Finally, it rained points. For Fantasy Premier League managers, GW 11 was as good as they come. With the season’s highest average points tally (63), it was a high-scoring week.
The most popular captain choice, Kevin de Bruyne, returned handsomely, so did the heavily owned Mohamed Salah, Son Heung-min, Harry Kane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Kurt Zouma.
Gameweek 12 though is expected to be slightly trickier with the two Manchester clubs facing off against each other, Chelsea travelling to Everton and in-form Crystal Palace entertaining high-flying Tottenham.
The key fixtures from FPL perspective this week thus include Newcastle’s home game against struggling West Brom, Liverpool’s trip to Fulham and Southampton’s home game against bottom side Sheffield United.
Fixture Difficulty
In terms of the fixture difficulty rating for the next three gameweeks, Newcastle United, Southampton and Aston Villa have the easiest games.
The likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Brighton also have some easy games on paper in the coming weeks and their assets could be targetted.
Tottenham, West Brom and West Ham have the hardest fixtures in the coming weeks, putting doubts in the minds of owners of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min who are the league’s most prolific striker and midfielder respectively.
Premier League fixture difficulty
| Team | *Combined Difficulty rating for GW 12-14 | GW 12 opponent(Nov 27) | GW13 opponent | GW14 opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 8 (2, 3, 3) | BUR(H) | SOU(H) | EVE(A) |
| Aston Villa | 7 (3, 2, 2) | WOL(A) | BUR(H) | WBA(A) |
| Brighton | 8 (4, 2, 2) | LEI(A) | FUL(A) | SHU(H) |
| Burnley | 9 (3, 3, 3) | ARS(A) | AVL(A) | WOL(H) |
| Chelsea | 9 (3, 3, 3) | EVE(A) | WOL(A) | WHU(H) |
| Crystal Palace | 11 (4, 3, 4) | TOT(H) | WHU(A) | LIV(H) |
| Everton | 11 (4, 4, 3) | CHE(H) | LEI(A) | ARS(H) |
| Fulham | 9 (4, 2, 3) | LIV(H) | BHA(H) | NEW(A) |
| Leeds | 9 (3, 2, 4) | WHU(H) | NEW(H) | MUN(A) |
| Leicester | 9 (2, 3, 4) | BHA(H) | EVE(A) | TOT(A) |
| Liverpool | 9 (2, 4, 3) | FUL(A) | TOT(H) | CRY(A) |
| Man City | 8 (2, 4, 2) | FUL(H) | MUN(A) | WBA(H) |
| Man Utd | 8 (4, 2, 2) | MCI(H) | SHU(A) | LEE(H) |
| Newcastle | 7 (2, 3, 2) | WBA(H) | LEE(A) | FUL(H) |
| Sheffield Utd | 9 (3, 4, 2) | SOU(A) | MUN(H) | BHA(A) |
| Southampton | 7 (2, 3, 4) | SHU(H) | ARS(A) | MCI(H) |
| Spurs | 12 (3, 5, 4) | CRY(A) | LIV(A) | LEI(H) |
| West Brom | 11 (3, 5, 3) | NEW(A) | MCI(A) | AVL(H) |
| West Ham | 10 (3, 3, 4) | LEE(A) | CRY(H) | CHE(A) |
| Wolves | 9 (3, 4, 2) | AVL(H) | CHE(H) | BUR(A) |
The big ins and outs
The fixtures are telling as FPL managers have made Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish the most purchased player this week. After last week’s blank GW, Villa are back in action this week. Although facing a tricky assignment away to Wolves, FPL bosses have wasted little time in reinvesting in Grealish.
Scorers last week, Salah, Patrick Bamford and Wilfried Zaha are all on the FPL managers’ shopping lists.
Most transferred (in) players ahead of GW 12
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| MID | Grealish | AVL |
| MID | Salah | LIV |
| FWD | Bamford | LEE |
| MID | Zaha | CRY |
| MID | Ward-Prowse | SOU |
Injury to Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech makes him the most transferred out player this week followed by James Rodriguez whose early season form has well and truly faded.
The surprises on this list are Diogo Jota, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Timo Werner. The Portuguese was rested last week but has been in red-hot form since joining Liverpool. Calvert-Lewin the league’s top scorer netted last week but faces a tough few matches in the coming weeks. Werner has frustrated his FPL bosses with his frequent misses but has continued to give returns.
