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Welcome to Gameweek 24, RotoBallers! This is our third year covering FPL, and we are bringing you more coverage than ever. We publish two weekly articles: a staff roundtable preview and our weekly rankings. Then, once a month, we have our newest report, The Watchlist, a review of the previous month and a look ahead to the upcoming fixtures.
Twenty-three gameweeks down, 15 to go. Gameweek 23 set a Premier League record with 45 goals in a single slate of matches. Clean sheets are at a significant premium in FPL this season, and you can feel the shift in trying to find the most attack-minded defenders rather than those clean-sheet merchants. With the double-game week season on the horizon, Euan, Jamie, and Tom are here to ease your FPL concerns.
The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 24 deadline is 6:00 a.m. EST on Saturday, February 10, when Man City meets Everton at the Etihad. 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.
Find someone who loves you as much as @Baseball_Jimbo loves Alfie Doughty after his great call in this week’s @RotoBaller #FPL preview pic.twitter.com/lKVqx48H3y
— Euan Leith (@EuanFPL) December 27, 2023
Fantasy Premier League Staff Roundtable - Gameweek 24 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 24!
Man City is back to its Death Star-like self. Who are the top three assets from the blue side of Manchester?
- Euan Leith: The minutes concerns for Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne were put to bed with Monday night's performance against Bournemouth. Those two, plus Phil Foden, are the ideal attacking trio for City. However, it's a lot of money to invest. If you can't stretch those FPL pounds to accommodate all three, I like Josko Gvardiol or Kyle Walker in defense.
- Jamie Steed: I don’t think you can go wrong with Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, my top two. Then Phil Foden seems to be the number three, especially after his midweek hat-trick. Julio Alvarez shouldn’t be disregarded, and I still like Bernardo Silva as a contrarian. Although he likely won’t be in a more advanced role now, City has all their top assets back.
- Tom Bellucco: It will be tough for Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland to be off this list. And for now, Phil Foden is the next man up in production. He's been a consistent starter recently, and his form is as strong as ever.
One of the most in-form players in #FPL 🤫
Will you be adding Phil Foden to your side? 👀 pic.twitter.com/GoZSkhuFJ9
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) February 6, 2024
Trent Alexander-Arnold came off early in Liverpool’s loss to Arsenal. Would you buy, sell, or hold the defender with a double gameweek on the horizon?
- Euan: Trent Alexander-Arnold is neither a buy or a sell in FPL. That could be good news for the managers, like myself, who already have the electric wingback because it keeps him as a minor differential. He was forced into defensive duties on Sunday due to Conor Bradley's personal situation. Still, I expect TAA to move into midfield after Dominik Szoboszlai (hamstring) and Thiago Alcantara (muscle) return to the injury table.
- Jamie: If you have him, I’d hold. I certainly wouldn’t be buying him. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Conor Bradley is an excellent option at £4.0m as not only can he provide some attacking assistance, but he can actually defend. Against the bigger teams, Alexander-Arnold gets found out defensively too easily, but the easiest solution is moving him into midfield. I just wouldn’t be rushing out to buy him.
- Tom: With how fickle offensive production from defenders has been of late, I think we have to hold TAA for now unless we hear that he's sustained a more severe injury.
Do you believe Son Heung-min’s imminent return to the Premier League will hamper the red-hot Richarlison?
- Euan: Adding more firepower to the Spurs attack will only elevate Richarlison's performances. Yes, it may hamper his minutes, but mixing Son Heung-min back into the offense with Dejan Kulusevski, Timo Werner, James Maddison, and Brennan Johnson turns Spurs into a top-four attack in the Premier League. Richarlison has shown FPL managers how clinical he is in front of the net, and I expect him to keep his spot as the tip of the Spurs spear.
- Jamie: No, and if anything, it should help him. Tottenham has been relying on Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson to fill in for Son, and there’s no doubt they aren’t at the same level as the South Korean. While he may take some of the shine away from Richarlison, Son should be able to provide more chances for him.
- Tom: Yes. I've been waiting for Richarlison to cool down for a bit now. With Son returning and James Maddison back in the fold, there can't be enough production for Richarlison to keep this up. It's tough to sell him, but be on the lookout for that production to start to dip, and then get out while you can!
