GW16 Review - Charlie Taylor 1 Point Extravaganza

So after four gameweeks where Charlie Taylor went unused I finally got a chance to start him. Home to Sheffield Utd, great fixture. At last a chance for him to earn that (-4) back. He then, of course, went off injured after eight minutes 😅 It was doubly disappointing too as I hadn't realised. It was only after about seventy minutes when I checked the fpl site, noticed he still only had one point and thought "Where's my six points?!! What the hell's going on here?!"

On top of that Kilman actually started this week and picked up two points. So had I just left things as they were five weeks back I'd now be a huge five points up, and not just four.

That tiny bit of misfortune aside though I actually had a very jammy week indeed.

Gameweek Points: 51

Gameweek Rank: 1,039,880

Overall Rank: 228,605

In a week where two games were called off at short notice and many quite highly owned players were rested I was one of the lucky ones who got almost a full team out.

Cancelo, Son, Lookman and Coufal all missed out. Leaving me with ten starters. Many people had far fewer though, with some having Kane and Son as captain and vice-captain. So I can count myself very fortunate.

I noted in my last post how luck seemed to be with me at the moment, so that seems to be continuing.

Now it's straight onto the next gameweek. Deadline in a day and half's time as I type. The injury to Taylor swirling round my plans once again. I'm now considering bringing in Fabianski instead of Johnstone this week. Then transferring out Taylor for another defender (perhaps Dallas) with my final free transfer before the double (I was planning on switching out Wilson, which I may still do if Taylor recovers).

With all the chaos surrounding fixture pile-ups and cancellations it's probably best to wait to get more information first though. So I'll sleep on it tonight then think some more.

Overall Points: 960

Overall Rank: 228,605

GW15 Review (+ 16 preview)

I can't help but feel I'm going through an incredibly lucky period in fpl at the moment. I had what felt like a very average week, yet still ended up 16 points above the average.

Gameweek Points: 57

Gameweek Rank: 891,462

Overall Rank: 269,906

I'm now up to 270k in the rankings. My aim is to be within the top 100k by the end of GW19. So that's looking a bit more realistic. I just need some more luck now ..and some good judgement.

I've already made my transfer for GW16. Son in for De Bruyne. It's a little bit of a sideways move, but the fixtures look better. It also feels like the safe move.

As it stands the deadline for GW16 is just an hour or so away. Currently my side looks like this;

With my bench being so strong in preparation for GW19 I have a bit of a headache over who to start. It feels a little daft having Wilson sat second on my bench, especially given that Liverpool still have issues at the back. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see him return. I have to play the fixtures though. It's Liverpool at Newcastle. Liverpool should hammer them ..at least in theory.

I feel like Soucek needs to start. He's getting goals quite frequently at the moment. So it's a question of Taylor, Coufal or Wilson taking up that final spot.

Taylor is the boring choice, with the least potential upside, but Sheffield United ain't scoring many. So a clean sheet wouldn't be surprising. The Coufal fixture isn't too bad either however, and with him the assist potential is fairly high. So it's tricky.

I guess it's a nice decision to have though.

Next gameweek I'll bring in a bench keeper for the doubles. Then it's the freehit GW18. After that I'll probably transfer out Wilson, possibly for Rodrigo.

Overall Points: 909

Overall Rank: 269,906

GW14 Review: Sooo greedy

91 points. A truly great week. However, I think I'm just getting greedy now, as I still find myself a little bit disappointed that I only got one point from Coufal last night. I didn't even see the game, and they were up against Chelsea, so I don't know what I was expecting. It's always the case though when you have that one player left in the final Monday night game. On the Sunday night you add that potential to your tally, no matter how unlikely a return is.

"90 points ..and I've still got one player left!"

Anyway..

Gameweek Points: 91

Gameweek Rank: 212,323

Overall Rank: 354,182

My ungratefulness aside it's all going quite well. I can proudly display the graph again.

Obviously it was quite fortunate for anyone with both Salah and Fernandes. Salah clocked up 16 points in half an hour of football, and Fernandes grabbed his 17 then came off after 70 minutes. So it was quite good going, even by their standards.

After that everything else was just a huge bonus.

Transfers..

I've already made my transfers for GW15. I went early. Struijk and Mahrez out. Alexander-Arnold and Ademola Lookman in. Obviously these have been made partly with an eye on the double gameweek.

I don't feel good taking Mahrez out before City's home tie against Newcastle - he could be a great player to own this week. However, it was the only way I could do it and keep my plans on track. It was either lose him or lose De Bruyne.

I thought TAA looked almost back to normal at the weekend, so hopefully he'll match or better Mahrez.

Charlie Taylor

Finally a little note about my Charlie Taylor transfer. I've now had him three weeks and I said it would be a 'four week calculation'. That (-4) working out as one point per week for the four weeks.

So far he's yet to come off my bench once, meaning I'm still four points down. However, each week so far he's returned. A six, a six, then a five. So if Cancelo or another defender had missed out he would've paid his way. Kilman, who I transferred him in for, just getting one point in the three games during that time (though he did play 90 minutes yesterday, which makes the Taylor transfer look even more unwise now).

