If you still have your Wildcard to play, congratulations on your patience. With each passing Gameweek, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers have a larger sample size on which to base their decisions.
Many of those playing their Wildcard in Gameweek 10 will have already decided to do so – but if you’re still thinking about using it before a later than usual FPL deadline of 13:30 GMT, or are looking for some draft ideas, then this article is for you!
Don’t forget that through us you can weigh the effectiveness of your Wildcard team Rate my team tool or Schedule FPL.
GAME WEEK 10 WILDCARD: THE ARGUMENTS FOR
Stock up on Newcastle and Crystal Palace
A look at our color-coded Fixture sticker from now until Gameweek 19 (when the next Wildcard becomes available), these are the top 10 teams for the difficulty of the match (in ascending order):
Many of you who already own Newcastle United assets will like this Nick Woltemade (£7.5 million), Nick Pope (£5.2 million), or Then Burns (£5.1m) will be happy to see the Magpies sitting atop the Ticker.
Crystal Palace may also be fairly well represented in your squad at the moment. Daniel Munoz (£5.7m) is a de facto winger who has just started to deliver on his underlying numbers, as a central defensive trio Marc Guehi (£4.9 million), Maxence Lacroix (£5.0 million) and Chris Richards (£4.5m) all offer varying levels of offensive threat and defensive contribution (DefCon) capabilities.
Ismail Sarr (£6.6m) is among the most clinical midfielders in his price range Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.7m) certainly rewarded all the early supporters with a great Gameweek 8 performance against Bournemouth.
Now that their matches have turned for the better, a Gameweek 10 Wildcard offers a chance to load up early.
Relieve Tottenham, Sunderland and Leeds
On the other hand, the upcoming matches will turn against a few teams that got off to an auspicious start.
This group also includes Tottenham Hotspur, who – in a deja vu – have fallen like flies on the physio table. After recording four wins from five games, they have won just three of their past nine in all competitions.
Micky van de Ven (£4.7m) rewarded managers with 23 points last weekend, but with Spurs low in the Ticker until New Year, it might be time to consider featuring the Dutchman: Mohammed Jerusalem (£6.8 million) and Pedro Porro (£5.5 million) out the door.
The same applies to Sunderland and Leeds United, who have various budget-friendly resources that have not only contributed to the completion of our selections, but have sometimes also generated scores of points.
Although there is nothing wrong with keeping it Nordi Mukiele (£4.1 million), Omar Alderete (£4.1 million), Joe Rodon (£4.1 million), or the set-piece shooting Sean Longstaff (£4.9 million) or Granit Xhaka (£5.1 million), much like banking options, which can be called upon when needed.
But if your team contains more than two of the above players, using Wildcards now could be a good time to reassess their roster.
Gunners shuffle again
Another reason is that a Wildcard allows you to reassess exactly which Arsenal players you want.
Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.5m) is the FPL’s best defender but recently became an injury doubt. Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m) has also been carefully managed in the cups, with Myles Lewis-Skelly (£5.2m) pushing for inclusion. In the meantime, William Saliba (£6.0m) came off injured midway through Gameweek 9 with minutes threatened Cristhian Mosquera (£5.4 million) and Piero Hincapie (£5.4 million).
David Raya (£5.8m) may be a good starter, but he won’t rack up any save points because he’s so well protected. Is it worth using a precious Arsenal lock for someone with such a low points ceiling? Their defensemen average six to seven points per start.
Beyond that, it’s a choice between Bukayo Saka (£10.0 million), God bless you (£7.6 million), Declan Rice (£6.6 million) and Viktor Gyökeres (£9.0 million). The latter is playing well for the team, but has not scored since Gameweek 4.
Furthermore, Saka’s fantastic form does not produce the same end product as Eze and Rice. The last five Gameweeks are the only midfielders who have more points than this duo Antoine Semenyo (£8.1 million) and Bryan Mbeumo (£8.2 million).
The only danger when setting up in Eze is that he might lose his place Martin Odegaard (£7.9m) returns from injury.
GAME WEEK 10 WILDCARD: THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST
Waiting for the next international break?
If your team isn’t full of injuries and out-of-form players, it might be worth waiting until the next international break, which falls between matchweeks 11 and 12.
There will be plenty of friendlies and crucial World Cup qualifiers during that two-week break, which could bring fitness issues and late returns.
For these reasons, and its ability to respond to fortnightly price changes, Wildcarding always feels like a safe bet during an international break.
Will there be better fixture fluctuations?
There’s also the fact that there may be some more attractive fixture swings and entry points on the horizon.
For example, Gameweek 12/13 looks fantastic for Liverpool, Bournemouth, Manchester City and even Manchester United.
Any final words, Tottenham or Everton?
Spurs’ games are so tough that there is probably little point in holding onto their assets, despite Van de Ven’s recent heroics. But Everton players love it Jack Grealish (£6.9 million), Indian education (£6.5 million) and James Tarkowski (£5.5m) could still find time to flourish against Sunderland and Fulham.
GAMEWEEK 10 WILDCARD TEAM DRAFTS
DRAFT 1: Two Arsenal defenders, plus Saka
A double Arsenal defence, plus Saka, offers a solid promise of points. While the winger hasn’t delivered much end product yet, his underlying numbers suggest returns are on the way. In this concept, managers can alternate between a 4-4-2 and a 4-3-3, with Xhaka, Woltemade, Mateta and Moses Caicedo (£5.9m) rotate.
DRAFT 2: With Raya and Gabriel
Raya is the set-and-forget goalie of this design. Eze and Gakpo can deliver on their serious attacking threats as the Triple Palace focus on their improved schedule. The formation varies between 3-4-3, 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 depending on the matches.
DRAFT 3: Both Saka and Gyokeres
This draft pairs Saka with Gyokeres, hoping the Swede can live up to his reputation as a bully. In a Newcastle trio, Pope and Burn keep the goals out, while Woltemade scores them. The strong attack means three in front.
DRAFT 4: Salah included!
Finally, this brings Salah back from the cold, a move facilitated by having That is, Junior Kroupi (£4.6 million) as a bench warmer. Money is also saved in midfield by playing Rice, with 4-4-2 and 3-5-2 attractive, in addition to the occasional 3-4-3.
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