For many Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers, game-week 15 ended up being a bit of a dull and disappointing week. While the average points might’ve been 50 points, that was mostly because of Cole Palmer being the highest-selected manager and him bagging 18 points with his brace and assist in Chelsea’s 4-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
The majority of the prominently selected players failed to impress in the recent game week. Bukayo Saka had a drab return against Fulham, Nicolas Jackson only attained just two points. The worst thing was not a single Liverpool player played because of their game against Everton being postponed. This resulted in the bench players coming in, and they hardly attracted big returns.
There are quite a few dilemmas and selection headaches tormenting FPL managers heading into an interesting Premier League game-week 16. The likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea all have favourable home games. Newcastle United host Leicester City at home, while Tottenham Hotspur face the shaky Southampton side. Here we look for solutions to some key FPL dilemmas.
The Erling Haaland conundrum
Erling Haaland’s ownership levels have plummeted in recent weeks because of Manchester City’s shocking form, but he’s still picked by 42.2% of managers. Haaland had a 7-point return in the last game-week after scoring in his side’s draw against Crystal Palace.
He faces Manchester United next, a side he’s scored six goals in four Premier League games. He’s expected to keep on scoring and get the FPL manager a decent result. But for his £14.9m, a 6 or 7-pointer return feels underwhelming. For that same price, one could downgrade Haaland to a striker like Nicolas Jackson (£8.4m and eight goals scored) and upgrade a midfielder to someone like Cole Palmer, Mo Salah or even Bukayo Saka.
Who Is The Ideal Matheus Cunha Replacement?
Matheus Cunha’s inability to score in Wolves’ last three matches appears to have perturbed many FPL users. There are calls for him to be replaced by a more prolific forward because keeping the £7.1m Wolves forward for two point makes little sense. Fortunately, there plenty of options available in that price.
Nottingham Forest forward Chris Wood (£6.5m) is probably the ideal replacement. Granted, his side has a tricky set of fixtures ahead (Aston Villa, Brentford, Tottenham Hotspur), but they have punched above their weight in the ‘big games’ this season. Wood scored a smart goal in their recent win over Manchester United and is running high on momentum, which is why investing in him might be smart.
Replacing Cunha for Solanke might be a smart option if you have £0.4m extra. Solanke looked sharp against Chelsea and faces a leaky Southampton side in GW-16. It’ll be safe to reckon he’ll maintain his goal-scoring run. Alexander Isak could be a cunning upgrade over Cunha too, if you have £1.4m extra in hand. Newcastle United doesn’t face a top-5 side until February and Isak is their main source of goals this season, bagging three goals in his last five games.
Ollie Watkins – Keep or Sell?
Unai Emery surprised many by benching Ollie Watkins in Aston Villa’s recent 1-0 win over Southampton, where his replacement Jhon Durand scored the winner. The Colombian forward scored again in their recent 3-2 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League. This has caused alarm bells to spring on if Watkins is a regular anymore.
Duran might’ve started over Ollie in the last two games, but there’s no proof that Watkins is now a bench warmer. It’s a case of Unai Emery rotating his players to keep them sharp. But it’s not the case of the English forward’s place in the Villa lineup that causes dilemmas, but the Villan’s upcoming fixtures against Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Newcastle United.
Watkins is an expensive forward at £9m, to the point it’ll hurt if he doesn’t score or assist. A safer pick would be to replace him for now with someone like Nicolas Jackson or Alexander Isak, who are likelier to score due to their teams’ favorable fixtures over the next month or so.
Alisson as the third Liverpool asset?
Alisson Becker is fully fit again and produced an impressive performance in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Girona in the Champions League. The Brazilian is locked in to be a starter for the Reds again and this has gotten some FPL managers being tempted to bring him in.
If one is unable to afford an expensive Liverpool defender, the £5.4m Alisson can be a smart pick. He’s locked in to start Premier League matches and will definitely get all the clean sheet points, as well as possible extra for saves made. He might be a bit pricey, but with Liverpool’s excellent defensive record and Alisson himself keeping four clean sheets in seven league games before his return, it’ll be a smart gamble.
What to do with Gabriel Magalhaes?
Gabriel Magalhaes missing Arsenal’s last two Premier League games has made him a very expensive substitute for the 23.5% managers still holding onto him. The FPL website reckons he has a 75% chance of playing their next game against Everton.
Mikel Arteta gave a very cagey answer on Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko’s fitness ahead of Arsenal’s game against AS Monaco in the Champions League, claiming that ‘some are still a doubt, some will not be fit to play’.
But the Arsenal manager has gained a reputation for trying to dupe opponents by concealing injury news and Gabriel has a strong chance of returning in the next game, which is why keeping a hold onto him might be smart with Arsenal’s next three games being against Brentford, Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town. If really tempted to sell him, the £5.6m Jurrien Timber is an ideal replacement.
Keep Or Hold Bryan Mbeumo?
Bryan Mbeumo returned to form in splendid fashion by helping Brentford get a 4-2 win over Newcastle United last weekend, bagging him a 13-point return in FPL. That was joyful for the 29% of users with him in the team, but there is now doubt creeping on his long-term benefits. Mbeumo has not been the most consistent player in recent weeks.
Brentford have had an impeccable home record in the Premier League this season, but their next three home games are against Nottingham Forest, Arsenal and Manchester City. There’s a chance Mbeumo might not contribute many goals in the upcoming matches, so replacing him is a safer option. With Chelsea not facing any major side before the end of January (2025), the £6.2m Jadon Sancho can be an ideal replacement as he’s become a starter and showed off his goal-scoring heroics against Spurs.