Therefore, on paper I think the Taylor transfer has to go down as a mistake. Especially if he remains unused in this last of the four weeks. Conversely though, I think in theory it wasn't too bad a move, and his upcoming fixtures remain very decent if he is needed. In fact, I could potentially start him in weeks 16 and 17.

He also slots in for the double gameweek nicely too. I can't claim that as part of the equation though, as I simply wasn't aware of the doubles at the time. Likewise the games he has then aren't a great deal of use anyway (West Ham and Liverpool away). So it's not exactly a masterstroke.

He has had a £0.1m price rise however, so that's something :)

Not quite worth the (-4) hit though.

Overall Points: 852

Overall Rank: 354,182

GW13 Review. Decent.

Words like 'solid' and 'decent' instantly spring to mind with this gameweek. Nothing spectacular, but 10 points above the average. So it has to go down as a successful week.

Gameweek Points: 52

Gameweek Rank: 1,326,397

Overall Rank: 634,636

I don't know whether to be pleased or disappointed with the eight points from De Bruyne. No assists or goals is normally a bit gutting, but the two bonus points felt like a huge ..well, bonus. Either way many of my other players chipped in with points here and there. So it all added up to something good enough for a green arrow.

blanks and dubs

I'm now entirely focused on the blanks and doubles. Unless we get more news I'm free hitting in GW18 and bench boosting in GW19.

I should be able to get a decent squad together for GW19 just using my free transfers. If all goes to plan I'll have fourteen double-game players and just the one single. Which will either be Wilson or Cancelo. I'm currently planning on leaving Cancelo (the City fixtures in general look good) and switching Wilson to Ings.

Mahrez will be my cash cow to upgrade Wilson. Along with Struijk and my bench keeper. At present my plan is to bring in Lookman to ratchet up the cash, but again, nothing is set in stone yet.

The one thing I'm fairly certain about though is my keeper switch.

With Big Sam coming back, no doubt with his solid style of football in tow, I'm looking at Johnstone. He's cheap, West Brom have decent-ish double gameweek games, and if West Brom shore up he might be useful.

Also I've noticed that he rotates fairly well with McCarthy after GW19. I'm not too keen on wasting a transfer post the double just to free up half a million. So it makes sense to plan with a view to the long term.

(click to enlarge)

When McCarthy faces Manchester United in GW22 Johnstone has Sheffield United. In weeks 25 & 26, when McCarthy has Chelsea and Everton, Johnstone has Burnley and Brighton. Week 33 sees McCarthy face City, whereas Johnstone has the easier Aston Villa.

In fact, in GW17, before the doubles, Johnstone has the struggling Arsenal but McCarthy has Liverpool. So I could make the transfer early to put him in for that too.

This all depends on what West Brom look like under Allardyce in the next few games though. Plus any new fixture information we receive. So there's plenty of time to ponder all this.

GW14

As for the current gameweek I'm simply rolling a transfer and going with the team we see up top. This time with Fernandes captain. Hopefully he doesn't blank again.

GW12 Review: Mané Captaincy Backfired

So the Mané captaincy did backfire 😢😢

As I type the game hasn't updated yet, so I'm not entirely sure what the damage is. The combination of that and the minus 4 will no doubt mean a sizeable red arrow though. Maybe I'm even back out of the top 1 million 😭

My rank should be here ---> with my gameweek points when I finally click publish..

Gameweek Points: 48 (-4)

Gameweek Rank: 4,772,818

Overall Rank: 751,975

Cry-ee faces aside though I'm actually not too disappointed in all seriousness. It was a fairly solid week all things considered, and the returns from Bamford, Adams, McCarthy and Cancelo helped keep my head above water.

In hindsight not captaining Salah was a mistake (once again those penalties making such a difference), however I would probably do it again given the same circumstances. Fulham were quite impressive, and neither Salah nor Mané got much of an opportunity in open play. So it's all a bit moot. Backing Liverpool in general just didn't pay off this gameweek. Kane and Vardy were the real captain picks.

Those two, along with Aston Villa keeper Martinez and Leicester's Justin, lifting the gameweek average out of reach for me.

..oh, and the people with Soucek too, but not on the bench like I had him.

The 'Minus 4'

My minus 4 for Charlie Taylor likewise left me feeling a little philosophical. Had Cancelo been benched he'd have came on and repaid his debt in one fell swoop (Kilman did indeed miss out for Wolves). So though this week it didn't pay off I still feel it was a good move, and I'm hopeful over the coming weeks he will chip in and make it worthwhile.

GW13..

The turnaround is pretty quick this gameweek. With the next deadline being 4:30 pm Tuesday. Hence why I'm typing before the game has even updated tonight.

My plan is still to bring De Bruyne back to captain him against West Brom. Then I plan to roll a transfer for GW14. Then I'm bringing Mané back for GW15.

