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Welcome to Gameweek 12, RotoBallers! This is the third year covering FPL on the site, and we are bringing you more coverage than ever before. We will publish the Gameweek Preview, consisting of a Staff Roundtable and our weekly rankings, every week. Then, once a month, we will publish our newest article, The Watchlist, a review of the previous month and a look ahead to the upcoming fixtures.
11 gameweeks down, 27 more to go. Gameweek 11 was a bit of a disaster for several managers, with many of the heavy hitters not returning. The great thing is that another gameweek is right around the corner. Arsenal will try to bounce back versus Burnley, Liverpool faces a suddenly resurgent Brentford, and Man City travels to London to meet a buoyed Chelsea side after its 4-1 victory over Spurs on Monday night.
The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 12 deadline is 6:00 AM ET on Saturday, November 11, when Wolves welcome Spurs to the Midlands. Also, look out for the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the squad gets you all set for every English Premier League, Major League Soccer, and UEFA Champions League slate from a DFS and betting perspective.
Fantasy Premier League Staff Roundtable - Gameweek 12 Preview
The Staff Roundtable is an attempt to get you inside the mind of our FPL staff. Our top soccer writers will answer questions each gameweek to give you an idea of how they view the games. So, without further ado, let’s kick off Gameweek 12!
Erling Haaland was subbed off at halftime versus Bournemouth. How long would he have to be out for you to transfer him out of your FPL squad?
- Euan Leith: This isn't an issue, as Erling Haaland played 60 minutes and scored two goals in Tuesday's Champions League game versus Young Boys. The Norwegian is healthy and raring to go for Sunday's tilt versus Chelsea.
- Jamie Steed: It’d need to be a few weeks. If you already have Salah, too, who are you realistically going to replace Haaland with anyway? It’d need a rejig of your team and more than one transfer to get things balanced. At which point, Haaland will either be back, or you’d take a minus to make more than one transfer each week he’s out.
- Tom Bellucco: Haaland will start in the Champions League match on Tuesday, so we've avoided any issues with the Norwegian. In the future, I'd likely need confirmation that Haaland is out for at least three weeks for me to consider transferring him out. His October form tells the whole story, and Kevin De Bruyne's return in December will only boost Haaland's efficiency around the goal.
Arsenal starts a tremendous string of fixtures this week. How heavily should FPL managers invest in the Gunners?
- Euan: I want to go all-in, but something is not right with Arsenal. Bukayo Saka has accumulated 0.02 xGI in total over the last four games. Yes, the Gunners thumped Sheffield United 5-0 in their previous home game, but I can't shake the feeling that it's not as easy as last year. I have Saka, and pairing him with a defender or Eddie Nketiah is a viable strategy for Gameweek 12.
- Jamie: I’m still rocking with a trio of Gunners. Along with their upcoming schedule, last weekend’s debacle might ignite something within the squad, so they really up things over the next few weeks.
- Tom: It would make a lot of sense for Arsenal to use this soft November schedule to get their offensive mojo back, and without Gabriel Jesus for at least a few weeks, the weight should come down on the likes of Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Martinelli, and Bukayo Saka. Saka has been strangely quiet of late, but he's too talented for that to continue. When he starts to score, it comes in bunches. He's my favorite of the bunch, with Kai Havertz getting my vote for a hustling midfielder who might make some noise against lesser competition as well.
Sheffield United grabbed its first win, and Luton managed a point versus Liverpool. Who is the best asset from a promoted side?
- Euan: Issa Kabore has started eight of Luton's 11 games this year and is fourth on the team in xGI. At £4.0m, the wingback is one of the cheapest assets in the game but also has an attacking upside.
- Jamie: Long-term, it’s a close call between Luton’s Carlton Morris and Sheffield United’s Gustavo Hamer. As much as I like Hamer, I prefer Luton as a viable FPL option. Morris has shown he knows where the goal is, scoring three so far.
- Tom: Carlton Morris continues to create opportunities for Luton, but the goals and assists are lacking. I suspect he'll find the back of the net in one of his next three fixtures against Man United, Crystal Palace, and Brentford.
Manchester United needed another late goal to take home the win. Is there any player worth rostering from the Red Devils?
- Euan: I'm still avoiding the red side of Manchester for now. Fernandes' late goal was only his third attacking return in the last eight gameweeks, and that's not going to get it done with how many great options we have in midfield this season. Andre Onana and Diogo Dalot are also in consideration, but I want to see a couple of convincing performances from United before investing in them.
- Jamie: Not right now. If (and it’s a big if) Saturday was a turning point, then Bruno Fernandes is someone I’m monitoring. They will continue to eke out narrow wins like they did at Fulham, so I’d be fine having one of their defensive options in my squad.
- Tom: Bruno Fernandes has been my favorite target for Shots and Shots on Goal prop bets. That correlates well with FPL's strategy, so I'll stick there. With or without Marcus Rashford on the pitch, Fernandes will have a go from anywhere, and the added chance of a set-piece goal is a nice bonus. He's the only Red Devil I trust now, and I'm keeping my eye on Alejandro Garnacho to see if he starts to heat up.
There’s another international break on the horizon, but then a heavy Christmas period. How can FPL managers prepare for the fixture crunch?
- Euan: Be a goldfish. Gameweek 11 was a personal disaster as I scored a career-low 17 points (not a typo), but I'm moving on to Gameweek 12 and attempting not to be on tilt. With the deadline coming thick and fast (seven in December), you must be disciplined and do your best not to chase the rabbit. So try to build up a playing bench and let the chips fall where they may, as rotation is bound to happen.
- Jamie: I’d look to ensure I have no injured players on my bench, as rotation among EPL teams will increase. You don’t want to take a blank because you have no available bench option to come in. Also, note when each Gameweek begins, as it’s incredibly easy to miss a deadline with how the games are at this time of year.
