Weekly Wildcards: Gameweek Twenty-Two

Every week The Hype Train analyses the best wildcard options for your Fantasy Premier League teams. Historically weekly dream team’s comprise of mostly wildcard players whose selection falls under 5% of overall players, to which there is no doubt that their influence cannot be ignored. With such an abundance of points coming from the FPL’s hidden gems The Hype Train selects one player from each match in the upcoming gameweek to decide who could be the differential for your teams.

LAST WEEKS PERFORMANCE (GW 21)

Tragic is one word that can be used to describe this week’s performance, gameweek twenty one had thrown lots of surprises but only one of them in our wildcard picks. Nicolas Otamendi who is Manchester City’s FPL token wildcard had to eventually score more points if we kept selecting him, and he did that against Everton. Elsewhere it was just disaster after disaster for the wildcards, players injured, players benched, players not getting into the starting elevens, and also the wildcard king Troy Deeney had a quiet game. Better weeks will come; the wrath of the FPL gods was felt this week. It does show one thing…always trust in the top four to get more consistent results.

Jordan Ayew: 2pts

Andy Carroll: 1pt Rob Elliot: 1pt

Oscar: 2pts Nicolas Otamendi: 6pts

Troy Deeney: 1pt Ryan Shawcross: 2pts Neil Taylor: 0pts Tiago Ilori: 0pts Christian Eriksen: 3pts

Gameweek 21 Average Points: 35pts Gameweek 21 Wildcard Points: 22pts

TEAM OF THE WEEK WILDCARDS

In such a low scoring week for most players you can bank on it that the forces that be had their way with the wildcards, and this was exactly the case. Eight out of eleven players in this week’s dream team were occupied by the unpopular crowd. The thing about this week is that there are some legit FPL options; the likes of Defoe and van Aanholt from Sunderland are always in the minds of FPL managers, as is the case with Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino. Fear of mediocre performances drives away legitimate interest, but this week many familiar faces to the FPL came to haunt managers.

You also know it is a bad week in the FPL when Wayne Rooney is the second best player, after a convincing performance against Newcastle the England captain has been hot and cold all season, the perfect example of the chaos that is this Premier League season. One surprising non-wildcard is Southampton’s Targett who had a good run in earlier this season; his cheap price makes him an option for the price conscious but risks rotation with Ryan Bertrand. Defoe was the champion of this week’s wildcards, a testament to his striking and poaching abilities. Sunderland appears to be worth their money to stay up if he continues scoring at the rate he has been.

Wildcards: Lescott, Huth, Fuchs, van Aanholt, Firmino, Afellay, Defoe, Valencia (8)

Non Wildcards: Howard, Targett, Rooney (3)

Points achieved by Wildcards: 106pts

Points achieved by Non-Wildcards: 36pts

THIS WEEKS WILDCARDS

For Gameweek Twenty-Two we are once again selecting ten wildcards, one for each game. Same rules apply: the players we choose must not be selected by more than five percent of the games players. We start in order of the games listed on the official Fantasy Premier League site.

The wildcard options selection percentage is accurate as of Friday 15/01/2016.

JERMAINE DEFOE, SPURS VS SUNDERLAND

Name: Jermaine Defoe

Club: Sunderland

Position: Forward Price: £5.1mil Ownership: 2.5%

Reunions can be bittersweet, particularly because Jermaine Defoe should have never been sold by Spurs. After leaving the MLS, becoming one the best league players, he is visiting White Hart Lane one more time but this time against his former employer. After scoring five goals in his last two games the Spurs collective are being reminded about the player they let go, and the threat they now have coming their way. Sunderland looks hell bent on ensuring their survival ahead of rivals Newcastle, and should anyone be amongst their goals it will be the former Spur on familiar territory.

Last Three 19 – LIV (H) – 2pts

20 – AVL (H) – 13pts

21 – SWA (A) – 17pts Next Three

21 – TOT (A) – 16th January, 12:45pm

22 – BOU (H) – 23rd January, 15:00pm

23 – MCI (H) – 2nd February, 19:45pm

BENIK AFOBE, BOURNEMOUTH VS NORWICH

Name: Benik Afobe

Club: Bournemouth

Position: Forward Price: £6.1mil Ownership: 0.1%

The former Arsenal player is now on new pastures after signing for the Cherries from Wolves, now his first taste of the Premier League has come to a close he can get rid of the nervous jitters and get to work on scoring his debut goals in the league. Norwich is not convincing defensively and Bournemouth will be looking for a good home response from their loss against West Ham and this will be the perfect platform. Eddie Howe spoke about the tension of spending this much money on a player, nine million was spent to bring Afobe to the club and that comes with high expectations, some of which he can start to repay at the weekend. Three promising fixtures on the horizon means you wouldn’t need to rotate either, which is always nice.

