FPL Gameweek 5 was owned by a select few players. Erling Haaland, Joao Cancelo, Sterling and a few more.
Long story short, your team was sorted if you had Man City starters in your team, with the champions winning 6-0 against newly promoted Nottingham Forest.
For everyone who could not get high points though, the shot at redemption comes quick in the form of Gameweek 6.
With a short turnaround time between gameweeks, FPL managers will have to sort their transfer ins and outs quickly.
Here are some things to note for the upcoming week.
Fixtures:
Fixtures to Watch:
Liverpool, Tottenham, and Man City all face a relatively easier challenge, and their players should be in for a few points.
Teams to Watch:
Newcastle’s next five fixtures have them face Palace, West Ham, Bournemouth, Fulham and Brentford. New signing Isak, along with Trippier and Pope should be on managers’ radar going forward.
Five Player Picks for the gameweek:
Erling Haaland (v Aston Villa)
The Norwegian demands a place in every team right now, regardless of the price tag or Pep’s rotation policy. The striker is in great form and should not be overlooked.
Harry Kane (v Fulham)
The third highest goalscorer this season, after Haaland and Mitrovic, has been overshadowed by other forwards in the league. Fulham have kept only one clean sheet thus far, so we expect Kane to get some points this gameweek.
Neco Williams (v Bournemouth)
After being battered by Man City, Forest would be looking at redemption against fellow promoted side Bournemouth.
Defender Neco Williams will be key in doing so, with his attacking exploits on full display thus far.
Only Trent Alexander-Arnold has created more chances than the nine created by Williams. This, coupled with Bournemouth’s sub-par attacking so far, means Williams should get some points this gameweek.
Alexander Isak (v Palace)
The new signing announced himself in style against Liverpool, scoring one and getting one ruled out for outside.
With relatively simpler fixtures coming up for Newcastle, the forward should be on everyone’s radar. Isak, currently owned by less than 3% of the teams, can be the differential you’re looking for.
Joel Veltman (v Leicester)
A bargain price for the cash-strapped FPL managers looking for something different, the BHA defender has picked up 25 points thus far. With strugglers Leicester and Bournemouth coming up in the next 2 gameweeks, Veltman can be in for some points.
Captaincy choices:
Haaland: Enough has been said about his attacking exploits. No brainer.
Salah: FPL, and real PL rival, Salah managed 2 assists in the previous game and 10 points. This week, against rivals Everton, Salah would be a good captaincy shout as Everton is still susceptible defensively and Salah is beginning to get back in his groove.
Kane: The forward has been involved in 5 goals in the last 4 matches. Fulham has conceded 7 in 5 games.
Rodrigo Replacements:
The Leeds United forward suffered a dislocated shoulder which is expected to keep him out for the foreseeable future.
The unavailability is sure to cause a price drop for the player and it is recommended to replace him until he is available again.
Wilfred Zaha, Mitrovic, Sinisterra, and Toney are possible FPL replacements for Rodrigo.
New Signings:
The summer transfer window slammed shut last night with plenty of new and surprising additions to the league.
Former Arsenal and Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signed for Chelsea and is sure to find his way into the starting XI, making him attractive for FPL managers out there.
Gilmour (BHA), Gnonto (Leeds), Willian (Fulham), Garner (Everton) and other deadline-day signings are poised to give FPL managers a headache in the upcoming gameweeks.
With the shutting of the window, managers will also be contemplating if they need to restructure their whole team, something the Wildcard chip will allow them to do.
Wildcard Strategy:
Pros:
- Managers without Sterling, Haaland and other top performers can make wholesale changes to accommodate these players.
- Value buys identified in the first 5 weeks like Gross and Trippier can be included in the team
- Allows managers to rejig the team for the upcoming fixtures, taking into account injuries, rotation and form
- Can transfer players who have been transferred out and in PL
Cons:
- No wildcard till January means managers will be left high and dry if wrong decisions are made
- Most managers use a wildcard in GW8/9, so using it now could be a disadvantage as other teams would be more in-sync with injuries and form
- European football will be starting, so managers should ideally wait to see how teams rotate before committing to players
All in all, the recommendation is, unless the team is severely underperforming or has a lot of players unavailable, FPL managers should wait for a couple of gameweeks before playing their Wildcard chip.