Owned by just 16.6% of #FPL managers and at a competitive £7.2m price...
What are the arguments against owning Richarlison right now? 🐦 pic.twitter.com/7FyCQ59Z1c
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) February 7, 2024
Clean sheets are scarce this season. Who is the defense to trust moving forward?
- Euan: I still believe in the Arsenal and Man City defenses. Liverpool also has impressive xGC numbers (expected Goals Conceded), but they play more freely than the Gunners or Citizens. Gabriel, William Saliba, Kyle Walker, and Josko Gvardiol are all under consideration along my backline.
- Jamie: None! The only defenses I like are the top teams. But they all have too many good attacking options to warrant rostering one or two defenders or ‘keepers. At this stage of the season, I’d look at teams’ expected goals against (xGA) and try to find an unlucky side. Or one that has some home games against the bottom sides. Other than that, good luck finding clean sheets!
- Tom: Arsenal and Everton are the two defenses that stand out to me as the most reliable in most matchups. Man City can return there quickly if they clean up a few things.
Many managers have been on the wrong side of benching headaches recently. How do you break ties when deciding who to start or sit?
- Euan: I prefer to look at expected Goal Involvment per 90 minutes and the opposition's xGC numbers over the last six gameweeks. It doesn't always work out, but I can sleep easy at night knowing I have the correct process. Give me a player with a 0.75 xGI/90 against a bottom-five defense any day of the week, and let the chips fall where they may.
- Jamie: I don’t think I’m the best person to ask, given I benched Matheus Cunha and Jarrad Branthwaite last week. I try to use my game prediction article each week to see things like the game script, expected goals, etc. That gives me a basis to work on from an attacking sense. But I also look at the entire squad, and if I’m expecting a low-scoring week, I’d be a bit bolder and look at starting a lesser-rostered player or two. Hopefully, they hit, giving me a more significant advantage in my mini-leagues.
- Tom: When in doubt, find the match likely to produce the most fireworks. Then, find the players who will find the most opportunities in the offensive half AND play as close to 90 minutes as possible. Usually, if I stick to that plan, I land in the right ballpark when it comes to predicting the most offensive production.
How many points did you leave on your bench in Gameweek 23? 😬#FPL pic.twitter.com/eKzO7M6SkC
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) February 6, 2024
Who is keeping a clean sheet in Gameweek 24?
- Euan: Luton has a double gameweek in 25 and 28, and you may want to bring in Thomas Kaminski a week early for the Hatters. They play Sheffield United at home in Gameweek 24, which is shaping up to be the fixture of the year for defenses playing at home.
- Jamie: Last week, I said Newcastle, so I can’t be any more wrong this week. This week, I’m backing the team that made me look stupid: Luton Town. I pick them to get something every home game, given they’ve not been beaten by more than one goal at home. That includes games against the current top three. They now face a Sheffield United side that’s the league's lowest scorers (seven) away from home and has the lowest xG (6.3) on their travels.
- Tom: Man City and Liverpool are the easy answers at home against weak attacks. However, Crystal Palace at home against Chelsea could also be a sneaky clean-sheet opportunity on Monday night.
What defensive player is providing attacking returns?
- Euan: If Conor Bradley returns to the starting XI for Liverpool, I'm backing the Northern Irishman to come through. The youngster had a goal and two assists in his last start versus Chelsea. His performances are almost forcing Liverpool's hand to start playing Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield more often than not. Burnley has the second-worst expected Goals (9.0) away from home this year, so Bradley could also bag a clean sheet.
- Jamie: It feels like my fantasy darling Alfie Doughty will pop up with another assist. I’ve already mentioned Sheffield United’s miserable attacking record in away games, and their defense isn’t any better. The 28 away goals conceded are the most in the league, and no team in the history of the EPL has conceded more after 23 games (59 goals). Doughty scored in the reverse fixture and has four assists in the four games since then.
- Tom: It's becoming increasingly difficult to go away from Kieran Trippier. His form has returned, and Newcastle will look to him to spark some offense again at Forest, with injuries ravaging their midfield and attacking players.
