RADIO
Welcome to Double Gameweek 7 of the FPL season, 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.
Six gameweeks down, 32 more to go. Luton Town and Burnely have a double gameweek to make up their Gameweek 2 postponement this week. Besides that, Saturday features eight games, including a Spurs-Liverpool showdown to cap off the day. Then, Sunday gives us a battle between Nottingham Forest and Brentford, and Monday night has a London derby between Fulham and a struggling Chelsea side.
The Fantasy Premier League Double Gameweek 7 deadline is 6:00 AM EST on Saturday, September 30, for the Aston Villa-Brighton matchup. 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 - Double Gameweek 7 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 Double Gameweek 7!
Luton Town and Burnley have two games in Gameweek 7. Are you looking to bring in any of their players?
- Euan Leith: If you plan to use your Wildcard in Gameweek 8, bringing in Carlton Morris for a one-week punt isn't the worst FPL idea I've ever heard. I've had Issa Kabore on my team since the beginning of the season, and he will crack the Starting XI for The Leithal Weapons in Double Gameweek 7. Other than that, I wouldn't chase this double gameweek too much.
- Jamie Steed: No. Carlton Morris is the only Luton player I’d consider rostering. Burnley have an away game against Newcastle at the weekend, so their team has no appeal this week. Their midweek contest could easily finish 0-0 or 3-0 either way, and I’m not confident enough to pick either team’s players.
Newcastle beat Sheffield United 8-0 on Sunday with several defenders returning. Are the Magpies back on the FPL radar?
- Euan: Newcastle's defense is back on the radar, but I don't trust the rotation along the frontline. Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, Dan Burn, and Fabian Schar are worthy of a free transfer this week. Unfortunately, most of the FPL world has also jumped on a Newcastle defender, so you'll need to double up if you want to make any gains from a clean sheet at St. James' Park.
- Jamie: I backed Kieran Trippier to get his first assist of the season at the weekend. I wasn’t expecting three assists, but his numbers were screaming out for a run of solid performances. There is still too much fluidity and rotation between their forward players for me to be confident starting any.
Bruno Fernandes scored a superb volley, but Marcus Rashford had another blank. Which popular United midfielder would you want in your FPL squad?
- Euan: Marcus Rashford will come back into our Fantasy Premier League teams this season, but he's the one I would sell if you had to make that decision. However, Man United has a beautiful run of fixtures coming up, and it's tough to let the winger walk away. If you are upgrading Rashford to Son Heung-min or Mohamed Salah, I understand, but there's no one else I would rather have than just holding onto the Old Trafford favorite.
- Jamie: I still believe Rashford will score more points than Fernandes this season but I’m still very reluctant to roster either of them. They have a nice run of fixtures coming up, but I want to see a couple more games from United before I bring either in. Especially given how deep the midfielder pool is in FPL.
On the 🆙
Bruno delivers in Gameweek 6 🤝#FPL #BURMUN pic.twitter.com/hnC6YsMQSS
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) September 23, 2023
Should we abandon ship on all Chelsea assets?
- Euan: Toss them overboard with the rotten fish. Nico Jackson left the dressing room in Gameweek 6 for my team, and I've already made the early transfer of Sven Botman in for Ben Chilwell this week. The Blues thoroughly disappointed during their excellent run of fixtures, and the club should be worried about its long-term prospects. Despite massive investment, the results are looking a lot like last year.
- Jamie: I said before their latest defeat that they are still somewhat competent defensively. For whatever reason, Ben Chilwell has been benched the last two games, so holding him is complicated. They will improve, but I want nothing to do with them for now.
Ben Chilwell is a #FPL price faller 📉
After recent blanks, are you moving away from the @ChelseaFC defender? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/JZVDuFuI9I
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) September 25, 2023
It seems like more Wildcards are being played every Gameweek. Who would be your top three targets if you played the chip for Gameweek 7?
- Euan: Mohamed Salah, Kieran Trippier, and James Maddison. We all want every good player, but we only get a certain amount of money to build the team. Going with Maddison over Son saves us £1.4m, and we need every penny to fit Salah, Trips, and Erling Haaland in our team. Salah can't stop returning, and Trippier showed us precisely what he can do with three assists on Sunday. I'm not planning to use the Wildcard this week, but it is tempting.
