The Scout offers advice to owners of the most-popular players in Fantasy Premier League who are without a match in Blank Gameweek 29 (BGW29).
Liverpool and Newcastle United's EFL Cup final on Sunday means they are among four clubs, along with Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, who do not have a fixture in Fantasy this weekend.
Their players will score zero points in BGW29.
Managers in Fantasy must decide whether to SELL the players who don't have a fixture or whether to just BENCH them for this round of matches, so that they can be selected again in Gameweek 30.
Here, The Scout offers advice on what to do with each of the eight most-owned players who don't have a fixture in BGW29.
Most-owned players without a match
| Player | Club | Position | Owned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salah | Liverpool | MID | 68.6% |
| Isak | Newcastle | FWD | 53.1% |
| Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool | DEF | 32.2% |
| Van Dijk | Liverpool | DEF | 21.6% |
| Watkins | Aston Villa | FWD | 19.1% |
| Rogers | Aston Villa | MID | 17.9% |
| Diaz | Liverpool | MID | 15.8% |
| Munoz | Crystal Palace | CRY | 13.8% |
Mohamed Salah (£13.8m)
Selling the Egyptian is not advised, because you'll need him back again immediately in Gameweek 30.
His two goals against Southampton last weekend took him to 306 points this season, breaking his own all-time record of 303 points for a whole season, with nine matches still to play.
Salah has averaged 10.6 points per match this campaign and has a massive 17 double-figure hauls to his name.
Liverpool's exits from the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup also means there will be no reason for Arne Slot to rotate his team over the run-in, which should give Salah the chance to potentially break the 400-point barrier if he maintains his current rate of returns.
Another reason why it is wise to keep Salah in BGW29 is because of the value you are likely to have tied up in him.
For example, as shown below, if you bought Salah at his initial price of £12.5m (shown as "PP"), you would receive £13.1m for selling him (shown as "SP"). But if you then want to bring him back in next week, you would need to pay his current price (shown as "CP") of £13.8m - another £0.7m on top of the £13.1m that you would have sold him for.
To find this information on the website or app, go to the transfers page and click on "List", as shown below.
Verdict: Bench
Alexander Isak (£9.4m)
Similarly to Salah, the Newcastle star looks on course to smash his own personal best season in Fantasy.
Isak’s 19 goals and five assists have earned him 169 points, just behind his career-high haul of 172 points from the last campaign.
Crucially, Newcastle are one of only two sides – along with Crystal Palace – who have a Double Gameweek 32 (DGW32), where they will play TWICE in one Gameweek.
That DGW32 is preceded by favourable matches against Brentford and Leicester City. The Magpies are also guaranteed to play in Blank Gameweek 34 (BGW34), when they entertain Ipswich Town.
So, like Salah, if you sell Isak you'll just need to buy him back - and, again, he'll be more expensive when you do so.
Verdict: Bench
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m), Virgil van Dijk (£6.4m), Luis Diaz (£7.5m)
Alexander-Arnold is both the most-owned and top-scoring defender this season, collecting 135 points thanks to two goals, six assists and 12 clean sheets.
Certainly, those many routes to returns have justified the Liverpool right-back’s lofty ownership and makes him the toughest player to sell of the trio.
Yet the upcoming period of Blank and Double Gameweeks will now place question marks against his role as a must-have for your defence.
By moving to a budget defender instead, for example, you could invest heavily in attackers who have Double Gameweeks over the run-in.
Liverpool’s recent successive Double Gameweeks 24 and 25 are a big reason why Van Dijk and Diaz remain in so many squads. But the Reds’ exit from the FA Cup means they will have no more Double Gameweeks this season.
Although Liverpool have a confirmed fixture in BGW34 at home to Tottenham Hotspur, Van Dijk and Diaz backers should now be seeking replacements.
Verdict: Sell
Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) and Morgan Rogers (£5.5m)
Watkins has rewarded the managers who brought him in for Aston Villa’s recent Double Gameweek 25 with three goals and an assist in his last five matches.
Rogers, meanwhile, has been a popular budget favourite from the very start of the campaign after securing a role in Villa’s starting XI during pre-season.
However, Villa’s progress in the FA Cup – combined with their BGW29 – makes both Watkins and Rogers easy sells.
If either Villa or Manchester City win their FA Cup quarter-finals, Unai Emery’s side will also have a BGW34.
Such a scenario would mean that Villa have just four matches over the next six Gameweeks.
Contrast that with Newcastle's six matches in the same spell and it’s a straightforward decision. A move for Magpies midfielder Jacob Murphy (£5.0m) is a strong option for Rogers owners.
Verdict: Sell
Daniel Munoz (£5.0m)
The Palace wing-back has climbed to third place in the defender standings on the back of three goals, five assists and nine clean sheets.
Munoz’s upcoming schedule means he will be a very popular pick among the managers who are Wildcarding in Gameweek 30 or 31.
Similarly to Newcastle, Palace have a DGW32 coming up, and a favourable pair of fixtures before that against Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Although a win over Fulham in the FA Cup quarter-finals would result in a BGW34 for Palace, Munoz’s great schedule from Gameweek 30-32 marks him out as one of the very best picks for your defence. This is no time to sell him.
Verdict: Bench
