Here’s an article where 4 FFGeek Contributors show their FPL teams GW24. There’s Andrew Whitfield, Kev in Canada, Costas Chari and Sergio Torija
FPL teams GW24 – 4 FFGeek Contributors teams part 1
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Introduction
This is part 1 of the FPL managers who contribute to the FFGeek site with good histories who show their teams each week. This will give people a feel for what other managers are doing. It’s a fairly informal thing with no obligation on anyone and these teams may change at anytime before the deadline without further notice. It won’t cover transfers in real time either. It’s just to give an idea of the trends for the week no more. The teams are shown as their “final-ish” teams so they could change. Where they have twitter accounts I have shown this and they may update them there or on our Slack Channel which is part of our subscription Patreon site but this is not guaranteed
Andrew Whitfield
Andrew finished with an overall rank of 132k last season and 6k in 18/19 and 19k in 17/18
GW23 points: 76 (FPL average 58) Total points: 1,465, Overall Rank: 52k, green arrow: 13k Team Value: £105.5m
Andrew has used his Free Hit Chip and Triple Captain Chip
Follow Andrew on twitter here
– Well a gameweek full of drama, with Man City stamping their class on champions Liverpool, Man Utd letting the lead slip in the 96th minute, Harry Kane made a surprise return and was straight back on the goal trail, and Mr Soucek’s elbow was the talk of the town !!
– It was also a week of 50 50 calls and benching dilemnas, with twists and turns, highs and lows, and one to test the patience of FPL managers, with 20-30+ points commonplace sitting pretty on those benches.
My GW23 score and rank:
– A score of 76 points, with 7 “returners” including a captain goal, is a decent week by any standards. Yet it was the “ones that got away” that made it feel like a bitter sweet week. A week of “what might have been”. But isn’t that FPL all over ??
– Another healthy green arrow, up from 65k to 52k. That’s now 15 green arrows in the last 17 weeks, which is very pleasing. It’s great to be knocking on the door of the top 50k as we approach three consecutive “double gameweeks”
My GW23 talking points:
– My first captain return for four weeks was certainly overdue. A wonder goal from Bruno Fernandes ensured I matched the captain returns of Son and beat the left sided punts on Antonio. Sticking to the premium captains and not overthinking it so often pays off.
– Gündogan was an interesting roller coaster. A missed penalty had me pulling my hair out, but two second half goals and 13 points was a very welcome boost. What a bargain this guy is in recent weeks. He seems to have that knack of arriving just at the right moment. The return of De Bruyne is on the horizon but Gundogan promises to get close to his returns with a 6M price saving. Very pleased I played him at Liverpool when many benched him.
– A very welcome and overdue goal from Son. The return of Harry Kane was just what he and spurs desperately needed. My intention is to get Kane in for a likely GW26 double, if not before , and have BOTH Kane and Son which could be a useful differential owning both. The return of Kane has already transformed Spurs.
– My three way rotation in that 3rd defender spot, alongside the two Man City defenders, has been working well. 15 points from Justin last week, 12 points from Dallas this week. It was definitely Leeds to the rescue for my gameweek with the Dallas haul and Bamford notching another goal. The big take away from this game though was an impressive performance from Raphinha. I really want that Leeds triple up in GW25 when Leeds play twice .
– Martinez is the gift that keeps on giving. I played him in GW23 over bringing in Pope and yet another 9 pointer. With villa having two extra double gameweeks to fit in, that early season switch from McCarthy was the best signing I made all season. Martinez is a points magnet.
– Despite seven returners and another green arrow, it’s natural to look back on what might have been. I can now look back at smile in the adversity of it because I ultimately came out with a green arrow and had enough go right in the final wash to offset the things that drove me potty this week. And there was plenty of it !!! I sold Ollie Watkins ( 9 points ) to get Antonio who blanked and is probably injured. I played my Man City defensive pair and watched Coufal and Justin deliver from my bench. And I played Mr Soucek ( red card ) over Calvert Lewin ( 12 points ) !! Sometimes you just have to smile.
– One thing I had considered all week was bench boosting. I said I could see 20+ on my bench and they duly delivered 27. If I had brought in Pope or Sanchez as a 2nd keeper, I would have had 29 points and scored 105 points for the week !!!!! If only……
So what next :
– I have two free transfers and 3.3M in the bank.
– It’s been a waiting game for the midweek FA cup ties as they have had a really big impact on the teams who will play twice in double GW26 and the teams who won’t play in blank GW29. It could take a few days for tv rescheduling to confirm the fixtures, but we can make fairly safe assumptions now the cup games are complete and we know how games are impacted by the FA cup quarter finals in GW29, and which displaced games will likely move to the free midweek of GW26. It’s quite amusing that my beloved Barnsley are last up v Chelsea and 7.6M FPL managers are watching to finalise their blank and doubles planning !!
