Here’s our fantasy premier league wildcard tips GW18 article where I pretend I’m using my wildcard. It gives player suggestions with more longevity than just for the up coming gameweek. There’s the team, a table of stats and their upcoming fixtures.
fantasy premier league wildcard tips GW18 – the FFGeek imaginary wildcard
This article brings together the various earlier articles in the week.
In this article I am pretending were using my wildcard to give you player picks with more longevity than the next game.
I’ve given links to articles below with all the detailed stats you’ll need if you want to investigate a player in more detail.
In this article there’s some narrative on each selection and their upcoming fixtures. There’s stats in the player ranking articles which can be found here using the links below
Player rankings defence and GK
The FFGeek imaginary wildcard team
My value at the moment is a fairly low £102.9m and the team fits within £103.6m which is hopefully many of can claim.
Structure
The team structure is totally flexible and you can play anything from 3-4-3 to 3-5-2 to 4-4-2.
If you come onto the site regularly you’ll know I classify players into 3 categories:
Template players (70% of the top 10k or 7 of the 10 top FPL managers I follow). I don’t view them as mandatory but they should be considered.
Bench players – 2 pointers only
Differentials and template replacement players – the rest
This team would have the following template players:
Salah, Kane, Richarlison, Fabianski (West Ham defence) Lovren (Liverpool defence), Doherty (Wolves defence), Alonso (Chelsea defence) Wan Bissaka
The bench player is only Button so there is strength in depth
That leaves 6 differentials who are the major rank affecting players in Laporte, Snodgrass, Martial, Sane, Ings and Chicharito. There are no template replacement players with the template fully reflected.
Goalkeepers
Fabianski
Last weeks 9 point haul in the win over Fulham shows how Fabianksi can get save and bonus points with 1 and 2 points respectively. Only the beleaguered Joe Hart has made more saves and Fabianki’s 11 bonus points is 4 more than any other GK despite West Ham only managing 3 clean sheets to date.
Watford (H)
Southampton (A)
Burnley (A)
Brighton (H)
Arsenal (H)
Bournemouth (A)
Button is the reserve GK who should get some gametime with Ryan going to the Asian games in January.
Defence
Laporte
1 clean sheet in their last 7 and none in the last 4 is hardly a recommendation for a defensive transfer and especially one who costs £6.1m and will probably be rotated over Christmas. However Man City have the best underlying defensive stats of any team although Liverpool have the least goals conceded and clean sheets. I’m sticking with the Man City defence in that eventually that has to translate into clean sheets as in 17 games they have only conceded more than 1 goal once. That was against Chelsea.
Home to Crystal Palace is a great transfer entry point and the fixtures coming are also good.
Crystal Palace (H)
Leicester (A)
Southampton (A)
Liverpool (H)
Wolves (H)
Huddersfield (A)
Alonso
Despite a run of 6 games without an attacking return and a drop off recently of underlying stats he’s broadly showing the same underlying stats which have got him 6 and 7 goals in the last 2 seasons. Considering he’s only scored the 1 to date you’d think there was alot more to come. Therefore for me if I had the cash I would pay the extra £1.3m over David Luiz.
Chelsea are convincingly the 3rd best defensive team in the league.
Leicester (H)
Watford (A)
Crystal Palace (A)
Southampton (H)
Newcastle (H)
Arsenal (A)
Lovren
As I said in the Laporte section Liverpool are the team with the least goals conceded and the most clean sheets and therefore in my mind worth representation. Robertson and Van Dijk are the safe routes into the defence but for me at the price Lovren is worth the annoyance of a future transfer when Gomez or Matip are back in 4-5 weeks for the value he brings. Liverpools schedule isn’t great but they are capable of getting clean sheets against any team.
Wolves (A)
Newcastle (H)
Arsenal (H)
Man City (A)
Brighton (A)
Crystal Palace (H)
Doherty
Wolves have been the best cheap defence this season and Doherty a revelation with only Van Dijk, Robertson and Alonso with more FPL points than him. The next non top 6 defender is Van Aanholt 18 points back. 3 goals and 3 assists backed up by excellent attacking underlying stats.
