WEEKLY WILDCARDS 2016/17: FPL Gameweek 29

Every week The Hype Train analyses the best wildcard options for your Fantasy Premier League teams. Historically weekly FPL Dream Team’s comprise of mostly wildcard players whose selection falls with a low selection % 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 Premier League match in the upcoming Gameweek to decide who could be the differential that sets your team apart. All aboard.

Weekly Wildcards: 2015/16 Season Review

The pursuit of Fantasy Premier League glory never hinges on the success of key 'essential' players, instead finding a differential with very little player ownership can help drive your team up mini-leagues and the global points ladders. The Hype Train invested a great deal of time last season trying to unearth the FPL gems that lay just beneath the surface of our thinking, and we have taken the journey to review our efforts from the 2015/16 season. We're reviewing what worked, what didn't, the teams and players to rely on, and those to avoid. All aboard as we review a season of Weekly Wildcard picks.​

To read the full Wildcard Season review, click here, or on cover stars Troy Deeney and Gylfi Sigurdsson below.

DIFFERENTIALS: WHAT IS A WILDCARD PLAYER?

The rules for the 2015/16 season were easy enough to follow. The only rule was that a player had be to selected by less than 5% of the FPL's populace. With 2016/17's price changes, and player selection trends, we have been forced to revise our rules on what constitutes a differential. After testing the waters with selection, there are just not enough differentials with the 2015/16 classification in each position, so we have introduced position specific rules regarding what is and isn't a wildcard/differential player in the FPL that we believe is representative to the game this season.

We have set new boundaries for selection, and these rules listed below will be running throughout the 2016/17 FPL season.

Goalkeepers

- Any shot stopper outside of the top 5 selected. A differential Goalkeeper is now considered outside of the top bracket due to the overwhelming ownership selection % of the top 5 GKs for any one Gameweek.

- A GK's ownership must not exceed 10%

Defenders

- Due to the pricing structure, a differential Defender is the uncommon picks for any one side. There is one or two overwhelming options for most teams in the FPL that consume ownership percentage.

- We cannot pick the top 2 selected Defenders, unless they fall below 7% ownership. We can only pick the second most selected for the same reasoning. This ensures 2 wildcard options are available for all teams.

Midfielders

- Any Midfielder under 8% ownership is classified as a differential.

- Our percentage criteria of 8% is due to a greater wealth of premium midfielders. There is a monopoly of top midfielders for most Premier League clubs, leaving only a handful of Midfielders that provide differential options on a weekly basis.

Forwards

- We cannot pick the most highly selected Forwards in the FPL, most of which are over 10% player ownership. The exception is if the top selected Forward from any club falls below 9%.

- Our percentage criteria of 9% is high because there is already a monopoly of Forwards, and anything outside of that is considered to be a differential.

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DIFFERENTIALS: GAMEWEEK PERFORMANCE (GW27)

Our scoring procedure is exactly the same as the FPL's, and each week a good barometer of success is whether or not our weekly selections outscore the average points for a Gameweek. Each week the results vary due to rotation, and unpredictable scorelines, which applies more so to differential players. We have an invested interest each and every week at finding the different players to make a difference, especially since it is easy to say Aguero or Kane will get on the score sheet.

See below for how our wildcard selections got on this past Gameweek.

Gameweek 28 Average Points: 19pts Gameweek 28 Wildcard Points: 32pts

DIFFERENTIALS: SEASON PERFORMANCE

To help track our progress throughout the 2016/17 season, below you can check how our wildcard selections have done by week to week in the Fantasy Premier League.

Best Wildcard Week: GW27 - 72pts, 9 player returns

Worst Wildcard Week: GW10 - 24pts, 2 player returns

Average Points: 44 (1), 57 (2), 42 (3), 43 (4), 48 (5), 45 (6), 42 (7), 39 (8), 42 (9), 58 (10), 52 (11), 40 (12), 46 (13), 50 (14), 46 (15), 48 (16), 47 (17), 54 (18), 45 (19), 49 (20), 56 (21), 46 (22), 35 (23), 51 (24), 47 (25), 45 (26), 44 (27), 19 (28) = 1,290pts

Wildcard Points: 25 (1), 25 (2), 26 (3), 57 (4), 37 (5), 32 (6), 46 (7), 36 (8), 35 (9), 24 (10), 39 (11), 57 (12), 42 (13), 55 (14), 45 (15), 41 (16), 42 (17), 44 (18), 50 (19), 63 (20), 65 (21), 46 (22), 39 (23), 29 (24), 43 (25), 38 (26), 72 (27), 32 (28) = 1,185pts

