Many have been looking forward to the Fantasy Premier League double gameweeks and now that they have been announced, FPL managers have started the planning for the upcoming FPL double gameweek 34 and gameweek 37.
With only 7 gameweeks left, every transfer is vital in the race to win mini-leagues and secure the bragging rights for another year. Therefore we are going to take a look at what fixtures are remaining and what approaches could be taken to enable you to maximise the amount of points you can score.
Gameweek 34 see’s the first double gameweek of the season as Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle, Watford, West Brom and West Ham all have 2 fixtures. Specifically, as gameweek 37 is so far away we are going to focus on the players and the teams you should think about transferring in before the first double gameweek of the season.
Firstly, here is a table detailing the remaining fixtures (Everton vs Crystal Palace has now been rearranged for gameweek 33):
As is clear, those teams that play twice in gameweek 34 can be separated into two groups. Firstly, there are 4 teams that play twice in gameweek 34 and then play again in gameweek 35; Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle. However, there are also teams that blank in gameweek 35, after having a double gameweek in the previous week; Crystal Palace, Everton, Manchester United, Watford and West Ham (Norwich also blank).
Therefore it is clear that gameweek 34 should be managed carefully to ensure that you don’t end up with a team full of blank’s in gameweek 35. So, who should you bring in?
Arsenal (WAT, WHU, CRY & WBA, SUN)
The Gunners have been in a somewhat patchy run form of late, as they have seen the league slowly drift away from them. However, now they will be solely focusing on the league, after being dumped out of the Champions League by Barcelona, their fortunes must improve. As mentioned above, Arsenal are one of those that have a double gameweek in week 34 and dont have a blank in gameweek 35. It should also be noted that their game in week 35 is against Sunderland, which makes it quite a favourable run of games. Currently the strikers are a bit inconsistent, as Giroud is somewhat of a rotation risk with both Welbeck and Walcott putting pressure on his starting position. The defence however is a different story, as Bellerin (6.3m), Koscienly (6.2m) or Monreal (5.8m) are the defenders you should be looking at bringing in. Mertesacker and Gabriel will be rotated while Cech’s injury situation is unclear so it would be wise to wait for more news before gambling on Ospina. Doubling up in the midfield wouldn’t be such a bad option as Sanchez’s (10.8m) explosive power makes him somewhat of a fantasy football must, while if Ozil’s (9.7m) injury isn’t serious, he’ll be in the majority of teams.
Liverpool (TOT, SOU, BOU & EVE, NEW)
4 home fixtures in the next 5 fixtures is appealing and just like Arsenal, they don’t blank in gameweek 35. Liverpool’s key man of late, Firmino (8.3m), has picked up a knock and has been taken out of the Brazil squad for the upcoming international break. Currently there’s no word of how serious the injury is, but if he’s back for double gameweek 34, he’ll certainly be in a lot of teams. Coutinho (8.1m) is always worth a shout too and could be a brilliant differential to Firmino as he is only owned by 11% of managers. If Sturridge (9.9m) can stay fit he is worth a look too, but thats yet to be seen! Both of Liverpool’s double gameweek fixtures are at home, however their defence has been a bit wobbly of late, although Mignolet did manage to save a penalty at St Mary’s. The other major point to mention here is that Liverpool are the only team to have double gameweeks in gameweeks 34 & 37 and NOT blank in gameweek 35!
Manchester City (BOU, WBA, CHE & NEW, STK)
Manchester City see games against Chelsea and Newcastle in gameweek 34, whilst they play Stoke in gameweek 35. Currently the City squad has been hit with injuries as Hart and Kompany are both sidelined and seem to be the main picks in the backline of the blues defence. Looking forward, if Aguero (13.6m) is not in your team, you’re playing a risky game as Sergio could explode at any point. In the middle of the park, there are mainly 3 contenders, as Kevin De Bruyne (10.2m) is coming back to fitness. Yaya Toure (8.5m) or David Silva (9.9m) are the other two worth a mention, as all three should be in and amongst the goals in the coming weeks.
Newcastle (NOR, SOU, SWA & MCI, LIV)
Clearly it is not the easiest of fixture runs, especially with the form they are currently in. It could be worth keeping an eye on how Rafa Benitez transforms the team, as some of the attacking players could be worth a punt. Especially the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum (6.8m), who although he has been a bit hit or miss, the Dutch playmaker could be part of the revival, and with fixtures against Norwich and Swansea, he could be worth a gamble.
West Brom (SUN, MCI, WAT & ARS, TOT)
West Brom are the final team to not have a blank in gameweek 35 and they do have some favorable fixtures in the coming weeks. Gameweek 32 see’s them face a poor Sunderland team and although they then face Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham in the run, you can never rule out a West Brom clean sheet. For that reason, fantasy football teams rarely feature any more than a defensive representative from the Baggies, of which Craig Dawson (5.1m) is likely to be their best option as he does have a goal threat from set pieces. Other than this, if you want to take a real punt, Salomon Rondon (6.6m) could be your man.