Liverpool (H)
Fulham (A)
Spurs (A)
Crystal Palace (H)
Man City (A)
Leicester (H)
Wan Bissaka
Crystal Palace have 6 clean sheets which is the most of any team outside the top 6 and Wan Bissaka at £4.3m is great value for that potential. He also has excellent bonus potential with 9 so far. Only Michael Keane outside the top 6 teams has more.
Terrible fixtures but the value makes him easily benchable
Man City (A)
Cardiff (H)
Chelsea (H)
Wolves (A)
Watford (H)
Liverpool (A)
Midfield
Salah
His hat trick vs Bournemouth has now made his PP90 look up to the sort of level that his underlying stats have pointed towards. Also been a consistent returner with a goal or assist in 63% of his games. Has also played CF in the last 5 as an extra bonus. No midfielder has a better xG90 or shot volumes.
Fixtures and price are the only negatives
Wolves (A)
Newcastle (H)
Arsenal (H)
Man City (A)
Brighton (A)
Crystal Palace (H)
Snodgrass
I’m a little bit hesitant about Snodgrass as his goal threat underlying stats are truly woeful and you’re relying on continual over performance for him to get the returns he’s recently shown. I have a feeling of seeing the boat already out of the harbour.
However the mitigation in all this is that he only costs £5.4m and the fixtures are absolutely excellent.
Watford (H)
Southampton (A)
Burnley (A)
Brighton (H)
Arsenal (H)
Bournemouth (A)
Martial
I imagine there are a number of Man Utd players coming into training with a smile on their face after the departure of Mourinho and Martial, after Pogba, probably has the widest.
His returns and underlying stats when on the pitch have been absolutely excellent and with the fixtures also being good he has decent points potential. The risk remains around selection and gametime given the number of attacking options, especially in his favoured LAM position.
Cardiff (A)
Huddersfield (H)
Bournemouth (H)
Newcastle (A)
Spurs (A)
Brighton (H)
Sane
Rested midweek and in great form with 3 goals and 4 assists since he started the last 5 games. Has been the favoured left sided player since the Mendy injury. Returns and underlying stats are excellent. As are the fixtures.
Crystal Palace (H)
Leicester (A)
Southampton (A)
Liverpool (H)
Wolves (H)
Huddersfield (A)
Richarlison
Played against v Man City as a RAM rather than the CF he’s been playing normally but still showed how dangerous he potentially can be with a couple of great chances. Good returns and underlying stats. The fixtures improve after Spurs this week.
Spurs (H)
Burnley (A)
Brighton (A)
Leicester (H)
Bournemouth (H)
Southampton (A)
Forwards
Kane
The Harry Kane we want to see is someone who shoots at least 3 shots every game but the Burnley home game was a return to those frustrating early season performances when he played like someone who wanted to be Sheringham rather than Shearer.
However the fact remains that while the returns so far are still disappointing overall and the underlying stats aren’t 17/18 Harry Kane, they are still good. Crucially at the moment he’s under performing those underlying stats which Kane hasn’t done for the last 4 years. That history shows a potential that he will correct that position.
Everton (A)
Bournemouth (H)
Wolves (H)
Cardiff (A)
Man Utd (H)
Fulham (A)
Ings
There’s not alot wrong with Ing’s returns or underlying stats and now maybe the new manager will give him a team to match. A great value which allows him to be benched or played depending on fixtures.
Huddersfield (A)
West Ham (H)
Man City (H)
Chelsea (A)
Leicester (A)
Everton (H)
Chicharito
It’s been 3 goals and 2 assists in the 4 games since he’s commanded a starting place in the team. He’s a proven goalscorer and is showing great returns and underlying stats at the moment. Even if Arnautovic is back earlier than expected there still remains the prospect of him starting given Pellegrini played 4-4-2 with both Chicharito and Arnautovic upfront before Arnautovic’s injury.
Watford (H)
Southampton (A)
Burnley (A)
Brighton (H)
Arsenal (H)
Bournemouth (A)
See also our fixture ease article as well as who the 10 top managers I follow have in their team. See also last season 715 OR finisher Andrew Ferguson’s team
Also see who the popular defenders are for transfers in with our bandwagons and sinking shipsarticle
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