Gameweek 24 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) looks to be a big week for use of wildcards.
Below we discuss some pros and cons of entering an early second Wildcard.
We will also present a few potential concepts: click here to go there directly.
REASONS FOR WILDCARD IN GAMEWEEK 24
Besides the evergreen ‘pro’ of increasing team value (buying early in the week and absorbing some price increases), here are a few arguments for playing the Wildcard now…
LARGE LUMINAIR SWING
The main reason why many aligned FPL managers are considering a Gameweek 24 Wildcard is the competition starting this week for many teams.
For example, the likes of Bournemouth, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Manchester United all start attractive matches (of varying lengths) this weekend, as shown in our colour-coded Fixture sticker below:
This brings a defensive contribution king Mark Senesi (£4.8m) back to the fore after a tougher few weeks, with a similar impact on assets such as Bruno Fernandes (£9.4 million) and Enzo Fernandez (£6.7m) plus some of their respective United and Chelsea teammates now settling in under new management. League leaders Arsenal and title chasers Villa offer good players all over the pitch, and Palace could offer some budget-friendly options if they can get out of their current rut.
At the same time, for a number of teams, such as Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Brentford, Manchester City and Liverpool, who may have received our support so far, the matches are turning in the opposite direction (even if briefly in some cases):
Does this mean it’s time to make money with eg Phil Foden (£8.5 million), Anthony Gordon (£7.4 million), Hugo Ekitike (£8.8 million), Micky van de Ven (£4.6m) – and maybe even Igor Thiago (£7.2m)?
RETHINK MAN CITY?
Speaking of Foden, the fixtures may not be relevant after all. Pep Guardiola named him on the bench for the first time since Gameweek 3 on Saturday as Man City returned to winning ways. It may have been a one-off demotion to replace duty and a kick in the ass – but is he worth the risk? And if you’re interested in representation in City’s midfield, Antoine Semenyo (£7.8m) looks arguably safer for now.
In the same way, at the back, Marc Guehi (£5.2m) looks perfectly positioned to become a mainstay at centre-back. Nico O’Reilly (£5.1m) was back in the starting lineup this weekend, but a lateral move to Guehi would likely remove some of the weekly uncertainty over playing time.
“You immediately realize how good he is in terms of mentality, his age, his calmness. I have the feeling that he lives 24 hours a day for his profession.” – Pep Guardiola on Marc Guehi, who spoke on Saturday
“The transfer is a very, very good price and he is the perfect age, 25, 26 years old, so it is an incredible asset for Man City for the next many, many years. He is a man you can rely on. Do you see it… believe me, two training sessions. How he moves, how he talks, how he sees what is happening around him, how he reads the situations. Yes, really good.” – Pep Guardiola on Marc Guehi, who spoke on Saturday
RESPOND TO AFCON RETURNS
Likewise, a Gameweek 24 Wildcard allows you to customize your squad accordingly now that all the players who were away for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) have returned to their clubs.
That could mean bringing some of them back into your team straight away, selling replacement players who may now be struggling to get in, or both!
Bryan Mbeumo (£8.3 million) and Indian education (£6.2 million) fall into the first category. But do the returns of Muhammad Salah (£14.0 million) and Omar Marmoush ( £8.3m ) affects Ekitike ‘s ‘xMins’ and Erling Haaland (£15.1m)? That was certainly the case on Saturday.
SOLUTION OF OTHER PROBLEMS
Apart from the above, one of the lasting ‘benefits’ of playing your Wildcard is that it allows you to solve all the problems in your team at once without giving you any points.
You may have a top-heavy team and want a switch to a 3-5-2, 4-4-2 or 4-5-1. Your budget sofa may need a refresh; Marc Guiu (£4.2 million). Matheus Manen (£4.5 million) or Ayden heaven (£3.9 million). James Hill (£3.9 million), for example. You may want to adjust your Arsenal triple-up; do David Raya (£5.9m) really justify the outlay as he rarely puts ‘extras’ on top of clean sheets, such as Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.9m)?
REASONS TO WAIT
STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY ABOUT BLANKS AND DOUBLES
Below is the likely FPL landscape in terms of future Double and Blank Gameweeks, as highlighted by three-time top 200 player Lateriser in this excellent article on why he won’t be wildcard in Gameweek 24:
- A possible Doubles Week 26 or 27 for Arsenal and Wolves
- Four teams will receive a Blank Gameweek 31, due to the Carabao Cup final
- Doubles week 33
- Blank Gameweek 34, for FA Cup semi-finalists and their scheduled competition opponents
- Doubles week 36
Do you notice all that uncertainty? Unfortunately, none of this will be cleared up before the Gameweek 24 deadline, meaning many potentially crucial questions will remain unanswered.
That includes exactly which teams will be blank and double (and when) due to the Carabao Cup final. Arsenal and Man City are obviously in pole position for the meeting at Wembley, with their respective advantages from the semi-finals of the first leg, but the second leg of those semi-finals will not be played until mid-week between matchweeks 24 and 25.
Meanwhile, we won’t know which teams have blanks and doubles for even longer because of the FA Cup. Only just before Gameweek 32 will we know which four clubs will reach the semi-finals and be blank in Gameweek 34.
| FA Cup round | Takes place between… |
|---|---|
| 4th round | Game weeks 26 and 27 |
| 5th round | Game weeks 29 and 30 |
| Quarterfinals | Game weeks 31 and 32 |
TRANSFER WINDOW STILL OPEN
Likewise, the winter transfer window closes on Monday, February 2, the final day of Gameweek 24. There could be a host of deals happening that weekend, which could immediately throw a spanner in the works depending on who you bring in with your Wildcard. We have already seen how much the arrival of Semenyo and Guehi has changed the thinking at Man City.
Could Bournemouth expand their ranks and make it That is, Junior Kroupi (£4.6m) more of a rotation risk? Will Chelsea, as rumoured, sign a new centre-back, impacting the match’s playing time Trevo Chalobah (£5.6m)?
So before activating your second and final Wildcard of the season, would it be wise to wait until we have answers to at least some of these questions?
WHAT IS THE BROAD CHIP STRATEGY?
If you wait until we know more about what future Blank/Double Game Weeks will look like, you can use your Wildcard as part of a broader chipping strategy. This can help you maximize all their potential and (hopefully) help you improve the rankings in the home phase of the season where everything counts most.
For example wildcards the week before to a Bench Boost (when used in a double gameweek) is a good way to expand your roster with players from teams you know can play twice in one gameweek. Wildcards after your Bench Boost doesn’t get in the way, but in the meantime lets you funnel maximum cash into your favorite XI plus one or two subs without having to worry about whether all 15 members of your team will start every game.
GAME WEEK 24 WILDCARD IDEAS
*These concepts were created using the author’s team value, so cheaper alternatives may be required for those on a tighter budget
DRAFT 1: SOLE STREAKERBIG IN MIDFIELD
#FPL #Gameweek #Wildcard #drafts #Haaland