Cianan’s Column: Who to include in your GW34 free hit side

Off the back of this season’s largest double gameweek (which, at time of writing, has not yet fully concluded), we have this season’s largest blank gameweek. Hence, it will be free hit galore this week, and with good reason, given most who went aggressive with doublers last week will have only one or two players with fixtures.

For those adopting a different strategy, like wildcarding this week instead, the advice to follow still applies; you’ll just want to fill your bench with assets you want to carry through to the end of the season. For most, this will consist of Man City players, Haaland, Semenyo/Cherki, and O’Reilly/Nunes, while in your 11, you may want one or two less ideal players this week to help you avoid transfers longer term. Sarr against Liverpool (A), for example, who you then own ahead of his likely double in GW36 (though he’s an option for free-hitters too, given his lucrative scoring form against the Reds this season).

Regardless, this week the optimal chip to deploy is the free hit, so that begs the question of who ought to be in it. There’s quite a lot of variation to be had here, given there aren’t any standout fixtures to target this week. As the spine of the team, Fernandes (v. Brentford (H)) has six points per game over his last six, hitting double digits thrice in the period. Van Dijk (v. Crystal Palace (H)), too, seems like a no-brainer, with a clean sheet in his last home game and a winner in the Merseyside derby last time out, and it’s hard to look past Bowen. West Ham are in a relegation scrap, so they will fight tooth and nail for every point, and the Englishman is their most prolific attacker while also taking penalties, while squaring up to an Everton (H) side he scored against in the reverse fixture.

But that’s about it for the easy choices. You could look at Villa assets against Fulham (A), with Watkins having grabbed three goals and an assist in his last three games, or Rogers, who has three assists in as many games. Elsewhere, Salah may be expensive (£14m), but it’s a free hit, who cares? (Perhaps wildcarders will be more inclined to steer clear.) He’s scored in his last two games, and it’s unsurprising that the scriptwriters have penned him a return to form, given he’s leaving Liverpool at the end of the season. On the subject of Liverpool, Gakpo has assisted in his last two matches and almost always gets playing time, plus, given their first-choice and second-choice goalkeepers, Allison and Marmadashvili, are injured, third-choice keeper Woodman could be a cooky differential costing a minor £3.9m.

The issue is that none of these options are wrong per se; any of these could do exceptionally this gameweek, but so could any of the following, making it a rather fun and open week for team selection. Desperate for points, Tottenham Hotspur need goals, and so attacking fullback Porro and/or midfielder Xavi are appealing, given they scored 21 points collectively in their 2-2 draw with Brighton. Solanke has to be considered by some managers, but it all feels a bit surreal, analysing players for a team languishing in the relegation zone. But this gameweek’s match, Wolves (A), is Spurs’ cup final, which could define their Premier League survival, so I wouldn’t go Spurs-less even if I understand not wanting to double or triple-up.

There’s value in the traditionally highly owned assets, too. Although Arsenal have been the subject of much ridicule as of late, their defensive form at home is still miraculous. Any of Gabriel, Saliba, and/or Raya could easily pick up a high score against Newcastle (H) this week, with the Toon particularly struggling as of late. Their rivals, Sunderland, face Nottingham Forest this gameweek in the Friday night fixture, with the former boasting the likes of Mukiele, Brobbey, and Reinildo, who, with extremely cheap price points (all below £5.3m), can all at least populate your bench. Gibbs-White is somewhat the talk of the FPL town off the back of his hat-trick last time out, but if my knee-jerk recommendations last week are anything to go by, sometimes making decisions based on a player’s most recent performance can pay dividends.

Rapid recommendations

● Captaincy this week? Look no further than the talismanic Fernandes.
● On the topic of United, Cunha grabbed his third goal contribution in four games last time out, so he probably forms a part of the ideal Red Devil pairing.
● You could easily back against Arsenal’s defence this week if you wanted, given their subpar form. It’s a large risk against the majority, though, and will probably be a key dividing line between a green and red arrow.
● Thiago against United (A) is similar. He could easily blank or grab a brace and triple bonus points, but I’d be more comfortable going against the masses by not selecting him than going completely against the Arsenal defence.
● Mavropanos of West Ham is my differential of the week. Only 1.4% ownership at time of writing, at home (v. Everton, a team that loves to give away DEFCONs), and a keen eye for goal. He has a floor of four points, and a much higher ceiling that few others are likely to profit from should it come to pass.

The Boar Standings

1st: Dwight Club (1975) – managed by Cianan Sheekey
2nd: Meganerd FC (1919) – managed by Megan Green
3rd: parths11 (1906) – managed by Parth Malik

*As of Wednesday, 22 April at 00:19