How FPL Harry, Mark Sutherns and more did in Gameweek 24

‘The Great and The Good’ are this season’s FPL Godfather Mark Suthernsthe BlackBox pair The And Andy NorthScouts FPL General, Joe And Tomthe FPL Wire trio of Pras, Lateriser And ZopharFPL Celebrities FPL Harry, Martijn Bakker, Pin green, FPL Frasier And Luke WilliamsHall of Famers Ben Crellin, Fabio Borges And Tom Dollimoreand the winner of last year’s mini-competition Hus E.

“Why does it always rain on me?”

Just as we were starting to warm up to the season, Double Gameweek 26 was tentatively announced, sending another shiver of excitement through the community. Of course, we now know that Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers will play twice – time to take it a step further with players from those teams.

The past few weeks have Bruno Fernandes (£9.6m) has become the most popular in the FPL, as since he took over the number 10 role we no longer have to rely on defensive contribution (DefCon) bingo points for returns.

As for Cole Palmer (£10.4m), well, even Michael Fish (showing my age) would struggle to predict his returns or performances in the coming weeks.

And then there is Erling Haaland (£15.0m), who stood in the rain, wearing gloves after a relatively uneventful run and last week’s benching. Confidence in the robot was tested, but not that badly Bukayo Saka (£10.0m), who must have already moved into the guest room after his warm-up injury.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE

Tom Freeman, FPL Frasier and Andy North (yes, really) were our top scorers this week as they were drenched in points.

The common themes were Hugo Ekitike (£8.8m) drenched in a brace and the quiet, unassuming drizzle of points coming from that Sunderland defender Nordi Mukiele (£4.5 million).

In reality it was green for most as the Bruno captain boots gave them all a chance to splash in the pool of points. Well, almost all…

FPL GENERAL’S WILDCARD

FPL General is the only manager who has stepped into the storm and hit the Wildcard button, while everyone else is staying indoors, keeping their free transfers in hand and preparing for the upcoming Gameweeks.

Arsenal’s triple-up was always coming, but instead of finishing with Saka, he’s left Declan Rice (£7.4m). Maybe he should have gone all in on their defense – it may be as flashy as a thermal vest, but it can still be smart.

The real cold bet is Palmer, who is betting that Chelsea will finally start to thaw. However, it still feels like a gamble with nagging concerns about his fitness. There is also no question of a threatening ‘double’.

Manchester United also gets the full treatment: a triple-up with the inevitable Bruno, plus Bryan Mbeumo (£8.4 million) and Harry Maguire (£4.3 million). Yes, Harry Maguire.

Daniel Munoz (£5.8m) is also packed for the trip, with his Gameweek 26 and 27 matches looking like clear skies in an otherwise gloomy weather forecast.

For £3.9 million, Bournemouth James Hill is the new fashion budget choice: cheap insulation, but does it work even when funds are frozen?

But it’s a disappointing start for FPL general in red as he feels the pain of the departure Mark Senesi (£4.8 million), Florian Wirtz (£8.3 million), Matheus Cunha (£8.0 million), Antoine Semenyo (£7.8 million) and Ekitike. Timing is everything in this game.

TRANSFERS

Gameweek 24 was a wet weekend for transfers, with several pulling up the collar, refusing to go out and wisely keeping their transfers dry.

Those who stayed inside were largely spared, while the few who ventured outside did so with their essential Bruno umbrella in hand, staving off the worst of the erosion.

Unfortunately, the rain hit Lateriser the hardest, sending him crashing to the ground Anthony Gordon (£7.3m) and Ekitike just before the skies cleared, and both promptly started splashing in the points puddles.

‘THE GREAT AND THE GOOD’ TEMPLATE

The Gameweek 24 template was basically a steady drizzle of points – nothing exciting, but you stayed dry if you dressed appropriately.

Bruno Fernandes became 100% owner and officially became the league’s issued raincoat: everyone had one, everyone needed one, and he reliably prevented things from getting worse without ever brightening the day.

The only shuffle took place in the back, where Mukiele replaced Patrick Dorgu (£4.4m) as the fifth defender. A move that felt like exchanging slightly soaked socks for slightly drier socks.

The full template can be found below.

Dubravka (94.4%), Raya (44.4%)
Gabriel (88.9%), Wood (55.6%), Andersen (38.9%), O’Reilly (33.3%), Mukiele (27.8%)
Fernandes (100.0%), Saka (66.7%), Enzo (61.1%), Rogers (44.4%), Rice (27.8%)
Harasland (88.9%)%, Caril 6.1%, 6.6%).

DIFFERENCES

This week I took a quick look at the different choices between The Great and The Good, according to LiveFPL. They are rank dependent, but good to see if there are any names worth paying attention to to keep the clouds away.

Ekitike is a common differential source for those who have continued to believe in it, and it seems the fate of the Merseyside clubs will determine whether there will be a big jump in the ranks with Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.7 million), Virgil van Dijk (£5.9 million), Michael Keane (£4.7 million) and James Tarkowski (£5.8m) emerge as impact players among this group of managers.

Jarrod Bowen (£7.6 million) and Eli Jr. Croup (£4.7m) had good weekends so many will already be looking at it as there is hardly a plethora of options up front, while Palmer is the hope for Lateriser and FPL General.

• Hus E – van Hecke, Verbruggen, Ekitike
• Tom Dollimore – Szoboszlai, van Dijk
• FPL Harry – Dewsbury-Hall, Richards, Anderson, Verbruggen, Tarkowski, Ekitike
• Martijn Bakker – Salah, Richards, Keane, Verbruggen, Ekitike
• Ben Crellin – Collins, Lacroix, Andersen, Szoboszlai, van Dijk
• Fabio Borges – Damage, Lacroix, Andersen, Kroupi Jr, van Hecke
• Mark Sutherns – Hill, Bowen, Roefs
• Zophar – Crowd Jr, O’Reilly, Verbugzen, Mukelele
• Joe Lepper – Le Fee, Lanot, Androson, Alderete, ethics
• Frasier Crane – Dewsbury-Hall, Rofs, Sensi, Ekitia, Mukiel
• Tom Vrijman – Xhaka, Sels, Dalot, Mukiele, Ekitike, Bowen
• Andy North – Andarners, Crown Jr, Anderson, Mukele, ethics
• Luke Williams – Ndiaye, O’Reilly, Tarkowski
• Pin green – Rodon, Le Fee, Szoboszlai, van Dijk, Tarkowski, Ekitike
• Pras – Hill, Andersen, Alderete, van Dijk, Ekitike
• Lateriser – Richards, Verbruggen, Evanilson, O’Reilly, Palmer
• FPL General – Martinez, Munoz, Bowen, Palmer, Mbeumo
• The – Thai, Verbugugment, Anderson, Seessi, Takowski, Equity

Anyway, that’s all mine for now, and remember, don’t have any FPL nightmares.

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