Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 24 Staff Roundtable

Welcome to Gameweek 24, RotoBallers! Just like the previous campaign, we are continuing our soccer coverage to include the great game of the 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 advice to help you snag those weekend-making green arrows and avoid the doom and gloom of a red arrow.

It's finally a "normal" FPL week with no doubles to think about, but don't worry because those are coming back with a vengeance in Gameweek 25. However, this week, Aston Villa and Arsenal kick things off in the early Saturday fixtures before six afternoon fixtures take over our Saturday. With European competitions underway, there could be some lineup rotation in the future. So FPL managers should watch where EPL managers are at with their squads to get a leg up on their mini-leagues.

The Gameweek 24 deadline is 6:00 am Eastern on Saturday, February 18. 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.

And of course, #FPL can translate into #DFS, all of which we have plenty of at @RotoBaller https://t.co/U9pKeHkJYv pic.twitter.com/z2ubf1KeKj

— Jamie Steed (@Baseball_Jimbo) February 4, 2023

RotoBaller FPL Staff Roundtable - Gameweek 24

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 24!

Let's get a vibes check on Man City. How many of their players do you want from GW24 onwards?

• Euan Leith: The vibes are... mixed on the blue side of Manchester. I picked up Riyad Mahrez and Rico Lewis to accompany Erling Haaland for DGW23. Mahrez came through with two returns against Aston Villa, but Lewis remained on the bench, and Haaland picked up a knock. I'm trying to roll my transfer in GW24 to give myself flexibility for the blank GW25, so all three will stay in my team for the next couple of fixtures.
• Jamie Steed: I’m still bullish on Man City, given they tend to go on a ridiculous run of form in the second half of the season in most years. Providing Haaland isn’t out for long, he’s still my number one choice. Next, give me Rico Lewis as a cheap option that will play enough to provide value. Then it’s a toss-up between Riyad Mahrez and Kevin de Bruyne (assuming the latter is back to being a regular starter). They certainly can still provide three viable starters.

Liverpool kept it clean versus Everton with a 2-0 win in the Merseyside derby. With a double gameweek coming up, which Anfield asset is on your mind?

• Euan Leith: Between now and that double gameweek, Liverpool faces Newcastle on the road and Real Madrid at Anfield. Their Champions League campaign for this and next season could be effectively over by the time this double rolls around. However, Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, and Diogo Jota will all be on my radar if the reds can continue their derby form. Unfortunately, the defense is still too leaky, and Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are too expensive to trust.
• Jamie Steed: Everton looked like their pre-Dyche version, so I’m not too high on Liverpool based on that one performance. Assuming they continue to start, Joe Gomez and Stefan Bajcetic are decent cheap options to allow you to go big elsewhere. Cody Gakpo could quickly go on a scoring spree now that he’s broken his duck, so it is an intriguing option.

Several teams have a DGW in either GW25 or GW27. So who are some players to watch ahead of the upcoming fixture crunch?

• Euan Leith: Before picking up an injury in the FA Cup, Evan Ferguson was flying for Brighton. The Seagull racked up five returns from weeks 18-21 (four games). He's £4.6 million, and Brighton has a double gameweek in 27. If Gabriel Jesus starts to eat into Eddie Nketiah's minutes, he'll make way for Ferguson in my squad after Arsenal's double in GW25.
• Jamie Steed: Arsenal’s attacking players have plenty of appeal, assuming they can get things going again and their schedule is such that they should be able to. Martinelli is a concern for me, though, as his form hasn’t been great, and Trossard could start taking some more minutes away from him. If Monday’s win can kick-start something for Liverpool, the aforementioned players are also sound plays. I’ve also been impressed by Wolves recently, so Ruben Neves and possibly a Wolves defender are worthy of targeting.

European competitions are back underway. So how can we plan for the knock-on effect of this in our FPL squads?

• Euan Leith: I don't think we need to be too worried about it until the following rounds. Man City may be the only team favored to advance through this current round, while Arsenal has a bye in the Europa League. Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham will face stiff competition in the first knockout rounds. Plus, with blanks and double gameweeks to navigate, let's focus on what we know and not what could happen.
• Jamie Steed: I’m not too concerned right now. Still, I certainly think Manchester City will prioritize winning the Champions League, so maybe they’ll be less inclined to risk one of their stars if he’s carrying a knock in the coming weeks. Chelsea and Liverpool are far enough adrift of the top four that the EPL might become secondary to them if they can reach the latter stages of the Champions League. However, the other teams involved in Europe have too much at stake in the league, so I’m not overly worried about them.

