Let us just get the Lucas Digne thing out of the way, shall we?
Dear readers. My dear, dear readers...where do I begin? You know, every week when I put my column together, there is plenty of personal anxiety that goes along with the advice. The last thing I want to do as a member of the fantasy community is to steer someone in the wrong direction. It is bound to happen with some amount of regularity. Anything can happen in this crazy league. My job is to provide advice that makes sense. All I ask is that if a pick goes bad, it is due to bad luck, not necessarily a bad call. The logic was sound but fate was oh, so cruel.
A bad call would be something akin to saying “Go buy Arnautovic” a couple of weeks ago, when the rumors were floating around that he was departing the club by the end of the month. It would have been poor work on my part to not be aware of that situation and even worse on my part to know that situation and recommend him anyway.
No, what we have here with Digne is pure bad luck. Luck so bad, for me anyway, it is almost hilarious. I mean, sure it was disconcerting to see that Digne was not in the XI when team news came out, having anointed him as the top defender to buy. Digne took what would have been like a paper cut and turned it into the wood-chipper scene from “Fargo”. He comes on with a cameo sub, omitting the chance for bench options of fantasy managers from perhaps contributing something, then he sees red in the few minutes he was on the pitch. Now you get a negative score, a player who is no longer a double-gameweek option, and the misery of having to transfer out a player you just brought in. That is such an elaborate way to ruin one’s day, it felt like the fantasy version of one of those ridiculous traps set up in the “Saw” movie franchise.
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You know when you reference “Fargo” and “Saw” in the same paragraph, things went a little crazy. Thankfully, my round was saved by going against the grain at captain. I brought in Aubameyang, putting money where my mouth was for the forward “buy of the week” and purposefully rolled the dice on betting against Mo Salah. When I saw the overwhelming stats on Salah’s armband investment, it was strategy decision to gain some ground in the rankings and it worked. But who wants to hear about something working out positively?
Right, since we have this mini-double gameweek, the presentation is a bit different for this column. We are skipping right to the meat, looking at only double gameweek players to consider for your transfer plans in Week 25...
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TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
So now it is time to look at the players to think about ahead of Week 4. As a reminder, there are four categories of players which I feel are worth mentioning week to week when making decisions about transfers....
1) Players to buy
2) Players to sell
3) Players to hold onto
4) Players to avoid buying
I will also include later in the section, my top choices for the captain’s armband. While I will consider every player from A to Z, you will normally find the usual suspects there.
Right, so let’s dive in...
GOALKEEPERS
*Just as a reminder, keepers should always be the last position to think about using transfers for, unless there is an urgent need. So, when you see who I have listed here, bear in mind that my keeper advice does not carry as much weight as the outfield positions.
Player to buy: Jordan Pickford v Ederson - This is a position I would not look toward for transferring in a double gameweek option. If you have a super-cheap enabler for a second keeper that is not starting, then the idea is completely off the table. You will need to transfer either of these options back out again just a couple of rounds later, while outfield bench players can fill in for Week 27. That said, you may be using a wildcard or chip, or you may already have three or four double gameweekers already, and this is a spot you can make a switch without spending points. First, let me say, congratulations. That situation alone puts you in good shape. Second, assuming you have the funds for either and only have two City players already, I would opt for Ederson. City defensive cover could prove a nice differential and Ederson can guarantee you starts in both, while not defender can provide as much security.
Ederson the #1 option of the two.
DEFENDERS
Player to buy rankings:
1) Seamus Coleman - The Everton right back should be in line for two starts, unlike the Baines/Digne situation which is likely to see one start from each. Baines is the only one capable to start both at left back, but will he still be there in Week 26? Not a situation to test. With two home games, a good chance of starting both and having some FPL production in his history (though to be fair, not so much this season to date), and a decent price, he’s my top choice.
2) Aymeric Laporte - Laporte is your safest bet for City coverage at this position, as he has started all but one league game thus far (famous last words when trying to figure out Pep), it is just unfortunate that the fixtures aren’t too attractive for investment, especially when Laporte is offering only clean sheet points, hardly a sliver of attacking potential. Maybe I would be more inclined if City shut Newcastle down during the week, putting them on three straight cleanies. He’s a nice weapon to have if you already own him and if you bring him in as part of a points hit, he should cut the -4 penalty in half with his high probability of starting both games.
3) Michael Keane - Maybe you need to downgrade a defender as part of your transfer plans in order to afford an upgrade at an attacking position. Keane may be the one to look at if you want to sell one of your 5m or higher priced defenders. Strong chance of starting both games. With both at home and having four appearance points locked in from the jump, he is worth a punt to see what sticks.