Best Gamweek Wildcard Player(s)

GW1: Lukasz Fabianski (Burnley vs. Swansea) - 8pts

GW2: Michel Vorm (Spurs vs. Crystal Palace) - 7pts

GW3: John Terry (Chelsea vs. Burnley) - 6pts

GW4: Romelu Lukaku (Sunderland vs. Everton) - 17pts

GW5: Manuel Lanzini (West Brom vs. West Ham) - 7pts

GW6: Hueng-Min Son (Middlesbrough vs. Spurs) - 15pts

GW7: Troy Deeney (Watford vs. Bournemouth) - 9pts

GW8: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Arsenal vs. Swansea) - 9pts

Callum Wilson (Bournemouth vs. Hull) - 9pts

GW9: Winston Reid (West Ham vs. Sunderland) - 14pts

GW10: Claudio Bravo (West Brom vs. Man City) - 6pts

Yannick Bolasie (Everton vs. West Ham) - 6pts

GW11: Marcos Alonso (Chelsea vs. Everton) - 13pts

GW12: Harry Kane (Spurs vs. West Ham) - 13pts

GW13: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea vs. Crystal Palace) - 10pts

GW14: Christian Eriksen (Spurs vs. Swansea) - 18pts

GW15: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea vs. Sunderland) - 13pts

GW16: Divock Origi (Middlesbrough vs. Liverpool) - 11pts

GW17: Patrick van Aanholt (Sunderland vs. Watford) - 15pts

GW18: Andy Carroll (Swansea vs. West Ham) - 8pts

Troy Deeney (Watford vs. Crystal Palace) - 8pts

GW19: Andre Gray (Burnley vs Sunderland) - 17pts

GW20: Leighton Baines (Everton vs. Southampton) - 15pts

Dele Alli (Spurs vs. Chelsea) - 15pts

Olivier Giroud (Bournemouth vs. Arsenal) - 15pts

GW21: Marcos Alonso (Leicester vs. Chelsea) - 21pts

GW22: Andy Carroll (Middlesbrough vs. West Ham) - 13pts

GW23: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea vs. Southampton) - 13pts

GW24: Troy Deeney (Watford vs. Burnley) - 7pts

GW25: Manolo Gabbiadini (Sunderland vs. Southampton) - 13pts

GW26: Patrick van Aanholt (Crystal Palace vs. Middlesbrough) - 15pts

GW27: Fernando Llorente (Swansea vs. Burnley) - 13pts

GW27: Josh King (Bournemouth vs. West Ham) - 18pts

Gameweek Wildcard History

GW1: 25 points, 2 player returns

Fabianski (8), Townsend (2), Deulofeu (3), Friend (2), Tadic (2), Nolito (1), Callum Wilson (2), Lovren (0), Diego Costa (5)

GW2: 25 points, 1 player return

Targett (1), Kolarov (2), Lallana (2), Llorente (2), Vorm (7), Deeney (1), Rondon (2), Cazorla (3), Defoe (2), Kouyate (3)

GW3: 26 points, 2 player returns

Janssen (2), Terry (6), C. Benteke (2), Lukaku (2), Huth (4), Fonte (2), Holding (2), Abel Hernandez (2), Stuani (2), Otamendi (2)

GW4: 57 points, 5 player returns

Nolito (2), Mustafi (2), C. Wilson (6), Heaton (2), G. Ramirez (0), Bony (2), Antonio (13), Wijnaldum (5), Sigurdsson (8), Lukaku (17)

GW5: 37 points, 5 player returns

Oscar (2), Monreal (2), Huth (6), Bravo (6), Lanzini (7), Stekelenburg (-1), Rooney (1), Benteke (2), Tadic (6), Lloris (6)

GW6: 32 points, 2 player returns

Huth (-1), Bolasie (2), Matip (2), Hueng-Min Son (15), Chadli (1), Mandanda (1), Kolarov (1), Walcott (8), Lanzini (1), Deeney (2)

GW7: 46 points, 5 player returns

Christian Benteke (5), Karius (2), David Luiz (6), van Aanholt (7), Deeney (9), Downing (2), Rashford (2), Austin (2), Dele Alli (8), Iwobi (3)