Who is keeping a clean sheet in Gameweek 12?
- Euan: Burnley has scored the second-fewest away goals in the Premier League and has to travel to Arsenal on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Gunners have allowed the third-fewest expected goals allowed (xGA) at home and the second-fewest xGA per game. David Raya, Ben White, Gabriel, and Saliba should all be looking at six-point floors this weekend.
- Jamie: As I alluded, Manchester United isn’t fluid right now, so expect them to keep scraping. They led the league in clean sheets last season, and another low-scoring win seems plausible. Brighton’s conceded nine goals in six home games so far. But they host a Sheffield United side that’s scored just three times in five away games and have the league’s lowest expected goals total (2.8 xG) on their travels.
- Tom: Brighton and Arsenal at home against promoted sides makes too much sense to pass up. The two away sides I'll trust to keep a clean sheet as well are Tottenham, visiting a lacking Wolves attack sans Pedro Neto, and Newcastle at Vitality Stadium, coming off a disappointing Champions League performance. Despite their loss at Dortmund, the Magpies looked surprisingly deep on defense, with Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento looking serviceable at left-back.
Which defensive player is providing an attacking return?
- Euan: On Tuesday, Tino Livramento played right wing in Newcastle's 2-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. The Magpies are dealing with critical injuries all over the park, and Livramento's positional flexibility should allow him to get another start this weekend.
- Jamie: While Brighton’s defense is shaky, they score plenty at home (14 goals in six games). Lewis Dunk was denied a goal at the weekend due to a marginal offside, nearly scored a direct free-kick, and seems to be a focal point from Brighton’s set-pieces. Sheffield United’s six goals conceded from set-pieces are the second-most in the league.
- Tom: Tino Livramento will play both left back and some forward over the next few matches. He's put some fantastic balls in of late, and his minutes will be needed with Dan Burn on the shelf. For 4.3 million, you could do much worse than the 20-year-old.
Who's a midfielder or forward rostered on less than 10 percent of teams that will grab us those FPL points?
- Euan: If there were a Douglas Luiz flowchart for FPL points, it would be simple. If he's playing at home, he's providing attacking returns. If he's on the road, he's not. The 25-year-old has five goals and one assist during the campaign, and they've all come during Aston Villa's five home games. In Gameweek 12, Fulham visits Villa Park with the third-worst xG and fourth-worst xGA numbers on the road, so Luiz could be in for attacking and clean-sheet points.
- Jamie: Callum Wilson (6.5 percent) has seven goals in five starts for Newcastle. Saturday saw him fail to find the net in a game he’s started for the first time this season. With Alexander Isak set to miss the next 2-3 weeks, Wilson should lead the line again against Bournemouth. A Bournemouth side that’s just been hit for six by Manchester City conceded two or more in eight of their 11 EPL games and averaged more than three goals against in their last six games.
- Tom: Eberechi Eze (3.2 percent) returned for Crystal Palace over the weekend, collecting an assist in his 32-minute appearance. I expect him to start when the Eagles host Everton, and some goals should be scored early and often in that fixture. My only concern is whether or not he'll exceed 65 minutes or so in his second game back from injury, but I expect his salary to rise in the next month as he shows how important he is to the Crystal Palace attack.
Who is one player you want but can’t have for the Gameweek 12 fixtures in Fantasy Premier League?
- Euan: With two free transfers and a craving to take a four-point hit, I can almost have anyone. However, Mohamed Kudus may have to wait to come into my FPL. The newly-signed West Ham man bagged a goal and an assist last weekend in his breakout FPL performance. A home game versus Nottingham Forest should spell more attacking returns for the exciting attacker. Alas, with other fires to put out, Kudus will elude my Starting XI for one more gameweek.
- Jamie: I don’t have any Brighton players in my squad. While I can quickly bring in Dunk or any other Seagull, I want to keep hold of my transfer this week in case Haaland is set to miss some time, and I can tinker over the International break. Even if I bring in Dunk, Kaoru Mitoma and Evan Ferguson are enticing options this week.
- Tom: Evan Ferguson fits this mold. His talent is immense, but his upside is continuously capped by how often he's subbed out in the second half of matches. If I felt he would finally play a full 90 minutes, the Irishman would be a no-brainer at 6.0 million.
Who's getting the Captain's armband?
- Euan: With so many options at captaincy, it's a good week to go rogue. Ollie Watkins failed to return against Luton in Aston Villa's most recent home game, but I don't believe lightning will strike twice. Fulham concedes the fourth-most xGA in their away games, and an in-form Watkins is just the differential I need to bounce back from Gameweek 11's disaster class.
- Jamie: Mo Salah at home is the simple option. But Bukayo Saka at home to Burnley is also really appealing. As I mentioned, I expect a statement performance from the Gunners after last weekend, so he could easily bag a big-points haul himself.
- Tom: My gut keeps bringing me towards Ollie Watkins in tremendous form with a home match against Fulham. There should be plenty of chances of Aston Villa in this one, so let's hope the great chances fall to Watkins and it doesn't turn into a Moussa Diaby show.
Finally, what’s your bold prediction for Gameweek 12?
- Euan: Wolves surprise a beat-up Tottenham in Saturday's early game, and Hwang Hee-chan continues his sparkling form. Later in the weekend, Aston Villa bangs four goals past Fulham, and Chelsea holds Man City to a 2-2 draw.
- Jamie: Cole Palmer finds the net against his former team in a losing effort. All 10 home teams score. And the sides in the bottom four combine to concede more than 12 goals.
- Tom: Brighton and Arsenal combine for seven goals, and both keep clean sheets. Saka and Ferguson combine for three goals.
Is there a question you would like to have answered every week? Hit us up on Twitter @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
