Here’s part 1 of our FPL teams GW5 article where 4 FFGeek Contributors show their teams. There’s Andrew Whitfield, Kev in Canada, Sergio Torija and Harry Vernon. Between them they have 12 top 1% finishes in the last 4 competitive seasons including 5 top 10k finishers in that time. There’s also a wildcard team in there.
FPL Teams GW5 – 4 FFGeek Contributors With Their GW4 Teams Part 1 – Including A Wildcard
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Harry Vernon
Harry Vernon’s last 5 seasons are 86k, 22k, 6k, an incredible 224th and 6k
GW4 Points: 74 (FPL average 57) Total points: 341, Overall Rank: 7k, green arrow: 4k Team Value: £101.1m
Follow Harry on twitter here
GW 4 Review
With Ings’ fixtures making turn for the worse, I sold him and Bruno Fernandes too. Fernandes prospects did not look so good with Ronaldo rejoining Man Utd.
After much deliberation, I decided to avoid Ronaldo in favour of Lukaku. Jota joined my midfield as a more than capable makeweight.
Captain Lukaku (26) matched Ronaldo’s brace and three bonus points, much to my relief. Salah (8) scored, with teammates Greenwood (5) and Shaw (5) both returning an assist.
Trent (12) kept up his strong early season form, setting up a goal and keeping a clean sheet.
White (5), Sanchez (6) and benched defender Livramento (6) all claimed a clean sheet.
Plans for GW 5
Antonio has been suspended for one league match so my plan is to bench him as he has a couple of promising fixtures coming up namely Leeds away and Brentford at home. His form has been great. I will see what to do with him after GW 7.
I have my eye on Leeds’ and Chelsea’s upcoming fixtures
Leeds’ fixtures from GW 5-10
Chelsea’s fixtures from GW 7 -11
My provisional plan is to load up on Leeds and Chelsea players for these strong fixtures. Chelsea have looked very strong this season, whereas Leeds have made a slow start. They have had a difficult set of fixtures including Man Utd Chelsea and Liverpool. Hopefully their upcoming fixtures will see an improvement in fortunes.
Toney has been a bit of a disappointment with just one goal in 4 matches. Brentford’s fixtures turn for the worse and his price is only going to go one way.
My options are to sell Toney for either Bamford or Calvert-Lewin. As Calvert-Lewin has been ruled out this evening (Monday) due to a broken toe, I have decided to get Bamford in.
As Toney is due to go down in price, I have made the transfer early to protect 0.1m team value
Transfer summary: Toney out and Bamford in completed
Here’s the team with the transfer completed
Andrew Whitfield
Andrew’s last 4 seasons overall ranks were 34k, 132k, 6k and 19k
GW4 Points: 75 -4 (FPL average 57) Total points: 317, Overall Rank: 111k, green arrow: 46k Team Value: £100.9m
Gameweek 4 review:
Well it was all about the return of Ronaldo and he didn’t disappoint the Old Trafford crowd who turned up to the party did he !! Lukaku duly matched his two goals, as the two new striking heavyweights put Harry Kane firmly in the shade. Salah and Fernandes netted too as the “premiums” flexed their muscles.
A week when the wildcarders on three premiums of Ronaldo, Lukaku and Salah came out very much on top.
Spurs lost their 100% record and crashed 3-0 at Palace, neighbours Arsenal finally got off the mark with a win, so Man Utd, Chelsea, Everton and Liverpool lead the way after comfortable wins, and only poor Norwich have zero points.
My GW4 score and rank:
75 ( -4 ) = 71 points. 7/11 “returners” with Ronaldo 26 and Alexander Arnold 12 the highlights. Salah, Greenwood, Coufal, Shaw and Sanchez all returned.
I was pretty nervous going into a week that promised a huge potential variance in scores, with some very big decisions that could have gone heavily either way, so to survive those, and also take -4 in a week when wildcarders were out in force, and come out with a “green arrow” was a huge relief. A rank lift from 157k to 111k was very welcome indeed.
My GW4 talking points:
The huge call of the week was whether to jump on to the Ronaldo hype after over 2 million transfers in. It was a particularly massive call, as for me it involved taking a -4 to take out Bruno Fernandes ahead of a home game v Newcastle, which had the potential to go horribly wrong. It was a very late call as we all waited for team news leaks after Ole put the FPL community into panic mode after his Friday press conference, with reference to Ronaldo getting on the pitch “at some stage”. That triggered fear over whether a benching would make the move just too risky. Confidence grew on Saturday morning that he would play. So I took the plunge.
