Weekly Wildcards: Gameweek Six
Every week The Hype Train analyses the best wildcard options for your Fantasy Premier League teams. Historically weekly dream team’s comprise of mostly wildcard players whose selection falls under 5% of overall players, to which there is no doubt that their influence cannot be ignored. With such an abundance of points coming from the FPL’s hidden gems The Hype Train selects one player from each match in the upcoming gameweek to decide who could be the differential for your teams.
LAST WEEKS PERFORMANCE (GW 5)
Solid picks were made last week, and three players showed true form out of the ten selected. The Hype Team is most proud about the selection of Nathan Dyer from Leicester who bravely got between himself and Guzan to slot in the winner via a header, elsewhere Deeney set up Ighalo for Watford in an impressive win for the hornets, and the Irishman that The Hype Train touted to do well this season came true to that prediction as Wes Hoolahan scored a monstrous 13pts in the attacking midfield role. We can count half-successes for Three Point Panti and Kevin De Bruyne, they didn’t do enough to be bad, but they could have done more in their situations, but for now any kind of success this week will do. Rondon not getting the points for West Brom was disappointing but most FPL managers still backing a resurgent Saints defence will be happy, and to cap things off John Terry returned to the Chelsea setup but fell victim to the hatrick of Steven Naismith (another wildcard too!).
Total Wildcard Points (GW5): 37 points Gameweek 5 Average Points: 41 points
John Terry: 1pt
Marko Arnautovic: 2pts
Kevin De Bruyne: 3pts
Wes Hoolahan: 13pts
Troy Deeney: 5pts
Salomon Rondon: 2pt
Dejan Lovren: 1pt
Costel Pantilimon: 3pts
Nathan Dyer: 5pts
Papiss Demba Cisse: 2pts
TEAM OF THE WEEK WILDCARDS
Another week, another realisation that your team based off highly selected players barely scrapped the average. With the close of gameweek five the story hasn’t changed…FPL managers struggling to comprehend the sheer randomness of the Premier League, and the players who are amassing the points. Gameweek five saw a second straight ratio of nine wildcards and two heavily selected players. Leicester’s Mahrez continued his great and unbelievable early season form, and Dimitri Payet shined for West Ham as they empathetically beat Newcastle on Monday night.
The wildcards as ever came out of nowhere, a subbed on Toffee scored a hatrick against Chelsea in the form of Steven Naismith, Watford scored their first home goal of the season and beat one of the best teams so far in Swansea, a midfielder playing centre-back scored against Liverpool, and to top the randomness there was the inclusion of two Spurs players…one kept a clean sheet, the other scored a goal in a fixture that otherwise had nil-nil written all over it. There is something strange in the air, but a familiar strange; every time this article is written as it is currently a guessing game as to who ends up in the weekly dream team.
The total points achieved by non-wildcard players in GW5 was: 27 points.
The total points achieved by wildcard players in GW5 totalled: 96 points.
THIS WEEKS WILDCARDS
For gameweek five we are once again selecting ten wildcards, one for each game. Same rules apply: the players we choose must not be selected by more than five percent of the games players. We start in order of the games listed on the official Fantasy Premier League site.
The wildcard options selection percentage is accurate as of Thursday 15th September 2015.
THEO WALCOTT, CHELSEA VS ARSENAL
Name: Theo Walcott
Club: Arsenal
Position: Midfield
Price: £8.5
Team Percentage: 2.0%
Two goals in two games for the pacey English midfielder playing striker, and since the defeat to Zagreb in the Champions League it might be a natural choice for Arsene Wenger to give the nod to Theo Walcott as Olivier Giroud has got himself into the bad books of the manager following his red card in Croatia. Even more alarming is the supposed fight between Gabriel and Giroud that could further inhibit his starting place at the weekend.
The one advantage of putting Walcott into your FPL teams now is that he has had a significant price drop since the start of the season; the Gunner is more in line with other Arsenal alternatives and premium midfielders in the FPL. Playing as striker helps too, and with Chelsea looking suspect in the Premier League it may be an entertaining game with lots of goals in it, and if so The Hype Train expects Walcott to get amongst the action.
SCOTT SINCLAIR, ASTON VILLA VS WEST BROM
Name: Scott Sinclair
Club: Aston Villa
Position: Midfield
Price: £4.9
Team Percentage: 3.4%
The west-midlands derby is always a fiery fixture, and last season in the cup Scott Sinclair shined as he made a fantastic run, turned, and slotted in past the Baggies keeper. There will be a lot of back and forth action in this game, and Scott Sinclair has his shooting boots on at the moment which makes him a hot contender for any FPL team.
