With Fantasy Premier League managers facing several difficult decisions on who to buy, keep or sell ahead of the Gameweek 17 deadline on Saturday 21 December at 11:00 GMT, some of the world's top Fantasy managers offer their advice.
Erling Haaland (Man City) £14.9m
Mark McGettigan (@FPLGeneral): The Norwegian has averaged just 3.5 points per game over the last 10 Gameweeks. The £14.9m that it costs to buy Haaland can be better spent elsewhere. We don't need him as a captaincy option when the likes of Mohamed Salah (£13.4m), Cole Palmer (£11.2m) and Bukayo Saka (£10.6m) are so reliable.
Verdict: Sell
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) £10.6m
Oscar (@FPLFocal): Saka is a straightforward keep in my view, despite his three consecutive blanks. He's fourth for Expected Goal Involvements (xGI) among all players this season, after Palmer, Salah and Haaland, and he has some great fixtures on the horizon. He'll start delivering again soon!
Verdict: Hold
Rayan Ait-Nouri (Wolves) £4.8m
Lee Bonfield (@FPLFamily): After his red card at the weekend, Ait-Nouri is now clearly a sell in FPL. Wolves' fixtures become tougher once he returns from suspension, so the case to move him on may have been there anyway. And because of his red card at the weekend for two yellow-card offences, he remains on four yellows for the season. Another booking upon his return and he'll be suspended again!
Verdict: Sell
See: Players who are suspended or close to a ban
Alexander Isak (Newcastle) £8.7m
Holly Shand (@HollyShand): Isak is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, with three goals and two assists in his last four Gameweeks. A trip to Ipswich Town this weekend is the perfect entry point to bring in the Newcastle United forward if you don't already have him. He is on penalty duty and should play 90 minutes consistently over the festive period, with Callum Wilson (£6.9m) injured.
Verdict: Buy
Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford) £7.6m
Utkarsh Dalmia (@ZopharFPL): With tougher fixtures on the horizon for Brentford - only one of their next six matches scores two in the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR) - I expect them to continue using a back three, as they did against Chelsea last weekend, with Mbeumo playing as one of the forwards. It is also worth noting that their difficult matches are all at home, where they have the best home record in the league and are likely to score goals. With minutes a doubt for most players over this busy period, I think Mbeumo is a hold.
Verdict: Hold
Brentford's next six fixtures
| GW | Opponent | FDR |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Nottingham Forest (H) | 3 |
| 18 | Brighton (A) | 3 |
| 19 | Arsenal (H) | 5 |
| 20 | Southampton (A) | 2 |
| 21 | Man City (H) | 5 |
| 22 | Liverpool (H) | 5 |
Joao Pedro (Brighton) £5.9m
Az Phillips (@FPLBlackbox_Az): I still think Joao Pedro is the best option in the sub-£6.0m bracket and is a keep if you own him. But it's fair to say he's been a bit disappointing, with three blanks in his last four matches. He has good fixtures to come, with West Ham United and Brentford up next, but keep your eye on Danny Welbeck's (£5.8m) injury because they link well together. If Welbeck is out for a while it may have a substantial impact on Joao Pedro's impact.
Verdict: Hold
Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa) £5.4m
Ben Crabtree (@FC_CrabDogg): Rogers has done well for his price but I think other options at similar prices are looking better, like Amad (£5.2m) or Enzo Fernandez (£5.1m), who plays for a more attacking team and has better fixtures coming up. Managers who have additional money to upgrade to slightly more expensive options should look at Noni Madueke (£6.3m), Dejan Kulusevski (£6.3m), Brennan Johnson (£6.6m), Kaoru Mitoma (£6.6m) or, at a push, Anthony Gordon (£7.2m).
Verdict: Sell
Amad (Man Utd) £5.2m
Pras (@Pras_FPL): A player who costs between £5.0m and 6.0m isn't really a priority buy or sell, but as far as cheap midfielders go, Amad is worth bringing in. Even in a short space of time he has become Ruben Amorim's favourite, initially in a right wing-back role and now a right-forward role. He remains very attacking and is an absolute steal at that price. He won't start every match but he is a buy for me.
Verdict: Buy
Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea) £5.1m
Sam Bonfield (@FPLFamily): As FPL managers we are always on the hunt for the cheapest route into the most attacking teams. Enzo ticks all the boxes. He allows managers to free up money by selling the likes of Antoine Semenyo (£5.7m) and Rogers, and at the same time is the perfect midfield partner for Palmer. I don't have Enzo currently but he is a priority buy for me ahead of Chelsea's kind fixture run.
Verdict: Buy
Chelsea's next six fixtures
| GW | Opponent | FDR |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Everton (A) | 2 |
| 18 | Fulham (H) | 2 |
| 19 | Ipswich (A) | 2 |
| 20 | Crystal Palace (A) | 2 |
| 21 | Bournemouth (H) | 2 |
| 22 | Wolves (H) | 2 |
Antonee Robinson (Fulham) £4.8m
Nick Harris (@WGTA_Nick): Robinson is a buy for me. He's really impressed both in defence but also going forward for Fulham this season, especially last weekend against Liverpool, where he picked up his fifth and sixth assists of the campaign. Southampton at home next is as good a fixture as you'll get, and at a price of £4.8m you won't find much better value in defence.
Verdict: Buy
Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest) £4.7m
Gianni Buttice (@GianniButtice): I've owned Sels since Wildcarding in Gameweek 6 and I have no plans to sell him. Forest's defence is underrated and an investment in their rearguard doesn't cost much. If you're looking for a budget goalkeeper, he's a buy.
Verdict: Buy