As it happened, whilst Fernandes scored, Ronaldo scored twice, resulting in a small gain when taking the points hit into account. The resulting trade off of Torres over Ings was neutral. However, by giving Ronaldo the armband against the alternative of not bringing him in and captaining Fernandes or Salah, it was a success, especially given his performance and that everyone now wants him, his price is only going to rise, and I have him already in place. A big call that worked out.
If I had NOT bought Ronaldo, I might well have done Ings to Calvert Lewin which was a bullet well and truly dodged with his injuries surprisingly ruling him out of Monday nights game and potentially a few more games too.
In reality, I would probably not have done that Calvert Lewin move though and would have rolled the transfer, knowing I still wanted Ronaldo this week instead of last. A one week punt on Calvert Lewin would not have been a sensible move if it meant switching him straight to Ronaldo a week later for the cost of a hit. But Ings to Calvert Lewin was a popular ill fated transfer and one I could well have made myself, and would have done if not for Ronaldo riding into town.
The success of my captain scores this season have been a big factor in my rank position, with Salah 34, Salah 6, Antonio 22 and Ronaldo 26 giving a huge tally of 88 captain points. An average of 22 points. By sticking to the safe option of giving the armband to the “captain poll leader” it keeps things simple and avoids getting into big risky differential battles that can go disastrously wrong. Keep it simple.
As part of the Fernandes to Ronaldo switch, and removing Ings, I really wanted Jota instead of Torres, with Firmino injured and Liverpool on great fixtures, but as I was only carrying one free transfer into the international break and I owned Tsimikas, I needed a -8 to get Jota. The fact Torres and Jota both blanked vindicated not going -8, although I consider myself extremely fortunate that Jota somehow blanked against a Leeds side down to ten men and under siege for much of the game. That was a huge bullet dodged on a day when Jota could easily have hauled.
Salah being restricted to one goal was welcome too as he was a “rank loser”, even as an owner, due to his heavy ownership and significantly the volume of armbands. The fact Alexander Arnold assisted his goal was a bonus. If anyone is thinking of sacrificing Trent as part of a plan to get “three premiums” then we had a reminder that he is FPL gold and as essential as it gets in FPL terms. Don’t sell Trent.
I gambled a little on Coufal over White, against the more likely clean sheet, seeking the bigger potential upside of his attacking threat. Both kept a clean sheet and White was booked so it was a one point gain. Shaw chipped in with an assist, and Sanchez made it 2/4 clean sheets, vindicating choosing him over Bachmann of Watford.
Blanks for Raphinha who can be excused after the Leeds red card, and Torres who played despite his three appearances for Spain. And the Westham pair of Antonio and Benrahma, whose train I appear to have missed. The red card for Antonio and his one match ban leaves us with decisions to make.
So what next ?
The usual caveat. I am writing this ahead of seven teams being involved in midweek European action, so any injuries there could fundamentally affect my plans. It’s wise to hold off early transfers given how much can happen before Friday. I value the extra information we have on Friday much more than 0.2M extra in my pocket.
I won’t be making any transfers until Friday. I prefer to get my article out there and then I can relax and ponder my moves. My final team will be on Twitter on Friday with no decisions until then.
I have one free transfer and 0.7M in the bank.
The red card and resulting one match ban for Antonio has left us with a big call to make. He has been in sizzling form, so do we just sit him on the bench for one match and then bring him back for Leeds and Brentford that follow ? It depends to a degree on whether your bench can cover him. If I kept Antonio, it would leave me with two red flagged players and a non playing Tsimikas, so a zero bench, playing both Coufal v Man Utd and Ben White. It’s viable but no margin for mishaps with no bench. It would also mean that under my 352 set up, playing Ronaldo up front on his own which isn’t ideal !!
Alternatively, I have the funds to bring in Jimenez or Bamford, both have better fixtures than Antonio, who also has a hectic Europa league schedule to juggle too with those glass hamstrings. I am heavily considering Bamford in particular, with Leeds embarking on a delicious run of fixtures. That’s my most likely transfer if I do make a move this week. I have the funds and can swallow any price changes before Friday.
I can see a lot of Calvert Lewin owners jumping on to Bamford. I can also see a lot of people who own both Calvert Lewin and Antonio pushed into an early wildcard. If so, they probably won’t wildcard with Antonio if he misses the next match, and with Calvert Lewin out, Bamford will be super popular. That Antonio to Bamford transfer has appeal in covering those popular moves.
Given how much I wanted Jota last week, and he now has Crystal Palace and Brentford, I have the option of taking -4 to get Jota for Torres, moving Tsimikas to another cheap defender to free up that third Liverpool spot. But will Firmino be back soon to take Jota’s place, and is it wise to sell Torres ahead of Southampton at home. Torres is always a rotation risk but his upside is massive. Torres then has Chelsea and Liverpool, both away, which is another consideration. Without the Antonio injury, I might have been more tempted. Jota over Torres is probably the one spot in my team I wish I had just now. Both come with risk attached, but I do wish I owned Jota for the next two if Firmino is still out.
