Like myself, I guarantee many fantasy premier league managers are mulling over what to do during this international break. To wait or not to wait? What about price rises, injuries, ect?! Below are our thoughts on various scenarios which we hope you will find helpful.
Wildcard still available?
Well you guys are one of the lucky ones! If you haven’t yet we suspect it may be time for you to trigger the wildcard button and look at all the possibilities. There are plenty of options out there, but consider the next block of 5-6 games, not just short term. Other points to note:
- Decide on which formation; the two most popular are the 343 or 352 formation. This is important as you need to know where you want to invest the most. There are many prolific forwards now; Lukaku, Pelle, Vardy, Giroud and even Ighalo. Don’t forget about Aguero though! Plenty of midfield options too. Personally I wouldn’t advise on the 442 formation as you will probably pick up more points from midfielders and strikers.
- Depending on the formation be prepared to have a ‘dud’ sub. One that plays regularly but you wouldn’t pick unless there are major issues. One way to afford Aguero plus a decent midfield.
- One other way to save money is to have 1 playing keeper. The other can be around 4.0m. Remember to look at Elliott and Hennessy, both cheap and starting. Another popular option is have 2 keepers from 1 club, but this does minimise rotation. The best option is likely to be finding a rotational pair that work well.
Wildcard not available?
Many including myself, have already hit the wildcard button! If you were patient and didn’t use your free transfer, then you have 2 this week. Use them wisely, don’t panic, don’t use them too early. Wait until the international games are over, as many players will get injured whilst on international duty. It’s frustrating but worth the wait! We are all worried about the 0.1 price rise, but you need to decide what’s worse; missing out on a player or -4/8 point hit removing an injured player.
If you only have one transfer then don’t be afraid of taking a hit. Short term pain, long term gain, especially if your plans were ruined with an early injury.
Other pointers that may be worth consideration
- Don’t take hits for a keeper or a defender, the amount of points they need to make it worth the hit doesn’t usually happen.
- Form never lies.
- Look for defenders who get assists/goals and are that bit more attacking.
- Put your club loyalties to one side!
- Try keeping 0.1m – 0.3m in reserve.
- Don’t jump too early on to a bandwagon, it may not pay off, but DO monitor them!
- Leave your change as late as possible as it leaves scope for any injuries.
- It’s a marathon, not a sprint!
- It may be worth keeping the triple captain chip and bench boost chip for the double gameweeks.
- Last but not least follow your gut instinct.
By Marwan