- Jamie: As someone who played him in Gameweek 4, it’s understandable to have used it already. If I were using it now, I’d probably look at bringing in Mo Salah and cutting two of the more expensive players on my team for two mega-cheap options. Maybe Morris (£5.5m) and Levi Colwill (£4.5m) will save enough. That’s still a total of £21.5m, so it would need a couple more expensive players to be culled.
Who is keeping a clean sheet in Gameweek 7?
- Euan: It hasn't happened yet, but Everton will get their first clean sheet against Luton. Jordan Pickford was a trendy pick to begin the year but has disappointed his FPL managers greatly. A home game versus a newly promoted side with only two penalties to their account feels like a great chance to bag the first clean sheet of the campaign for the Toffees.
- Jamie: Newcastle at home to a Burnley side lacking goals looks the best bet of the weekend. I can undoubtedly see Manchester City shutting out Wolves too. Missing Rodri is significant, though, and City may lack the protection he offers, so Newcastle is my preferred option.
Which defensive player is providing an attacking return?
- Euan: If Alex Moreno (hamstring) misses the Aston Villa-Brighton game this weekend, Matty Cash could again be allowed to bomb forward. He would match up with the mistake-prone Pervis Estupinan and have plenty of room to operate down the sideline. The wingback has a 0.55 expected Goal Involvement per 90 minutes (xGI/90) rate and hasn't returned in a couple of weeks despite more underlying solid numbers.
- Jamie: I’m going back to Trippier again this week. Burnley conceded a goal from a corner on Saturday, which was subsequently ruled out for offside. Only Sheffield United has conceded more set-piece goals than Burnley this season, and another Trippier assist is undoubtedly on the cards.
#FPL managers: Premium defenders aren’t worth owning this season ✋
Kieran Trippier in Gameweek 6: pic.twitter.com/dBmhqD5XVa
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) September 25, 2023
Who's a midfielder or forward rostered on less than 10 percent of teams that will grab us those FPL points?
- Euan: I'll take the free space this week and nominate Carlton Morris. While I'm not adding him to my FPL squad this week, the Luton forward will have two bites at the apple with easier matchups against Everton and Burnley. He's in 5.3 percent of teams right now, and that number will climb before Saturday's deadline as managers fail to resist the double gameweek temptation.
- Jamie: Saturday’s loss at Manchester City marked the first game this season where Taiwo Awoniyi failed to have a goal involvement. He now faces a Brentford side that conceded three against Everton, has gone five games without a clean sheet, and has picked the ball out of their net ten times this season.
Who is the player you want to, but can’t, have for the Gameweek 7 fixtures in Fantasy Premier League?
- Euan: Mohamed Salah is bringing me great joy as Liverpool joy and great pain as a non-Salah FPL manager. I want to change that as soon as possible, but I may have to hold off one more week before transferring the Egyptian King back to my side.
- Jamie: I think it’ll be Mo Salah every week until such a point I overhaul the team and go with a stars and scrubs approach. I also like Anthony Gordon to bag an excellent points haul this week, but as it has been for most of the season, I need to replace an injured defender and don’t want to take a minus.
Who's getting the Captain's armband?
- Euan: FPL dominates my brain and decision-making throughout the week, so taking one decision away makes things easier. Therefore, Erling Haaland will grab the Captain's armband for his away tie against Wolves.
- Jamie: I’m giving it to James Ward-Prowse this weekend. I don’t foresee Sheffield United getting another shellacking, but they also looked overmatched in the EPL. Ward-Prowse is always a threat from dead-ball situations, and I’m not sure Sheffield United will magically fix their issues in a week.
Finally, what’s your bold prediction for Gameweek 7?
- Euan: Crystal Palace stuns a flat Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Burnley game was so bad for the Red Devils despite picking up the win. Unless there's a drastic change, any team with a pulse can get a win versus the red side of Manchester.
- Jamie: I don’t see any upsets this weekend. After backing Ollie Watkins to get his first goal of the season last weekend, Cole Palmer gets his first Chelsea start and bags a goal on Monday against local rivals Fulham.
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!
