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Amid a host of fixture postponements, the Premier League juggernaut rolls on to another Gameweek, with FPL GW 18 fast approaching.
With three fixtures in GW 17 postponed due to COVID-19 concerns, it was a pretty average Gameweek for FPL managers. Top captain Mohamed Salah, though, continued to deliver handsome FPL returns for his backers. Trent Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, got his sixth double-digit FPL haul of the season.
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Despite taking a -4 to combat the fixture postponements, I had an excellent Gameweek, thanks to hauls from Phil Foden and Matthew Cash (I transferred both of them in.), Ollie Watkins, Diego Jota, Salah and Alexander-Arnold.
I'm also in a better position than many FPL managers ahead of Gameweek 18, which has only five fixtures set to be played.
With plenty of popular assets not in action in Gameweek 18, FPL managers should take a call on how they tackle the situation. One thing they should keep in mind is that this is a common problem faced by other FPL managers too, and a multiple-points hit can be avoided.
Whatever moves they make, they should do so ahead of the revised Gameweek 18 deadline on Saturday.
Gameweek 18 Deadline: Saturday, December 14th at 01:30 PM (GMT)/ 07:00 PM (Indian Standard Time).
FPL Gameweek 18 Fixtures
The depleted Gameweek 18 kicks off with a 03:00 PM GMT kick-off between Aston Villa and Burnley on Saturday. Arsenal will play away at Leeds later in the day.
Manchester City and Chelsea will feature in away games against Newcastle and Chelsea, respectively, on Sunday afternoon GMT. Tottenham Hotspur will return to action at home against Liverpool in the final fixture of the Gameweek.
Click here to view the full fixtures for FPL Gameweek 18.
FPL Team suggested for the previous Gameweek
Here's the suggested team for FPL Gameweek 17:
Goalkeepers: Vicente Guaita (CRY) (£4.5 million) and Ben Foster (WAT) (£4.0 million).
Defenders: Diogo Dalot (MUN) (£4.4 million), Matthew Cash (AVL) (£5.0 million), Joao Cancelo (MCI) (£6.4 million), Marcos Alonso (CHE) (£5.6 million), and Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV) (£7.8 million).
Midfielders: Mohamed Salah (LIV) (£12.8 million), Diogo Jota (LIV) (£7.8 million), Raphinha (LEE) (£6.6 million), Ilkay Gundogan (MCI) (£7.2 million), and Phil Foden (MCI) (£8.0 million).
Forwards: Ollie Watkins (AVL) (£7.5 million), Keinan Davis (FWD) (AVL) (£4.4 million), and Michail Antonio (WHU) (£7.9 million).
Captain/Vice-Captain: Mohamed Salah/ Ollie Watkins.
GW 17 Average score: 45.
GW 17 Transfers made: 2.
Points Scored (- hits): 81 (-4): 77.
Overall Points: 1119.
Overall Rank: 47349.
Free Transfers available: 1.
Money Remaining: £1.8 million.
Note: Prices of players reflect their current saleable values (at the time of writing), and not their market values.
FPL Transfers
1) Vicente Guaita (CRY) (GK) (£4.5 million) - OUT | Jose Sa (WOL) (GK) (£5.1 million) - IN
I have ten outfield players who have a fixture in Gameweek 18, and therefore, I'm using my free transfer to rectify the only concern in my team. While Guaita getting benched in GW 17 might've been a one-off, the lack of returns from him is concerning. Now that I've the funds to make a move, I've decided to move to Wolves shot-stopper Jose Sa.
While Wolves have a tricky fixture run ahead, they have the defensive resilience to keep a good number of clean sheets. While they've conceded plenty of shots, the quality of chances hasn't been great for the opposition, and Sa has collected plenty of save points as a result.
Despite topping the FPL points chart for goalkeepers, Sa is owned by less than 5% of FPL managers. While Aaron Ramsdale is also a standout option, Sa's differential ability makes him an attractive option for me.
Best FPL Team for Gameweek 18
Gameweek 18 Bench: Ben Foster (GK) vs None, Michail Antonio (FWD) vs None, Diogo Dalot (DEF) vs None, Keinan Davis (FWD) vs BUR (H).
Considering I have a full starting XI without taking a hit, I'm in good spirits ahead of Gameweek 18. The double-up in the Manchester City midfield could yield more rewards in the upcoming Gameweeks. I'm expecting Foden and Gundogan to pick up from where they left off against Leeds. Joao Cancelo should join them as City take on a struggling Newcastle side.
In goal, Jose Sa faces a stern Chelsea test. However, he should face plenty of shots on goal, and could walk away with some save points. Matthew Cash and Marcos Alonso have a good chance of picking up both attacking and defensive returns.
While I'm not expecting much from Raphinha, he's on penalties for Leeds, and he should be the main outlet for every attack they make. Salah and Jota have a tricky fixture away at Spurs, and fatigue could mean that one of them could be rested for the game.
Ollie Watkins is the only striker in my starting XI for this game. He'll look to reward his horde of new FPL owners with some returns in a home fixture against Burnley. Having moved back into the top 50K after a disastrous GW 16, I aim to make the most of this fixture chaos to gain rank.
Gameweek 18 - FPL Captaincy
Given the uncertainty surrounding this Gameweek, my final captaincy decision will be based on team news closer to the deadline. However, I'm looking at Phil Foden as my captaincy choice for this Gameweek, ahead of the likes of Salah and Alexander-Arnold.
While there's always the risk of getting benched in Guardiola's team, Foden has usually started whenever he has been fit. He's in excellent form, and should look to continue that against Newcastle. Ollie Watkins is another strong captaincy contender at home to Burnley.
Best FPL XI for Gameweek 18 - Summary
Starting XI:
GK - Jose Sa (WOL) vs CHE (H).
DEF: Marcos Alonso (CHE) vs WOL (A), Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV) vs TOT (A), Joao Cancelo (MCI) vs NEW (A), and Matthew Cash (AVL) vs BUR (H).
MID: Mohamed Salah (LIV) vs TOT (A), Ilkay Gundogan (MCI) vs NEW (A), Diogo Jota (LIV) vs TOT (H), Raphinha (MID) vs ARS (H), and Phil Foden (MCI) vs NEW (A).
FWD: Ollie Watkins (FWD) vs BUR (H)
Formation: 4-5-1.
Bench: GK - Ben Foster (GK) vs CRY (H), 1st Sub: Michail Antonio (FWD) vs None, 2nd Sub: Diogo Dalot (DEF) vs None, 3rd Sub: Keinan Davis (FWD) vs BUR (H).
Chips activated: None.
Transfers made: 1.
Points Hits taken (if any): None.
Captain: Phil Foden | VC: Ollie Watkins.
You may also like: FPL 2021-22: Best Fantasy Team for Gameweek 17 | FPL Tips.
