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Weekly Wildcards: Gameweek Twenty-Four

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 23)

After another strange gameweek we returned with a sense of optimism, by now the Premier League should be at least somewhat predictable, but we were wrong. Only two successes from Roberto Firmino who had a fantastic game against Norwich and the ever reliant Troy Deeney proved the difference makers. All of the other players were solid picks, apart from Zabaleta who is now number two in a City shirt. More points were dropped by teams who went with hype players such as Charlie Daniels and Leighton Baines who left the FPL community disappointed.

Roberto Firmino: 18pts

Danny Rose: 2pts

Shinji Okazaki: 2pts

Jesse Lingard: 2pts

Charlie Daniels: 2pts

Troy Deeney: 6pts

Salomon Rondon: 2pts

Pablo Zabaleta: 0pts

Leighton Baines: 1pt

Aaron Ramsey: 2pts

Gameweek 23 Average Points: 43pts Gameweek 23 Wildcard Points: 37pts

TEAM OF THE WEEK WILDCARDS

A slight reversal on last week’s performance from the dream team sees six wildcards and five non-wildcards occupy the eleven best players of the week. Patrick van Aanholt gets a special mention because he is selected by a very few percentage and that still hasn’t risen, but in this he has hit back with thunder after thunder, his goal spell might dry up but in the last month he would have been a fantastic option to have in your FPL teams. Three of the four defensive players were wildcards (surprise, surprise), many players trust established teams but you have to remember that West Brom and Watford have also proven astute defensively this season, it is a thing of fear that stops these players being more selectable. Ben Foster though has returned from injury and looked to be back at his best.

Firmino and Drinkwater were the wildcard midfielders; the Brazilian is no longer a wildcard and one of the few gameweeks we don’t pick Drinkwater he turns up with a world class performance. Firmino has steeply risen in price and looks to be the number one striking unit for Jürgen Klopp at the moment, so expect more bench time for Christian Benteke. In regards to forwards Ighalo and Aguero were no surprises at this point of the season, but Enner Valencia picked up another brace. The Ecuadorian is now a great wildcard option because of injuries to other Hammers strikers.

Wildcards: Foster, van Aanholt, Cathcart, Firmino, Drinkwater, Valencia (6)

Non-Wildcards: Ivanovic, Alli, Ayew, Ighalo, Aguero (5)

Points achieved by wildcards: 71pts

Points achieved by non-wildcards: 62pts

THIS WEEKS WILDCARDS

For this gameweek 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 Sunday 31/01/2016.

SADIO MANE, ARSENAL VS SOUTHAMPTON

Name: Sadio Mane

Club: Southampton

Position: Midfielder Price: 7.4% Ownership: 4.1%

Dusan Tadic was the preferred midfielder but he was not a wildcard option by a fraction of a percent, so instead we have opted for the quick Sadio Mane to be our pick against Arsenal. With trouble against Chelsea their faces are currently blushed, but they welcome a team that beat them by four goals earlier in the season to the Emirates. Mane hasn’t dropped points like most Southampton players in the last three games, and with West Ham and Swansea upcoming a Saints player looks good value for money. Southampton will cause Arsenal lots of problems, particularly with Mane’s electric pace. There should be goals on both sides of the coin in this match and we’re betting Mane is a big influence on Southampton going forward.

Charlie Austin was also a possible choice but it is uncertain if he will repeat his starting position on the bench like he did against Manchester United.

Last Three 21 – WAT (H) – 3pts

22 – WBA (H) – 6pts

23 – MUN (A) – 3pts Next Three

24 – ARS (A) – 2nd February, 19:45pm

25 – WHU (H) – 8th February, 20:00pm

26 – SWA (A) – 13th February, 15:00pm

JORDAN HENDERSON, LEICESTER VS LIVERPOOL

Name: Jordan Henderson

Club: Liverpool

Position: Midfielder Price: £6.5mil Ownership: 3.9%

Liverpool already have a victory over Leicester in their books this season, the slim victory at Anfield was a big three points for the Reds and now they look to maintain that record against table toppers Leicester City. This fixture is strange; Norwich conceding five is a concern defensively as Firmino looks to be hitting a good purple patch of form, whereas the previous fixture was low scoring between the two. In these situations you look at players that can bring you an advantage, and Liverpool’s captain is a set-piece taker, box-to-box midfielder, and their penalty taker. The Red’s record against Leicester is good, and there could be another trap if you believe that the Foxes are coming out of this fixture victorious.

