The Premier League's 12th round of fixtures takes place this weekend. Here we analyse how best to ready your fantasy squad for FPL Gameweek 12.
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After a near two-week absence, we welcome back the Premier League – and Fantasy Premier League – into our lives. But FPL Gameweek 12 will doubtless be a tricky one for many to navigate.
The international break always brings with it a littany of injuries. If not that, then many managers will choose to rotate their squads if at all possible. Thus, making a squad can be easier said than done.
The good news is this will be the last international break for quite some time. That means no more international disruptions for a while, meaning you can build your squads with a modicum of consistency.
That being said, the focus for now is on this week. And if you are (somehow) left with either your wildcard of Free Hit options, now would be a good time to use them.
? 24 HOURS UNTIL THE DEADLINE ?
How many points are you bagging in Gameweek 12, #FPL managers?
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) November 19, 2021
But for those who have neither, worry not. We shall now look at how to navigate Gameweek 12.
With the season having settled into a more consistent groove, most managers have certain players as almost a given. Mohamed Salah is not only widely owned but also widely captained; such has been the Egypt star’s impact in this part of the season.
His Liverpool teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold is also one of the most-owned defenders. Other popular options at the back include Chelsea duo Reece James and Ben Chilwell. Given how the Blues’ system encourages the wing-backs to get in goal-scoring positions, both are decent options if you can make space in your budget.
Up front, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane are the more popular options. In midfield, aside from Salah, the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes are also popular choices. It is most likely that your squad will feature at least some of these players. However, it might be time to change that.
The answer to this would be yes and no. Yes because some players are going to face tougher fixtures in the upcoming weeks; Chelsea are a good example of this. There’s also the fact that the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur all have good upcoming fixtures.
Ronaldo and Fernandes might have seen drop-offs in form lately, but will find themselves in a good space to recover form in favourable games. The same can be said about the likes of Kane and Son Heung-min, with Spurs looking to get more familiar with new manager Antonio Conte’s demands.
City are always a tough choice for FPL managers given Pep Guardiola’s penchant for rotation. However, Phil Foden has started quite regularly and his underlying numbers are also good. Gabriel Jesus is another solid option, becoming a recurring fixture on the right wing this season. Stay away from De Bruyne for a bit though; the Belgian tested positive for COVID-19 upon his return from international duty.
And if you don’t want to shop in the top tier, of course there’s always the option of looking for budget buys…
Lets’s face it: there’s no better feeling for an FPL manager than an inexpensive player delivering the goods. And this year has seen more than a few options emerge in that regard. West Ham United’s entire forward line would come under consideration in this bracket.
Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals are all in the 6 million bracket and worth your consideration. Michail Antonio is in the 8 million bracket and also has a favourable list of upcoming fixtures. There’s also a couple of good bargains to be found at another club in London.
Crystal Palace boys Wilfried Zaha and Conor Gallagher have both been in fine form lately. Gallagher in particular has been top notch, with the Chelsea loanee recently earning an England call-up. Him and Zaha cost 5.9 and 7 million, respectively and will be worth the investment.
The goalkeeper is often an overlooked position in FPL, with players often preferring budget options at the back. In that sense, Brighton’s Robert Sanchez has been a solid pick; however, his red card againt Newcastle before the international break changes things.
Thankfully, there are more than a few good options to consider as his replacement – or for your FPL team in general. Southampton’s Alex McCarthy costs the same as Sanchez and has been in fine form recently; it doesn’t get much better than three cleansheets in four games, 9 saves and 3 bonus points.
Palace’s Vicente Guaita is another name to consider; Patrick Vieira’s men are solid and well-drilled, meaning the chance of a cleansheet is always there. Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale is another surprise option; his heroics in goal have been key to the Gunners keeping 5 cleansheets in their last 8 games. Although if you do want him, I’d suggest to wait until the Liverpool fixture of this week is done with!
That’s all from my side for this week. Good luck with the FPL-ing!
