Home » Fantasy Football Tips Wildcard Checklist For Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 4 Wildcard Checklist For Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 4

As the news of Aguero’s three-match suspension filtered through, wildcard activations were triggered around the globe. The International break is in full flow, which means injuries, fatigue, price changes and of course a Snodgrass hattrick!

NaturalFootyFan has taken the time to run through a Wildcard Checklist For Fantasy Premier Gameweek 4. Providing his insight on The Essentials, Defensive Coverage and Fixture Friendly Clubs, hopefully this will help you select the best wildcard squad you possibly can.

Just a heads up before we begin. Not every club is mentioned in this piece, just the bare necessities in which to construct your squad around when playing your wildcard, or else it would have been 10,000+ words.

The Essentials

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11.8m) and Eden Hazard (10.2m) are, in our opinion, the only must-have players at this time. So when activating your wildcard, the first thing you should do is select the pair, watch their value creep up and build your squad around them.

There’s not much to be said about Zlatan Ibrahimovic, he is owned by almost 60% of players, has risen by 0.3m, and can play terrible but still finish a match with a goal, bonus points and a double figure total in FPL.

Eden Hazard is the best player in the Premier League right now, it’s as simple as that – if you don’t want him in your squad you’re either trying to win the wooden spoon or else far too stubborn.

Unless you’re ranked terribly and plan to have one last shot of glory, before throwing the towel in, there is no point trying to be smart and fading either player. At the end of the day, over three million (89.6% of players) own either Hazard, Ibrahimovic or both, so it’s a case of matching your opponents and then trying to gain ground in other areas.

Defensive Coverage

WEST BROM

The first team which comes to mind when someone says ‘clean sheet’ is West Brom. Tony Pulis’ career revolves around them, so you cannot go wrong with backing his goalkeeper or defenders. The Baggies have already secured two clean sheets this season, and with some attractive fixtures on the horizon they look good for a few more in the near future.

Regularly lining up with four centre-halves across the backline, with the exception of new addition Brendan Galloway, West Brom are absolutely solid at defending inside their own box with an aerial presence which dwarfs the majority of Premier League sides. It’s definitely not pretty, but when did Pulis ever give a damn about that!

His sides are brutal, but you can’t deny their effectiveness – every player is willing to put their neck on the line to hold onto a goalless draw. This is a rare occurrence, but we encourage you to take advantage of it.

Goalkeeper Ben Foster (4.6m) has already earned a price boost with 18 points in three matches, 36-year-old Gareth McAuley (4.6m) is still going strong with more goals than Kevin De Bruyne this season, while Man United reject Jonny Evans (4.5m) is another affordable route into the stubborn West Brom defence.

Every year we’re surprised that Tony Pulis coached goalkeepers and defenders are so inexpensive, so we will continue to recommend them again and again.

MAN UNITED

Jose Mourinho is another master of grinding out results and we wouldn’t be surprised if his side did just that verus an Aguero-less Man City squad in gameweek 4.

The Portuguese manager has had the best games to clean sheet ratio in England’s top flight for years, trumping the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Mancini and Rafa Benitez.

Antonio Valencia (5.5m) and Luke Shaw (5.6m) have emerged as first choice picks for United and FPL managers with an enticing mix of defensive and attacking outputs.

The former picked up assists for fun during pre-season, but has had to settle with two clean sheets and three bonus points in 270 minutes of action, while the latter has already managed to grab an assist, plus a couple of bonus points.

Another interesting pick is Eric Bailly (5.5m). It’s clear to see that his action-packed style of play is well suited to the bonus points system. However, the Ivory Coast International is rash in the challenge and very lucky to get away without a booking in all three of his Premier League matches for his new club.

David De Gea (5.5m) is a solid choice, but at 5.5m, we feel that Foster at 4.5m or a cheap rotation is more budget friendly… combined with a United defender of course. Although, doubling up the Spanish shot-stopper with one of Valencia or Shaw could have huge upsides, despite being a risky strategy.

Fixture Friendly Clubs

There are a three top clubs that in contrast to the likes of Manchester United (Ibrahimovic and GK/DEF) are not tied down by must-have players, but standout for us in terms of form, fixture difficulty and attacking/defensive potential from gameweek 4 onwards.

