WEEKLY WILDCARDS 2017/18: FPL Gameweek 22
Ahead of each round of Premier League games The Hype Train analyses the best wildcard player options for your Fantasy Premier League teams. Historically, weekly FPL Dream Team’s comprise of mostly differential players whose selection falls with a low selection percentage 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.
WILDCARDS: WHAT IS A DIFFERENTIAL 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 were been forced to revise our rules on what constitutes a differential. Now in the 2017/18 season, after testing the waters with selection, there are just not enough differentials with the classification in each position from years past, 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.
Goalkeepers
- Any shot stopper outside of the top 8 selected. A differential Goalkeeper is now considered outside of the top bracket due to the overwhelming ownership selection % of the top 8 GK's for any one Gameweek.
- A GK's ownership must not exceed 10%
Defenders
- A Defender's ownership must fall below 8%, with the top 20 owned defenders all harbouring 8% ownership or more.
- The Outsider Rule: This new rule applies to defenders who are the last defensive option in a team who we provide an exception to as the 4th of 5th most owned defender from one team if they offer a different value. For Example, if Chelsea or Spurs have three defenders with 10% plus ownership, and their 4th defender choice has downwards of 10% ownership, we will include them as a differential, as they are outside of the common conversation when picking defenders, even from within their own squad. This rule will mostly be used when adding defenders from top half clubs, who lack proper differential status for their defensive options.
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
- The top 10 most owned Forwards in the FPL at any given time can not be touched as a differential.
- Any Forward outside of the 10% ownership range, who is not in the top 10 owned forwards.
DIFFERENTIALS: GAMEWEEK PERFORMANCE (GW21)
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 21 Average Points: 45 points Gameweek 21 Wildcard Points: 48 points
DIFFERENTIALS: 2017/18 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: GW12 - 67pts, 7 player returns
Worst Wildcard Week: GW4 - 21pts, 1 player return
Average Points: 58 (1), 44 (2), 43 (3), 44 (4), 58 (5), 60 (6), 51 (7), 41 (8), 50 (9), 46 (10), 44 (11), 56 (12), 43 (13), 47 (14), 44 (15), 43 (16), 48 (17), 52 (18), 60 (19), 62 (20), 45 (21) = 1039pts
Wildcard Points: 36 (1), 40 (2), 48 (3), 21 (4), 44 (5), 37 (6), 41 (7), 43 (8), 34 (9), 38 (10), 45 (11), 67 (12), 29 (13), 35 (14), 41 (15), 38 (16), 53 (17), 34 (18), 35 (19), 44 (20), 48 (21) = 842pts
Best Gamweek Wildcard Player(s)
GW1: Steve Mounie (Crystal Palace vs. Huddersfield) - 12pts
GW2: Jack Butland (Stoke vs. Arsenal) - 11pts
GW3: Alvaro Morata (Chelsea vs. Everton) - 12pts
GW4: Stephen Ward (Burnley vs. Crystal Palace) - 8pts
GW5: Jamaal Lascelles (Newcastle vs. Stoke) - 8pts
GW6: Philippe Coutinho (Leicester vs. Liverpool) - 13pts
GW7: Philippe Coutinho (Newcastle vs. Liverpool) - 10pts
GW8: Raheem Sterling (Man City vs. Stoke) - 15pts
GW9: Virgil van Dijk (Southampton vs. West Brom) - 9pts
GW10: Eden Hazard (Bournemouth vs. Chelsea) - 11pts
GW11: Jan Vertonghen (Spurs vs. Crystal Palace) - 9pts
GW12: Eden Hazard (West Brom vs. Chelsea) - 18pts
GW13: Will Hughes (Newcastle vs. Watford) - 8pts
GW14: Sadio Mane (Stoke vs. Liverpool) - 13pts