Yes, Mané is coming back as the plan stands 😬

It seems unwise given today's failure. However, I'm not the sort to be swayed by a single gameweek, and I still really like the idea of tripling up on Liverpool when they face West Brom.

I'll either take De Bruyne right back out again. Or I may do a double transfer. Taking out Fernandes and Wilson, to bring in Mané and Decordova-Reid - who's only 5.3m at the moment.

My thinking with these switches is mainly the fixtures. They get pretty bad for Wilson in GW15 (City, Liverpool, then Leicester), and fixtures 15 and 16 ain't ideal for Fernandes either (Leicester then Wolves).

Also De Bruyne has Newcastle at home in GW15. So I'm loathe to remove him. The triple-up for both City and Liverpool that week looks especially tempting.

I'm guessing most people reading would view a straight De Bruyne to Mané swap as a terrible move. However, I haven't been overly impressed with De Bruyne this season. He seems to always look leggy in the second half of games. Plus I prefer the Liverpool fixtures from GW15 onwards. Also Pep rotation may strike. It's only really the penalties that make me worry not owning him.

..and today highlighted how important those penalties are.

As GW13 is so near I'll probably not bother with a preview post this week and will just review things on Friday morning (previewing GW14 at the same time).

Hopefully I can get back on the green arrows.

Overall Points: 709

Overall Rank: 751,975

Little Gameweek 12 Gambles

Okay, Mané in. Captained.

Charlie Taylor in for Kilman (-4).

The Mané captaincy could backfire, but with Salah playing the full game midweek and Mané getting rested it seems like a little opportunity it would be cowardly to miss. There's no guarantee Salah will be benched, but that piece of information shifts the probability a tiny bit. So it could give me a little edge.

As for the Charlie Taylor transfer. It looks a little odd taking a hit to simply place him on my bench. However, I'm fairly confident that over the coming gameweeks Taylor will pay that back plus some. If Cancelo is benched tomorrow I'm almost instantly halfway there even with a blank.

Kilman could potentially return to the Wolves starting line up, so that could make the move look a bit futile, but it seems that Wolves have reverted to a back four. So I wouldn't have felt confident keeping him.

I also feel like the Taylor transfer gets me on the front foot. With a nice strong squad heading into Christmas.

My next couple of transfers will now be more hokey-cokey (starting with de Bruyne back in the side next week). After that I'll then be planning for the blanks and doubles of GWs 18 and 19.

GW11 Review - The Points Keep Rolling In

Another really nice gameweek.

Gameweek Points: 85

Gameweek Rank: 404,693

Overall Rank: 473,034

Again, just as with last week, a fair bit of luck. However, I'm feeling like my team is nicely balanced too. So it's all good.

Ever since I wildcarded in GW7 I've been flying. Even that first under-the-average week I got more points than I otherwise would have. So it's probably been one of my more successful wildcards since I've been playing the game.

(click to enlarge)

The graph is looking much nicer too.

GW12..

Going forward I'm going to do De Bruyne to Mané for this week. I was thinking about captaining Mané as well, but given that Salah returned well yet again I think it's probably sensible to play it safe and go with him.

I'll be taking Mané straight back out to bring De Bruyne straight back in the week after too. Assuming nothing major comes up. So I really do have a bit of a switcheroo going on.

I'm also considering a second transfer this week. Meaning a potential minus 4. I'm thinking of going Kilman to Charlie Taylor. The Burnley fixtures look really nice, and with Cancelo not always guaranteed a game for Man City I like the idea of having some solid cover.

There are three factors to this equation though;

• How many games will Cancelo miss?
• Will Max Kilman return to the Wolves starting line-up?
• ..and will Newcastle's game against West Brom go ahead?

If the Newcastle game is cancelled and Wilson misses out then having more bench cover should definitely be worthwhile. However, if that goes ahead then it becomes more of a gamble. Especially when taking into consideration the possibility that Kilman (or indeed Struijk) may come off the bench for a single point. Which though miserly still nevertheless adds up.

In fact, this season I have a slightly different way of looking at points hits. Instead of viewing them as a single one-off 4 point hit I'm viewing them as a 1 point hit per week, over 4 weeks.

That way it puts things into perspective. 1 point a week is quite cheap and affordable. While at the same time it forces me to look at things over four gameweeks instead of just the one.

So will Charlie Taylor be worth 4 points over the next 4 weeks?

So far he's averaged around 2.8 points per game this season, and the next four fixtures look half-decent. (In fact, games five and six - home to Sheff United then Fulham - are very decent. So they're a potential huge bonus beyond this four week equation).

Even if Cancelo misses just one game and Taylor gets a two-pointer that'll still half my hit cost. So on face value I'm liking the look of it. Again though, what will Kilman do these next four weeks?

It's a tricky one.

Hopefully I'll have the answer by Friday.

Overall Points: 665

Overall Rank: 473,034

9 games, 1 transfer, 3 big hitters

I'm probably one of the least affected by the called-off Newcastle game. Many people have two or three players missing, but I just have Wilson. Who's absence I should be able to absorb quite easily.