No thanks - everyone else. Neither side has attractive fixtures in terms of clean sheet potential, City has too much rotation outside of Laporte and we’ve covered all but one of Everton’s four spots, which would likely go to Kurt Zouma, but I see no reason to prefer him to the cheaper and more secure to start Keane.
MIDFIELDERS
Player to buy rankings: Sterling v Sane - For me, you have to have one of these two in your side. These are the bread and butter options for the double gameweek and I feel they deserve as much consideration for the armband as a certain Argentine striker. For me, Sane is the better choice. First, there is the question of who is likelier to start both games, if either? I cannot pretend to know, but when I look at both players’ minutes in recent weeks, I feel more confident in Sane. Pep seems to be managing his time by having him removed around the 70-minute mark, while Sterling has gone the distance in six straight games, the last of which was the loss to Newcastle. I think Riyad Mahrez is more prone to pluck a start away from Sterling. I still think Sterling playing a hypothetical 90 minutes + 20 minutes scenario is worth investment. But, with a cheaper price, similar production, a not-fully-fit Benjamin Mendy to worry about -
Sane is the #1 option, Sterling the #2
3) Gylfi Sigurdsson - It is a foolish task trying to predict what sort of Everton side shows up on a given matchday. They can exceed or fall short of expectations pretty regularly, much to the chagrin of fantasy managers. Even if the Toffees look rather weak against their two opponents in this round, as a Sigurdsson owner, you can always cling to some hope of a return. One set piece is all it takes. I prefer players like this in double gameweeks
4) Richarlison - By scoring in the last round, Richarlison‘s stock is going back up after he went several weeks without a return. Time will tell whether the form is back, or just a goal to tease you into thinking that way, but either way, it has turned me into an investor. Whatever returns we get, whether it be a pair of blanks, or three goals over two games - no scenario would surprise me. But the fact that scoring three in two IS a legit possibility makes him a double gameweek player to own.
5) David Silva - If you want two City mids and cannot afford Sterling and Sane, I could live with Silva instead of Sterling here. While there is chance of only starting one of the two, Silva has at least had some recent rest, not starting the Cup match last weekend and averaging only 62 minutes per shift in his last four league games. He provided the assist in the Newcastle loss. However, he went the full 90, so his start against Arsenal on Sunday could be on shaky ground.
No thanks - Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Bernard - Any of the three City option here could wind up the highest scorer of the round. That is just the way things work. What I feel rather positive about is that none have even a 50/50 chance of starting both games. Give me Richarlison over any of these more expensive options. Bernard may be locked in as a starter these days, but the moment the double gameweek begins and I am looking ahead to Week 26, I will be wondering what the heck is he doing in my team?
FORWARDS
Player to buy:
1) Sergio Agüero - Of course Aguero needs to be considered for a double gameweek. And those that invest in him will likely give him the armband as well. I would imagine several thousand managers will play the Triple Captain on him. While I in no way suggest dismissing him as a player to buy this week, it has to be said this is one of the poorer double gameweek situations I can remember Kun being in. I have plenty of worry that Gabriel Jesus starts one of the two games. For that reason, I think he is a captaincy option, but not a Triple Captain play. Aguero has played the full 90 minutes in back-to-back league games, something he has done only one other time all season. He has also gone 90 in three of the last four...half of the six total games where he went the distance. Jesus just seems destined to eat into some minutes, especially given City’s last result.
2) Gabriel Jesus - This is an absolute gamble play. You get Jesus knowing it is very unlikely that he will start both games and that there is some chance he doesn’t start either. But, we know how productive he can be when on the pitch. Perhaps you are a bit short on affording Aguero. There really aren’t any other options to consider at the position, so you’ve got a trio of DGWers in midfield and another in defense. If the budget allows for it, I can sign off on a Jesus gamble.
No thanks - Cenk Tosun. Just...no thanks. (cue Tosun brace)
TOP CAPTAIN CHOICES
2) Leroy Sané
5) Richarlison
That’s it from me this week folks. Please, bear in mind much can change between the publishing of this column and the FPL deadline on Saturday. Remember, some injuries are not revealed until just before the deadline. Always try to refrain from executing your transfers for as long as possible to avoid wasting it on a player who turns out to have had a problem in training. That said, if you only have just enough money for the player you are looking to bring in and that player is at risk of rising in price, then sometimes you need to take a calculated risk and hope the fantasy gods will be kind to you.
Good luck, and may your arrows be green.
