves, I am inclined to get two of them done because we know that other curveballs are heading our way.
A word on chips:
My hand was forced with a GW19 free hit to dig me out of a big hole to rescue a potentially injury hit disaster which enabled me to turn a certain red into a green arrow. So I don’t plan on playing my other free hit until GW30 when we get the FA cup big blank weekend.
I am going to feel vulnerable to GW21 and GW22 free hitters. I am hoping that I have a reasonable number of double gameweek players in GW22 where the greater number of doubles are likely. I don’t particularly fancy investing long term in to any of the teams with likely GW21 doubles. Not when I have other pressing moves to make especially.
I personally think that many of the proposed GW22 doubles won’t happen. The FA Cup 3rd round will see prem teams facing Covid stricken lower league teams and I can see a significant number of these games being postponed and pushed into the original replay dates which were scrapped to fit games into the GW22 midweek window.
I think a bench boost is too high risk when games are being called off so frequently. My plan is to save it until things have settled down and we have more certainty.
I want to hold off my wildcard if I can avoid it, but with visibility of the double gameweeks, I don’t rule out playing it in GW22. My team needs a makeover but at this stage I want to stay patient. The free hitters might punish me with those GW22 doubles. I am just hoping I have enough doublers. I should have 6-8 if the fixtures drop out as we are expecting.
GW21 set up:
Captain will be Salah if I hold on to him. Or Son if I do the Salah to Son move
It’s a tough looking gameweek where the top four all face off against each other, with Chelsea v Liverpool, and Arsenal v Man City.
If Watford get their GW21 double, it might see King play twice but not Dennis if he disappears after the Spurs game. So despite Dennis looking by far the better of the two now, I might have to choose King ahead of him if he is getting an extra game.
If I hold Salah one more week, and do James to Reguillon & Smith Rowe to Bowen, I would bring Reguilon into the back three and bench Rudiger. I would also play Bowen in a five man midfield. If I decide to do the Salah to Son move, Rudiger will play and James will sit on the bench.
I should have up to 12 players, unless more postponements hit my team.
Good look everyone and keep going. It’s tough right now. Not the FPL we are used to but just stick at it and make good decisions and trust the cards will fall in your favour.
Transfer summary: to be confirmed
Here’s the team prior to any transfers being made
Rob Reid
Rob’s last 6 seasons overall ranks were 12k, 148k, 94k, 22k, 4k and 7k
GW20 points: 39 -4 (FPL average 37) Total points: 1,224, Overall Rank: 171k, red arrow: 26k Team Value: £104.9m
Follow Rob on twitter here
Rob has used his wildcard
GW20 review
I think I must have used up the remainder of my 2021 FPL luck in GW19 as GW20 was one to forget. It all hinged around my decision to bring Salah back for a -4, which ultimately proved to have a disastrous outcome. My GW had been put into jeopardy the moment the Arsenal game had been cancelled which scuppered my previous plans and nil pois from Mo from just the icing on the cake in this respect.
I was pretty despondent about this on Wednesday morning, but a busy day at work took my mind of things and I had a chance to reflect during the City game in the evening, Ultimately thiis was just one of these things – and I’ve got some stats to put this into perspective. It was the first time Salah has failed to score a point in 177 FPL games and only the 3rd time he’s failed to score 2+ points in 163 starts. On most other occasions, he buries his penalty and goes on to net a double figure haul in a comfortable Liverpool win. It wasn’t to be though, and what I would also say is fair play to the managers who sold him and didn’t bring him back for this game – you fully deserve the rank boost you’ll get this week.
As for the rest of my team: Foden was my only goal, rank-neutral Cancelo my only clean sheet and there were assists for Son, King and Antonio. In most weeks, 5/11 returns will get you a green arrow but a Captain blank and a non-playing keeper means I’m sitting on a grey arrow with no-one in the remaining GW19 game between United and Burnley so it’s going to be a red this week.
GW21 Team
1 free transfer, nothing in the bank
Multiple fires to fight in my team now. The most pressing one is the injury to Reece James, but the silver lining with this is that I was planning to remove a Chelsea defender soon with their blanks coming up so this makes the decision easier for me. He’s also high value so I can free up some funds for elsewhere later on, I’ve got 3 non-starting players in my squad at the moment so this will have to be remedied at some stage and I can use the funds to help with this.
There are rumours afoot of potential a double gameweek in GW21 which may get announced on New Year’s Eve. This could involve the likes of Aston Villa, Burnley, Everton and Watford. We’ve also lost Leicester vs Norwich to Covid and possibly Southampton vs Newcastle. Although thankfully neither of these will have an effect on my squad. I’ll wait as late as I can again before making my move, but I suspect I’ll sell James for a Villa defender with my free transfer and I might consider a -4 to bring in a second double gameweeker for one of my non-playing subs. For the rest of my team I’ve got the Captaincy on Son, though I can see Salah rebounding with a haul against a weakened injury-hit Chelsea defence before he heads off for AFCON.
Looking further forward (if such a thing is possible at the moment) I’m angling towards using my first Free Hit Chip in GW22 where there is likely to be a bigger double gameweek – we’ll see what happens. I’m probably going to hold Salah as well now – Free Hit removes him for GW22 and he’s then likely only to miss GW23 so I’ll probably try and roll with him on the bench. Covid permitting of course.
That’s a wrap then for 2021! Sorry I’ve not been able to get any YouTube videos out this month – I’ve been pushed for time with the quick turnaround between GWs and to be fair, with all the cancellations I don’t think they’d have been that helpful anyway. I’ll try and get these going again in January when things have settled down a bit. Otherwise, have a very Happy New Year everyone and good luck for GW21.
transfer summary: Possibly Reece James out for a Villa defender
Here’s the team prior to any transfers being made
Sergio Torija
Sergio’s last 5 seasons overall ranks were 262k 2k, 596k, 17k and 21k
GW20 Points: 55 (FPL average 37) Total points: 1,217, Overall Rank: 201k, green arrow: 74k Team Value: £105.6m
Sergio has used his wildcard
Transfer done: James to Godfrey. Another recovery week for me, another green arrow in Covid times, although finished with a disappointing DeGea blank (last weeks transfer). I’ve got a ridiculous £8.0m in the bank, so taking a hit for a premium is a possibility, although not planned for now
Transfer summary: Reece James out and Godfrey in
Here’s the team after the transfer is complete
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 4th place with total points of 1,242 and an overall rank of 22k. You can follow that team, including live transfers as well as the FFGeek team currently also in 15th position at 133k and the team run by Joe’s Transfer Planner in 3rd place on 10K, all on our subscription Patreon site
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Other Posts
Analysing the teams of 12 top FPL managers
The Bandwagons and Sinking Ships for GW21
The FFGeek Contributors teams Part 1
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