GW8: 36 points, 4 player returns

Slimani (1), Sigurdsson (9), Callum Wilson (9), Nolito (6), Arnautovic (5), Danny Rose (0), Christian Benteke (-1), Deeney (2), Forster (2), Milner (3)

GW9: 35 points, 2 player returns

Dele Alli (2), Mustafi (5), Stekelenburg (1), Joe Allen (2), Huth (2), Sigurdsson (2), Reid (14), Matip (2), Austin (2), Moses (3)

GW10: 24 points, 2 player returns

Monreal (0), Smalling (0), Adama Traore (3), Alli (2), Deeney (2), Bravo (6), Christian Benteke (2), Bolasie (6), Redmond (2), Pieters (1)

GW11: 39 points, 3 player returns

Wilshere (2), Keane (1), Gundogan (3), Bony (2), Alonso (13), Kane (8), Fonte (1), Matip (2), Sigurdsson (5), Zieler (2)

GW12: 57 points, 6 player returns

Monreal (2), Zaha (6), Coleman (9), Karius (6), Martins Indi (2), van Aanholt (10), Musa (1), Kane (13), Alonso (6), Vokes (2)

GW13: 42 points, 5 player returns

Yaya Toure (2), Phillips (5), Simpson (4), Matip (6), Sigurdsson (10), Alonso (2), Deeney (2), Mustafi (1), Mata (2), Soares (8)

GW14: 55 points, 5 player returns

Pedro (1), Zaha (2), Eriksen (18), Glen Johnson (7), Anichebe (2), Phillips (9), Lanzini (2), Origi (6), Coleman (2), Valdes (6)

GW15: 45 points, 5 player returns

Deeney (2), Monreal (2), Ake (1), Benteke (6), Sigurdsson (13), David Silva (5), Alonso (6), Rose (1), Bertrand (0), Origi (9)

GW16: 41 points, 5 player returns

Slimani (1), Gabriel (1), Origi (11), Alonso (7), Randolph (8), Zaha (2), Iheanacho (0), Lloris (8), Arnautovic (-2), Phillips (5)

GW17: 42 points, 4 player returns

Alonso (6), Llorente (2), Glen Johnson (0), van Aanholt (15), Cresswell (7), Phillips (2), Boufal (1), Oxlade-Chamberlain (1), Lloris (2), Mignolet (6)

GW18: 44 points, 5 player returns

Deeney (8), Monreal (1), Andre Gray (7), Alonso (6), Slimani (2), Phil Jones (2), Carroll (8), David Silva (6), Mignolet (2), Jay Rodriguez (2)

GW19: 50 points, 5 player returns

Mirallas (6), Gray (17), Alonso (3), Ayew (2), Jones (0), Forster (1), Ake (8), Milner (3), Lloris (2), Giroud (8)

GW20: 63 points, 5 player returns

Valdes (0), Baines (15), David Silva (0), Klavan (1), Brunt (8), Carroll (1), Giroud (15), Townsend (1), Pieters (7), Alli (15)

GW21: 65 points, 6 player returns

Vertonghen (6), Gray (2), Stanislas (7), Grant (2), Sigurdsson (2), Deeney (1), Carroll (5), Alonso (21), Barkley (9), Milner (10)

GW22: 46 points, 5 player returns

Mignolet (1), Stanislas (2), Barkley (3), Carroll (13), Arnautovic (2), Dawson (6), Wimmer (0), Yoshida (6), Mustafi (7), David Luiz (6)

GW23: 39 points, 4 player returns

Ozil (2), Stanislas (2), Gray (2), Brunt (2), Lloris (0), Sigurdsson (13), Milner (4), De Bruyne (8), Phil Jones (1), Coleman (5)

GW24: 29 points, 3 player returns

David Luiz (2), van Aanholt (0), Tom Davies (1), Milner (1), Jack Stephens (1), Deeney (7), Chadli (6), Ben Davies (6), Sane (2), Schmeichel (3)

GW25: 43 points, 4 player returns

Rannochia (0), Mkhitaryan (3), Robles (7), Crouch (2), Gabbiadini (13), Chadli (6), Wijnaldum (7), David Luiz (2), Llorente (2), Gabriel Jesus (1)

GW26: 38 points, 4 player returns (from 8 matches)

David Luiz (1), van Aanholt (15), Robles (6), Markovic (0), Chadli (5), Deeney (9), Heung-Min Son (1), Matip (1)

GW27: 72 points, 9 player returns (from 11 matches)

Bailly (0), Fuchs (9), Martins Indi (6, 6), Llorente (13), Gabbiadini (5), Chadli (2), Wijnaldum (8), Davies (5), Sane (10, 2), Pedro (6)

GW28: 32 points, 3 player returns (from 4 matches)

Josh King (18), Robles (6), Llorente (1), Wijnaldum (7)

WILDCARDS: HALL OF FAME

To honour the exceptional diamonds in the rough, below is a a Hall of Fame highlighting last season's top performing wildcards, as well as the best individual points returners from this season.

