It is that part of the Premier League season. Fixtures start coming thick and fast. And with reminders all around us that Covid-19 is not yet out of our lives, it is another issue to contend with for the managers. Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has been vocal about it in the past week.
And indeed, Spurs’ match against Brighton is one of the fixtures that has fallen by the wayside due to the coronavirus.
It is one of the many factors that Fantasy Premier League managers also have to contend with.
And also, the FPL cup begins this weekend. If you have been playing regularly enough and avoided being in the bottom 95% percentile in Gameweek 15 (you likely are), then the knockouts begin with GW16. You can read more about planning for your opponent and scoring details here.
Fixture Difficulty
Leeds’ fixtures are taking a turn for the worst, so now might be a good time to revisit your options from their squad and transfer them out. Among those with good fixtures in the next three GameWeeks are Manchester giants City and United as well as Palace and Watford.
| Team | GW16 (11 Dec) | GW 17 (14 Dec) | GW 18 (18 Dec) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | SOU(H) | WHU(H) | LEE(A) |
| Aston Villa | LIV(A) | NOR(A) | BUR(H) |
| Brentford | WAT(H) | MUN(H) | SOU(A) |
| Brighton | - | WOL(H) | MUN(A) |
| Burnley | WHU(H) | WAT(H) | AVL(A) |
| Chelsea | LEE(H) | EVE(H) | WOL(A) |
| Crystal Palace | EVE(H) | SOU(H) | WAT(A) |
| Everton | CRY(A) | CHE(A) | LEI(H) |
| Leeds | CHE(A) | MCI(A) | ARS(H) |
| Leicester | NEW(H) | TOT(H) | EVE(A) |
| Liverpool | AVL(H) | NEW(H) | TOT(A) |
| Man City | WOL(H) | LEE(H) | NEW(A) |
| Man Utd | NOR(A) | BRE(A) | BHA(H) |
| Newcastle | LEI(A) | LIV(A) | MCI(H) |
| Norwich | MUN(H) | AVL(H) | WHU(A) |
| Southampton | ARS(A) | CRY(A) | BRE(H) |
| Spurs | - | LEI(A) | LIV(H) |
| Watford | BRE(A) | BUR(A) | CRY(H) |
| West Ham | BUR(A) | ARS(A) | NOR(H) |
| Wolves | MCI(A) | BHA(A) | CHE(H) |
Big Ins and Outs
Most transferred in
| Player | Club (Position) | Cost | Sel. | Form | Total pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernardo | MCI (MID) | 7.6 | 25.2% | 8.8 | 84 |
| Dennis | WAT (FWD) | 5.7 | 26.7% | 8.8 | 75 |
| Ronaldo | MUN (FWD) | 12.4 | 30.4% | 5.0 | 58 |
| Bowen | WHU (MID) | 6.5 | 5.5% | 4.0 | 71 |
| Mount | CHE (MID) | 7.5 | 16.2% | 7.2 | 71 |
Most transferred out
| Player | Cost | Sel. | Form | Pts. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toney | BRE (FWD) | 6.6 | 17.6% | 4.2 | 55 |
| Kane | TOT (FWD) | 12.1 | 7.5% | 2.0 | 33 |
| Smith Rowe | ARS (MID) | 6.1 | 27.6% | 3.0 | 69 |
| Raphinha | LEE (MID) | 6.7 | 18.9% | 4.0 | 66 |
| Duffy | BHA (DEF) | 4.1 | 17.0% | 0.8 | 45 |
Top must-have picks for Gameweek 16
Mohamed Salah: We are not going to insult your intelligence and give you reasons for having Salah in your XI. At this point, it is a given. He might not have lived up to the ridiculous levels set earlier this season, with returns of double digits only once in the last 5 GWs, but he has not stopped assisting / scoring by any stretch of imagination.
Bernardo Silva: The most transferred in player for this round and a player in red-hot form for Manchester City. Silva has also avoided being rotated out so far, but that could change during a busy festive period. Despite that, he is a great option to have at this point.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: From the other Liverpool flank, Andrew Robertson is starting to make his mark once again on FPL but for now, we suggest sticking with the brilliance of TAA. Some things are not meant to be meddled with unless broken. He is the most in-form FPL defender.
Cristiano Ronaldo: It’s not been the best of phase for CR7 in the Premier League but with a new manager bounce expected to carry United forward, he will be a good option to have. But worth it at the price? Your call.
Jamie Vardy: Having been rested from the starting lineup last GW, Vardy returned to play in the Europa League. Expect him to start again in the Premier League, and against Newcastle, it could be a high-scoring game with Vardy at the heart of it.
Top differential suggestions for GW16:
Jarrod Bowen: One of the most transferred in assets, West Ham midfielder Bowen is also still a differential option. His Influence-Creativity-Threat index is among the best in the league.
Sadio Mane: The Liverpool frontman is still ridiculously low-owned at 4% and with Son Heungmin among those to not feature this GW, he could be a good one-time replacement if you are looking for a short fix.
Bukayo Saka: A good run of fixtures await Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta will be desperate to see a response from a couple of poor results. If Arsenal do recover, Saka will be at the heart of it.
Captaincy options
Well, since the sub-head says “options” here we would tell you to consider Ronaldo and maybe Vardy. But, if you have him in the team, hand it over to Salah. Simple as that.
Gameweek 16 deadline: Friday 10 Dec / Sat 11 Dec, midnight