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Welcome to Gameweek 26, 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-five gameweeks down, 13 to go. Fresh off a Double Gameweek that saw two of the top three have a pair of fixtures, we now get just eight games. Chelsea and Liverpool face off in the League Cup final, so their games against Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town (respectively) won't take place this weekend. That certainly leaves a significant hole in our FPL lineups.
The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 26 deadline is 8:30 a.m. EST on Saturday, February 24, when four games kick off the weekend action. 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.
I seldom play #EPL #DFS. But when I do, I make sure I check out my @RotoBaller buddies @EuanFPL and @df_solutions
before creating my lineup https://t.co/rmQTeGmSRg pic.twitter.com/b0xGTcSxp4— Jamie Steed (@Baseball_Jimbo) February 10, 2024
Fantasy Premier League Staff Roundtable - Gameweek 26 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 26!
With four teams not playing in Gameweek 26, are you more likely to take a zero at a position or take a minus to ensure you have a full team?
- Euan Leith: I’m fine getting rid of Liverpool assets this week. They blank this weekend, play Man City in Gameweek 28, and probably blank in Gameweek 29. I’ll take hits to get them out of my squad and bring in players from teams with a fixture this week and Gameweek 29.
- Jamie Steed: It's dependent on the position I'd be taking a blank in. Given how much more difficult it would be to overcome the minus-four points, I'd be fine taking a zero at the goalkeeper or defender positions. If you take a hit for a midfielder or forward, you still need to factor in the upcoming weeks so you're not trying to replace and tinker with the team more in Gameweeks 27 and 28.
Rasmus Højlund has seven goals and two assists in his last six games. How many forwards would you rather roster than the Danish marksman?
- Euan: Erling Haaland, Ollie Watkins, Dominic Solanke, and Ivan Toney would be ahead of Rasmus Højlund heading into Gameweek 26. Darwin Nunez is also close, but his unknown injury status and rotation risk probably knock him out of the top five.
- Jamie: Erling Haaland and Ollie Watkins are the only two I would definitely take over Højlund. Injuries to João Pedro and Matheus Cunha have left the cheap forward option pool a bit thin. Paying down in midfield and going with Højlund to partner Haaland and Watkins seems optimal. I would probably wait until Gameweek 28 to bring in Højlund given he faces Manchester City next weekend.
- Tom: There can't be many! The obvious ones are up top (Erling Haaland and Ollie Watkins). An argument could still be made for someone like Ivan Toney based solely on his past track record along with a few dealing with injury. That being said, Højlund is quickly becoming a star and approaching must-play status.
Rasmus Hojlund leads the way among forwards over the last seven Gameweeks 🔥#FPL pic.twitter.com/oanN47wVPw
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) February 19, 2024
Erling Haaland and Mo Salah had differing weekends. If you could only roster one, who do you prefer for the remainder of the season?
- Euan: As a Liverpool fan, it hurts to answer this question. However, with City on the verge of history (five league titles in a row), I expect Harland to go nuclear. Liverpool is battling on four fronts right now and Salah is coming off a lengthy absence. I’m sure I’ll roster both at some point this season, but if I had to choose one, it would be Haaland.
- Jamie: With both teams fighting on multiple fronts, I feel like Salah will be used more sparingly in the cup competitions. That should keep him fresher for the EPL fixtures. Although Salah averages more points per game, I would normally have opted for Haaland as my preference given the number of excellent midfield options available. However, the emergence of so many viable forwards makes me now lean toward Salah.
- Tom: When factoring in the upside/consistency combination, I put Haaland slightly above Salah for the remainder of this year. Even in matches where City struggles in the first half, Haaland seems to find his way home. If he can stay healthy, he's the most valuable asset in the game.
- Euan: I’ve doubled up on the Arsenal defense with William Saliba and Gabriel as they offer attacking returns but play for the best defense in the league. Outside of that, I'm looking for cheap attacking defenders like Alfie Doughty and Conor Bradley after their blanks this weekend.