2015/16: Top 5 Wildcards 1 - Troy Deeney (WAT) (P15) (77pts) 2 - Christian Fuchs (LEI) (P10) (48pts) 3 - Gylfi Sigurdsson (SWA) (P6) (43pts) 4 - Nicolas Otamendi (MCI) (P9) (39pts) 5 - Daniel Sturridge (LIV) (P5) (38pts)

FPL Wildcards: Our Best Individual Wildcard Points Returns

1 - Marcos Alonso (Chelsea): 21pts (GW21)

2 - Christian Eriksen (Spurs): 18pts (GW14)

2 - Josh King (Bournemouth): 18pts (GW28)

4 - Romelu Lukaku (Everton): 17pts (GW4)

4 - Andre Gray (Burnley): 17pts (GW19)

6 - Hueng-Min Son (Spurs): 15pts (GW6)

6 - Patrick van Aanholt (Sunderland): 15pts (GW17)

6 - Leighton Baines (Everton) - 15pts (GW20)

6 - Dele Alli (Spurs) - 15pts (GW20)

6 - Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) - 15pts (GW20)

6 - Patrick van Aanholt (Crystal Palace): 15pts (GW26)

12 - Winston Reid (West Ham): 14pts (GW8)

13 - Michail Antonio (West Ham): 13pts (GW4)

13 - Harry Kane (Spurs): 13pts (GW12)

13 - Marcos Alonso (Chelsea): 13pts (GW11)

13 - Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea): 13pts (GW15)

13 - Andy Carroll (West Ham): 13pts (GW22)

13 - Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea): 13pts (GW23)

13 - Manolo Gabbiadini (Southampton): 13pts (GW25)

13 - Fernando Llorente (Swansea): 13pts (GW27)

21 - Divock Origi (Liverpool): 11pts (GW16)

22 - Patrick van Aanholt (Sunderland): 10pts (GW12)

22 - Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea): 10pts (GW13)

22 - James Milner (Liverpool): 10pts (GW21)

22 - Leroy Sane (Man City): 10pts (GW27)

FPL DREAM TEAM ANALYSIS: GAMEWEEK 28

Wildcards: Randolph, Mawson, Jagielka, Williams, King, Mirallas, Schneiderlin, Can, Niasse

Non Wildcards: Barkley, Lukaku

Points achieved by Wildcards: 88 points

Points achieved by Non-Wildcards: 21 points

GAMEWEEK WILDCARD DIFFERENTIALS

• For each FPL Gameweek we select a wildcard player from each game.

• We do not select a back-up player for the differentials we bank on – that’s the whole point, being a wildcard.

• The selection percentage and player price is accurate with the posting of the article.

• Our rundowns of player selections are representative of the Premier League’s TV fixture list.

WEST BROM VS. ARSENAL

Player: Skhodran Mustafi (ARS)

Position: Defender

Player Price: £5.8 million

Player Selection %: 1.3%

After Arsenal's heroic win in the FA Cup over Lincoln the Gunners are now travelling to the mighty West Bromwich Albion which should be a tightly contested fixture with few goals between the two sides. Arsenal Fan TV will be live and on show, ready to criticize every single aspect of Arsenal's performance, even if they win, because right about now everyone expects the Gunners to just drop off the face of the universe.

Well, contrary to the belief of the internet Arsenal are very good at dispatching clubs beneath their own position, the big difficulty has always been the bigger clubs who can give Arsenal a good game, so to the neutral this is a must-win game for Arsenal if they want to dislodge Liverpool out of their fourth position. Mustafi and Koscielny are a very good pairing but the biggest weight of the pick of the German in GW29 has more to do with the total lack of belief that the Baggies will threaten Arsenal, if not at all.

