Fantasy Premier League

Why Gameweek 10 will be a great time to Wildcard in FPL

By The Scout 15 Oct 2023

The Scout explains why it is best to wait until after the international break to use the chip

Managers in Fantasy Premier League who still have their first Wildcard to play should consider using the chip in Gameweek 10.

This allows them to take advantage of swings in fixtures for a number of clubs, including Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United.

All three face tough away fixtures in Gameweek 9. Arsenal travel to Chelsea, while Brighton visit Manchester City and West Ham head to Aston Villa.

But in Gameweek 10, they each have very kind home matches that begin favourable schedules.

Arsenal entertain Sheffield United, Brighton host Fulham and West Ham welcome Everton to London Stadium.

By waiting another Gameweek before bringing in a host of players across those clubs, managers can have a far more effective start to their Wildcard.

Appealing options

Arsenal, Brighton and West Ham each provide strong options at both ends of the pitch in Fantasy.

Bukayo Saka (£8.5m), Martin Odegaard (£8.5m), Jarrod Bowen (£7.3m) and Kaoru Mitoma (£6.6m) all rank among the top 10 midfielders for FPL points.

Arsenal’s Ben White (£5.6m) sits just four points behind Kieran Trippier (£6.9m) in the defender standings, while Brighton’s Tariq Lamptey (£4.0m) and West Ham’s Alphonse Areola (£4.2m) are key budget options.

Go without Haaland?

Gameweek 10 is a point where managers could also decide whether Erling Haaland (£14.0m) is essential to own.

See: Is it no longer essential to own Haaland in Fantasy?

The Man City forward is at home to Brighton in Gameweek 9 and could bring in a huge captaincy haul.

But he then faces Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in four of his subsequent five fixtures.

See: FPL experts: Is it time to stop captaining Haaland?

For managers who are keen to keep Haaland and also own Saka from Gameweek 10, along with form players such as Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) and Ollie Watkins (£8.2m), here is how a Wildcard squad could look.

GW10 Wildcard squad with Haaland

However, Haaland's huge price tag in Fantasy, combined with his schedule and form - with only one double-figure haul in his last seven outings - might persuade some managers to build a more balanced squad, while also profiting from kind schedules for other clubs.

Spurs’ Son Heung-min (£9.5m), Liverpool star Salah, Aston Villa pair Watkins and Matty Cash (£5.0m), along with Newcastle United’s Trippier, all have the form and fixtures to make a major impact in Fantasy for many Gameweeks to come.