Priced at £4.9mil the English winger could be a great fifth midfielder, and with it still being early days it would be a solid wildcard option which mean you could free up more spaces for top players whilst still having a goal-scoring starter when you needed them to play.
ARTUR BORUC, BOURNEMOUTH VS SUNDERLAND
Name: Artur Boruc
Club: Bournemouth
Position: Goalkeeper
Price: £4.5
Team Percentage: 1.6%
This week’s goalkeeper in the wildcard selections belongs to AFC Bournemouth who have the opportunity to bounce back to victorious ways as they host Sunderland in gameweek six. Out of the two teams Bournemouth look to be the in better position to carry more weight in the game, it is easy to get disillusioned but when you don’t score against Spurs then you know that something in attack isn’t ticking even after Sunderland have done extensive recruitment.
Such logic would determine that Boruc looks good to register some points on the board, and after a disappointing loss to Norwich it will be with all intent that Eddie Howe sees a strong revival in front of the home support. Boruc was touted by The Hype Train to have a strong season and this could be the time that starts coming through against Sunderland.
IDION IGHALO, NEWCASTLE VS WATFORD
Name: Idion Ighalo
Club: Watford
Position: Forward
Price: £5.0
Team Percentage: 1.3%
Originally the pick for this fixture was Daryl Janmaat of Newcastle but after the performances of Watford and Newcastle respectively the Hype Team had to go back to the drawing board to back the team currently performing better. At present the trust in Newcastle’s backline is non-existent, by a country mile they look the team that is in most desperate need of some good luck or their fans will be catching them on Football League Tonight next season if results keep going against them. Steve McLaren’s sudden ‘wake up’ doesn’t mean anything if his team can’t stop conceding goals. That is the thinking behind adding Ighalo back into the wildcards for gameweek six, as it is only second nature for FPL managers to back against the most culpable defences in the league.
Ighalo has locked down a starting position in the Hornets main eleven and his link up play with Deeney is still the best part of the team, together they can both create and take chances and aspiring managers will be looking for more of the same when Watford rock up to St James at the weekend. After a promising display against Swansea there is no reason why they can’t walk away with three points and there is no reason why Ighalo can’t continue his great run of form. In the current state of affairs Newcastle look to be the team to back against and this has given a possibility for points for any attacker coming up against the Magpies tame defence.
JEFFREY SCHLUPP, STOKE VS LEICESTER
Name: Jeffrey Schlupp
Club: Leicester
Position: Defender
Price: £5.0
Team Percentage: 1.6%
Stoke City are currently one of the struggling teams in the Premier League, and on the flipside of that Leicester are second place in the league and flying high. This is a simple wildcard pick, and it could be time for the Foxes to pick up their first clean sheet of the season. Stoke haven’t scored at home yet this season, and they are still suffering with injuries and suspensions which casts a great shadow over one of the league’s most formidable grounds. Leicester’s form would indicate that they could go there and get the three points, and sooner or later they will keep a clean sheet.
Jeffrey Schlupp was a monster in the game against Aston Villa; he was causing Bacuna problems and game and was getting into some good positions to create some chances. Even if Stoke score there is a good chance he may assist or score as he is very good attacking the left channel. Let’s also not forget that his counterpart in the game is Glen Johnson who will be spending more time on the right-wing so it may carve open some opportunities for Schlupp to get amongst the points this weekend.
STEVEN NAISMITH, SWANSEA VS EVERTON
Name: Steven Naismith
Club: Everton
Position: Forward
Price: £5.3
Team Percentage: 2.3%
Where do we start with the Scotsman? The Hype Team learned of the hatrick he scored against a crumbling Chelsea after watching Match of the Day. The team was oblivious to the results until the highlights were shown, and there was shocked faces all around as Naismith produced the perfect hatrick to further cripple Chelsea’s start to the season. Silence filled the room with the TV on, and that ladies and gentlemen is the power that the wildcard can have over you. Naismith’s performance was one that underlines the importance of wildcard players, and nailing home the fact that the Premier League currently makes no sense to established FPL managers.
Roberto Martinez should judge the impact of Naismith in good heart and see that he has goals to contribute if Lukaku can’t come up with the goods. All of the finishes Naismith produced against Chelsea were of top class, and with Swansea racked with a loss to Watford recently it might be the time that players stop underestimating Everton’s capabilities in attack. Priced at £5.3 for FPL managers it might be a calculated gamble, but a cheap one that would also free up money if you wanted to drop down a pricey striker not performing.