With Robertson a slight doubt and Cancelo not guaranteed a start it could be a bit touch and go whether I get a full team out. However, it's nothing majorly concerning, and with Kilman on my bench (who's also not guaranteed a start - he came off the bench for a point last time out) I should hopefully just have about enough. A minus 4 to upgrade Struijk to someone more likely to feature certainly doesn't seem worth the points hit either way.

So it's just Son to De Bruyne.

Having Salah, Fernandes and De Bruyne looks very good. No doubt they'll all blank given the hype around them this week.

FPL: GW10 Review

Another good week. My third 70+ week in a row (..that's if I can cheekily count a 73 with a -4 as 70+).

Gameweek Points: 73 (-4)

Gameweek Rank: 79,693

Overall Rank: 783,062

I'm finally back inside the top one million too.

Obviously the Mahrez hat-trick made a huge difference. With him only being about 2.5% owned it was a huge differential. So that was quite fortunate. The Wilson twelve pointer was nice too. Likewise the once again impressive Fernandes.

Aside from that though the rest of the team was somewhat subpar. So I think I have to put much of my rank climbing this week down to luck.

Going forward I'll be switching Son to de Bruyne as planned. So I'm liking the look of things this week.

Apparently Newcastle have a Covid crises going on at the moment. Meaning I'll have to keep an eye on that in regard Wilson. Though with Soucek off the bench I shouldn't require any transfer changes.

Hopefully I can keep my good run going.

Overall Points: 580

Overall Rank: 783,062

GW10 Preview. Double transfer to then double-double-up

Well, I've already made one transfer this week. That was Zaha to Mahrez. I made it very late last night. (I actually got up out of bed and turned my phone back on to do it). Zaha was on for a price dip, so I had to go early to make sure I had enough cash to do Son to De Bruyne next week. I was gonna risk waiting another day, but my restless tossing and turning paid off as he did indeed drop.

However, today I've discovered I have another issue. Lucas Digne is now out, needing surgery for an ankle injury. Which could mean he misses the next two months. So that's a second transfer I have to make.

I think I'll take a minus 4 and bring in Manchester City's Cancelo. Normally I would just wait a week to fix the problem. Especially given that I have Kilman sat on my bench. This time I feel I need to make an aggressive move though, as otherwise it potentially ruins all my well laid plans.

As I mentioned earlier my plan is to bring in De Bruyne next week for his game against Fulham. I was then thinking of taking him straight back out to bring in Mané. As Liverpool then face Fulham the following week. So I'll have the double double-up so to speak.

That would leave me relying on Kilman for the next three weeks with no bench support in defence (other than the seldom-playing Struijk). Consequently it probably makes sense to take the minus 4 now to get a player I actually want ahead of the curve. Rather than risk having to play catch up if I get another injury or suspension.

The City fixtures look great. So Cancelo seems ideal. Meaning I'll potentially now have the triple-up for that Fulham game.

However, as I mentioned in my last post, City have failed to impress massively so far this season, so it could be a bit of a nostalgia move. Hopefully the old City can return though and I can at least win back my four points.

Fernandes captain. Let's go.

GW9 in the Mirror. Another Good Week.

79 points. Very nice :)

Gameweek Points: 79

Gameweek Rank: 339,595

Overall Rank: 1,365,588

The captaincy returns from Fernandes were incredibly jammy. The minute he got the chance to retake that penalty I felt a little bit guilty. After that everything just kept rolling in. Son scoring. Assists from Digne, Robertson and Adams. A nice clean sheet from Coufal, and finally to top it all off three bonus points for McCarthy after his eight saves.

The only real downside was that I only managed to get ten players out. Plus I missed out on the Calvert-Lewin brace.

Zaha failed to start for Crystal Palace because he was self-isolating. Another indicator of how Covid can throw random spanners in the works. I'm guessing he'll now be unavailable for Friday too, so that will be my next transfer.

Currently I'm planning to bring in Mahrez. So I can then bring in De Bruyne to double up against Fulham in GW11. However, City have been awful this season, so I'm not entirely confident with this strategy. I might need to give it some more thought before Friday's deadline.

My fpl rank is now around 1.4 million. Not ideal but much improved. Hopefully if I can have another few decent weeks I can climb back onto the graph.

Overall Points: 511

Overall Rank: 1,365,588

puzzle solving

I quite enjoy these weeks. With all the flags dotted about it feels like you have a little puzzle to solve.

I've been toying about since Monday, on and off, trying to find the right transfer move. I've finally decided to go TAA to Digne. I did originally want to hold all three Liverpool players, but the injury news I caught up on today finally pushed me in this direction. TAA definitely out. Callum Wilson with a decent shout of starting. So TAA goes.

I quite like this move. The next three Everton games look decent. Especially this week's away to Fulham. So it feels like it's more than just plugging gaps.

I would've preferred to have brought in Calvert-Lewin for Wilson if it was just a case of this gameweek (there was part of me hoping that the injury news would be the other way round). However, after GW9 Wilson's games look great. So if I can survive this week without too much damage then I prefer this set up going forward. The extra cash in the bank giving me some real flexibility.

