Fantasy Premier League GW12 – What to do?
As GW11 has passed, many FPL managers are in panic mode, as in GW12, Manchester City and Arsenal have a blank week. Just a few days ago, in our Differential GW11 Players article, we briefly talked about possible strategies, but today we will dive into and try to sort all questions.
Before we start talking about these potential strategies that can make a difference for you in GW12, I should mention that I had a solid week. I scored 57 points, although I rolled my FT and stayed with Zaha, plus I benched Mitrovic. I am currently at 45k overall, and I sincerely hope that the progress will continue after this week. All my decisions, you can track on my Twitter account (@milosnsns).
The Options For GW12
Activating a Chip
There are a couple of situations FPL managers are into before this GW12. If you have six Arsenal and Manchester City assets in your team, you should probably go for a Wild Card or Free Hit chip. You can bench three players (maybe four if you hold Ederson or Ramsdale), but then you need two free transfers. So, my advice for players in this situation is to activate one of the chips. Here is the list of most transferred players ahead of this GW.
Quite expectedly, after a hat trick in the UEFA Champions League and a goal against Manchester City, the hype around Mohamed Salah is enormous again. Personally, I did not expect such a jump in form, but I still do not consider the Egyptian a valuable asset, as he is too expensive. The situation before this GW is such that I may even go with him since I have the means, but more on that later.
Chelsea is playing excellently, and Mount is one of the best players at the moment, so buying him is a good job. The same goes for Trossard, despite Brighton’s poor form. Trippier and Toney are already in most teams, so I will not speak about them too much.
Hustling Without a Chip
If you are one of the managers with 3-5 players from Arsenal and Manchester City and have two free transfers, this part of the text is for you. It’s time to hustle! My idea is to put Saliba, Cancelo, and Haaland on the bench, and instead of them, Bailey and Mitrovic go to the team. I will choose the third player because I think that N.Williams is one of the worst template players this season, and it is time for him to leave my team. So without any transfers made, my team looks like this:
Now we will talk about players who can be worthy replacements and should be in your teams. We will try to find two gems in each line of the team. In my option, you should look for Brighton, Liverpool, and Newcastle players, as those teams have the easiest schedule in GW12.
Defense
Fabian Schar (£4.8, 11.0% ownership, Newcastle vs. Everton)
Schar has been on my shortlist for some time. He is a starter in the team, and Newcastle have one of the best defenses in the league. In GW12, they play at home against Everton, who are totally out of form. If you already have Trippier on your team, Schar can be an excellent option, considering the small percentage of ownership. Except in GW13, when Newcastle play against Tottenham away, they also have a very favorable schedule, and Schar can be a long-term solution.
Virgil van Dijk (£6.4, 13.3% ownership, Liverpool vs. West Ham)
Not one of my favorite picks, but we have to admit that anything but a Liverpool win in this round would be a huge surprise. The defense that managed to keep a clean sheet against Manchester City will definitely get a boost of energy, and van Dijk started in the back line. If you decide for him, it should be a short-term solution. I personally like the Schar option, but I leave it to you to decide.
Midfield
Alexis Mac Allister (£5.7, 6.7% ownership, Brighton vs. NFO)
One of my favorite picks, although again, in the short term, because in GW13, Brighton plays Manchester City. Mac Allister is the first option for penalties and has already had excellent matches this season. In fact, for any of the trio Gross, Trossard, Mac Allister, if you decide in this round, you won’t go wrong. My choice go for Alexis, as he is the cheapest and the one with the lowest percentage of ownership.
Mohamed Salah (£12.7, 29.6% ownership, Liverpool vs. West Ham)
As I have already stated, it is expected that a large number of managers will go with Salah and that he will be one of the most popular options for the captain. This is expected since he scored four goals last week, and it seems that he is back in form. My opinion is that for 12.7 million you can buy better, but of course, I leave the choice to everyone.
Attack
Danny Welbeck (£6.5, 1.7% ownership, Brighton vs. NFO)
Forgotten by many, this veteran could have a great matchup against NFO in GW12. We must not forget that Danny is the ninth attacker in FPL points this season, which is certainly impressive. NFO’s defense is one of the worst in the league and Brighton’s attackers could have a great game. If you are looking for a cheap short-term solution, Danny Welbeck might be the perfect solution for you.
Roberto Firmino (£8.0, 7.7% ownership, Liverpool vs. West Ham)
Bobby Firminho is having one of the best seasons when it comes to FPL. He has achieved several fantastic games so far, such as against Bournemouth and Brighton. Hand on heart, he also had a couple of blank weeks, but he is certainly one of Liverpool’s most dangerous attackers. This week, everyone expects Pool to easily beat West Ham, and Bobby could be a very interesting but somewhat expensive option.