ELIAQUIM MANGALA, MANCHESTER CITY VS WEST HAM
Name: Eliaqium Mangala
Club: Manchester City
Position: Defender
Price: £5.5%
Team Percentage: 2.8%
This is a risky option when everything considered; the Frenchman may be rotated for new signing Nicholas Otamendi following Manchester City’s defeat to Juventus in the opening game of this year’s Champions League. Further to that West Ham are going to big clubs home grounds and making a mockery of them with the skills and tricky of Dimitri Payet taking over where the ingenuity and hard work of Stewart Downing had left off.
Fortunately it shouldn’t come to that, and Mangala should he keep his place in the starting line-up for now, especially with Vincent Kompany an injury risk it should mean that Mangala has a place safe for the game against West Ham. Currently West Ham are the team to beat and it is with high consensus that nobody can predict when the first goal the Citizens will concede but it is good odds that their great run of games continue. The last two fixtures against West Ham have seen Man City dominate and don’t be surprised to see a sixth clean sheet coming their way, it might be the easiest clean sheet you pick up all weekend.
YANNICK BOLASIE, SPURS VS CRYSTAL PALACE
Name: Yannick Bolasie
Club: Crystal Palace
Position: Midfielder
Price: £6.3
Team Percentage: 4.7%
Another week, another home game for Spurs, and another wildcard visiting White Hart Lane…this is the Spurs way. Crystal Palace currently are one of the best teams away from home and currently on the front foot of that is Yannick Bolasie who led the front line against Manchester City with key injuries to some of Pardew’s other strikers. Backed up by the likes of Puncheon, Cabaye, and man of the moment Sako it may be another glum day for local Tottenham support.
Spurs defence is still shaky at best, were it not for luck that Jermaine Defoe repeatedly hit the bar in gameweek five it would have been the same old story. Crystal Palace are a much better side than Sunderland and anyone at The Hype Train won’t be surprised to see Pardew continue his fantastic run at the helm of the Eagles, and one man that could live up to great form in the last year is Bolasie. This fixture will have goals in it, and something has to give with one of the worst home defensive records and one of the best away scoring records.
JOHN RUDDY, LIVERPOOL VS NORWICH
Name: John Ruddy
Club: Norwich
Position: Goalkeeper
Price: £4.5
Team Percentage: 1.8%
When selecting the wildcard from this game we had a dilemma, as The Hype Train attempts to vary up the wildcards in the team each week and having exhausted Wes Hoolahan, Dejan Lovren, and Roberto Firmino in recent weeks it leaves us with selecting a player who may obtain points from the fixture. Given the nature of Liverpool and Norwich fixtures it then sounds ridiculous that we choose John Ruddy, who has conceded his fair share of goals against Liverpool.
That said, the Liverpool he faced two years ago was fronted by Luis Suarez, and this time round Norwich don’t face a title hunting Reds team, they have a team with back-to-back league losses and half the team will be coming off a Europa League fixture. Nobody is the true favourite in this match as Norwich have performed strong so far this season, they look like they are pushing hard to obtain their place in the league for next year’s big money injection. Liverpool may barrage the box with shots and given the luck of the draw John Ruddy may be heavily involved in the game for either good or bad reasons. That is what wildcards are all about, and this fixture could be decided by the flip of a coin.
DUSAN TADIC, SOUTHAMPTON VS MANCHESTER UNITED
Name: Dusan Tadic
Club: Southampton
Position: Midfielder
Price: £6.9
Team Percentage: 4.7%
Last season it was the Serbian who scored the only goal in Southampton’s victory of Luis Van Gaal’s army at Old Trafford last season, and having come into some good form it might be time to start looking in the same direction as the Red Devils pay a visit to St Mary’s this weekend. Southampton are looking better defensively and this has allowed their more creative players to flourish, and no longer a bench warmer as he was to start the season FPL managers will be hoping that Tadic continues his run of form against Van Gaal’s Army with some points on the board.
A bonus for Tadic is that he is on set piece and what we still think is penalty duty, out of the Saint’s midfielders he is the creator and playmaker and in that territory he plays the role Hoolahan plays for Norwich…get the ball to him, and watch him play.
For all GW 5 build up, check out the Weekly Hype page now.
All aboard.