CRYSTAL PALACE VS. WATFORD

Player: Mamadou Sakho (CRY)

Position: Defender

Player Price: £4.7 million

Player Selection %: 0.4%

Two games in and the Frenchman has yet to taste the bitter sting of conceding a goal for the Eagles. The departure of Sakho from Liverpool is a hotly contested debate among Reds supporters who are either in two camps of Sakho being liable for exclusion after a string of behavioural incidents, or alternatively should be part of the first time to help solve Liverpool's defensive crisis as they desperately needed a left-sided central defender. True irony struck when after Sakho's first ninety minutes he achieved Crystal Palaces first clean sheet in what felt like forever, prompting fans of the Sakho-In camp to feel that Liverpool had a potential solution to their woes and they let him go so easily.

Liverpool's loss is Crystal Palace's gain, and two clean sheets so far is a great return for the nicely priced FPL defensive option. Watford are up next and whilst they have been scoring goals recently that doesn't matter in the Premier League, and Watford have been very indifferent all season. Crystal Palace are getting their act together and Sakho is helping stabilise their team. Sakho has another chance to prove he can make a difference at his parent club.

EVERTON VS. HULL

Player: Joel Robles (EVE)

Position: Goalkeeper

Player Price: £4.7 million

Player Selection %: 1.3%

Everton have been rocked by the news that Romelu Lukaku wouldn't be signing a contract extension to stay at Goodison Park into the future. The Belgian forward may be moving on and whilst there is uncertainty about forward line there can be none said about the defensive attributes that the Toffees currently have. Joel Robles is one such player and a frequent choice in our differential picks, and in the past four weeks the Spaniard has kept three clean sheets, and Hull City are visiting Merseyside which should put some smiles on the faces of FPL enthusiasts. The Tigers have had some indifferent form and after a little burst of the defensive bubble at the hands of high flyers Spurs they have looked in great shape defensively. Ashley Williams has been superb since his move from Swansea, and also the inclusion of Robles to the team has added that extra dimension. Robles is the easiest pick to make this week.

STOKE VS. CHELSEA

Player: David Luiz (CHE)

Position: Defender

Player Price: £6.3 million

Player Selection %: 5.1%

Stoke achieved what we didn't think in the double gameweek they had...keep two clean sheets. Martins Indi was marvellous alongside Erik Pieters as FPL options, but unfortunately instead of a limp Manchester City squad preparing for a European match they now have the soon to be English champions knocking on their door. If you watched the Manchester United and Chelsea match in the FA Cup you will have seen a total display by Chelsea, defensively they were nearly flawless (except Cahill getting mugged off by Rashford). Right about now we almost expect Chelsea to have the chance of keeping a clean sheet. Playing in such a rich vein of form the Blues are unstoppable, and David Luiz is the last remaining defensive asset that is a differential option. A last bastion in one of the most selected defences in FPL history.

SUNDERLAND VS. BURNLEY

Player: Andre Gray (BUR)

Position: Forward

Player Price: £6.1 million

Player Selection %: 5.0%

Remember not so long ago when Andre Gray scored a hat-trick versus Sunderland? We do.

The English forward who should have been considered for the latest England call-ups comes up against a team he destroyed earlier in the season. Scoring seventeen fantasy points in his last encounter against the Black Cats it was a huge statement of his talents as a goal scorer, and ahead of the weekend you got to think that the defenders ready to line up at the Stadium of Light will be having nightmares of the encounter at Turf Moor. Sunderland are destined for relegation, they just don’t look like winning a game, and after so much focus on Burnley’s attempt to win an away game it could finally come true with their current run of form. Andre Gray is a great differential option if you are looking to replace Kane and fancy taking a risk.

WEST HAM VS. LEICESTER

Player: Manuel Lanzini (WHU)

Position: Midfielder

Player Price: £6.4 million

Player Selection %: 2.7%

Lanzini has really stepped up since the disappearance and venomous snake bite of living viper Dimitri Payet. The Argentine has two double figure returns in the two home games at the London Stadium. Leicester may be playing well but sooner rather than later they will falter, they could even drop off after the celebrations of making the quarter finals of the Champions League.

West Ham are a total wildcard team now, you don’t know what you are going to get from them. One second they are leading the way against Bournemouth and the next they allow Josh King to score three and lose the game. What is clear is that goals are now on the agenda for Bilic, they are sacrificing defensive grit for free-flowing attack. Lanzini is on some set pieces and a focal point of their attack. We fancy Leicester to make an impact, we also thing West Ham will have a go at the Foxes.