Everton, Arsenal and Tottenham are the clubs in question and should be seriously considered when making your final wildcard selections. Here’s our breakdown of each:

EVERTON

Fixtures: SUN (a), MID (H), BOU (a), CRY (H), MCI (a), BUR (a), WHM (H)

With Ronald Koeman in charge, Everton look the real deal having rediscovered the spark that first took hold of them in Roberto Martinez’s’ first season in charge. A new manager and a boost in morale/motivation often come hand-in-hand, however, we feel Koeman can prolong this upbeat approach for years to come.

In terms of FPL, this can only be a positive. The Toffee’s defence has tightened up, their midfield looks more organised and their forward line has been given more licence to attack. Combine this with their favourable fixtures and you’re onto a winner.

New faces in all areas have given the squad and fans a boost. Stekelenburg and Williams add to the spine of the team, offering vast amounts of experience to help steady the ship at the back. Idrissa Gueye injects much needed energy to the midfield in a similar style to Kante. Elsewhere, Yannick Bolasie finally has the chance to make a name for himself, with more freedom than he was used to at Crystal Palace, not to mention better suppliers.

Of the new signings, Ashley Williams (5m) and Yannick Bolasie (6m) are the best options for your Fantasy Premier League team. The former is a bonus-points magnet, bagging 24 last season and will contribute offensively from time-to-time with two goals and an assist in 2015/16.

Bolasie is one of the most frustrating players in FPL, with inconsistent returns since he stepped foot in England’s top flight. Nevertheless, at 6m and playing for a better side, more chances will fall his way, which means a higher chance of converting some of them. On his day, Bolasie is unplayable and with those fixtures, you’d like to think that he’ll enter a purple patch.

FPL regulars Ross Barkley (7.7m) and Leighton Baines (5.5m) are both worth considering for Everton coverage. Barkley has already seen his value increase by 0.2m with a goal, an assist and three bonus-points over the first three gameweeks. Gueye’s arrival has been a blessing for the Englishman – he shields the back four allowing Barkley to push-on behind the centre-forward, however the Senegalese International is best ignored for Fantasy Football purposes.

One player who cannot be ignored, but is very hot and cold in Fantasy Premier League, is Romelu Lukaku (9m). The majority of FPL players will curse the Belgian for his double-gameweek antics last season, but it’s worth remembering that he still had his most productive season to date with 18 goals and seven assists.

The striker recently accepted that he isn’t up to full fitness yet, but said “as soon as I’m fit the goals will come”. He’s done just about everything, but find the net in his 143 minutes of action, creating a chance every 30 minutes and making 17 penalty box touches – the same as Negredo despite playing 130 minutes less.

A big talking point was the moment Leighton Baines stepped up to take Everton’s penalty last week, there was a collective groan from Lukaku owners, although when he saw his initial effort saved, it was owners of the Englishman who had their heads in their hands. So will Baines continue as the designated penalty taker?

We are relatively confident that Baines will continue as first choice after Lukaku missed two of his last three spot kicks at Goodison Park, but if you are desperate for a penalty taker, which is becoming a popular strategy with the new and strict infringement rules (16 penalties awarded already this season) you will need both Baines and Lukaku for 100% peace of mind.

ARSENAL

Fixtures: SOU (H), HUL (a), CHE (H), BUR (a), SWA (H), MID (H), SUN (a)

After a stuttering start to the 2015/16 campaign, Arsenal successfully swung the tide during gameweek 3. With disgruntled fans calling for Wenger’s head, The Gunners, right on cue, fired three goals past Watford in an emphatic first-half display at Vicarage Road.

The usual suspects, Alexis Sanchez (10.9m) and Mesut Ozil (9.5m) were in the thick of it. The little Chilean contributed with a goal and assist for the second time in two matches versus Watford, while the German playmaker marked his return with a well taken header. It’s not often you see Ozil making surging runs between opposition centre-halfs, but a great addition to his already dangerous armoury.

Barring injuries or drastic drop in form, it’s realistic to say that Sanchez and Ozil can fill a slot in your midfield for the rest of the season, which is why it’s so important to get one of them on your side when using your wildcard. If you don’t their price will increase and you will have to do major surgery on your squad to make room for them at a later date.

As we mentioned above, moving forward without one of these players could be disastrous. Over the next seven gameweeks Arsenal face all three of the newly promoted clubs, along with home encounters versus out-of-form Swansea (14th) and Southampton (15th). There’s a case in which Ozil and Sanchez are fixture proof, but nevertheless, this attractive schedule just improves their FPL potential.

Another midfielder worth considering is Santi Cazorla (7.5m). The Spaniard is lighter on the bank than his companions and obviously the differential option in Arsenal’s midfield. He is also the designated penalty taker, with a 100% conversion rate (6 out of 6) in the 2014/15 season.