Six returns in a row, and a Double Gameweek 25 coming up 👀
Is Alfie Doughty going under the radar as a points-scoring defensive option?#FPL pic.twitter.com/dzUyOWB5BL
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) February 7, 2024
Who's a midfielder or forward rostered on less than 10 percent of teams that will grab us those FPL points?
- Euan: After four attacking returns in five gameweeks, I'm backing Luis Diaz (7.8 percent) to continue his fine form. The Colombian winger has a goal and three assists in his last handful of Premier League games and has a tempting fixture versus Burnley. With Mohamed Salah (hamstring) expected to be out at least another gameweek, Diaz is a perfect pick to bring in for this tasty fixture against the Clarets and then a double gameweek versus Brentford and Luton.
- Jamie: Taiwo Awoniyi (1.4 percent) had three goals and two assists in the opening five games of the season. Soon after, he got injured, returned, scored, then got injured again. He’s back, has five goals and two assists this season (nine starts), and now faces a Newcastle team that has conceded 15 goals in their last five EPL games. Chris Wood scored three of those goals in Gameweek 19, but with him out injured, Awoniyi will fancy his chances of finding the net against the Geordies.
- Tom: Leon Bailey has looked electric for Aston Villa in short spurts of late. I feel he gets more minutes in a big matchup against Manchester United this weekend. I'll take a shot on him at 3.5 percent rostered.
Who is one player you want but can’t have for the Gameweek 24 fixtures in Fantasy Premier League?
- Euan: Kieran Trippier returned to his old self versus Luton last week with a goal and an assist. With Liverpool blanking in Gameweek 26 and potentially Gameweek 29, Trippier will be a popular pivot from Trent Alexander-Arnold in the coming weeks. I would like to get ahead of that curve, but I'm focusing my transfer on grabbing another player with two fixtures in Double Gameweek 25.
- Jamie: There are so many good attacking options right now, and as much as I want to bring in Dominic Solanke, Bournemouth’s two games after this week aren’t very favorable (although Newcastle away isn’t the daunting task it was earlier this season). I can’t justify bringing him in knowing he’ll likely be outscored by my existing options in the following weeks so I’m resisting buying him now and instead saving my extra transfer for the upcoming double gameweeks.
- Tom: Alexander Isak looked phenomenal before a knock took him out of a few recent contests. He's likely to return this week, but how many minutes he gets is in question. I must wait a week before inserting him back into the starting lineup.
Will Dominic Solanke or Elijah Adebayo earn a spot in your #FPL team after the Double Gameweek 28 announcement?
The Scout looks into their numbers so far this season 👇
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) February 7, 2024
Who’s getting the Captain’s armband?
- Euan: If Erling Haaland is healthy, he's getting the armband. This will be his third game since returning from injury, and the Norwegian will be ready to return to his goal-scoring ways. He provided the final assist for Phil Foden's hat-trick against Brentford on Monday, and he will be looking for that favor to be returned against Everton in Saturday's early kickoff.
- Jamie: While Erling Haaland continues to find his feet, I’m leaning into Kevin De Bruyne. Man City should have no problem beating Everton at home, and he’s a candidate for the midfielder trifecta (goal, assist, and clean sheet). I like Matheus Cunha, but after benching him last week when he scored a hat trick, he’ll get sent off if I captain him this week.
- Tom: Diogo Jota at home against Burnley without Mo Salah is another fantastic spot for the Liverpool midfielder. I'll take a shot with him this week.
Finally, what’s your bold prediction for Gameweek 24?
- Euan: A struggling West Ham puts another dent in Arsenal's title challenge and completes the double versus their London rivals this season. Wolves build off its win against Chelsea to down Brentford and move above a frustrated Newcastle that draws on the road versus Nottingham Forest.
- Jamie: Tottenham and Brighton combine for six goals, with five different players getting on the scoresheet. Manchester United fan's hopes for a revival don’t last long as Ollie Watkins bags a brace en route to a comfortable Villa win. And Alexis Mac Allister has his best game in a Liverpool shirt, firing in his second goal of the season as Liverpool bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing defeat.
- Tom: After a barrage of goals last weekend, these matchups have me thinking we'll have a lower-scoring week. I predict at least three clean sheets and only three matches over 3 goals. Finding those teams that score two-plus goals will be crucial to success this week!
Is there a question you would like to have answered every week? Hit us up on X @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
