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Welcome to Gameweek 10, Rotoballers! Just like the previous campaign, we are continuing our soccer coverage to include the great game of Fantasy Premier League. So, even if you are a seasoned veteran or a rookie navigating your first 38 gameweeks, we will set you straight. We're here to provide the advice to help you snag those weekend-making green arrows and avoid the doom and gloom of a red arrow.
Talk about a rollercoaster of a gameweek. Man City assets and James Maddison saved many an FPL squad from a numbing Gameweek 9 score. As we move onto Gameweek 10, we've got some great games to watch. High-flying Brighton welcomes a slumping Spurs to the AMEX on Saturday. Then, on Sunday, Arsenal faces one of their toughest challenges yet in Liverpool, while Everton meets old foes Manchester United in the late, late Sunday game.
The Gameweek 10 deadline is 8:30 am Eastern on Saturday, October 8. Also, check out the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the team gets you all set for every English Premier League and UEFA Champions League slate from a DFS and betting perspective.
RotoBaller FPL Staff Roundtable - Gameweek 10
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 10!
Gameweek 9 was a bit of a bloodbath for FPL managers. Did you make it out unscathed?
- Euan Leith: Saturday was awful as I collected 17 points from seven players. Fortunately, Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and James Maddison saved my week on Sunday and Monday. Another green arrow for Leithal Weapons, and I'm inside the top 700k for the first time this season.
- Jamie Steed: Unscathed? Yes. But pivoting away from captaining Haaland didn't quite work out how I had hoped, so it was a so-so week rather than anything disastrous.
We're now two gameweeks away from the dread blank gameweek for Man City and Arsenal. So what are you doing with the players you roster from those teams?
- Euan Leith: I have four players from those two teams at the moment (Haaland, KDB, Joao Cancelo, Gabriel Martinelli), and I expect to have two or three in by the time the blank gameweek rolls around. I'll most likely ship out KDB for Son Heung-min in Gameweek 11 and try to leave myself with two transfers to decide what to do with Cancelo and Martinelli during the week before.
- Jamie Steed: I expect only to have four total players from those two teams heading into that gameweek, so I can easily transfer one player out, have an entire starting XI and then bring back in whomever I ousted the following week. Ideally, I'll have two free transfers for that gameweek so I can ensure I'm able to replace any injured/suspended player as well.
Liverpool stumbled out of the international break. Where do you stand on the FPL prospects of the Anfield assets?
- Euan Leith: A 2-0 win over Rangers on Tuesday night hasn't done anything to move me off my stance that I don't want Liverpool players right now. They've got Arsenal and Man City in the next two gameweeks. So the earliest I can see myself moving to them is Gameweek 12 when they play West Ham at home.
- Jamie Steed: I currently have none. Mohamed Salah isn't providing a return on his price; Trent Alexander-Arnold hasn't been able to do much in an attacking sense and is a complete liability defensively. While everyone else is so inconsistent, it's hard to trust them right now.
On the other side of the pitch, Brighton was fantastic. Do you have any big takeaways from Roberto De Zerbi's first game in charge?
- Euan Leith: Hello, Leandro Trossard. On FPL Blackbox, Az Phillips mentioned Trossard would be the talisman for Brighton under De Zerbi, and it looks like he nailed it. The Belgian midfielder joined Peter Ndlovu (Coventry, 1995) and Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal, 2009) as the only opposing players to score a hattrick at Anfield in the Premier League.
- Jamie Steed: I alluded to it last week, but De Zerbi's attack-minded tactics look like they will pay immediate dividends. The big question is whether he can tighten things up at the back as Potter did during his time at the club. I certainly have no concerns about starting any Brighton midfielder or forward, though.
Erling Haaland has three hattricks in nine games this season. Did you ever anticipate he would come into the Premier League and dominate as he has?
- Euan Leith: No way. I figured he would challenge Harry Kane as the first forward, but he's wiping everyone off the face of the Earth. He's 40 points clear of Kane with 96 FPL points and is on pace to smash the record of 303 points from Salah in the 2017/18 season.
- Jamie Steed: No, and anyone who said they expected him to have 14 goals in his first eight EPL games is a liar. We knew the talent, I even confidently backed him to finish as the league's top scorer, but 30 goals in a season is the hope for a top scorer. The fact he's nearly halfway there with less than a quarter of the season played is beyond any expectations.
Who's keeping a clean sheet in Gameweek 10?
- Euan Leith: Under Graham Potter, Chelsea will want to start his home Premier League campaign on the right foot. Plus, Wolves have only scored three goals in their first eight games. Clean sheet incoming at Stamford Bridge.
- Jamie Steed: Manchester City at home to a scuffling Southampton side, who have one goal in their last three games and blanked in their previous two away games. I also like West Ham United at home to Fulham if Aleksandar Mitrović misses the game through injury.
Which defensive player is providing an attacking return?
- Euan Leith: Reece James is yet to explode under his new manager and is playing a Wolves side who just sacked their defensive-minded leader. The England international will bag his first attacking return since Gameweek 4.
- Jamie Steed: I'm plumping for Kieran Trippier again this week. He's second among defenders in shot-creating actions (25), continues taking set-pieces including direct free-kicks, and is against a Brentford side tied-first in goals conceded from dead-balls (three).
- Euan Leith: Outside of Thanos, I mean Haaland, his teammate Kevin De Bruyne is a safe bet. Mo Salah scored a penalty versus Rangers in the Champions League and looked slightly refreshed in his attacking stride. He'll be a massive differential after his Gameweek 9 letdown.
- Jamie Steed: I don't see how you can shy away from Erling Haaland right now. He's an entirely different animal at home, much like Manchester City, and is against a Southampton team that doesn't travel well.
If you could bring in any player you don't have on your team for this gameweek, who would it be and why?
- Euan Leith: I got rid of Gabriel Jesus on my Wildcard in Gameweek 8, and it's starting to give me the heebie-jeebies. With Mitrovic flagged with a foot injury, I'll watch the Arsenal-Liverpool game with hands over my eyes.
- Jamie Steed: As much as I wanted nothing to do with Leicester City given their problems, James Maddison is a great play this week, but I've had to replace injuries, so I can't bring him in without dropping a top midfielder and taking a minus. Maddison is Leicester's leading scorer (five), takes corners and free-kicks, and had a big game on Monday. Although Bournemouth has tightened things up defensively, they rank in the top-three for most corners, free-kicks, and dead ball goals conceded.
Who's getting the Captain's armband?
- Euan Leith: I'm not a fan of playing the effective ownership game, but Haaland is on 82.7 percent of teams right now. You're asking for a massive drop in Overall rank if you don't give him the armband versus Southampton at home.
- Jamie Steed: It's got to be between Haaland or Kevin de Bruyne. It all depends if I want to pivot away from Haaland, as he'll likely be captained by more than 50% of teams this weekend. But sometimes, it pays to go along with the chalk, and I'm a little anxious about missing out again.
Finally, what's your bold prediction for this weekend's slate of games?
- Euan Leith: Every team in the Premier League will grab a goal this weekend, and Haaland doesn't score a hattrick (that's bold at this point, right?)
- Jamie Steed: Brighton continues their remarkable start to the season by taking something against Tottenham at home. Leicester City also makes it back-to-back wins and gets out of the relegation zone by the end of the weekend.
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!