Last Three 21 – ARS (H) – 2pts

22 – MUN (H) – 2pts

23 – NOR (A) – 7pts Next Three

24 – LEI (A) – 2nd February, 19:45pm

25 – SUN (H) – 6th February, 15:00pm

26 – AVL (A) – 14th February, 14:05pm

STEVEN NAISMITH, NORWICH VS SPURS

Name: Steven Naismith

Club: Norwich City

Position: Forward Price: £5.0mil Ownership: 1.7%

New signing Naismith proved to be an effective force against Liverpool, scoring and assisting for a penalty. Nobody has ever doubted the ability of the Scotsman and now he is at a club prepared to play him. Naismith looks to be a starter for the Canaries and will be there to make an impact in ensuring they beat the drop this year. Spurs are still prone defensively even if they have turned a corner, and we expect Norwich to make this difficult for them. Naismith and Norwich also have a promising run of fixtures, freeing up valuable money for more marquee players such as Aguero or the returning Alexis Sanchez.

Last Three 21 – MCI (A) – 0pts

22 – CHE (A) – 0pts

23 – LIV (H) – 11pts Next Three

24 – TOT (H) – 2nd February, 19:45pm

25 – AVL (A) – 6th February, 15:00pm

26 – WHU (H) – 13th February, 15:00pm

NICOLAS OTAMENDI, SUNDERLAND VS MANCHESTER CITY

Name: Nicolas Otamendi

Club: Manchester City

Position: Defender Price: £6.5mil Ownership: 1.2%

Another fixture, another chance for Nicolas Otamendi to get a run out in the wildcard picks for the week. The argentine central defender has thirteen points from three appearances and looks set to make another appearance against Sunderland. Everybody expects Manchester City to breeze past Sunderland, probably with a clean sheet, so Sunderland representation is very extreme and will not be used in this fixture. Otamendi is the best wildcard that Manchester City have, and that is all there is too it, he can achieve points without having to do much.

Last Three 21 – EVE (H) – 6pts

22 – CRY (H) – 6pts

23 – WHU (A) – 1pt Next Three

24 – SUN (A) – 2nd February, 19:45pm

25 – LEI (H) – 6th February, 12:45pm

26 – TOT (H) – 14th February, 16:15pm

MICHAIL ANTONIO, WEST HAM VS ASTON VILLA

Name: Michail Antonio

Club: West Ham

Position: Midfielder Price: £5.3mil Ownership: 1.5%

West Ham just keeps producing fantastic midfield options: Payet, Lanzini, Moses, and now Antonio. The former Nottingham Forest player has really been a good buy for Slavan Bilic and the Hammers; he is the perfect mix of power, speed, and technique that have made him such a threat. The attacker is good with both his feet and also his head, he is dangerous as he gets in and around the box more than a lot of the Hammers current players. Aside from this he may benefit with the addition of Dimitri Payet back to his old ways before his injury, so opportunities may come thick and fast against a doomed Aston Villa.

Last Three 21 – BOU (A) – 8pts

22 – NEW (A) – 2pts

23 – MCI (H) – 5pts Next Three

24 – AVL (H) – 2nd February, 19:45pm

25 – SOU (A) – 8th February, 20:00pm

26 – NOR (A) – 13th February, 15:00pm

BENIK AFOBE, CRYSTAL PALACE VS BOURNEMOUTH

Name: Benik Afobe

Club: Bournemouth

Position: Forward Price: £6.1mil Ownership: 0.4%

He could have easily been the Harry Kane equivalent of Arsenal, but instead they allowed him to leave after Arsene Wenger deemed him not good enough for the Premier League. Skip forward three gameweeks after his transfer and he has scored two goals as an official Cherrie. Money seems to have been spent wisely on Afobe, a proven goal scorer, and now they come up against a Crystal Palace who has struggled for any kind of form since Yannick Bolasie got injured. Bournemouth is also providing doubters wrong every week, and they could further add to the hot collar of Newcastle fans should they beat Crystal Palace at the weekend. Afobe looks to be good value for your fantasy team and after this fixture two home games where more reward my await.

