The penultimate Gameweek of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is upon us and it may just be the most important one till date!
(L-R) Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and Manchester City winger Leroy Sane (Photos: AFP/Tottenham Hotspur F.C.)
The penultimate weekend of the Premier League is here at long last and it could be said that Gameweek 37 might just be the most crucial one for all the denizens of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) as well.
For starters, it’s the last double-fixture Gameweek of the season and for many, the final chance at redemption.
Regardless of where you may be placed in your mini-league, it all comes down to this, for one misstep can undo months of good work.
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The Statesman has your back, intrepid FPL manager, with a comprehensive piece ahead of every Gameweek to help you make those masterstrokes:
The indicators are:
Teams in BOLD are top 4 contenders.
Prices (in £ million) marked in Green indicates a rise in Base Price.
Prices (in £ million) marked in Red indicates fall in Base Price.
Team: Swansea City
Fixtures: Bournemouth (A)-Southampton (H) and Stoke (H)
Price: 4.7
Score: 141
Ownership: 9.5%
Why yes: The Pole’s a thrifty keeping option who’s got a double-fixture this Gameweek. All three of the Swans remaining opponents aren’t in great nick of late.
Why no: Should you already have a Swansea defender, Fabianski can be skipped. The Welsh outfit may give it their all to stave off relegation, but expecting shutouts at this late stage of the season is a bit optimistic, especially considering Southampton and Stoke are in the dogfight as well.
Team: Tottenham Hotspur
Fixtures: West Brom (A)-Newcastle (H) and Leicester (H)
Price: 5.4
Score: 133
Ownership: 9.0%
Why yes: Lloris is back in form, as was evident by his outstanding display against Watford last week. With Chelsea giving chase, expect Spurs to finish the season strong. Their double-fixture Gameweek looks pretty routine.
Why no: Should you already have the likes of Ben Davies (£5.8 m) in your squad, Lloris can be given a miss. Spurs haven’t been racking up cleensheets of late, either.
Team: Chelsea
Fixtures: Liverpool (H)-Huddersfield (H) and Newcastle (A)
Price: 7.1
Score: 150
Ownership: 15.8%
Why yes: With Liverpool still recovering from their midweek exertions, can Alonso and Co land a killer blow? It looks like it, as Chelsea certainly do not have anything to lose. Alonso effectively operates as a midfielder and the fact that he knows how to score a mean free-kick just makes him a must-have now. The fact that the Blues play both games in Gameweek 37 at home is a bonus.
Why no: Expecting a cleansheet against Liverpool is pretty naive, isn’t it? At this price point, you could buy any defender you want and both the Manchester sides have more routine fixtures than the West Londoners. Not worth it if you already have Thibaut Courtois (£5.3 m) and/or Cesar Azpilicueta (£6.9 m).
Team: Arsenal
Fixtures: Burnley (H)-Leicester (A) and Huddersfield (A)
Price: 5.9
Score: 112
Ownership: 9.9%
Why yes: After playing in the defeat to United last week, expect Bellerin to start against Burnley as well. The Gunners have a pretty good home record and should register at least one shutout. He’s pretty decent on the attacking front as well.
Why no: The jury’s still out on the pacey Spaniard, for there are plenty of more cost-effective options around. Gunners do have two away games and their record on the road has been catastrophic.
Team: Manchester City
Fixtures: Huddersfield (H)-Brighton (H) and Southampton (A)
Price: 8.6
Score: 159
Ownership: 12.1%
Why yes: Sane found the back of the net last week and it would take a brave man to bet against him repeating the trick against a Huddersfield side that don’t have a stellar away record. With City among many sides to have a double-fixture Gameweek, Sane is a no-brainer, even if you already have some of his teammates. Might just turn out to be a big differential too.
Why no: Raheem Sterling (£9.1 m), David Silva (£8.3 m), Kevin De Bruyne (£10.3 m) and Gabriel Jesus (£10.4 m) are all in great shape, but who do you pick? And we haven’t even gotten to their defence yet!
Team: Tottenham Hotspur
Fixtures: West Brom (A)-Newcastle (H), Leicester (H)
Price: 8.3
Score: 170
Ownership: 14.8%
Why yes: With Spurs expected to go all out in a bid to clinch third/fourth spot, now’s the time to pick the Korean winger. He’s due a goal now and since he’s starting most game, is a worthwhile option. Cheaper than his teammates too.
Why no: As is the case with Man City and Liverpool, Spurs have a plethora of options. Christian Eriksen (£9.6 m), Dele Alli (£9.0 m) and Harry Kane (£13.0 m) are all going great guns and the Lilywhites have some great options at the back as well.
Team: Arsenal
Fixtures: Burnley (H)-Leicester (A) and Huddersfield (A)
Price: 10.7
Score: 56
Ownership: 11.6%
Why yes: Since he can’t play in Europe, expect the rested Gabonese forward to return to scoring ways against Burnley. The North Londoners do have a pretty decent home record (second only to City in terms of points garnered) this season. The pacey African should score a few, especially as it is a double-fixture Gameweek for Arsene Wenger’s men.
Why no: There are more away games than home ones for the Gunners and you know what that means, don’t you? Extremely expensive.
Team: Manchester United
Fixtures: Brighton (A)-West Ham (A) and Watford (H)
Price: 7.3
Score: 93
Ownership: 6.5%
Why yes: With Romelu Lukaku a major injury doubt, expect Jose Mourinho to start Rashford for United’s trip to Brighton at least. As the FA Cup final nears, their Belgian frontman will be given some much-needed rest. Rashford’s not got much playing time of late, but expect him to make the most of the chance now.
Why no: Lukaku might just return in time for the clash at West Ham and with United struggling for form up top, many FPL manager will be apprehensive of picking Rashford. Red Devils midfielders Jesse Lingard (£6.0 m) and Paul Pogba (£7.9 m) are worth a dekho too.
PS: The Gameweek deadline is Friday 1900 GMT/23.30 IST.
Previous articles in this series:
Fantasy Premier League Pundit Picks Gameweek 36
Fantasy Premier League Pundit Picks Gameweek 35
Fantasy Premier League Pundit Picks Gameweek 34
Fantasy Premier League Pundit Picks Gameweek 33
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