BOURNEMOUTH VS. SWANSEA

Player: Josh King (Bournemouth)

Position: Midfielder

Player Price: £5.6 million

Player Selection %: 7.1%

Last week we discussed what has happened to Junior Stanislas, the maverick winger capable of making and scoring goals. Flash forward one week and nobody could care less about the French winger when Bournemouth have an in-form midfielder playing as a striker for the Cherries. King has steadily been proving his worth as an FPL asset and is currently sitting as the 13th best midfielder in the entire fantasy league, and with a budget price he is one of the most viable options currently in the Premier League. Scoring an unbelievable eighteen points in GW28 Josh King shot to the top of the differentials performers list in The Hype Train's weekly wildcard picks, ousting then-differential Romelu Lukaku from the top spot. Without doubt King will certainly have a place in the wildcard hall of fame for the 2016/17 season.

Statistically Joshua King is on fire. Three consecutive returns in a row bagging thirty-nine points is a mighty return, and if you go back further he has fifty-eight points in his last seven fixtures. Considering his last seven weeks King has averaged 8.2pts per gameweek, and with Afobe's disastrous penalty miss and his goal scoring confidence he should surely keep taking penalties for Eddie Howe's team. The good news is that Swansea are up next, a team who struggle to keep clean sheets. Swansea have conceded the most goals so far this season at sixty-one, at this stage of the season that is more than an average of two goals a game. In turn Bournemouth, have scored the most goals from any team between ninth place and twentieth. The signs are encouraging for Joshua King to have another good week in the FPL.

So yeah, who was this Junior Stanislas player anyway?

MIDDLESBROUGH VS. MAN UNITED

Player: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (MUN)

Position: Midfielder

Player Price: £8.8 million

Player Selection %: 0.8%

Originally, we had Marcos Rojo as the wildcard in this match because Middlesbrough just don’t look like they are ever going to score a goal in the Premier League again. The goals have just dried up at the Riverside and we thought it would be good to have Rojo in the mix as it would be easy points. However, we looked at the stats and Mourinho has rotated his defence frequently and Rojo, Jones, Bailly, and Smalling are playing two, then being rested, or just dropped for tactical reasons. We can’t trust Mourinho’s judgment so we are going for goals instead for the Red Devils. Micky has been a great playmaker and he is going to get minutes in GW29, he has the skill set to unlock teams and we are banking our faith in some legitimate ingenuity.

SPURS VS. SOUTHAMPTON

Player: Manolo Gabbiadini (SOU)

Position: Forward

Player Price: £6.8 million

Player Selection %: 8.9%

Gabbiadini sneaks in as a differential option at just under nine percent ownership, the tricky Italian forward has been one of the most in-form players in the Premier League and a real steal of a transfer, we are still wondering how Napoli thought it would be wise to sell him. Whilst Harry Kane recovers from ankle ligament damage there is still a top striker in this fixture, so if you feel like going for an ultimate differential option for your teams that will also be good in the long term you will find none better than Manolo Gabbiadini.

Every match he has played he has looked on peak form, the runs he makes into the box are pin-point perfect and exactly the kind of danger that Spurs are liable to concede from. Last time round this fixture ended in Southampton winning at White Hart Lane, so it isn’t totally impossible that lightening can strike twice.

MAN CITY VS. LIVERPOOL

Player: Gini Wijnaldum (LIV)

Position: Midfielder

Player Price: £7.5 million

Player Selection %: 1.6%

You might be thinking…Hype Train, what are you thinking? Gini Wijnaldum in an away fixture? You’ve gone mad. Why would you even think about it?

Well, let us elaborate on keeping the faith with the Gini, the Dutchman is Liverpool’s in-form midfielder and is making some formidable runs into the opposition box. Against Manchester City earlier in the season he scored the winner, and when he was with Newcastle he achieved a FPL return when he assisted the opening goal for Mitrovic with a finely tuned cross. Form is a huge factor in picking Gini, but all the pieces are in place for this fixture.

Manchester City are deflated after their loss to Monaco in the Champions League, they drew their last league game against Stoke at the Etihad, the Reds are two wins on the bounce, and not to mention Liverpool are a bogey team for the Citizens. Last year Liverpool decimated Man City, Firmino and Coutinho cut them apart. Wijnaldum has finally found his place at Liverpool and we are making a huge statement by keeping the faith with Wijnaldum.

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For all FPL Gameweek build up, check out the Weekly Hype page now.

All aboard.