FPL begins in 2 days and there are certain players that you should avoid adding to your drafts. Some players carry substantial uncertainties that could jeopardize your team’s performance and deplete your valuable budget. These risks can stem from a variety of factors, including:
- Injury and Fitness Concerns: A player who is not fully fit or has a history of recurring injuries is a major gamble.
- Transfer Speculation and Squad Changes: The possibility of a player moving clubs or a new signing arriving at their current team can affect their playing time and role.
- Rotational Risks: Players in clubs with deep squads are often susceptible to “Pep Roulette,” where managers rotate their lineup, making it difficult to predict who will start.
- Uncertain Form: A player who had a strong season but has shown a drop-off in pre-season form or has tough early fixtures could be a trap.
- Change in Role or Manager: A new manager or a tactical shift could see a player’s role in the team change, potentially reducing their FPL point-scoring opportunities.
Players to avoid
Alexander Isak: The Swede has not been training with Newcastle as he is trying to force a move to Liverpool, there is a stalemate between the two clubs and the player. He is currently an avoid for those reasons as he will not be in the squad for Newcastle games. He is currently owned by 18% of managers despite this situation. Should he move to Liverpool, he could become a good option in a few weeks time.
David Raya: Arsenal have a bad run of fixtures coming with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle in their first 6 fixtures. His cost being £5.5m, it is just a better option to invest in Gabriel or Saliba who both cost £6m and offer an attacking threat from set-pieces.
City Defenders: Under Pep Guardiola no player is safe from rotation apart from Haaland and Rodri, especially in defence. Pep Roulette has hurt many FPL managers. Rayan Ait Nouri looks like a good option but again only if he is able to nail the LB spot. You should transfer him after seeing how Pep will keep his squad structure for this season.
Manchester United Attack: Manchester United have gone into this summer window and snapped up 3 wonderful attackers in Cunha Mbeumo and Šeško. The fixtures are not great, Arsenal home in Gameweek 1, Manchester City and Chelsea in their next 5 matches. Manchester United are a team to monitor, they have been a bit of a mixed bag last season. It is a case of wait and watch for Ruben Amorim’s players.
Yoane Wissa: Same situation as Alexander Isak, Wissa has hardly trained with the team and is looking for an exit with his most likely destination being Newcastle. He will most likely not feature in the squad for their first fixture against Nottingham Forest. Brentford have also lost a lot of players and their manager as well, for his £7.5m price tag it is not worth the risk with much better options at the price point.
By carefully considering these factors and avoiding high-risk players, you can build a more stable and reliable squad, freeing up funds to invest in consistent point-scorers and giving yourself a better chance of FPL success.
