Cianan’s Column: GW28: Down in the dumps

The headline says it all. GW27 was an absolute horror show for me, with all but three players netting above two points. It was impressively poor, and many managers are likely to be in the same boat or the opposite side of the coin. It was a week of flying or falling, with fewer mediocre middling performances. These kinds of weeks can breed downtroddenness for some (myself included) and complacency for others, but it’s important to note that owning Pedro, O’Reilly, and Van Dijk now doesn’t mean they’ll merit results going forward. It’s a fluid game, FPL, so let’s not sit on our laurels and get our teeth into GW28.

While Man City assets will again prove popular this week, particularly the aforementioned O’Reilly, as well as his teammate Semenyo, they remain likely to blank in GW31. Can you afford to bring them in only to face a lack of playing assets for that week, especially since the optimal chip strategy requires you to navigate it without using your free hit? If you can wholeheartedly answer yes, then go for it. The pair have scored 30 and 18 points in their last two games, respectively, and City’s fixtures pre-GW31 ought to be fairly easy pickings. I would, however, argue they aren’t essential even if they are great options; they’re undeniably superb short-term picks, but they could prove a hindrance over the medium-term (GW31-33).

The biggest concern for managers this week will be Chelsea players. There is an argument to keep them despite their obstructive upcoming fixtures based solely on their ripe goal-scoring form, but selling their assets will remain popular and understandable. If you’re shifting from Fernández, there are plenty of suitable replacement options. Wilson of Fulham faces a drowning Spurs (H), and has an ideal fixture in blank GW31 of Burnley (H), with winnable matches inbetween. We talked about them last week, but Brentford’s Ouattara and Schade have this week’s best fixture (Burnley (A)) and are comfortably playable until GW31 and beyond for non-wildcarders. Ouattara’s underlying data is particularly explosive, but Schade can produce monster hauls, such as his 20-pointer against Bournemouth (H) earlier in the season. Speaking of the Cherries, Rayan has ticked over with 5.5 points per game since joining. Given the looming return of Tavernier, his minutes may come under threat, mutually marking down both assets in terms of expected minutes. Still, the Englishman may get the odd penalty, and one of the unwritten rules of FPL is that bringing in a penalty taker is never the wrong option, even if it isn’t always the right one.

For Pedro owners looking to sell, Thiago is the standout option. It goes without saying, really; he’s the third-highest scoring forward this season and has only been beaten to the number two spot because of Chelsea’s bygone fixture ease. The Bees’ number 9 will reclaim second soon, and be ready to bear the consequences if you don’t own him during that process. Raúl, too, offers value, and for similar reasons his Fulham teammate Wilson does: solid fixtures, reasonable output, and, in the Mexican’s case, penalties. I’m still praying for a Watkins turnaround, but that’s sheer, unadulterated copium. He has the fixture to set it in motion: Wolves (A), but only time will tell. Let’s see if next week I can finally sing his praises.

To complete our discussion of Chelsea asset replacements, if Chalobah has had his time in your outfit, Van Dijk is the obvious replacement (if you can afford him). He’s gone from forgotten man this season to, well, the main man. 28 points in his last two games with an equal number of goal contributions and clean sheets. Hill is similarly straightforward, having not fallen below six points in his last five matches with an almost flawless DEFCON record in that time. The other standout option is O’Reilly, whom we discussed above.

Rapid recommendations

● Another cheap midfield option is Anderson. There is quite simply no one better to tick over with points.
● I don’t like Szoboszlai solely because he might end up at right-back. It’s hardly where you want your attacking midfielder to be, even if his point scoring there has been oddly passable.
● Why are we debating the option of selling Haaland? Have I missed a memo? Five goal contributions in the last four is hardly sell-worthy form.
● Arsenal’s defence will rebound, so it’s not worth departing with their assets as of yet.
● I feel like a broken record talking about GW31 to death, but don’t make any transfers without factoring that in. Honestly, you’ll thank me later.

The Boar Standings

1st: Dwight Club (1568) – managed by Cianan Sheekey
2nd: Meganerd FC (1548) – managed by Megan Green
3rd: parths11 (1535) – managed by Parth Malik