Obviously Soucek will be coming in for Salah. I may as well leave the big man in though. You never know, if he does start by some freak occurrence I would hate to miss out on a ginormous haul.

If Wilson fails to recover in time I should have Kilman coming in, which ain't too bad.

At one point this week I was toying with transferring out Struijk - I never realised he played GW8's game. I just saw the zero on my bench and assumed he didn't play lol.

Now that Robertson looks more certain to start I shouldn't really need him either way, so hopefully it's a moot point. Still though, the fact that he did play gives me an added glimmer of confidence in my ability to get a full eleven on the pitch.

Maybe the fact that Leeds conceded four with Struijk playing will mean he disappears straight back out again anyway lol. So I'll have to keep a better eye on that situation going forward. The way things have been this season I really feel like I need a full playing bench. So that could be a transfer waiting to happen. Also, he signed a new contract for Leeds this week, which could be a good sign he'll be getting at least some game time.

If he does play this week it'll be a nice bonus. As amidst the flags and general uncertainty I may well need that third bench player.

Hopefully not though. Fingers crossed.

(GW8 Review) On THE UP !

 I've finally had a genuinely good week.

Gameweek Points: 71

Gameweek Rank: 896,193

Overall Rank: 2,126,942

No captain returns, but apart from that it generally went well. Coufal and Fernandes in particular impressed. So I feel like last week's wildcard has definitely paid dividends.

Wilson blanked and ended up yellow flagged, so my transfer backfired. Especially as I would've had Soucek's 9 points off the bench had I just left things alone. However, I really can't complain too much about that.

Hopefully the international break will now give Wilson time to recover before GW9. Likewise I'm hoping that'll be the case with TAA.

Injuries aside though I feel I'm looking pretty decent for the next round of games. Some of the fixtures aren't ideal, but Fernandes against West Brom looks like a nice captain option. Wilson to Calvert-Lewin could also be a good transfer move if Wilson remains injured (Everton play Fulham :D).

Plenty of time before then though. I'll post up any changes when we come out the other side of the internationals.

Overall Points: 432

Overall Rank: 2,126,942

Wilson In. Ings Gone.

I've taken the injured Ings out and brought in Callum Wilson. It was a toss up between him and Calvert-Lewin, but I've went with Wilson primarily for the fixtures.

With Ings out I'm now wondering if Che Adams will still be as effective too. That partnership was looking very impressive, so I'm sure Ings being missing will take a huge amount of lustre off the Southampton attack. Perhaps Adams will step up and fill the void though.

Having brought Wilson in I now have £2 million in the bank. So I could potentially go Adams to Calvert-Lewin at some point in the future, assuming there are no huge price swings. At present I'm quite happy with my squad though.

The one thing concerning me a tiny bit is my lack of Chelsea. I've been quite dismissive of Chelsea this season, but they are looking very attacking. So perhaps I'm missing a trick going without.

Finally, I'm captaining Son. Which is a fairly easy choice really.

Hopefully all goes well.

(GW7 Review) Red arrow, but all smiles

I ended up with a red arrow, finishing 6 points behind the average. However, it still feels like a decent week. My wildcard paid off to some extent (I would've finished with over 10 points less had I stuck with my original team). So it's all good.

Gameweek Points: 47

Gameweek Rank: 4,993,156

Overall Rank: 2,730,613

The only real disappointment is the Ings injury. Apparently it isn't as bad as first thought, so perhaps he may make a speedy recovery. Either way I'll probably just roll this week's transfer. With West Ham being at home to Fulham I quite like the idea of starting Soucek. So if Ings does miss out I'll at least have a good replacement.

Looking at the wider picture I'm beginning to take a very laid back approach to the season. Things are so unpredictable it feels like every week there's at least one or two high scoring, well-owned players that you don't own. Not owning Grealish or Vardy has put a bit of a dent in my score this week.

Obviously you can't own everyone, so there's no point worrying about what you can't control. You just need to pick your eleven players then strap in for the ride.

In previous seasons it's felt like there's been a basic template team. Which the more serious fpl managers tend to gravitate towards. Around which you can then add a few personal tweaks and differentials. This means if you pay attention and get those core template players in your side then you usually pull ahead of the more casual fpl managers fairly quickly.

However, this year it's quite, quite different. The pool of obvious value assets to target isn't quite as nailed down yet. It really is anyone's guess. Even last year's set and forget choices, such as TAA, are going out the window.

Currently there's not a single Liverpool defender in the top ten points scoring defenders, and there's not a single Manchester City midfielder in the top ten points scoring midfielders.

Crazy.

So given my entire plan at the start was Liverpool defence, City attack, it's not surprising I'm currently drifting aimlessly around the three million mark.

Again, the unpredictable nature of this season leaves me feeling like I don't have an anchor. My assessment of players changing from week to week. I'm all over the place.

So it's best to just relax and let the breeze take me.

Overall Points: 361

Overall Rank: 2,730,613

Wildcard set.