Last Three

21 – WHU (H) – 2pts Next Three

21 – NOR (H) – 16th January, 15:00pm

22 – SUN (A) – 23rd January, 15:00pm

23 – CRY (A) – 2nd February, 20:00pm

GERARD DEULOFEU, CHELSEA VS EVERTON

Name: Gerard Deulofeu

Club: Everton

Position: Midfielder Price: £6.2mil Ownership: 2.5%

Goals are assured in this fixture and there is only one player for Everton that can seemingly make the Toffees look like they are going to at least show some sort of goal threat. This man is Gerard Deulofeu who has skilled and tricked his way through the Premier League so far, he even made quite the impact against Chelsea earlier in the season and will want to repeat that kind of performance to get Everton back on track to winning ways. After drawing against Manchester City they will feel confident of being able to pick up a result against the Blues, and the most likely time to score is when the Spaniard is on the pitch, it is s safe bet, but the most likely one to reward you for your risk.

Last Three 19 – STK (H) – 6pts

20 – TOT (H) – 1pt

21 – MCI (A) – 3pts Next Three

21 – CHE (A) – 16th January, 15:00pm

22 – SWA (H) – 24th January, 13:30pm

23 – NEW (H) – 3rd February, 19:45pm

NICOLAS OTAMENDI, MANCHESTER CITY VS CRYSTAL PALACE

Name: Nicolas Otamendi

Club: Manchester City

Position: Defender Price: £6.5mil Ownership: 1.0%

By now seeing Otamendi on the wildcard list is now a formality because Manchester City has little to no other wildcards that are suitable, and in this case the Argentine is actually quite the pick. After picking up points in two of his last three outings the central defender will be looking to pick up another clean sheet against a Crystal Palace who have quite frankly fallen off the hype train since the loss of Yannick Bolasie who looks more the real deal in their absence. The Eagles lack of goal threat could be your return, and with injuries to Kompany and Mangala the best choice is Nicolas Otamendi who retains his place in the wildcards.

Last Three 19 – LEI (A) – 8pts

20 – WAT (A) – 2pts

21 – EVE (H) – 6pts Next Three

21 – CRY (H) – 16th January, 15:00pm

22 – WHU (A) – 23rd January, 17:30pm

23 – SUN (A) – 2nd February, 19:45pm

ENNER VALENCIA, NEWCASTLE VS WEST HAM

Name: Enner Valencia

Club: West Ham

Position: Forward Price: £5.8mil Ownership: 0.2%

Usually this fixture is won by the Toon, but given the circumstances then and now it is a completely different mood. West Ham have become experts at picking up points away from home, and one positive for them recently has been the return from injury for many key players, including this week’s wildcard pick Enner Valencia. After a dipping free kick and well hit volley the Ecuadorian is finding great form and will be given more opportunities now that Andy Carroll has been injured. Dimitri Payet being back in the team also boosts his chances of being on the end of a world class pass every few minutes, so even if you don’t have Payet you could still benefit from him by picking a Hammers striker to compliment his range of passing.

Last Three 19 – SOU (H) – 2pts

20 – LIV (H) – 5pts

21 – BOU (A) – 13pts Next Three

21 – NEW (A) – 16th January, 15:00pm

22 – MCI (H) – 23rd January, 17:30pm

23 – AVL (H) – 2nd February, 19:45pm

FRASER FORSTER, SOUTHAMPTON S VS WEST BROM

Name: Fraser Forster

Club: Southampton

Position: Goalkeeper Price: £4.8mil Ownership: 0.2%

One game back and the beast already kept a clean sheet, typical. Southampton’s first choice keeper has returned with a vengeance, at a surprisingly cheap price too. Forster was one of the FPL keepers of last season and if he can improve the defensive fortunes of the Saints then the giant is definitely worth considering some investment. West Brom is up next and despite their party spoiling brigade they visit a Southampton who has the rub of the green in home fixtures. Forster being back is big news and should your team be looking to drop Butland then you could consider his England teammate as a replacement.