I don’t see any other transfers likely , unless there is a significant injury in the midweek European games. It will either be Antonio to Bamford, or roll and run with a threadbare eleven and carry two transfers into GW6.
Two or three premiums ??
Opinion is certainly divided now whether tripling up on Salah, Ronaldo and Lukaku is the way to go, with Lukaku fixtures from GW7 looking irresistible, plus Salah and Ronaldo looking undroppable !! Having all three means inevitable sacrifices in the rest of your squad. It worked great this week with the big three all delivering, but in weeks when two of the three big guns blank, have you got enough points in the rest of your team to dig you out of the inevitable hole of a potential poor week ?
Lukaku has Spurs and Man City next so I am fine just now with Salah and Ronaldo, but when Chelsea have that incredible fixture run from GW7, it’s certainly something I have to give a lot of thought to !!
When to wildcard ?
My current plan is to see where I am at GW7. I fancy a Chelsea defender from then, and Lukaku. Man Utd fixtures swing the other way. I quite fancy a back three including Alexander Arnold, Rudiger and Dias. If I decide on the three premiums, a wildcard might facilitate that.
I don’t have enough fires to put out right now, so definitely no need to wildcard just yet, when I am very happy with my team. If I can carry two free transfers into GW7, I might not need to wildcard then either. I might be able to make the moves I need without it. We will see. I still think a GW7 wildcard is my most likely play.
How is GW5 looking ?
If I keep Antonio, I have nothing on my bench, so both White and Coufal play. If I go to Bamford, it gives me the option of playing one of White or Coufal and benching the other, and having two strikers instead of playing Ronaldo as a lone striker in a peculiar 451 formation.
Captain wise, it will be either on Salah v Palace, or Ronaldo at West Ham. I will pay close attention to the polls.
So lots to ponder as always, and I will put my transfers and team line up on Twitter on Friday if you want to follow me there.
Transfer summary: Likely Antonio out to Bamford in
Here is my team BEFORE any transfers:
Good luck everyone !!!!
Kev in Canada
Kev’s last 3 seasons overall ranks were 52k, 48k and 6k
GW4 Points: 63-4 (FPL average 57) Total points: 296, Overall Rank: 446k, red arrow: 101k Team Value: £101.0m
Follow Kev on twitter here
Tough GW. Thought it would go well with Ronaldo brace but the other two premiums I don’t own did well too. Throw in Jota blanking Raphinha blanking Antonio blanking Toney blanking Regulion blanking Benrahma blanking and the weekend sucked.
Thought about hitting WC to get in 3 premiums but figured, why not hit again? Let the chaos continue…
Salah in. Marcal in. Let’s be honest, I screwed up ditching Salah. It is what it is. Now I have to make up ground.
Let’s hope the ship straightens forward and we make some things happen.
Captain Mo Salah
Vicw Ronaldo
Good luck
transfer summary: Salah in Fernandes out and Marcal in Tsimikas out completed
Here’s the team with transfers made
Sergio Torija
Sergio’s last 5 seasons overall ranks were 262k 2k, 596k, 17k and 21k
GW4 Points: 59 (FPL average 57) Total points: 295, Overall Rank: 457k, red arrow: 99k Team Value: £100.8m
Sergio has activated his wildcard
Playing the wildcard this week to move to a 3 premium team with Ronaldo and Lukaku and fix the few several issues that have accumulated into my team.
I am fairly settled on the structure below and the bigger names. The positions more up for grabs are the Tierney spot in defence and the cheap midfield spots.
My team structure will be:
GKs
A 4.5 plus a 4.0, most likely Ramsdale, if not probably Sa.
Defence
Three to play each week: Alexander Arnold, Cancelo, Tierney.
Two playing cheapies to fill the bench: Williams and Livramento.
I will see about the double Arsenal defence, Tierney could be downgraded to Marcal or upgraded to Rudiger
Midfield
Salah will be there for sure. The rest might be or not, since I’ve got a few other players in the sub £6m range under my radar such as Smith-Rowe, Gallagher or Townsend.
Note, not considering Jota or Greenwood at this point, given the budget limitations on having 3 premium players.
Forwards
Ronaldo plus Lukaku leave little budget, I’ve put Pukki in there. I think I will go with that
Transfer summary: Wildcard activated
Here’s the current wildcard draft
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 started ok in 10th place with total points of 308 and an overall rank of 220k. You can follow that team, including live transfers as well as the FFGeek team, on our subscription Patreon site
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Other Posts
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The FFGeek Fixture Ease article
The Bandwagons and Sinking Ships
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