Got my wildcard team nice and sorted. I've made two little final tweaks today. Foden out for Zaha, and Struijk in for Mitchell.

The problem with these changes is that it means I've now maxed out my budget. Meaning I have no wiggle room to upgrade if I want to make a transfer going forward. Not even a £0.1m in the bank. Although with Soucek now on my bench I should be able to absorb an injury or suspension a bit more easily. So hopefully I can roll next week's transfer then manoeuvre from there.

Overall I'm quite liking the team. (Having Salah captain feels especially soothing given my previous captain selections). It's a shame I'm having to start with Coufal on the bench. I was tempted to start him, but away to Liverpool there's always the chance four or five goals could fly in. So I'll wait.

Anyway, hopefully this new team will get off to a good start.

(GW6 Review) Decent week all things considered..

Some much for the pro-gamer move, TAA blanked. Likewise my transfer of Digne also backfired, with him getting sent off in the second half. These two disasters aside though it actually wasn't too bad.

Gameweek Points: 57

Gameweek Rank: 1,787,054

Overall Rank: 2,420,880

The obvious plus was Bamford. Even just aside from FPL it was great to see him get his goals. I watched and admired Bamford a lot in the Championship for Boro, so to see his talent finally blossom in the Premier League was nice. It was a beautiful hat-trick, especially the third goal. Bergkamp-esq. Very clever, underrated player. I really hope it continues, and not just for FPL's sake.

After that it was Son, Jiménez, Foden and McCarthy that returned for me. So all in all I got a decent rank boost. Up from 2.8 to 2.4 million. Still a good way to go, but I'm on the right track.

Wildcard Active

I've also smashed the wildcard button this week. The three big annoyances were Digne, Traoré and Aubameyang.

Traoré isn't starting and it just isn't happening for Aubameyang. So they need to go. I was considering the idea of just gradually moving towards my ideal team, perhaps with a minus four this week, but I can't quite get that plan to work. Particularly regarding the fixtures.

I also fear I'll end up on the back foot if I don't wildcard now. It's all well and good planning the next three or four transfers, but if I get another red card or injury this week then all that goes out the window. So though it's just three players that are the main issue wildcarding will also help me to get firmly on the front foot.

This is how it's looking at the moment.

Fernandes and Salah feels like a huge improvement on Traoré and Aubameyang. I've also brought in Coufal and Kilman at the back. I really like the look of Coufal. It's early days, but he looks attacking. Plus the West Ham fixtures are beginning to get better.

Kilman of course is just the obvious cheap way into the Wolves defence. It feels like a no-brainer. So hopefully he'll keep starting.

I'm also currently keeping Mitchell. It's likely he'll lose his place soon, but he has been playing and has played well, so you never know.  Either way he'll probably just be taking up the last slot on my bench most weeks anyhow.

The big omission is Calvert-Lewin. I've even ditched the value I had tied up in him. Which may come back to haunt me if I have a change of heart this week. However, Everton just didn't look the same at the weekend. They really missed Richarlison, and I felt Sigurdsson just got in the way of James.

So with Digne now out and James an injury doubt I feel it's time to get off. In spite of the fixtures. Conceivably I could bring Calvert-Lewin back for Fulham in GW9, but I think for the next few games I prefer the Southampton pair.

I can also easily switch Ings back to Jiménez going forward. Likewise Adams could become Antonio next week when West Ham face Fulham ..if he's fit. So plenty of options.

The other big decision was Kane. I'd like to say it's the fixtures that have made me just stick with the one Spurs player, but the reality is it's just not my style of play to spend that much cash on forwards. I like the cheaper attacking options, and I'm still clinging to the idea that the big midfielders will eventually come out on top.

Perhaps that attitude will shift in the next few days though. Either way I'll share my final team on Friday.

Overall Points: 314

Overall Rank: 2,420,880

//////

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Also on a final note, returning to the TAA captain choice. Having watched the highlights of that game I don't think it was too bad a decision. Obviously it has to go down as a fail, but he nearly had an assist with Salah's offside goal. He had a freekick from the halfway line pushed over the bar! (I'd have been pretty, pretty smug had that have went in), and of course, a clean sheet against Sheff Utd was never impossible. So it wasn't that much of a miss.

I see a lot of people selling Trent (tbf defensively they are looking wrecked with injuries), but I remain very optimistic owning him. He's super-attacking and it is Liverpool after all.

Alexander-Arnold captain (!) pro-gamer move

No wildcard. Transfer now locked in. Digne for Van Dijk.

My bench is looking slightly better now that Reed is only yellow-flagged, so there's a chance he could be involved. Though Mitchell is no doubt on borrowed time, so things ain't exactly brilliant. Still, it's nice to have at least some potential on the bench. Just in case I need a blank spot filling.

The main news this week is my captaincy. Trent Alexander-Arnold is a very left-field pick. In fact, on the Fantasy Premier League site he's the fifth most transferred out this week. So the choice seems to be going very much against the grain. I'm fairly happy with it though.

