I’ve been writing about transfers and moves in fantasy soccer for about five years now and I’ve never been so indecisive about what I want to do in regard to moves as I am this week. I’m 95 percent sure that I’m wildcarding next week but with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Ayling out and Vladimir Coufal’s fitness in doubt I don’t know what to do with my transfers. Add in Diogo Jota vs Manchester City and that I’m carrying Sergio Reguilón in defense and that makes five players who I could easily ship out and preferably two who I’d like to move on a -4. Taking hits for defenders is quite a dangerous game as if they don’t keep a clean sheet but with Marcos Alonso the most nailed attacking defender with a good fixture being pulled at half vs Juventus, it delivered quite the wrench to my plans.
I spent all week saying if Alonso doesn’t start, I’d go with him and that if he did start I’d avoid him but going 45 in the game was the worst possible outcome. I won’t go through what I ended up on yet as it would ruin the fact that I’d like you to read the rest of the article but essentially, I’m risking it to get the biscuit 😊. Sometimes it’s important to peel back the curtain on the thought process behind getting to some of these moves as I’m not the only person with the conundrums so hopefully it helps put another fantasy manager at ease. Or gives you a space to point and laugh at the misFortune that turned my backline into swiss cheese. Either is fine with me.
Before moving on let’s take a look at the NBC Sports league this past week as we have both a manager of the week and a manager of the month to congratulate. Samuel Draper took home the weekly accolades behind the boot of Jamie Vardy who was also recommended in this space not too long ago. Having an in-form Wilfried Zaha and Bukayo Saka are also differentials that go a long way to back a strong defensive lineup.
Looking back at the month of September, Lucas Gaynor didn’t start playing until gameweek four but with 242 points scored in a three-week span, he’ll be catching up to everyone else sooner than later! Triple City defense is a bold call but when getting a shot on target versus the Citizens is an accomplishment, maybe Lucas is just ahead of the curve. A strikeforce of Michail Antonio and Allan Saint-Maximin is unorthodox but it’s also gotten the job done to match Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku.
Top Transfer Targets will look at the roster tiers in FPL breaking down the best options in each. The tiers will be broken down as 25-40 percent owned, 15-24 percent, 10-15 percent, under 10 percent which also includes my favorite punt of the week. The 40 percent club includes players who I won’t be writing about as how many teams they are selected in speaks for itself.
Let’s look at this week’s fixtures:
Saturday 2 October
Manchester United v Everton
Chelsea v Southampton
Wolves v Newcastle
Burnley v Norwich City
Leeds United v Watford
Brighton v Arsenal
Sunday 3 October
Tottenham v Aston Villa
West Ham v Brentford
Crystal Palace v Leicester
Liverpool v Manchester City
The 40 percent club is made up of Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo and Michail Antonio as injuries have seen Luke Shaw fall out of quite a few teams.
Don’t get caught out in the crowd (25-40 percent rostered at the time of writing):
Romelu Lukaku (FWD Chelsea 11.7m, 36.0%): Lukaku is in a weird spot as he has blanked in his last three starts but his underlying numbers have still been good. He was unlucky not to score when Chelsea routed Spurs and has been without Mason Mount for the fixtures following. Mount is available again this weekend and Southampton’s playstyle suits Lukaku being a flat-track bully. As the leading captaincy candidate and with his upcoming fixtures, the only people not getting Lukaku in this week are those who it would take a -8 for to make the move. I will say that I don’t recommend swapping Ronaldo out for Lukaku but when I trigger my wildcard I will have both in my side.
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Worth your consideration (16-24 percent rostered):
Antonio Rüdiger (DEF Chelsea 5.7m, 18.3%): By now you may be getting the gist that this week’s article is the Chelsea show, and for good reason! They’ve kept clean sheets in four of six matches and face Southampton, Brentford, Norwich, Newcastle, and Burnley in their next five. Double Chelsea defense is the move for those on a wildcard and Rudiger is as nailed as they come. It’s unfortunate that he doesn’t do much in terms of collecting bonus points but being as close as you can get to a lock for 30 points I’ll take it.
Solid if not Steller (10-15 percent rostered):
Bukayo Saka (MID Arsenal 6.6m, 10.1%): Saka is finding his footing and it bodes well for Arsenal as a while. With a goal and two assists in his last two games, Saka is back to being one of the first names on the team sheet for Mikel Arteta. Brighton away isn’t an easy match but it’s not like they’re impenetrable and Saka also offers great value for trying to fit in as many premiums as your heart desires.
Rolling the dice (under 10 percent rostered):
Does Ben Chilwell start this weekend? Asking for me and a potential dead end FPL transfer
— Chuck Booth ✊🏾 (@ChuckBoothSport) October 1, 2021
Punty McPunterson: Ben Chilwell (DEF Chelsea 5.6m, 3.5%): I couldn’t tell you with confidence that I think Chilwell will start this weekend. But I will tell you that he should start this weekend. After Alonso’s hot start to the season his performances have been declining and it was capped off with a halftime hook for Chilwell vs Juventus. While Chelsea did lose that game Chilwell came on and created three chances and picked up a tackle without picking up a yellow. Not much to go on but It feels like Chelsea could use a shakeup In attack and the reintroduction of Chilwell and Mason Mount can bring just that.
