After a rather middling BGW 26, FPL managers are left making lots of transfers to manage an ongoing injury crisis ahead of GW 27. While popular FPL assets Bukayo Saka, Ollie Watkins, and Phil Foden delivered returns, it was Jarrod Bowen who broke a long streak without scoring by netting a hat-trick to reward his backers.
I was luckily one of Bowen's backers, and I reaped the benefits of bringing him just in time for his big haul. It saved me from a big red arrow, taking me back close to the top 400 K, with hauls from Saka, Watkins, and Foden also helping hugely.
Ahead of DGW 28 and BGW 29, FPL managers are busy planning their chip strategy for the rest of the season. Injuries to Dominic Solanke, Richarlison, and Hwang Hee-Chan are leaving FPL managers scrambling to find a solution, with many opting to play their Wildcard in GW 27.
Whatever your moves are ahead of GW 27, ensure your team is locked in ahead of the FPL deadline on Saturday afternoon UK time.
Gameweek 27 Deadline: Saturday, March 2, at 01:30 pm (GMT)/ 07:00 pm (IST)
FPL Gameweek 27 Fixtures
GW 27 kicks off with five simultaneous BST 03:00 PM kickoffs that include Liverpool's away clash against Nottingham Forest. Aston Villa plays away against Luton later in the day.
The Manchester Derby will take place at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening. The GW concludes with Arsenal's visit to Bramall Lane on Monday night.
FPL team suggested for previous GW
Here's the suggested team for the previous GW:
Goalkeepers: Neto (BOU) (£4.6 m), Martin Dubravka (NEW) (£4.2 m)
Defenders: Kyle Walker (MCI) (£5.4 m), Alfie Doughty (LUT) (£4.6 m), Kieran Trippier (NEW) (£6.8 m), Conor Bradley (LIV) (£4.1 m), and Jan Paul van Hecke (BHA) (£4.0 m)
Midfielders: Alejandro Garnacho (MUN) (£4.9 m), Bukayo Saka (ARS) (£8.9 m), Phil Foden (MCI) (£8.0 m), Richarlison (TOT) (£7.0 m), and Jarrod Bowen (WHU) (£7.7 m)
Forwards: Erling Haaland (MCI) (£14.3 m), Elijah Adebayo (LUT) (£4.9 m), and Ollie Watkins (AVL) (£8.7 m)
Captain/Vice-Captain: Erling Haaland/ Bukayo Saka
GW 26 Transfers made: 2.
Points Scored (- hits): 66 (-4): 62.
Overall Points: 1,556
Overall Rank: 4,07,679.
Free Transfers available: 1
Transfers
1) Elijah Adebayo (LUT) (FWD) (£4.9 m) - OUT | Dominic Solanke (FWD) (BOU) (£7.1 m) - IN
2) Richarlison (TOT) (MID) (£7.0 m) - OUT | Leon Bailey (MID) (AVL) (£5.6 m) - IN
With DGW 28 looming, I made the early move to bring Dominic Solanke in only to learn of his injury status on Tuesday night. While he should be fit enough to start by DGW 28, his availability for this week remains a mystery. Nevertheless, he remains a good transfer, considering that the transfer out is the injured Elijah Adebayo.
After Richarlison was ruled out for a couple of weeks, I needed to make another transfer to put out a proper XI this week, and I opted to go with Leon Bailey from Aston Villa. The budget midfielder has an xGI/90 of 0.68, has a good run of fixtures, and most importantly, he has a fixture in BGW 29.
Best FPL Team for Gameweek 27
Gameweek 27 Bench: Martin Dubravka (NEW) vs WOL (H), Alejandro Garnacho (MUN) vs MCI (A), Alfie Doughty (LUT) vs AVL (H), Jan Paul van Hecke (BHA) vs FUL (A).
I'm making the conscious choice of playing Dominic Solanke in my starting XI with the hope that he's either fit enough to start or is ruled out entirely, allowing my substitutions to take effect. The upside to him starting against Burnley is too big for me to risk benching him.
Aside from him, I'm counting on Jarrod Bowen and Leon Bailey to deliver big in this GW. My punt on Bowen worked brilliantly in GW 26, handing me a significant green arrow, and I'm hoping he continues his scoring run. Leon Bailey racked up the xGI last week, and if he can do so against a porous Luton defense, he too could haul big.
My Manchester City triple-up goes up against a toothless Manchester United at home, and I'm hoping for a big win with a clean sheet for the hosts. A Phil Foden attacking return would also do well for my rank.
Conor Bradley and Kieran Trippier are two other differentials I'm expecting a lot from in this GW. Liverpool have kept shutouts in their last two outings in all competitions, and with Trent ruled out, I'm hoping Bradley earns clean-sheet points while also pushing for an attacking return.
Despite the dire state of the Newcastle defense, I'm hoping they can conjure up a clean sheet against a wasteful Wolves attack, with Trippier very likely to earn an attacking return.
Gameweek 27 - FPL Captaincy
Erling Haaland is certainly the frontrunner for captaincy in GW 27, especially with the Norwegian in stellar form after netting five goals against Luton. While the prospect of captaining Ollie Watkins or Bukayo Saka is also tempting, I might avoid taking those risks and play it safe by going with Haaland.
Best FPL XI for Gameweek 27 - Summary
Starting XI
GK: Neto (BOU) vs BUR (A).
DEF: Kyle Walker (MCI) vs MUN (H), Conor Bradley (LIV) vs NFO (A), and Kieran Trippier (NEW) vs WOL (H).
MID: Bukayo Saka (ARS) vs SHU (A), Jarrod Bowen (WHU) vs EVE (A), Phil Foden (MCI) vs MUN (H), and Leon Bailey (AVL) vs LUT (A).
FWD: Ollie Watkins (AVL) vs LUT (A), Dominic Solanke (BOU) vs BUR (A), and Erling Haaland (MCI) vs MUN (H).
Bench: GK - Martin Dubravka (NEW) vs WOL (H), 1st Sub: Alejandro Garnacho (MUN) vs MCI (A), 2nd Sub: Alfie Doughty (LUT) vs AVL (H), 3rd Sub: Jan Paul van Hecke (BHA) vs FUL (A).
Chips activated: None
Point Hits Taken: - 4.
Captain: Haaland. | VC: Saka.