As for the rest of my side I think the games look nice, it's just a question of whether Foden and Traoré actually start.

A return from Bamford tonight would be quite useful. It would also be good if Aubameyang could start scoring for me. He hasn't looked great value so far this season, but the fixtures going forward are quite decent (Villa and Leeds in gameweeks 8 and 9). So I wouldn't mind leaving him in until GW10.

Ideally I'd like to be able to use my transfer next week to take out Traoré. I've got 2.7m in the bank to help upgrade, so it would definitely improve my first eleven.

My finger's still over the wildcard button too though. So if things aren't looking good after this weekend then it could be all change.

(GW5) SOLID Week.

Bang on the average this gameweek. Given the week I had last time out this felt like a win, so I'll gladly take it.

Gameweek Points: 60

Gameweek Rank: 3,642,604

Overall Rank: 2,831,024

This was also the first time I've had a decent captain return this season. So that was good. Plus I got a little green arrow. I'm still high up in the multi-millions, but I've stemmed the rot at least.

I'm now a little bit in two minds about wildcarding. I don't think I will, but if I get another flag I think it'll most certainly tip me over the edge. Traoré isn't starting games, Van Dijk is now out, and my bench is hanging by the threads. So my one transfer this week might not paper the cracks.

Currently though I'm planning on simply transferring Digne in for Van Dijk. Then I can move for Salah going forward.

I also currently have the armband on Alexander-Arnold (!). He hasn't looked in form so far this season. However, Sheffield United look very unthreatening going forward, and if they sit back there should be plenty of opportunity for crosses into the box ..and potentially the odd free-kick. So it's tempting, as I don't really fancy any of the other fixtures.

I'm now gonna have a little tinker around to try to put together a wildcard team :) If I do hit the trigger I'll post the results up on Friday.

Overall Points: 257

Overall Rank: 2,831,024

Back in the Saddle

Feels like a long time since the last post. Anyone visiting might have wondered if I'd quit after last week's disaster.

..but no, I'm back. Tentatively.

De Bruyne red-flagged so that's the obvious player to lose. I'm just bringing Son back in to replace him. It seems the sensible move. Aubameyang also has a flag, but I think he'll play, so hopefully my first eleven should be fine.

If it's not I'm a bit worried about my bench. Harrison Reed out, Ben Johnson highly unlikely to be featuring, and Mitchell now becoming a slight doubt as Palace players return to fitness. I was briefly considering another minus 4 to upgrade a bit, but there's little point when I'm happy with the first eleven.

(The Return of the Son)

The Liverpool back three is a worry too after last week lmao, but I'm going to stick with the plan for the time being.

My biggest worry is not so much the defenders, but the fact that no one seems to be matching Salah in that 11.5/12m bracket. My thinking at the start of the season was that the Liverpool defenders would be consistently great options, and that I could then cover Salah with players such as De Bruyne, Sterling, Fernandes and Aubameyang.

However, that clearly hasn't happened so far, and Salah looks like he'll finish the season head and shoulders above those four at the moment. So a Van Dijk to Salah switch now has to be in my thinking going forward. I could even wildcard to do it.

I'm going to hold my nerve and leave things a few more gameweeks though. After all, it is still fairly early in this very strange season.

I'm going to captain Son too. Jiménez was a tempting option, but I'm worried Wolves will be a little flat. Even though that does look like a good fixture against Leeds.

Finally, I brought the graph back from last season. So I can chart my progress this time out too.

(click to enlarge)

I'm currently off the chart ..by quite some distance. Not where I want to be.

I really need to get back within that top 1m ASAP !

(GW4) Review - AHHHHHHHHHHHRGHH

😩😬 This week killed me. 23 points with a minus 4. The Jiménez transfer didn't pay off. Traoré didn't start. De Bruyne blanked. Liverpool conceded seven lmao. Basically everything bad, with the exception of Calvert-Lewin and the goalkeeper.

Gameweek Points: 23 (-4)

Gameweek Rank: 6,546,383

Overall Rank: 2,876,233

I honestly don't know where to go with it after a week like that. Should I put it down as a one off, or do I do a total overhaul?

My bench was full of big round zeroes too. So maybe we're in wildcard territory.

Fortunately I have two full weeks to mull things over.

I think I'll probably just stick with what I have and ride out the storm. It was a very strange week after all.

Either way I'll post again once we get to the GW5 deadline 😢

Overall Points: 197

Overall Rank: 2,876,233

First Minus 4 of the Season

I haven't quite made my transfers yet - yes, that's transfers, plural. I'm taking a minus 4. I haven't pressed the button yet, but I'll be doing that when I've finished this short article. Perhaps typing things out may solidify my thoughts a little. I've been umming and ahing over it since about 4 o'clock this afternoon, so I could do with making my mind up and getting it put to bed.

My original plan was to just do Son to Mahrez.

However, when I was playing around earlier the opportunity to do Son to Foden and Mitrović to Jiménez presented itself. I normally recoil at the thought of a minus 4, but the next few games for Jiménez look great (Fulham, Leeds, then Newcastle). So there should be a very decent chance of him earning back that 4 point hit.

