The Scout highlights the opportunities available for managers who have activated their Assistant Manager chip prior to Blank Gameweek 34 (BGW34) of Fantasy Premier League.
It’s important to note that activating the Assistant Manager chip in BGW34 would mean you CANNOT use another chip until Gameweek 37.
Consequently, you would NOT be able to use the Free Hit chip this week, when four clubs - Arsenal, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Manchester City - are WITHOUT a fixture, with their players and managers therefore scoring zero points in Fantasy.
Who is the best Assistant Manager for BGW34?
If you are one of the 286,000 Fantasy managers who activated their Assistant Manager chip in Double Gameweek 32, there is now just one Gameweek remaining to earn more points.
On top of that, 195,000 managers activated the chip in Gameweek 33, with 58,000+ doing so in BGW34. So, who is the best pick for the BGW34 fixtures?
There are two tactics to consider with the Assistant Manager chip.
You can pick a club from the top of the table with a favourable fixture - a tactic which is more reliable but has a lower ceiling for points.
Alternatively, you can target managers from clubs who can earn table-bonus points - a riskier approach which has a greater ceiling.
Here you can see the seven clubs (in bold) whose manager can earn table-bonus points against a team who are ranked at least five places higher in the Premier League table.
BGW34 fixtures
Chelsea v Everton
Brighton v West Ham
Newcastle v Ipswich
Southampton v Fulham
Wolves v Leicester
Bournemouth v Man Utd
Liverpool v Spurs
Nottingham Forest v Brentford
Slot the most reliable pick?
Leaders Liverpool have both the form and fixture to reward managers who are looking to invest in Arne Slot (£1.5m). The Dutchman's tally of 95 Fantasy points is the most of any manager in the game.
The Reds will claim the title with a draw or a victory at home to Spurs, who have won just one of their last seven league matches.
In the reverse fixture back in Gameweek 17, Liverpool beat Spurs 6-3, a result that would have seen Slot return 12 points if managers were in the game at that point of the season.
Howe v Ipswich?
Picking a manager whose team face a promoted opponent can be a profitable tactic. The promoted trio of Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton have all won just once over each of their last 12 matches.
Newcastle's home meeting with Ipswich looks to be the most tempting match to target in BGW34. In the reverse fixture, Newcastle beat the Tractor Boys 4-0, thanks to an Alexander Isak (£9.6m) hat-trick.
The Magpies have won their last four home matches, scoring 15 goals in total, with Eddie Howe (£1.5m), who has returned to his club duties after recovering from illness, picking up 41 Fantasy points over those contests.
Vitor Pereira (£0.8m) is also worth a mention. His Wolves side have won five consecutive matches and host a Leicester side that have scored just twice across their last 10 matches.
Potter the best for table bonus?
As mentioned previously, seven managers can collect table bonus in BGW34.
Graham Potter (£0.5m) comes up against his former club Brighton, who are without a victory in five Premier League matches, losing three and drawing twice. The Seagulls shipped four goals against Brentford last time out and conceded twice to Leicester the week before.
Potter has demonstrated his table-bonus potential on a couple of occasions this season, most notably beating Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in Gameweek 26 to collect 19 points.
Elsewhere, Thomas Frank (£0.8m) has picked up 29 points over the last three Gameweeks, including two table-bonus draws against Arsenal and Chelsea.
Brentford face a tricky trip to Nottingham Forest, but only three teams have a worse Expected Goals Against (xGA) than Nuno Espirito Santo's side over the last four Gameweeks, with a score of 8.16. Forest lost 1-0 to Everton in their last home game, while Brentford have lost just one of their last eight away matches.
David Moyes (£0.5m) and Ruben Amorim (£0.8m) could also pick up table-bonus points against the inconsistent Chelsea and Bournemouth respectively.
So, who is the best pick for BGW34?
Slot is the most reliable selection for DGW34 at home to Spurs.
For FPL managers wanting a high-upside option with table-bonus potential, Potter and Frank are solid picks. The former is preferred due to Brighton's poor recent form.