- Jamie: Given I generally will only play three defenders, I pair one with my goalkeeper to double-up any clean sheet. Then will focus more on who can provide an attacking return. I opt for one premium defender (Kieran Trippier, for example) with more of a budget option (like Alfie Doughty). Then I round out my defense with one discount player who I will seldom start to give me more financial flexibility.
- Tom: I've found success focusing mostly on the offensive return that a defender can provide. Then if they do get themselves a clean sheet, it's more of a bonus than anything. Relying on that clean sheet can be heartbreaking. If I do play a player for defensive reasons, I'm doing it in a home match against a poor offense.
Following the conclusions of the Asian Cup and African Cup of Nations, are there any participants you have an eye on that you weren’t before the tournaments?
- Euan: Simon Adingra for Brighton leaps off the scoresheet. The Ivorian midfielder won AFCON and bagged two goals for the Seagulls versus Sheffield United in Gameweek 25. With FPL managers looking to get Salah back in their squads, Adingra’s price tag (£5.0m) and roster rate (0.5%) make him a tempting option.
- Jamie: Simon Adingra was a player I have had on my watchlist for some time. He didn't feature much for Côte d'Ivoire but provided the two assists in the final to help them lift the trophy. Adingra then scored twice on his return to the EPL. Brighton has three nice matchups coming up, but their schedule from Gameweek 29 is considerably more difficult. At £5.0m, Adingra has moved up the pecking order on my watchlist.
- Tom: Mohammed Kudus is a player I will continue to keep my eye on, especially if Jared Bowen goes down with an injury. His offensive upside is very intriguing for a West Ham squad that needs it.
👏 Simon Adingra returned from international duty in style this weekend!
👀 Is the @OfficialBHAFC attacker in your plans for Gameweek 26?#UltimateFan | #PremierLeague | 18+ pic.twitter.com/FtPO4lyut5
— UltimateFan (@UltimateFanUK) February 19, 2024
Who is keeping a clean sheet in Gameweek 26?
- Euan: Wolves get a lot of attention on the attacking end of the pitch with their FPL assets, but this week their defense should receive some love. They’ve been a mixed bag at home this year, but have two clean sheets in the last six. Plus, Sheffield United goes to Molineux with the fewest away goals (10) in the league.
- Jamie: Brighton looks like the best option. They face an Everton team that has failed to score in each of their last three away games and only scored three goals in their last six EPL games. Brighton only has one home clean sheet this season, in Gameweek 21. But they have only conceded one goal in five of their previous seven EPL games at Amex Stadium. I'd take a punt on the Seagulls.
- Tom: Give me three this week!! Aston Villa at home against Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace at home against Burnley, and Wolves at home against Sheffield Utd.
What defensive player is providing attacking returns?
- Euan: Alex Moreno has been inconsistent since his return to the Aston Villa starting XI, but still has plenty of upside. That was evident on his 14-point haul versus Sheffield United in Gameweek 23 when the fullback had a goal, a clean sheet, and two bonus points.
- Jamie: With limited options this week, I'm going a little outside the box. Crystal Palace hosts a Burnley team that's conceded more goals from corners (nine) than any other side. They concede on average the fifth-most corners per game (6.24), so Joachim Andersen is my pick. He's got two goals and two assists this season and maybe a new manager will unlock some more set-piece creativity for the Eagles.
- Tom: The options are bleak this week. I'm going to go with Antonee Robinson of Fulham. They'll need to push forward a bit to keep up with an offense in Man United that's finding good production of late. Robinson consistently plays the full match and has been putting productive balls in the area of late, leading to two assists in his last three appearances.
Who's a midfielder or forward rostered on less than 10 percent of teams that will grab us those FPL points?
- Euan: I’m cheating as he’s currently 10.7% rostered, but we need to give some love to Rasmus Højlund. Double and Blank Gameweeks sometimes blind FPL managers from a good asset under their noses. As the question stated earlier, he’s got eight attacking returns in the last five games. He faces Fulham, Everton, and Sheffield United in three of his next four fixtures.