GW15: Philippe Coutinho (Brighton vs. Liverpool) - 18pts
GW16: Riyad Mahrez (Newcastle vs. Leicester) - 9pts
Wilfried Bony (Swansea vs. West Brom) - 9pts
GW17: Nick Pope (Burnley vs. Stoke) - 11pts
GW18: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton vs. Swansea) - 9pts
GW19: Charlie Austin (Southampton vs. Huddersfield) - 8pts
GW20: Marko Arnautovic (Bournemouth vs. West Ham) - 15pts
GW21: Ederson (Crystal Palace vs. Man City) - 14pts
FPL Wildcards 2017/18: Our Top Points Returns
1 - Eden Hazard (CHE): 18pts (GW12)
1 - Philippe Coutinho (LIV): 18pts (GW15)
3 - Raheem Sterling (MCI): 15pts (GW8)
3 - Marko Arnautovic (WHU): 15pts (GW20)
5 - Ederson (MCI): 14pts (GW21)
6 - Philippe Coutinho (LIV): 13pts (GW6)
6 - Philippe Coutinho (LIV): 13pts (GW12)
6 - Sadio Mane (LIV): 13pts (GW14)
9 - Steve Mounie (HUD): 12pts (GW1)
9 - Alvaro Morata (CHE): 12pts (GW3)
11 - Henrikh Mkhitaryan (MUN): 11pts (GW1)
11 - Jack Butland (STK): 11pts (GW2)
11 - Eden Hazard (CHE): 11pts (GW10)
11 - Nick Pope (BUR): 11pts (GW17)
15 - Philippe Coutinho (LIV): 10pts (GW7)
Gameweek Wildcard History
GW1: 36 points, 3 player returns
Holding (1), Alexander-Arnold (0), Mounie (12), Josh King (2), Sane (1), Klaassen (1), Yoshida (6), Batshuayi (1), Ritchie (1), Mkhitaryan (11)
GW2: 40 points, 4 player returns
Phil Jones (6), Josh King (2), Stephen Ward (2), Fuchs (6), Wijnaldum (3), Yoshida (5), Butland (11), Mounie (1), Ben Davies (2), Ederson (2)
GW3: 48 points, 5 returns
Danilo (5), Benteke (1), Lossl (6), Antonio (2), Richarlison (3), Blind (6), Morata (12), Nyom (8), Wijnaldum (3), Trippier (2)
GW4: 21 points, 1 return
Emre Can (1), Moses (2), Sigurdsson (2), Phil Jones (1), Alexis Sanchez (1), Yoshida (0), Knockaert (2), Stephen Ward (8), Abraham (2), Mounie (2)
GW5: 44 points, 6 returns
Gross (7), Forster (7), Mahrez (2), Emre Can (4), Lascelles (8), Mendy (6), Nyom (1), Trippier (6), Hazard (1), Rashford (2)
GW6: 37 points, 3 returns
Davinson Sanchez (1), Wood (2), Defoe (2), Mendy (0), Phil Jones (9), Cahill (1), Fabianski (1), Coutinho (13), Ritchie (2), Ramsey (6)
GW7: 41 points, 4 returns
Davinson Sanchez (6), Josh King (2), Rashford (9), Butland (2), Femenia (1), Naughton (2), Pedro (1), Alexis Sanchez (6), Niasse (2), Coutinho (10)
GW8: 43 points, 4 returns
Emre Can (3), Wood (7), Cahill (1), Sterling (15), Davinson Sanchez (6), Naughton (6), Alexis Sanchez (0), Sigurdsson (2), van Dijk (1), Schmeichel (2)
GW9: 34 points, 4 returns
Cresswell (0), Hazard (5), Rashford (7), Stones (6), Joselu (1), Butland (1), Abraham (2), van Dijk (9), Pickford (3), Joe Gomez (0)
GW10: 38 points, 4 returns
Trippier (0), Alexis Sanchez (2), Wilfried Zaha (7), Joe Gomez (6), Kiko Femenia (1), Ederson (1), Hazard (11), van Dijk (2), Mahrez (6), Ritchie (2)
GW11: 45 points, 5 returns
Mahrez (7), Lossl (8), Yedlin (2), Pope (8), F. Fernandez (1), Sturridge (0), Vertonghen (9), Ederson (2), Hazard (3), Andre Gray (5)
GW12: 67 points, 7 returns
Alexis Sanchez (7), Zaha (7), Hazard (18), Pope (8), Coutinho (13), Mahrez (2), Hadergjonaj (-1), Smalling (7), Gray (5), Murray (1)
GW13: 29 points, 2 returns
Mahrez (2), Zaha (2), Smalling (6), Will Hughes (8), Davinson Sanchez (2), Callum Wilson (2), Coutinho (2), Baines (1), Pope (2), Kompany (2)
GW14: 35 points, 3 returns
Murray (2), Davinson Sanchez (1), Zeegelaar (0), Rondon (2), Alexis Sanchez (8), Pope (2), Hazard (1), Sigurdsson (5), Kompany (1), Mane (13)
GW15: 41 points, 4 returns
Christensen (2), Coutinho (18), Niasse (0), Mahrez (6), Shaqiri (8), Davinson Sánchez (-2), Mamadou Sakho (8), Alexis Sanchez (1), Kompany (0)