– What we didn’t expect as we sat watching the midweek cup ties with our spreadsheets and a coffee, was injury carnage to break out !! Calvert Lewin with a possible hamstring, Justin stretchered off, whilst flags appeared on Pope, Antonio and Dias !! So much for that advance planning, and a big kick in the teeth for impatient managers who already made moves. You just don’t this season.
– So whilst I had a pretty clear plan for GW24, plus double GW26 and blank GW29, that’s all now completely up in the air. So don’t expect me to reveal my plans as it’s all now filled with uncertainty and it’s likely to be a Saturday morning job now !! I will however talk about my “possible” transfer plans later in this piece.
My chip strategy:
– I have used my triple captain and my free hit. I have my second wild card available and my bench boost.
– The “traditional” and straightforward way would be to wildcard in GW25, set up 15 double gameweek players in GW26 where you can bench boost for 30 games. Then play free hit in the troublesome blank GW29 when their is a reduced schedule on cup quarter final day. It’s the perfect navigation through the waters. IF you have your free hit !!!
– However, I had two issues with this for my own team. Without a free hit, and going with 15 doublers means it’s possible to come out of GW26 with ZERO players in blank GW29 and only three weeks to do anything about it. That’s because the GW26 doublers then blank in GW29. The transition from bench boosting 15 doublers in GW26 to blank GW29 is not viable without a free hit.
– HOWEVER… FPL managers have been thrown a possible lifeline, with a combination of results meaning that Spurs could still double in GW26 and play in GW29.. and depending on the outcome of the Wolves v Southampton cup tie ( I am drafting this before they play on Thursday ), Aston Villa could too. That’s because spurs and Villa have outstanding additional games to play, and if they are out of the cup, but their GW29 opponents are still in, extra games can be slotted in.
– This is potentially important because it could provide teams who we can include for the GW26 doubles, and we can carry them through to GW29 too and have a better chance of getting a viable team together for the blank gameweek. It might mean that playing 15 doubles and bench boosting remains an option.
– Another potential spanner in the works for 15 doublers in GW26 is Leeds United. Leeds have an attractive extra double gameweek in GW25. And a triple up on Leeds players for those games is very appealing. To wildcard in GW25 to set up 15 doublers for GW26 would mean no Leeds players in GW25, and that’s a big problem.
So what’s my current thinking:
– Therefore my current “loose” plan is – I will run with my Leeds triple up in GW25, then wildcard in GW26 where I can be flexible right up to the double gameweek deadline, to respond to injuries etc. I will wildcard in 11 doublers, bench four players who play in GW29, then coming out of GW26 I have those four players, plus any others that double in GW26 and play in GW29, and have a reasonable chance of building these towards a near full eleven in blank GW29.
Bench boost ?
– It does raise the question of where to bench boost if I don’t go with 15 doublers in GW26 and do it there. There is a huge risk that if it’s played in a single gameweek, we could get players rested and then your bench is then auto subbed away. Pep hit us with a triple whammy recently. If that happens, all your bench could disappear . It’s probably safer to bench boost when Man City play a double and it’s fairly guaranteed that their players will at least play once, and your bench can stay put !! Man City have likely doubles in GW24, GW26 and GW27.
– The compromise might be to wildcard in GW25, with 12 GW26 doublers, and my three Leeds players, take one of them out in GW26 and still bench boost with two singles in there. This would be an option if there are additional players who double in GW26 and play in GW29.
– So plenty of options are on the table !!!!!!
My transfer plans for GW24 and GW25:
– I have two free transfers. I WAS looking to bring in Pope for Forster for the Burnley double gameweek. I WAS also looking to bring in an extra Burnley defender for a “double double “, as they also play West Brom in GW25. Whether or not I just bring in ONE Burnley defensive asset is the question, as Pope is flagged and as other fires have now broken out in my team. I could bring in a Burnley defender for the injured Justin and i could still also bring in Pope for Forster.
– Calvert Lewin seems to be the biggest concern which is frustrating as he plays Fulham and has a double gameweek. I could bring in Ings early who I planned to bring in anyway in GW25 for what could be three successive double gameweeks depending on the cup results. He doubles in GW25 anyway.
– If Antonio is injured, Mr Soucek might have to step into his boots for a farewell appearance as I am likely to move him on to Raphina in GW25 when West Ham play spurs and Leeds have that nice double. I might even be able to get Antonio to Kane too at that stage if I can get the maths to work as I am carrying money and it would be a close call.
– If I don’t wildcard in GW25, I will then wildcard in GW26 to ensure I have 11 strong doubles, carrying my three Leeds players amongst my four players who play in GW29.
– Let’s see how it all plays out as I am sure it could all change before the Saturday deadline !!
My GW24 team:
– Captain currently on Gundogan for two possible bites at the cherry compared to one great fixture for Bruno Fernandes.
– Transfers to be confirmed and unlikely to be decided until Saturday morning.
– Here is my current team BEFORE any changes, with more flags on it than the United Nations !!
Good luck everyone ..