Crystal Palace (WHU, NOR & EVE, ARS & MUN, BLANK)
Palace are currently in a bit of a rut and are struggling to pick up any points. Although they have somewhat favourable fixtures before gameweek 34, with a double gameweek in gameweek 33, they have games against Arsenal and Manchester United in gameweek 34 and then a blank in gameweek 35. Therefore it is probably somewhat unwise to bring Palace players into your teams, unless you really want to gamble! If you do fancy a gamble, there are some cheap options in this category that may be worth a punt, such as Wayne Hennessey (4.2m) and Scott Dann (5.8m).
Everton (MUN, WAT & CRY, SOU & LIV, BLANK)
Everton are currently sitting in 12th position and have been quite inconsistent all season. With a blank in gameweek 35 and some tough fixtures prior to this, it might not be wise to pile up on Everton players, even though they have a double gameweek in week 33. There are however a few that might make their way into a few teams. Lukaku (8.9m) is one that is on many fantasy managers’ radars, as he has currently enjoyed a good run of form and showed his class in the FA Cup. With a fixture against Palace still to be rescheduled, he could find himself in a lot of teams in the coming weeks. Barkley (7.1m) is another that has been somewhat inconsistent, but if he turns up on the day he can score some big FPL point hauls.
Manchester United (EVE, TOT, AVL & CRY, BLANK)
If you’re going to bring Manchester United players in for their double gameweeks, then it might be wise to wait until nearer the time, as they do have tough fixtures against Everton and Tottenham in gameweek 32 and gameweek 33. Even though they don’t play in gameweek 35, their fixtures for the double gameweek make it worth having 1 or 2 players from their team in your side. It may not be wise tripling up on United unless you plan to play the wildcard in gameweek 35. At the back, De Gea’s (5.7m) a great pick as they play Villa and Palace at home in double gameweek 34, which should result in at least one clean sheet. Up top, Martial (7.6m) or Rashford (4.5m) could be worth a punt. Rashford’s cheap as chips at just 4.5m, becoming more and more consistent and he would free up a lot of cash for other premium double gameweeker’s.
Watford (ARS, EVE, WBA & WHU, BLANK)
It could be argued that Watford no longer have anything to play for and therefore it makes the selection of their players in fantasy football undesirable. However, with games against West Brom and West Ham, there is some potential for some fantasy football points! Deeney (5.2m) and Ighalo (5.8m) have been at the centre of everything that the Hornets have done this season, and both could be a solid pick for the double gameweek, but as mentioned above they do blank in gameweek 35.
West Ham (CRY, ARS, LEI & WAT, BLANK)
West Ham currently are in the fight for a Champions League spot and have some favourable fixures coming up, including the double gameweek. Dimitri Payet (8.3m) has been brilliant this season as he is so explosive and isn’t phased by any fixture, meaning he could score against anyone. Antonio (5.4m) and Lanzini (4.9m) are two others that could be picked if you would like a differential to picking Payet. At the back, Cresswell (5.7m) could be a good option as he has come up with some decent attacking points of late as well as the odd clean sheet.
With all that being said, here are a few options in how to tackle the coming double gameweek:
| Popular approach for the Double Gameweek | Alternative approach for the Double Gameweek |
|---|---|
| • Use free transfers for anybody you want in Gameweek 32 | • Use free transfers in gameweeks 32 & 33 to bring in double gameweek players |
| • Wildcard in Gameweek 33 | |
| • Play 15 Double Gameweeker's in gameweek 34 with Bench Boost | • Triple captain in gameweek 34 |
| • Use All out Aattack in Gameweek 35 | • All out Attack in gameweek 35 |
| • Use free transfers in gameweeks 36 & 37 to bring in double gameweek 37 players | • Wildcard in gameweek 36. |
| • Triple captain in Double gameweek 37 | • 15 double gameweekers in gameweek 37 with Bench Boost |
For my personal team, I have 2 FTs for GW33 then another 2 for the 2 GW’s after (4 in total). I already have Hennessey, Dawson, Sanchez & Aguero in my side. If I use my 4 transfers to bring in DGW’ers surely 8 players is enough?
Everybody is banging on about how DGW34 has better fixtures and justifying this as a reason to play Bench Boost but surely if you have better fixtures, that’s the ideal time to use the Triple Captain chip? I guess it’s personal preference.
If you Wildcard for DGW34 you maximise your team with 15 DGW’ers but as you can only play one chip per GW you nullify the threat of Triple Captain on those great fixtures.
My initial thoughts are that Triple Captaining someone like Alexis Sanchez – who has explosive power – with a double GW against 2 bottom half teams at home in DGW34 is more appealing than having 15 DGW’ers in your team filled with players that have nothing to play for.
My final thought is that if you WC in preparation for 34 to stock up on DGW’ers, how do you expect to field 11 starters in the blank 35? It’s a minefield, one of which I’d rather avoid.
Tweet us to let us know how you plan to tackle the upcoming gameweeks!
Written by FPL Avids