Also Foden has been excluded from the England squad, so I'm thinking that that could potentially make him a bit more likely to play the City games sandwiching the international break. Likewise there'll be less opportunity to pick up an injury.

So I'm liking the look of these changes. Still though it feels risky taking a hit before an international break. If either player gets injured in the next two weeks (or leaves in the case of Jiménez) then it all essentially becomes a one week punt, and I'm left hoping that Foden and Jiménez outscore Mahrez and Mitrović by more than 4 points.

I'd feel more confident having Mahrez for tomorrow's Leeds game, and Mitrović is always capable of grabbing something. Plus Wolves were poor against West Ham. So it's definitely a gamble.

As for the rest of my team I have De Bruyne captain (I'm really looking forward to the Leeds v City game 😃 hopefully it doesn't disappoint). Aubameyang still being in my side almost feels like a huge bonus at this point, and the Liverpool game looks very nice for my defence.

(..made my moves)

Hopefully it all works well.

(GW3) Review

I was actually quite pleased with this week, despite the captaincy blank. Seven points above the average and a green arrow. So all good.

Gameweek Points: 50

Gameweek Rank: 1,910,262

Overall Rank: 870,649

Bamford hit the net yet again. It's also looking like he's more nailed to stay in the team too, so I'm very pleased with that. Likewise the Liverpool back three paid off again. Van Dijk didn't return this week, but a goal and a clean sheet in his first three games is more than I expected, so I feel like those three are ticking along nicely.

My midfielders disappointed, but I'm not hugely concerned. Man City were poor. However, I'm still confident they'll get lots of attacking returns going forward, so I'll be leaving the armband on De Bruyne for GW4.

I didn't intend to leave Aubameyang in my side for this long, but now I have other fires to put out I'm quite happy to just leave him in there for the foreseeable future. I'll probably do Son to another City player with my transfer this week.

Son's already dropped in price, so I'm not in a rush to do anything just yet and will probably just wait until Friday to hit the button.

My transfer of Werner to Calvert-Lewin last week paid off quite nicely as well I should add. So that's another plus.

Though my overall rank isn't anything to write home about I feel like I'm making some good calls so far this season and I think the balance of my team is quite decent. Going forward Mitrović and Adama Traoré are the two players I'm not entirely confident in. I also need to start bearing in mind penalties a bit more, what with the ridiculous number being awarded.

At the moment Fernandes is the one player I'm quite eager to own. I'm not entirely sure how I'll get there though.

I'll do a little post later in the week with my updated team for GW4 :)

Overall Points: 178

Overall Rank: 870,649

Made my transfers :/

Very nice haul this gameweek. Back in the saddle. The patience paid off.

Gameweek Points: 85

Gameweek Rank: 512,674

Overall Rank: 1,155,870

Son went very big. I wasn't expecting that at all. In fact, during the first half of the game I was thinking about taking him out because Spurs looked so bad. Very bizarre two halves of football looking back. He's staying now though :)

Liverpool three at the back worked out nicely (though very luckily).

And Bamford and Mitrović, well, that's some very tidy returns for two very cheap options. I need to make sure my expectations are lowered back down now as we come to the next few games.

Finally, the Aubameyang assist, though not overwhelmingly impressive, I was very pleased with. Especially coming on the heels of my blank captaincy last week.

Anyway, onto this week..

I made my two transfers last night. Normally I would wait, but I saw De Bruyne was due a price rise last night so I pulled the trigger early. It was a bit impulsive, but I pretty much had my mind set on the transfers by Sunday night, and last night's City performance only confirmed it further.

I went;

Saint-Maximin --> De Bruyne

&

Werner --> Calvert-Lewin

Obviously the Werner transfer could come back to bite me. What with Chelsea being away at a leaky-looking West Brom. However, I feel like I only have Werner in my team based on fear and hype. The two Chelsea performances so far leaving little impression on me. Conversely having seen Everton I feel like I really need a way into their attack, and I think Calvert-Lewin looks like the best option. The service he's getting from James Rodríguez, Allan and Digne is looking unbelievable at the moment. If that continues I want the player that's on the end of all that.

Downgrading Werner also meant I had enough cash to upgrade to De Bruyne. So there was a double plus. I can now leave Aubameyang in my side for at least one more gameweek. Potentially bringing in Sterling alongside De Bruyne for the Leeds game.

I'm looking like this at the moment going into GW3.

Overall Points: 128

Overall Rank: 1,155,870

Still feels like pre-season (GW2)

Well, it's been a super easy week. Nothing to do. Nothing to change (unless we see some very late news). So everything as it was at the start of GW1.

Son remains. Aubameyang captain.

On a more personal level I'm amazed how chilled out I am this season. Normally I tend not to get too stressed out anyway, but usually I'm eager and impatient to make transfers and such like. So the fact that I'm going into GW2 with a spare transfer and £4m still in the bank feels very strange indeed. Especially given I had a poor GW1. I'm super-patient this time round it seems.