GW16: 38 points, 4 returns
Christensen (2), Pope (6), Sakho (1), Murray (2), Trippier (2), Bony (9), Mahrez (9), Sanchez (5), Coutinho (1), Kompany (1)
GW17: 53 points, 6 returns
Pope (11), Mignolet (0), Ederson (7), Christensen (6), Martial (3), Mahrez (8), A. Sanchez (3), Son (8), Zaha (5), Gayle (2)
GW18: 34 points, 3 returns
Pope (6), Butland (2), Ederson (2), Christensen (8), Kabasele (0), Smalling (2), Mahrez (2), Sanchez (3), Mane (0), Sigurdsson (9)
GW19: 35 points, 3 returns
Mane (2), Pedro (3), Andre Gray (2), Ederson (6), Austin (8), Butland (4), Zaha (1), Cresswell (1), Son (3), Mahrez (5)
GW20: 44 points, 4 returns
Ederson (6), Christensen (0), D. Sanchez (1), Robertson (6), Arnautovic (15), Mata (2), Mahrez (8), Sigurdsson (3), Ozil (2), Depoitre (1)
GW21: 48 points, 6 returns
Ederson (14), Pope (6), Moses (1), Wagué (6), Lascelles (6), Sigurdsson (2), Mane (6), Lingard (2), Sanchez (5)
WILDCARDS: HALL OF FAME
To honour the exceptional diamonds in the rough, below is a a Hall of Fame highlighting the top performing differentials in our Weekly Wildcards series, now into its third season.
2015/16: Top 5 Differentials 1 - Troy Deeney (WAT): 15 appearances, 77 points 2 - Christian Fuchs (LEI): 10 appearances, 48 points 3 - Gylfi Sigurdsson (SWA): 6 appearances, 43 points 4 - Nicolas Otamendi (MCI): 9 appearances, 39 points 5 - Daniel Sturridge (LIV): 5 appearances, 38 points
2016/17: Top 5 Diffferentials 1 - Marcos Alonso (CHE): 9 appearances, 70 points 2 - Gylfi Sigurdsson (SWA): 8 appearances, 62 points 3 - Patrick van Aanholt (SUN & CRY): 6 appearances, 55 points 4 - Troy Deeney (WAT): 13 appearances, 47 points 5 - Gini Wijnaldum (LIV): 10 appearances, 45 points
FPL DREAM TEAM: 2017/18 ANALYSIS
Each week we assess the FPL's overall Dream Team, pinpointing who were classified as differentials or non-differentials, and which category of player is appearing more for each Gameweek.
2017/18 Gameweek Dream Team's
GW1: 131pts (8/11 differentials)
GW2: 136pts (7/11 differentials)
GW3: 121pts (8/11 differentials)
GW4: 146pts (7/11 differentials)
GW5: 133pts (6/11 differentials)
GW6: 137pts (6/11 differentials)
GW7: 138pts (6/11 differentials)
GW8: 119pts (9/11 differentials)
GW9: 130pts (8/11 differentials)
GW10: 122pts (8/11 differentials)
GW11: 127pts (9/11 differentials)
GW12: 145pts (7/11 differentials)
GW13: 120pts (9/11 differentials)
GW14: 148pts (9/11 differentials)
GW15: 131pts (8/11 differentials)
GW16: 125pts (9/11 differentials)
GW17: 129pts (9/11 differentials)
GW18: 141pts (7/11 differentials)
GW19: 135pts (7/11 differentials)
GW20: 152pts (6/11 differentials)
GW21: 128pts (8/11 differentials)
Totals: 2,794pts (161/217 differentials)
Gameweek 21: Dream Team
Wildcards: Ederson, Rudiger, Bong, Schindler, Willian, Fraser, Narsingh, Drinkwater
Non Wildcards: Jones, Salah, Vardy
Points achieved by Wildcards: 96pts
Points achieved by Non-Wildcards: 32pts
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.
Weekly Differentials (GW22)
The double gameweek is upon us, and we aren’t going to lie: it has been exhausting. The new year has been a frustrating battle of dropping players for Spurs and West Ham midfield assets, and you must be brave to do so. We are offering eleven ‘out there’ picks, including ones from West Ham and Spurs.
For each of the players we have done one line about them, as there isn’t the time in such a short space of time we must summarise our thoughts on each man.