Last Three 19 – (A) – 0pts

20 – (A) – 0pts

21 – (H) – 6pts Next Three

21 – WBA (H) – 16th January, 15:00pm

22 – MUN (A) – 23rd January, 15:00pm

23 – ARS (A) – 2nd February, 19:45pm

CHRISTIAN FUCHS, ASTON VILLA VS LEICESTER

Name: Christian Fuchs

Club: Leicester

Position: Defender Price: £4.7mil Ownership: 0.7%

Twenty six points from three consecutive fixtures is a huge achievement for any defender, and in the spite of what people have been saying about Leicester’s chances and FPL returns there has been a secret weapon from left-back. Fuchs is a bonus point magnet and if he does anything in a game usually picks up extra points along the way, fairly priced, and on set-piece duty he has real FPL value and it is a surprise why not many more people have taken the punt on the Austrian national captain. Aston Villa should be a fantastic chance to add to that tally and really stick it to the doubters the Foxes are gathering, for that alone they deserve all the success in the world.

Last Three 19 – MCI (H) – 8pts

20 – BOU (H) – 6pts

21 – TOT (A) – 12pts Next Three

21 – AVL (A) – 16th January, 17:30pm

22 – STK (H) – 23rd January, 15:00pm

23 – LIV (H) – 2nd February, 19:45pm

ROBERTO FIRMINO, LIVERPOOL VS MANCHESTER UNITED

Name: Roberto Firmino

Club: Liverpool

Position: Midfielder Price: £7.7mil Ownership: 1.5%

After a convincing display against league leaders Arsenal the Reds are looking to carry on the good form against Manchester United who themselves had played out the exact score line against Newcastle in gameweek twenty one. One player that caught the eye of the crowd and FPL managers is Roberto Firmino who started in the striker’s position ahead of Christian Benteke, scoring a poachers goal and also a superb curling effort to twice put Liverpool in front. The historic derby between these two looks set to be an explosive affair and Jürgen Klopp will be looking to use the Brazilian to crack the Red Devils defence. After a strong performance Firmino is bound to keep his place in the team and is much more affordable now and could be rising in price soon. Liverpool could have found a true goal scorer in their team with the injury to Coutinho.

Last Three 19 – SUN (A) – 3pts

20 – WHU (A) – 2pts

21 – ARS (H) – 13pts Next Three

21 – (H) – 17th January, 14:05pm

22 – (A) – 23rd January, 12:45pm

23 – (A) – 2nd February, 19:45pm

JOSELU, STOKE VS ARSENAL

Name: Joselu

Club: Stoke City

Position: Forward Price: £5.5mil Ownership: 0.0%

Stoke have a surprisingly tough run of games in their next three, Arsenal, Leicester, and Manchester United in a row. Points will be dropped by the Potters but that doesn’t mean that one of their emerging players can’t continue their purple patch of form, that man is Joselu. Every time he plays he is showing class in the Stoke attack and after his first full start he is expected to get a good run of games at the top of their attacking players. Even from the bench he is getting points and after three good returns in three weeks he comes up against Arsenal who are gunning for their first title in some years, but first they must travel to Stoke where they have struggled in the past and must stop the Spaniard who is finding a hot streak in the red and white.

Last Three 19 – EVE (A) – 5pts

20 – WBA (A) – 4pts

21 – NOR (H) – 7pts Next Three

21 – ARS (H) – 17th January, 16:15pm

22 – LEI (A) – 23rd January, 15:00pm

23 – MUN (A) – 2nd February, 20:00pm

TROY DEENEY, SWANSEA VS WATFORD

Name: Troy Deeney

Club: Watford

Position: Forward Price: £5.2mil Ownership: 4.7%

Lastly we arrive at the throne of the wildcards, the man they call Troy Deeney. The wildcard king retains his place because he is still owned by less than five percent. Swansea was decimated by Sunderland and Watford must be licking their lips ahead of a trip to South Wales. Troy Deeney is the striker partner for Odion Ighalo and gets most of his assists, so if Watford is on point then so are dynamic duo. Not much needs to be said about this fixture in all honesty, at The Hype Train we are high on the Watford attack and expect them to have a rousing success when they travel to the Liberty Stadium. Deeney is on free kicks and with two homes games after this match the run-in for Watford is looking good for them to start climbing the table again.

Last Three 19 – TOT (H) – 4pts

20 – MCI (H) – 2pts

21 – SOU (A) – 1pt Next Three

21 – SWA (A) – 18th January, 20:00pm

22 – NEW (H) – 23rd January, 20:00pm

23 – CHE (H) – 3rd February, 19:45pm

For all GW 22 build up, check out the Weekly Hype page now.

All aboard.