Most transferred (out) players ahead of GW 12
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| MID | Ziyech | CHE |
| MID | Rodríguez | EVE |
| MID | Jota | LIV |
| FWD | Calvert-Lewin | EVE |
| FWD | Werner | CHE |
Top five picks for Gameweek 12
Whether you bring them in through transfers or (luckily enough) have them in your squad already, these are the five hottest selections for GW 12:
Callum Wilson (Newcastle United): Wilson has made a great start to life on Tyneside scoring seven times while making three assists already. He is seventh in the league for xG (Expected Goals), shots in the penalty areas despite Newcastle not being as potent in front of goal. Up against West Brom side who shipped five goals last week and with the highest xGA (Expected Goals Allowed) tally in the league, Wilson is a must-have for GW 12.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool): Salah features in this list almost every week simply because he is so good and so consistent. Back on the scoresheet last week with his ninth goal of the season, the Egyptian faces Fulham side that have conceded 11 goals at home so far this season. Salah is second in the league for shots inside penalty area and with Liverpool topping the goal charts in the Premier League this season, Salah can’t be ignored.
Gabriel (Arsenal): Gunners players haven’t been in favour in FPL thanks to their poor form so far, but their fixtures are about to turn in coming weeks. One aspect that has been rather good about Arsenal is their defending. Despite sitting 15th in the table, Arsenal have the sixth-best defence in the division. Burnley have taken the lowest amount of shots in the Premier League and have the lowest xG away from home. A threat from set-pieces, new signing Gabriel could have a big gameweek thanks to his clean sheet and bonus potential.
Danny Ings (Southampton): Another one of FPL’s Mr Consistent, Ings returned after three games out with a bang. He netted a goal in the Saints’ 2-1 win away to Brighton. Facing a struggling Sheffield United side, Ings could be among the points this week. With a favourable run of fixtures, he has good long-term value as well.
Son Heung-min (Tottenham): The South Korean star was impressive again last week against Arsenal and is now becoming almost untouchable in FPL. He became the first player in FPL to register 100 points this season. Palace presents a tricky fixture for Son and Spurs but he has a terrific record against the south Londoners. In seven matches against Palace, Son has scored five times. Given his current form, that record is likely to further improve this weekend.
Three differential picks for Gameweek 12
Christian Pulisic (Chelsea): After an injury-plagued few months, Pulisic is back fit and firing for Chelsea. He scored his first Premier League goal of the season last week against Leeds United and is known to be a player who goes on a streak once he gets his act together. With Ziyech out for at least two weeks, Pulisic is set to have an extended run in the side. With just 2.3% ownership he has a great differential potential and could do some damage against struggling Everton.
Thomas Soucek (West Ham): The £4.9 million midfielder features in just 4.1% of teams and is probably there to warm the bench, but his goal last week against Manchester United would have got his owners thinking. A massive threat on set-pieces, Soucek is up against a side that simply can’t defend it. Leeds have conceded five goals from set-plays and that tally could have been a lot higher had Chelsea been clinical last week. West Ham travel to Elland Road with a good away record and Soucek might be a player to have in your team for GW 12.
Pedro Neto (Wolves): The Wolves midfielder has returned in three out of the last five GWs and up against Aston Villa at home who have been leaky at times, could be set to continue his run. Available at £5.6 million and owned by just 4.9% of FPL managers, the Portuguese is a buy that must be considered ahead of GW 12.
Captain’s Conundrum
Gameweek 11 just showed how important a captain is in FPL and getting it right forms a large part of an FPL manager’s success.
Gameweek 12 has some tricky games for Premier League’s big guns, so the best choice for captaincy this week appears to be Salah who will fancy his chances against Fulham who have been letting in goals all season.
Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford, the ultimate value player this season is also an option for captaincy given Leeds host West Ham. Bamford has scored eight goals this season but is top on the list of shots in the penalty box. West Ham, who looked vulnerable against United defensively, may find it hard to stop Leeds’ in-form frontman.
Kane and Son have proven to be fixture proof and given their potent partnership, either of the duo is a good candidate for the armband.
FPL Deadline for GW11: 12.00 am IST, Saturday, December 12, 2020.
(Stats Courtesy: Fantasy Premier League website, WhoScored.com, FBref.com)