FPL experts answer 10 KEY questions ahead of Gameweek 26

The Scout's panel of experts answer 10 key questions, offering advice ahead of Gameweek 26 in Fantasy Premier League. 

Is it time to sell Nottingham Forest players?

Sam Bonfield (@FPLFamily): Chris Wood (£7.1m) has proved in recent weeks that he is fixture-proof. He has a difficult run of matches in the next three weeks but after that they don't have another game ranked as a four or above in the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR) until the final game of the season in Gameweek 38. I would hold him.

Forest's next three matches

*Fixture Difficulty Rating: 1 = easiest possible match, 5 = hardest possible match

If your team is well set up for Blank Gameweek 29 (BGW29) and you have the luxury of having transfers to use on players that have a fixture in BGW29 then you could sell the likes of Anthony Elanga (£5.3m), Ola Aina (£5.4m) and Matz Sels (£5.0m) for the next few weeks and then look to reinvest ahead of BGW29.

However, given the nice fixture against Ipswich Town in BGW29 I am planning to hold Elanga and bench him for the next three weeks, to have him available for that match against Ipswich and beyond. I would also do the same with a Nottingham Forest defender.

Who is the best budget defender?

Lee Bonfield (@FPLFamily): With AFC Bournemouth's recent extended run of good form, I'm backing Dean Huijsen (£4.5m), at 4.7 per cent owned, as a decent budget enabler and differential. He's up against a Wolverhampton Wanderers side this weekend who are statistically the worst in the league from set-pieces so I'm backing him for points at both ends of the pitch.

Is it worth buying Marmoush?

Nick Harris (@WGTA_Nick): Omar Marmoush (£7.1m) has caught the eye of many managers after netting a hat-trick against Newcastle United last week. In fact he's the most-bought player so far this Gameweek. But facing Liverpool this weekend will be a tough test, so I will be giving it another Gameweek before transferring him in, and that would be my suggestion for other managers as well.

Who's the best replacement for Amad?

Lee Bonfield (@FPLFamily): After registering an attacking return in each of Arsenal's last two Premier League matches, Ethan Nwaneri (£4.5m) is likely to be a popular replacement for the injured Amad (£5.5m).

With Arsenal's growing injury list, Nwaneri is likely to start regularly and is the perfect budget option. Other options include Bournemouth trio Dango Ouattara (£5.1m), Justin Kluivert (£6.0m) and Antoine Semenyo (£5.7m), who all have excellent form and fixtures.

Bournemouth's next six matches

Elanga has a tricky three matches but a great game in BGW29, so if you are looking to future-proof your team for BGW29, he is another option if you can bench him up until then. Finally, managers could also consider Kevin Schade (£5.1m) if they want to invest in Brentford and can't afford Bryan Mbeumo (£7.9m). 

Who is the best Bournemouth midfielder?

Utkarsh Dalmia (@ZopharFPL): Over the last four Gameweeks, no midfielder has been afforded more big chances than Ouattara's seven, while only Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) beats him for Expected Goals (xG) and shots on target (eight v seven), having played a game more.

Ouattara is currently the lowest-owned of the Bournemouth trio alongside Semenyo and Kluivert, so if you are looking for an explosive differential to climb up the ranks, he's your man.

is it worth buying Nwaneri?

Gianni Buttice (@GianniButtice): With attacking returns in his last two matches, and priced at only £4.5m, Nwaneri is getting some attention. His good form should mean he keeps his starting spot at Arsenal but, with key men not too far from returning, I think Nwaneri is a transfer out waiting to happen.

I also question how many goals Arsenal will score when they're missing so many big names. Let's not forget it took them 81 minutes to open the deadlock against a leaky Leicester City team. Sure, Nwaneri is cheap, but if you can stretch to the £5-6million midfielders instead and look at the Bournemouth options, for example, I think you get a lot more for your money.

How to prepare for Blank Gameweek 29?

Sam Bonfield (@FPLFamily): Managers will have a couple of options for BGW29. One of them is to play the Free Hit chip. This means that managers will be able to pick a full team of available players and hold on to those players who blank, because their team will reset the following week.

However, I think it is very easy to play through BGW29 with just transfers. Ahead of Gameweek 26 managers, could look to sell the likes of Lewis Hall (£5.0m), Luis Diaz (£7.5m), Anthony Gordon (£7.5m), Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.3m), and then use the Wildcard chip to bring any of these players they want back after BGW29.

Managers could either start selling these assets now, or roll the transfers and do it closer to BGW29.

But I would keep hold of any players that you have significant value in and know you will want back.

Salah and Alexander Isak (£9.5m), for example, are better moved to the bench than sold so that you don't have to pay more for them when you bring them back. Keep an eye on how much you can sell a player for and how much you would have to spend to bring them back. If there is a wide gulf, use that as a metric for deciding who is sold and who is benched. 

Is BGW29 the best time to Free-Hit?

Tom Johnson (@FFScout_Tom): Whether to play the Free Hit chip in BGW29 or not is likely to depend on how many absent players FPL managers will have in that Gameweek. If you can field a full team in BGW29 without playing your Free Hit chip then managers should try and hold the chip for the potentially bigger Blank Gameweek in Gameweek 34, which clashes with the FA Cup semi-finals. 

If you have your Wildcard chip left then it is also ok to sell players, as you can use the Wildcard from Gameweek 30 to bring in any players that you want for the run-in. 

However, if you have three Liverpool players, three from Newcastle and also Crystal Palace and Aston Villa assets and you cannot field 11 players without multiple hits, then it could be worth playing the chip. 

Keep or sell Palmer?

Pranil Sheth (@Lateriser12): While Chelsea and Cole Palmer (£11.2m) haven't scored much of late, they still sit fourth on the xG table since Gameweek 16.

Though Chelsea have massively underperformed their underlying data, they have home games coming against Southampton, Leicester and Tottenham Hotspur, all of whom are sitting in the bottom five in the league for Expected Goals conceded (xGC) since Gameweek 16. I would definitely not sell Palmer, who does well in exactly these kind of games.

What to do with Newcastle players?

Pras (@Pras_FPL): The strategy for keeping or selling Newcastle players entirely depends on chip strategy. They are going to be pretty essential from Gameweek 31, especially as they have a Double Gameweek 32.

Newcastle's fixtures from Gameweek 30

If you are Free-Hitting in BGW29 they are an easy hold.

If you are not Free-Hitting in BGW29 and you also don't have your Wildcard left, then again you need to possibly hold one or two of your Newcastle players on the bench to have ready for Gameweek 30 onwards.

Lastly, if you plan to play through BGW29 and then Wildcard after, then they can be sold and bought back on Wildcard. Keep in mind, though, that you may have a lot of value saved up on Isak as he has gone up a lot from his base price of £8.5m.