BHA/BOU: Mathew Ryan (BHA, GK, £4.5mil, 1.7% ownership)
BUR/LIV: Sadio Mane (LIV, MID, £9.3mil, 6.5% ownership)
LEI/HUD: Riyad Mahrez (LEI, MID, £8.5mil, 7.9% ownership)
STK/NEW: Peter Crouch (STK, FWD, £4.9mil, 3.4% ownership)
EVE/MUN: Marcus Rashford (MUN, FWD, £7.6mil, 8.3% ownership)
SOU/CRY: Wilfried Zaha (CRY, MID, £6.9mil, 5.5% ownership)
SWA/TOT: Davinson Sanchez (TOT, DEF, £6.0mil, 0.5% ownership)
WHU/WBA: Marko Arnautovic (WHU, MID, £6.9mil, 5.4% ownership)
MCI/WAT: Ederson (MCI, GK, £5.5mil, 5.8% ownership)
ARS/CHE: Andreas Christensen (CHE, DEF, £5.6mil, 4.8% ownership)
TOT/WHU: Heung-Min Son (TOT, MID, £8.0mil, 7.9% ownership)
Goalkeepers (2/10)
Mathew Ryan, Ederson
Mathew Ryan: Brighton solid at home, cheap Fabianski replacement, and making lots of saves.
Ederson: Keeping clean sheets for fun, coming off a 14pt week, and in a comfortable home game.
Defenders (2/10)
Davinson Sanchez, Andreas Christensen
Davinson Sanchez: Clean sheet in away game versus Burnley, has two good games in double gameweek.
Andreas Christensen: This fixture finished 0-0 earlier in the season, and it Arsenal struggle against the top teams in the league. Christensen has returned from injury.
Midfielders (5/10)
Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez, Wilfried Zaha, Marko Arnautovic, Heung-Min Son
Sadio Mane: Will play due to the injury of Mohamad Salah, should be Liverpool’s main threat.
Riyad Mahrez: Picking up points in pretty much every game, and was taken off early at Anfield to preserve the Algerian for this game at home to Huddersfield.
Wilfried Zaha: The best player to be playing in this fixture, and has Jack Stephens for pace.
Marko Arnautovic: The Austrian is in goal scoring form, and has a double gameweek upcoming.
Heung-Min Son: The South Korean is in goal scoring form, and has a double gameweek upcoming.
Forwards (2/10)
Peter Crouch, Marcus Rashford
Peter Crouch: Playing regularly, and can expose Newcastle at set-pieces. Couldn’t pick any other player of any value in this fixture, maybe Butland as another goalkeeper option.
Marcus Rashford: Why not? Everton has just had a stumble, and his pace can trouble Jagielka and Keane.
Key Differential: Sadio Mane
Mohamad Salah came off the match against Leicester not only the rightful victor, but with an ‘injury’. Now, we use asterisks because Liverpool are masters of the spin-doctor treatment when it comes to the management of their squad. We believe that Klopp might be exaggerating the extent of Salah’s injury to justify the exclusion of the King of Egypt at Turf Moor on New Years day. Klopp has been itching to give him a rest, and with Man City in the league, and Everton in the FA Cup, there are bigger things on the horizon than this Burnley game in the German’s thoughts. Klopp has said he will ‘use the larger squad’ on repeated occasions, leaving the door open to Mane to continue cementing his place in the team.
The expected forward line includes Solanke/Firmino (CF), Mane (RF), and Coutinho (LF). Injury to Salah means that Klopp can’t risk too much rotation, Burnley are still a stern team to beat, and you need a bit of trickery from the Magician to unlock a team like Burnley (the Brazilian will play every minute to ensure there are now rumours of Barcelona lurking about, as they will be). Honestly, if we could have anyone as a differential captain this week it would have been Coutinho, but we can’t, although we are happy with Mane after notching an assist against Leicester. Mane will move into his preferred position on the right flank, and be the main outlet like he was last season. This game will be about Mane and Coutinho.
Here are the main stats about Liverpool going into gameweek twenty-two:
Liverpool are undefeated since gameweek nine when they lost to Spurs.
Liverpool have won their last two games in the Premier League, scoring seven goals in the process.
Liverpool have also scored twelve goals in their previous three away games: Brighton (5), Bournemouth (4), and Arsenal (3).
Liverpool have kept three clean sheets from their last five games.
Sadio Mane registered an assist in the last league game against Leicester.
Burnley haven’t won in their last three games, and have shipped five goals in those fixtures, and keeping one clean sheet.
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All aboard.
