I activated the Wildcard for GW5, even though my FPL team had scored 252 points by the end of GW4, averaging 65.5 points per GW. I had a feeling that FPL this year is like how it used to be 3 – 4 seasons back, with multiple high priced options available, with some of them being ‘set and forget’ options (like RVP, Suarez, Aguero, maybe Costa as well), personally I had high focus on getting the right differentials at the right time to get ahead of the curve in that setup. This season feels similar to that and with dust settling on the transfers this season, I felt it was right time to Wildcard. The fact that my OR was 1.6M only added to it.

To be honest, Wildcard did not help in the short term with my OR still stuck at 1.6M after wildcard in GW5. I went in with the three premiums – Ronaldo, Salah, Lukaku. Idea was to use the three premiums as core of my team and also sometimes as placeholder for other premiums / semi premiums like KDB, Son, Vardy etc. I managed to get TAA and Cancelo as well, thanks to availability of cheap midfielders who are doing well. Hope that wildcard will play out well in the long term for me.

Transfer options for GW 6

After the Wildcard, I don’t have a lot of issues straight up in my team, however with the injury to Raphinha, possibility of Torres missing out in Pep roulette, there are a few things I could fix as I head into GW6. Further no West Ham against a depleted Leeds United might be a rank killer.

1. Most logical option for me could be to replace either Torres or Raphinha with either a West Ham Mid (Benhrama or Fornals) or Sarr. I am currently leaning towards Torres being as the option to take out, given Chelsea do not concede a lot, but if we get information of Raphinha not being able to start, I might as well remove him.
2. The other is a whacky choice, wherein I am considering taking Lukaku out for a week and getting Vardy in for just this GW. Although I might end up loosing 0.1M in value and will have to go for a hit if I try to get Lukaku back in the subsequent week, I feel the upside potential makes it worth it. I could even go Lukaku to Antonio, if I don’t get in any West Ham mid and then come back to Lukaku eventually.

Captaincy – A lot of social media buzz is around Ronaldo / Salah / Antonio as possibly captaincy options and I agree with them. These 3 are possibly the best captaincy options, but I currently only own Ronaldo and Salah, so it is between the two of them. I will go ahead with Ronaldo in all likelihood, given that he is more of a talisman than Salah and the latter might also end up sharing points with Jota and Mane. Also, even through Brentford haven’t played a top team so far, I reckon they are going to be solid defensively and that makes Ronaldo a better option in my mind.

Differential Options for GW 6

1. Salomón Rondón (TSB 0.2%) – At his ownership numbers, he is an ultimate differential, expected to start as a sole striker for a decent Everton team playing against Norwich, who are gifting points for fun. At 6M he might a be a great option in the short term
2. Pablo Fornals (TSB 3.4%) – Leeds seem to be extremely open in defense and West Ham have been sharp going forward, and even though West Ham might concede, they are be expected a score couple of goals and Fornals could be a great differential pick to capitalise on that
3. Jamie Vardy (TSB 11.7%) – At his ownership levels, Vardy may not exactly be a differential but he offers great upside potential to those who might be willing to captain him. Vardy is an absolute bully against relatively weaker opponents and with Burnley’s defensive record not being that great so far this season, Vardy who has got 3 goals and an assist so far already could be a solid captaincy pick as well.
4. Bukayo Saka (TSB 6.9%) – Saka had a slow start to season owning to involvement in Euros, but he seems to be back at peak match fitness. Arsenal playing against Spurs team who have a xGA of 5.48 over last 2 GWs. Further it is the NLD, where sparks could fly and multiple goals could be scored and I feel Saka could be involved in them. Also for similar reasons, Pepe could also be a great shout.

I will wait for an hour before the deadline to finalize my move to leverage any new information I am able to get before the deadline. Hope it was a good read for you, green arrows everyone!