Last Three 21 – WHU (H) – 2pts

22 – NOR (H) – 7pts

23 – SUN (A) – 8pts Next Three

24 – CRY (A) – 2nd February, 20:00pm

25 – ARS (H) – 7th February, 13:30pm

26 – STK (H) – 13th February, 15:00pm

JONATHAN WALTERS, MANCHESTER UNITED VS STOKE CITY

Name: Jonathan Walters

Club: Stoke City

Position: Midfielder Price: £5.6mil Ownership: 0.8%

Picking the wildcard from this match caused headaches, so we decided upon experience. Manchester United’s main point’s scorers are all unavailable due to their high percentage of representation from their large fan base, whereas Stoke with Ryan Shawcross is a big gamble defensively. Few goals will come out of this match but if there is anyone to cause Manchester United serious problems it will be the veteran Irishman who has a nose for goal. Strong, powerful, and harbouring a wicked shot it could be Walters who could do the damage against the Red Devils. This is a long shot but given the situation the best wildcard out of the bunch going into this fixtures.

Last Three 21 – NOR (H) – 7pts

22 – ARS (H) – 3pts

23 – LEI (A) – 2pts Next Three

24 – MUN (A) – 2nd February, 20:00pm

25 – EVE (H) – 6th February, 15:00pm

26 – BOU (A) – 13th February, 15:00pm

GYLFI SIGURDSSON, WEST BROM VS SWANSEA

Name: Gylfi Sigurdsson

Club: Swansea

Position: Midfielder Price: £7.0mil Ownership: 2.9%

Achieving their first ever win against Everton in league history was a huge accomplishment for struggling Swansea, and in recent performances the quality of Gylfi Sigurdsson has been a factor to their newfound form. Be it either open play or from a dead ball the masterful Sigurdsson is a fringe player always on your mind, but one you may be too frightened to take the risk on. Swansea has a new head coach, a new mentality, and they have been rather lucky which is what a team in their position needs. West Brom aren’t pushovers but this will be a tightly contested game that will quality be the difference between the two, of which Gylfi has plenty of. The Icelander should be good value for the next three games too on paper.

Last Three 21 – SUN (H) – 7pts

22 – WAT (H) – 2pts

23 – EVE (A) – 8pts Next Three

24 – WBA (A) – 2nd February, 20:00pm

25 – CRY (H) – 6th February, 15:00pm

26 – SOU (H) – 13th February, 15:00pm

GERARD DEULOFEU, EVERTON VS NEWCASTLE

Name: Gerard Deulofeu

Club: Everton

Position: Midfielder Price: £6.1mil Ownership: 2.6%

Everton, or more correctly Goodison Park, is a place where goals are free flowing to all teams. The Toffees look prone to not scoring when Gerard isn’t playing, there is no urgency in their play when he goes off, and they look lethargic. Deulofeu is the difference maker, and when you put him against Paul Dummett of Newcastle there is a slight chance that the pacey Spaniard will be up to more of his tricks. What is most impressive is that his delivery of chances is excellent, he could have three or four assists a game, and when Lukaku is on top form Deulofeu normally benefits. Newcastle may have made some new signings but their defence is still the same, so it is an easy pick.

Last Three 21 – MCI (A) – 3pts

22 – CHE (A) – 4pts

23 – SWA (H) – 2pts Next Three

24 – NEW (H) – 3rd February, 19:45pm

25 – STK (A) – 6th February, 15:00pm

26 – WBA (H) – 13th February, 15:00pm

and finally...

TROY DEENEY, WATFORD VS CHELSEA

Name: Troy Deeney

Club: Watford

Position: Forward Price: £5.2mil Ownership: 4.4%

Returning from a dry spell of points is the wildcard king Troy Deeney, suppling Ighalo’s goal in the home tie against Newcastle. Chelsea has hit some good form but against good sides they have been tested and there is a trap for thinking the Blues are going to come into this fixture looking to win the match. Watford drew at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea courtesy of Troy Deeney and this could repeat itself, having got back to winning ways the momentum is evenly balanced but Deeney has been consistent. No Chelsea defenders can be considered in this fixture even if they are in form; even their midfielders could be rotated. Chelsea has a lot of question marks so once again we stick faith in the Watford skipper to provide some valued points.

Last Three 21 – SOU (A) – 1pt

22 – SWA (A) – 2pts

23 – NEW (H) – 6pts Next Three

24 – CHE (H) – 3rd February, 19:45pm

25 – TOT (A) – 6th February, 15:00pm

26 – CRY (A) – 13th February, 15:00pm

For all GW 24 build up, check out the Weekly Hype page now.

All aboard.

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