We are in middle of chaos as multiple fixtures are being rescheduled to manage the situation with number of teams impacted by Covid. We have received confirmation that Aston Villa vs Spurs is off. However the silver lining is that it is being replaced with Spurs vs Fulham as part of GW18 itself.

As I began planning my gameweek team I had 10 players who could be considered as definite starters and 1 player who was unlikely to start or come on as a substitute. This put me in a very comfortable spot for this gameweek specially with 2 free transfers in hand.

However following announcements over last couple of days have totally turned the table:

• Aston Villa’s game against Spurs postponed (Blank for Konsa and Grealish)
• DCL’s Hamstring Injury
• Aguero’s self isolation

Post this this is how the situation looks like for my team:

Given that I potentially have just 6 players playing for me this GW, I have considered following options:

• Free Hit (11 players + Bench coverage)
• 2 Free Transfers (8 players)
• 3 Transfer for a -4 (9 players)

On paper Free Hit seems to the best choice for this Gameweek and while it might be so, I believe Free Hit can come in handy later in the season as well and I either have or can buy some of the expected big hitters for this GW.

I am also vary of taking a hit as it could turn out to be a low scoring week and -4 could have a bigger impact on reducing overall rank. Also not taking a hit gives me a better shot at progressing in the Cup game.

I will jot down some of my picks for GW 18 apart from the players I own, which are also my transfer options

Picks for GW 18

Emile Smith Rowe – Arsenal have finally hit some form, winning the last 3 PL matches and coincidently (or not) Smith Rowe has started all the 3 games of Arsenal and has 3 assists to his name. He also managed to grab a goal in the FA Cup. Lastly at 4.4M he is dirt cheap. No brainer for me if I was free hitting.

Callum Wilson – Newcastle are playing a Sheffield United team that just can’t keep a clean sheet and with many other budget forwards not available or have a blank gameweek this GW, Wilson is definitely a good option

Kevin De Bruyne – KDB is a no brainer if people don’t own him already. He is nailed on in a City team that seem to be back to its prime and have a double in the next gameweek. If you don’t have him, go grab him. And no Sterling is not a viable alternative, once bitten twice shy.

Chris Wood / Ashley Barnes – Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes are back playing together and although Burnley have been below average going forward, a game against United’s inconsistent defence followed by double gameweek

Gündoğan – Gündoğan is in rich vein of form, having started last 4 games of PL and scoring thrice. He is only priced at 5.4M, so it could be well worth a punt, specially with Guardiola talking about possibility of him playing as a false 9.

Harry Kane – Like KDB, having Kane in the team against Fulham for the blank gameweek is a straight choice, provided funds is not an issue. He is on penalties and Fulham don’t have a very tight defence.

My team for GW 18

I had decided to simple use my 2 free transfers to get a full playing 11 for BGW 18. Post the news of Aston Villa not playing this GW, DCL having an hamstring issue and Aguero having to self isolate I had three options for GW 18:

• Free Hit
• Use 2 Free Transfers to get 8 effective players
• 3 transfer for a -4 to get 9 effective players

KDB was the first player in my mind to be transferred in and Aguero’s money would partially fund it. So I need to transfer out a midfielder and with Aston Villa not playing and next GWs games not sure, I decided to take Grealish out and replace him with Wilson as an attacker. I had decided to stick to these two transfers to get a playing 8. But price rises for both KDB and Wilson meant I was short of 0.1M.

This allowed me to go for Smith-Rowe instead of Romeu for a -4. I am not too bothered by it as just by playing for 60 minutes ESR will cut that deficit into half and any return from ESR could turn it into a positive.

Best of luck for BGW 18 everyone!