The first big fixture swing of the season is on the way in gameweek 10, so bear that in mind if you’re playing your wildcard this week.
You wouldn’t necessarily opt for Brighton players for their trip to Manchester City on Saturday, but you’ll probably want at least one of their attackers for their next four games against Fulham, Everton, Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest.
The same goes for Arsenal – I wouldn’t bank on big hauls this weekend from their visit to Chelsea, who seem to be turning a corner under Mauricio Pochettino, but from gameweek 10 onwards I will want at least one Arsenal defender and attacker in my squad.
You might think you can bring those players in as and when you need them but the whole point of the wildcard is to set yourself up for the long-term and booking transfers in for future gameweeks can often blow up in your face if injuries hit or unforeseen problems arise in your squad.
We run a listeners’ team on the Fantasy 606 podcast with a different listener coming on each week to take the reins and this week’s manager has chosen to play the wildcard. He’s gone all in on Arsenal with Gabriel, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus and he’s also doubled up on Manchester United with Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Hojlund.
They’re away to Sheffield United on Saturday and after the ominous challenge of the Manchester derby in gameweek 10 they face games against Fulham, Luton and Everton.
That selection could work in the short-term in gameweek 9 and the long-term as well, but it does depend on Manchester United finding some form to go with those fixtures.
Did I mention that he’s also taken Erling Haaland out of the team? That might not go down quite as well with his fellow listeners although he does have Mo Salah, Son Heung-min and Ollie Watkins to soften the blow.
Captaincy
Last week I benefitted from going against Haaland and giving the armband to Salah for his 15-point performance against Brighton, but this week I’m handing it back to Haaland to see what he can do against that very same Seagulls defence.
There are definitely other attractive captaincy options this week – Salah at home to Everton, Son Heung-Min at home to Fulham if he’s fully fit, and I also like the look of Bruno Fernandes for that Sheffield United game.
Fixtures to target
I’m hoping my double Newcastle defence can keep out Crystal Palace at St James’ Park and if you’re a Kieran Trippier owner then that could mean big points if he can add to his five attacking returns in the last three gameweeks.
I’d also be interested in a Newcastle attacker and Anthony Gordon is a very tempting prospect at just £5.6m. He’s been in sparkling form this season with six attacking returns in his seven Premier League appearances and you don’t really have to play the guessing game of whether he’s going to start or not like you do with Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson.
Differentials
The obvious one to look at is Kostas Tsimikas with Andy Robertson set to be out for a while having picked a shoulder injury on international duty. Liverpool’s fixtures look good in the long-term and Tsimikas also comes in at the bargain price of £4.4m. It will be interesting to see how Jurgen Klopp re-jigs his defence in Robertson’s absence but if Tsimikas becomes a regular starter in the Premier League then he won’t be a differential for long.
Diogo Jota might be a good punt for gameweek 9 having not had to travel as far for his international football as Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez.
While we’re on the subject of players named Diogo, Chris Sutton – who always has a good eye for a differential pick on the Fantasy 606 podcast – has put Diogo Dalot in his defence.
Anyone who’s playing the wildcard in gameweek 10 is free to have some fun with a differential selection this week so how about Morgan Gibbs-White or Chris Wood for Nottingham Forest’s game at home to Luton?
Gamble of the week?
If you’ve hung onto Bruno Fernandes for this long then why not make him your captain for Manchester United’s trip to Bramall Lane? As I’ve said above I think Haaland is the best choice as captain in gameweek 9, but if you’re looking for a gamble then I think Bruno could be your man.
Alistair Bruce-Ball presents the Fantasy 606 podcast alongside former Premier League winner Chris Sutton and Statman Dave. You can find the podcast by searching for ‘Fantasy 606’ on the BBC Sounds app, then just click subscribe. The code to join the Fantasy 606 league is ‘j03mnp’.
