GW14 of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season is already upon us. This week, for my preview, I’ve taken a somewhat different approach to sum up the season so far as we’re just over a third of the way through it.
What we've learned in FPL so far
Arsenal should be taken seriously
Arsenal players have been extremely popular so far this season, and it’s for good reason. Arteta seems to have finally put the pieces together, and they are playing some fantastic football.
Gabriel Jesus (8.0m) had a blistering start and Gabriel Martinelli (6.8m) has proved to be fantastic value as a cheap midfielder if you managed to get him before he rose in price. Bukayo Saka (8.0m) has found form again and he will continue to be a standout choice for a mid-priced midfielder, especially as he on penalty duty.
This dynamic front three are continuing to be Mikel Arteta’s preferred players in attack, as they are generally playing close to 90 minutes in the Premier League, and are being rested or coming off the bench in the Europa League.
I’d expect Arsenal to maintain a decent level of results, particularly as they have a long stretch of good fixtures in the middle of the season. It might be worth holding onto Martinelli for a lot longer to hold onto his value, because it will be hard to find such a consistent performer at his price point.
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Graham Potter's rotation
It seems like it’s going to be a while for us to understand Potter’s favoured players, and who is likely to get the most minutes throughout the season. Chelsea’s new manager has been changing from a three-back to a four-back constantly, and multiple positions are still up for grabs. Marc Cucurella (5.1m) and Ben Chilwell (5.9m) seem to be starting every second game and the right back or right wing-back position has been shared during the absence of Reece James (6.0m) through injury.
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (8.9m) doesn’t seem to have locked in the No.9 position and the midfield constantly changes on a game-to-game basis. Mason Mount (7.7m) is probably the best option for minutes, as he has started most games this season and has started to find some form recently too.
3-5-2 or 3-4-3
At the moment, there are a lot of desirable mid-priced midfielders who have good fixtures until the World Cup. A lot of FPL managers are reluctant to change from 3-4-3 to 3-5-2, as Andreas Pereira (4.6m) has been scoring multiple returns over the last few weeks and it’s likely that you would need to downgrade a premium player such as Mohamed Salah (12.8m) or Harry Kane (11.5m) to be able to afford such a setup.
I think If you’re currently playing a 3-4-3, you don’t need to be using two transfers to change formation (in most circumstances, obviously everyone’s teams may demand different changes) when there’s only three games to play for until the World Cup. Downgrading a good player to a cheaper option, just so you can have five midfielders doesn’t seem to be the smart play. Those transfers would be better utilised differently, and we never know what injuries may pop up over the next few weeks.
If you’re already playing a 3-5-2, then I think it’s a great opportunity to take advantage of the great mid-priced midfield options that are available, such as Bukayo Saka (8.0m), Phil Foden (8.4m), Gabriel Martinelli (6.8m), Wilfried Zaha (7.6m), and possibly one of the Manchester United midfielders.
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Captaincy candidates for FPL GW14
PLAYER
Mohamed Salah (12.7M)
FIXTURE
Leeds United (H)
NPxG per 90
0.44
xA per 90
0.19
RATING
A
PLAYER
Erling Haaland (12.2M)
FIXTURE
Leicester City (A)
NPxG per 90
0.82
xA per 90
0.21
RATING
A
PLAYER
Harry Kane (11.5M)
FIXTURE
AFC Bournemouth (A)
NPxG per 90
0.52
xA per 90
0.19
RATING
B+
PLAYER
Son Heung-min (11.7M)
FIXTURE
AFC Bournemouth (A)
NPxG per 90
0.32
xA per 90
0.19
RATING
B+
PLAYER
Bukayo Saka (8.0M)
FIXTURE
Nottingham Forest (H)
NPxG per 90
0.33
xA per 90
0.15
RATING
B+
The big players have good fixtures this week, but are you willing to captain against Erling Haaland? There’s at least something to think about for Gameweek 14, as the Man City striker is flagged as ‘75% doubtful’ after being subbed off at half time against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
In the post-match press conference, Pep Guardiola said, “Erling didn’t feel good, he had a little bit of a fever before the game. [There were] three things. I saw him so tired. Second one, he had a little bit of influenza in his body. Like Joao – Joao had a fever,” he explained.
“Then the third, he had a knock in his foot. That’s why he was not able to play the second half. I spoke with [the medical staff] at half-time and they were a little bit concerned, but I saw him walking more or less normally. We will see.”
Pep has exaggerated, played down and misled FPL managers in the past in regard to player fitness, so captaining him is a very difficult decision this week. Harry Kane and Mo Salah have great fixtures, and are more likely to play 90 minutes. They are great options if we hear news from Pep before the deadline that the Norwegian striker is to miss out.
James' team selection for FPL GW12 & 13
I had a terrible Gameweek 13. Every single player blanked except Erling Haaland, who I thankfully captained. I transferred in Joe Gomez (4.6m) and Leandro Trossard (6.8m) before Gameweek 12 and then transferred in Phil Foden (8.4m) for Trossard (who was a one week punt) before Gameweek 13. I don’t really regret my moves, as my team is looking pretty good for the last 3 Gameweeks before the World Cup.
I’m probably going to bring in Gabriel Magalhaes (5.1m) for Lewis Dunk (4.6m) and bench Gianluca Scamacca (6.8m) before their favourable fixture against Nottingham Forest. All the best!
Premier League Gameweek 12 Fixtures
Saturday, October 29
- Leicester - Manchester City
- Bounremouth - Tottenham
- Brentford - Wolves
- Brighton - Chelsea
- Crystal Palace - Southampton
- Newcastle - Aston Villa
- Fulham - Everton
- Liverpool - Leeds
Sunday, October 30
- Arsenal - Nottingham Forest
- Manchester United - West Ham
Who should I captain in FPL Gameweek 14?
The prime captaincy candidates for GW14 of the FPL season are Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Bukayo Saka and Mohamed Salah.
Who should I transfer in FPL Gameweek 12 & 13?
Anyone you want.