- Jamie: Leandro Trossard (2.1% TSB%) has been leading the line for Arsenal while Gabriel Jesus has been sidelined. He's only started three of Arsenal's last five EPL games but has four goals and an assist in that spell. Newcastle's conceded 19 goals in their last seven EPL games and two or more in six of them. Trossard makes a fine option this weekend.
- Tom: I'll get a little crazy with Harvey Barnes. The Magpies will continue to need offensive production from somewhere while Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak are on the shelf. Barnes will find himself in good areas for Newcastle and should be approaching 90 minutes here soon.
Leandro Trossard has started at CF 9 times for Arsenal now.
In those games Arsenal have won 7, drawn 2 and lost 0; scoring 27 and conceding just 5. Trossard personally has 4 goals & 6 assists.
I don’t want to see him dropped. pic.twitter.com/q3hI4mBSY3
— James. (@afcjxmes) February 21, 2024
Who is one player you want but can’t have for the Gameweek 26 fixtures in Fantasy Premier League?
- Euan: I’m stuck with the time-old FPL question of long-term planning versus short-term gain. It comes down to Dominic Solanke versus Ivan Toney. Toney has a fixture this weekend and Blank Gameweek 29. Big Dom has two fixtures in Gameweek 28, but likely blanks in Gameweek 29. I’ll grab one and I’m sure the other will score a brace this weekend.
- Jamie: Having used both free transfers for Gameweek 25, I want to keep this week's in my back pocket. That will give me more options to navigate Gameweek 29 (when the FA Cup quarterfinals take place). That also means I won't be bringing in the aforementioned Adingra for this week's juicy matchup and the two subsequent weeks.
- Tom: Luis Diaz looked fantastic on Wednesday afternoon. It's a tough time for him to have a Gameweek off, but I'll be looking for chances to bring him into the squad again in the near future with Diogo Jota out of the mix.
Who’s getting the Captain’s armband?
- Euan: Bukayo Saka has 49 points over the last four weeks and it feels like a great chance to go against Erling Haaland. Newcastle concedes goals and chances for fun, and Arsenal has bagged 21 goals in the last five games.
- Jamie: For the same reason Trossard makes an interesting option this week, Bukayo Saka is my captain option. Back-to-back braces have taken his season tally to 12 goals (and eight assists) with six goals coming in Arsenal's last four games. The Gunners' goal-scoring exploits won't continue at their recent rate (21 goals in five games), but I'll back Saka to conjure up another goal involvement this weekend.
- Tom: Don't get cute... It's Erling Haaland until further notice, especially with this matchup.
Highest rated players in the Premier League this season:
◎ 7.68 - Bukayo Saka
◎ 7.57 - Rodri
◎ 7.48 - Mohamed Salah
◎ 7.48 - Erling Haaland
◎ 7.45 - James MaddisonArsenal's starboy leading the way! 🌶️ pic.twitter.com/TXz9Pb1b6q
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) February 20, 2024
Finally, what’s your bold prediction for Gameweek 26?
- Euan: We will see a mass exodus of Liverpool players from FPL teams with several Anfield assets dropping in price by Saturday’s deadline. On the field, I reckon Arsenal continues its phenomenal form and beats Newcastle by three goals. Also, Brentford gets a crucial road win and continues to pile the pressure on David Moyes and West Ham.
- Jamie: Rodrigo Muniz and Callum Hudson-Odoi both score for a fourth consecutive game. They, in turn, help Fulham (away at Manchester United) and Nottingham Forest (away at Aston Villa) avoid defeats in their respective games. Despite there only being eight EPL games, we still see a total of 28 goals (3.5 per game average) across the weekend.
- Tom: Villa finds their form again, beating Forest by three or four goals. Newcastle gives Arsenal a wake-up call and steals a point at the Emirates. There's your fun parlay for the 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!