You get a lot for 7.5m, but the fact he plays in a deeper role alongside Granit Xhaka is a big downside. Where Ozil’s final ball is likely to be an assist, Cazorla’s will be the assist of the assist. Very similar to David Silva pulling the strings at City but more often than not outshadowed in terms of FPL output by Kevin De Bruyne.

New signing Lucas Perez (8.5m) is an exciting prospect, but will take a while to settle in. He scored 19 goals and made 10 assists for Deportivo La Coruna last season which is impressive due to a limited supply line from a club who finished near the bottom of La Liga.

At Arsenal, Perez will see a lot more chances fall his way and being a pacey forward with a similar style to Vardy, Ozil’s FPL potential has also increased. To begin with he’ll likely be utilised as an inverted right-winger, supporting Giroud, but having been handed the ‘number 9’ shirt and the fact Wenger rates him as a striker, he might become the first choice CF. He’s definitely a player to keep on your watch list, in the same price bracket as Lukaku and Costa.

Moving swiftly onto the defence and another new addition caught our eye… that was until his price was announced. Germany International Shkodran Mustafi (6.0m) completed his move to Arsenal and comes in at the same value as Koscielny and Monreal. However, despite the 24-year-olds’ aerial presence and consistency, we feel it’s worth coughing up the extra 0.5m for Hector Bellerin (6.5m).

The rapid right-back chipped in with a goal and five assists during the 2015/16 Premier League campaign and seems to be continuing suit this season, with a key pass and an average of three attempted dribbles per game.

TOTTENHAM

Fixtures: STO (a), SUN (H), MID (a), MCI (H), WBA (a), BOU (a), LEI (H)

Despite momentarily losing their mind and spending 30 million on Moussa Sissoko, Tottenham are always worth turning to for goals and clean sheets. Just like their London rivals Arsenal, they’ve had a slow start to the season and will look to kick on in the coming months.

The one-season wonder… two-season wonder… can he do it again? Let’s talk Harry Kane (10.9m). With such a high price tag, you’d expect a lot more than nine points from the striker at this stage of the season.

Though if last season is anything to go by, the misfiring Englishman is about to turn the tables. Kane is notorious for being a slow starter in the Premier League, having never scored in the month of August. However, he found the net eleven times in just fifteen matches from September up until the New Year last season.

The fact Tottenham travel to The Britannia to face Stoke in gameweek 4 is another positive for Kane’s inclusion after he hit a brace in this fixture last season. Followed by Sunderland (H) and Middlesbrough (a), we expect Spurs to dominate both and Kane to be at the forefront.

This is all dependent on Pochettino’s decision to restore his number nine, in the ‘number nine role’. The emergence of Vincent Janssen (7.9m) has had a negative effect on Kane’s FPL presence, with last seasons top-scorer handed a more withdrawn role. Everyone knows that Harry Kane isn’t the most creative of players and we’re confident that Pochettino will have picked up on that as well.

Elsewhere in the attacking line, Lamela, Eriksen and Alli complete the range of attacking midfielders. Erik Lamela (7.1m) features for Argentina tomorrow night, so there’s a chance he’ll be rested for gameweek 4, with new signing Sissoko vying for his debut – but having impressed early on, Pochettino will be desperate to get him back, fit and into the starting XI.

Christian Eriksen (8.4m) seems nailed-on, no matter how he performs, and provides assist potential from set-piece situations. The Dane is a very unpredictable FPL player and despite racking up 16 assists last season, it’s hard to to get the timing of his investment just right.

Dele Alli (8.4m) is slightly more predictable in that the majority of his returns came against the clubs situated at mid-table and below last season. With relatively easy fixtures on paper, we can see the youngster playing a fundamental part in Tottenham’s resurgence. Stoke are the first obstacle, and just like Kane, Alli scored a brace against them in this fixture last season.

In defence, Toby Alderweireld (6.5m) is your best option, although he’s also the most expensive. The ball-playing centre-back is not only a bonus points magnet (16 last season), but also a huge aerial threat with four goals during the 2015/16 Premier League campaign. If you have the funds, then go ahead and treat yourself.

A cheaper alternative, but nevertheless an excellent choice, is Kyle Walker (5.6m). The right-back loves to bomb forward and join attacks, as highlighted with an assist and three bonus points already. Walker’s drop-down price means he has a higher ownership (21.3%) than Alderweireld and Rose.

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