With 15 weeks left in the season, where are you overall? What chip do you have left to play? And do you have a plan on when to play them?

• Euan Leith: I'm nestled in the top 500,000 with my Free Hit, Wildcard, and Bench Boost left to play. I should be alright to survive blank GW25 with 10-11 players, and then the strategy will kick in. There's another blank gameweek in 28, so I may use my Free Hit, then Wildcard in GW29 for a potentially massive double gameweek. But, as is always the case with FPL, a lot can change between now and then.
• Jamie Steed: I’m sitting just outside the top 5% at ~620,000^th. I have everything besides my triple-captain, which I used on Marcus Rashford during his recent double gameweek. My Bench Boost is set for when I have multiple players with two games, and I can’t start them all, while my Free Hit will also be activated when multiple teams have a double gameweek, and I can maximize as many double scores as possible.

Who's keeping a clean sheet in Gameweek 24?

• Euan Leith: Outside of the 3-0 thrashing from Man City, Wolves has conceded two goals in its previous four games and kept consecutive clean sheets at home. Meanwhile, Bournemouth has scored two goals since the World Cup restart. So, Jose Sa is a fantastic transfer in with Bournemouth, and then a double gameweek on the schedule.
• Jamie Steed: Wolves at home to a pretty insipid Bournemouth side is my pick. Leeds being unable to appoint a new long-term head coach makes me look at Everton as a sneaky outside shot for a clean sheet, especially if their home support can get behind them as they did against Arsenal.

Which defensive player is providing an attacking return?

• Euan Leith: Oleksandr Zinchenko is looking lively in an Arsenal uniform. He's racked up 1.35 expected Goal Involvement since the restart but still doesn't have a return to his name. That difference (-1.35) makes him the fourth unluckiest defender for attacking returns. This weekend's opponent, Aston Villa, just conceded three goals to Man City, and this Arsenal attack needs an open-the-floodgates type of game to get them back up and running.
• Jamie Steed: Pervis Estupiñán has three assists in his last three games and had a goal wrongly disallowed the previous weekend. He’s embraced ‘De Zerbiball’ as much as anyone. I also like Craig Dawson as an outside bet to score against a Bournemouth team that’s conceded more set-piece goals than any other team, and he had a habit of popping up with a goal while at West Ham. He also scored on his Wolves debut last month.

Who's a midfielder or forward rostered in less than 10 percent of teams that will grab us those FPL points?

• Euan Leith: James Maddison is still the one who got away for me from the beginning of the year. Since coming back healthy, he's been magical for the Foxes. He's certainly on my Wildcard watchlist whenever I activate the chip. Leicester's scored eight goals in their last two games, and Maddison's been involved in three of them.
• Jamie Steed: Alexis Mac Allister is on 2.4% of teams and has struggled since returning from the World Cup with his winners’ medal. But he looked much sharper last weekend and could’ve easily bagged himself a brace, so I fancy him to get back in amongst the goals this weekend.

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'd love to get Ivan Toney for a one-week punt before his blank. The Englishman has 14 goals this season and sports a 0.77 xGI on the year. His combined 17 returns already match his previous season's total, and he's as good a bet as anyone to get on the scoresheet in the 17,000th London derby of the season.
• Jamie Steed: Either Gakpo or Mo Salah, so I can bring in the other next week and have them both for the double gameweek. But alas, I needed to switch out a defender already, so I don’t want to take a minus this week in the hope they both do something worthwhile next week.

Who's getting the Captain's armband?

• Euan Leith: With Haaland nursing a knock, I'll slide over to the other side of Manchester and give the armband to Marcus Rashford. He's got seven attacking returns in his five home games since the restart and has 74 points since the World Cup.
• Jamie Steed: Despite being unbeaten in their last three games, Leicester City has still conceded five goals in that time, so Marcus Rashford will likely get the nod from me. However, I might put my money where my mouth is and go all in on Mac Allister this weekend.

Finally, what's your bold prediction for this weekend's slate of games?

• Euan Leith: After a highly-charged Wednesday night clash with Man City, Arsenal needs to be on upset alert with the early kick-off versus Aston Villa. Fulham beats Brighton on the road, Nottingham Forest scores first (but loses) to Man City, and Liverpool pulls off the double against Newcastle.
• Jamie Steed: All the fun comes on Sunday with Manchester United and Leicester combining for five or more goals, followed by West Ham further putting pressure on Antonio Conte by taking something from Tottenham.

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!