Transfer summary: to be confirmed
Here’s the team prior to any changes being made:
Costas Chari
Costas’s last 4 seasons overall ranks were 17k, 84k, 29k and 27k
GW23 points: 78 (FPL average 58) Total points: 1,422, Overall Rank: 180k, green arrow: 46k Team Value: £104. 4m
Costas has used his Triple Captain Chip
Follow Costas on twitter here
A nice 45k green arrow the third in a row!! Gameweek went well and also had a nice 10 pointer from Werner to close it that made the difference.
I still have my WC, FH and BB and i have seen a lot of different strategies and they look great! So my advice with this would be to make your mind on a strategy, stick to it and just hope for the best. I am BBing gw26 and FH on gw29, probably will WC around gw30 to get funds out of the bench and in the starting 11. By then we will have a clearer view of relegation and champions and so I can target players who have something to still play for.
I have a lot of issues with my team, Werner should be fine, Burke is on and off the team so not ideal, Charlie Taylor is a question mark and Callum Wilson will be spending some time on the sidelines. So I have to take a hit or else I might just field 10 players in the end. Fulham looked good vs West Ham and with all the Everton injuries and their double gameweek I am targeting them this week. Burke out for Lookman and Wilson out for Decordova-Reid. The – 4 will be covered by the extra games so I’m fine with this. This saves me money to go from Werner to Kane who should have a good double in 26 and upgrade steer to a playing GK.
Captain this week will be Sterling. I love how he just played 56 minutes midweek so should be safe to start.
Team. Well I am benching the Leeds boys. Not that Arsenal are a great team but I prefer players with doubles. I will wait and hear if Charlie Taylor is fit to play the double or else I’ll bench him and start Maguire. I wouldn’t want to start him only for him to make a sub appearence on the last of the 2 games. Maguire vs WBA should be a good clean sheet bet.
Good luck!
Transfer summary: Burke out for Lookman and Wilson out for Decordova-Reid.
Here’s the team with transfers made:
Kev in Canada
Kev finished 48k last season 6k in 18/19 and 195k in 17/18
GW23 points: 73 (FPL average 58) Total points: 1,403, Overall Rank: 278k, green arrow: 31k Team Value: £105.2m
Kev has used his Triple Captain Chip
Follow Kev on twitter here
2 free transfers and I already have a fairly strong GW24 lineup.
As of now, the plan is to wait and see how the FA cup results go to see if there are any injuries. At the moment Calvert Lewin, Antonio and Pope are the players with injury doubt flag’s against them in my team.
Also, the plan is to WC25 and BB26. However it is possible that FA results come out in a way that I don’t need to use the WC. Which would mean the 2 free transfers this week would probably be needed. So I need to wait.
For the purposes of the article the transfers I was thinking of making prior to the injuries were Son to Rashford and Antonio to Ings.
Captain: Gundogan (or whoever your strongest City attacker is)
Vice: Pope (in case City breaks out with Covid although with Pope a doubt this may change)
Transfer summary: To be confirmed
Here’s the team prior to any transfers being made
Sergio Torija
Sergio’s last 4 seasons were 2k, 596k, 17k and 21k
GW23 points: 71 (FPL average 58) Total points: 1,313, Overall Rank: 1,170k, green arrow: 69k Team Value: £103.0m
Sergio has used his Triple Captain Chip
Finally I got out of the extreme scores of late and have had a couple good weeks in a row. 71 points this time, not amazing, but was happy to not have benched any points, particularly DCL’s 12 against United. Was hoping for a bit more from my captain, Bamford, who scored, but on a week were a double digit haul should have been possible. The rest of the team kept on doing the business with returns from Martinez, Coufal, Fernandes, Sterling, Rashford and Watkins.
Moving onto GW24, I’ve got two free transfers and will be wildcarding next week to play Bench Boost in GW26. So two transfers to maximise in the double gameweek players. Burnley defence is one place to cover this week, so I did the early transfer of Johnstone to Pope. Even playing up with the idea of captaining him if he is confirmed as fit.
As for the second move, I will for sure use it, but I am not too sure what to do. My team is already looking strong with the single week players. Among the many options, I could use it in defence to bring another Burnley defender, but perhaps overkill, or I could bring Digne, second game against City though. I could also swap Mahrez for Gundogan or Foden, but in my head guaranteed that if I do that Mahrez will do better than whoever I bring. So not too sure which way I’ll go, probably to be done on Friday night or Saturday morning.
As for captaincy, not clear on which way to go yet either. I do fancy the idea of Pope if he’s fit for the double gameweek, if not him it could be Sterling or even Calvert Lewin although he too is an injury doubt now. It will be interesting to see the captain poll result this week. For now, Pope captain and Sterling vice.
Good luck everyone
Transfer summary: Johnstone out Pope in completed. 2nd transfer to be confirmed
Here’s the team with just the Pope transfer completed
FFGeek Contributors League
The highlighted FFGeek contributors combined team finished with an overall rank of 52k last season is going ok in 2nd place with total points of 1,502 and an overall rank of 13k. You can follow that team, including live transfers, on our subscription Patreon site.
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