We said it could all turn into chaos and it has. Gameweek 18 looks like it could be a nightmare to navigate and there is every chance the situation gets worse before the first match gets under way at 15:00 on Saturday.
Five of this weekend’s matches have already been postponed due to an increase in Covid-19 cases. Manchester United, Brighton, Southampton, Brentford, Watford, Crystal Palace, West Ham United, Norwich City, Everton and Leicester City will all get the weekend off.
That means there are only players to choose from Aston Villa, Burnley, Leeds United, Arsenal, Wolves, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool.
While that is a fair old chunk of teams, some FPL players are going to see their squads decimated over the coming days.
What’s the best thing to do? Nothing
I know that sounds silly, but there’s no point making wholesale changes, using free transfers or even a chip – because more games could soon fall victim to the situation.
The advantage here is that so many players are in the same boat; this is not going to cost anybody their mini-league title.
All the games that have been postponed will eventually take place, so people can gain ground during double gameweeks.
From our team last week, we have already lost Diogo Dalot, Son Heung-Min, Michail Antonio and Josh King.
As a result, we can’t stick to our advised team of the week without losing too many points, but for those that do want to make transfers, we have mentioned who could be worthwhile replacements.
Last week, we did OK considering the postponements, with Arsenal and Liverpool players helping us into a good position.
Goalkeeper – Aaron Ramsdale
The gift that keeps on giving. The Arsenal stopper got us another clean sheet during a 2-0 win over West Ham, and he could add to that this weekend.
Arsenal, at 12/5, look a reasonable price to win to nil at Elland Road against Leeds United, with the hosts struggling for confidence after their 7-0 defeat to Manchester City.
Defenders – Tyrone Mings, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rudiger, Ben White, Joao Cancelo.
Mings is an alternative to Dalot, and he could reward players straight away, as they face Burnley at Villa Park. Since he took the job, Steven Gerrard has improved Villa’s defence and Mings is also a threat from set-pieces.
Alexander-Arnold scored 11 points for us in midweek, so that’s his case presented, while Cancelo plays against Newcastle. Rudiger and White can also chip in with some much-needed points.
Midfielders – Mohamed Salah, Emile Smith Rowe, Phil Foden, Diogo Jota
Salah grabbed another goal in midweek and he retains the armband for the umpteenth week in a row. He is joined in our team by Liverpool team-mate Diogo Jota, who also scored in Liverpool’s 3-1 success over Newcastle.
Those two players continue to deliver the goods for us, as does Smith Rowe, who should fancy his chances of scoring against Leeds.
Foden did just that this week and against a poor Newcastle side, the England international could find the net at odds of 7/5.
Forwards – Ollie Watkins
With Michail Antonio out of form, we might have found our long-term replacement in Watkins. His performances since Gerrard took charge have been impressive and he tackles Burnley this weekend, who are badly out of form.
Watkins scored and got an assist in midweek against Norwich and he could improve that record on home turf on Saturday.
Captain – Mohamed Salah
*All odds correct at time of writing
