Dilemmas of the Week - GW7

Every week, we need to take a long hard look at our squad, and ask ourselves if we want to make any changes....

If we do see a pressing case for a change here or there, we then need to weigh that against the possible advantage of saving our transfer - 'rolling' it over to use in a future week. This option achieves greater tactical complexity this season with the new rule that allows us to save up as many as 5 Free Transfers to use at one time. If we ever manage to do that, it would in effect be a 'mini Wildcard', enabling us to conduct a major squad overhaul in one fell swoop (particularly useful as there are a handful of 'premium' players who cost so much more than everyone else that you can't conveniently move them in and out of your squad without making multiple other changes as well).

Then, of course, occasionally multiple changes may seem so inescapable that we have to consider whether it's worth spending points on 1 or 2 extra transfers (a tactic which obviously deserves a whole post of its own one day).

So, what are the conundrums we face ahead of Gameweek 7?

Does anybody need to be moved out because of injury?

Well, Isak's toe problem is looking a bit of a concern (and has possibly/probably been hampering his performance for a couple of weeks prior, as he tried to play through it), and he seems certain to miss this week as well as last.... might be out for a little while after the international break too. But this - while the uncertainty of the timeline is a test of courage - is still 'short-term'; and you shouldn't have to switch players in and out because of an issue that lasts just a few gameweeks. Isak is still one of the best strikers in the game; we should only be playing (at most!) two strikers in most weeks, and we should have a decent enough third-string that we can afford to go without one of our preferred starters for a little bit. The problem, alas, is that, combined with a general - though unwarranted - loss of faith in Isak over the past month, this injury flag is prompting a big sell-off and he's likely to drop in price further. If you're confident that he's worth keeping long-term, this shouldn't bother you, as his price will eventually recover - perhaps even to somewhat above what it was originally. But speculators may fret that they're missing an opportunity to build squad value by selling him now and buying him back again when he's cheaper.

Rodri is now confirmed to be out with an ACL injury, and is unlikely to be available again before the end of the season. DeBruyne again missed Champions League action this week, so seems likely to miss at least one more Premier League game (although he's in fewer than 5% of FPL teams at the moment; and those hopeful few are probably going to sit tight on him, expecting a comeback straight after the international break). Haaland was said to have picked up a 'knock' in the Bratislava game, but doesn't look like a doubt for the weekend (and you really don't rotate him out unless he's got a long-term injury).

Ben White apparently has a groin problem (probably what's kept him out of the last two starts, unannounced?), and is likely to be out until after the international break. Timber is also now a doubt, having been pulled off at half-time against PSG (although Arteta suggested that was only 'precautionary', after he'd felt some 'tightness'). This sudden uncertainty about what had seemed a very stable and predictable Arsenal back-line in the opening games of the season is a bit of an upset (thank god for Gabriel!). Again, if you have these players, you ought to be able to carry them on the bench for a while (though only just over 6% now have White, just 2% for Timber); but confidence was perhaps already waning in White, who's failed to produce much going forward as yet; while Timber, although he's been in outstanding form and was the cheapest route into the Arsenal defence, was always a minutes-risk, because of the higher likelihood of rotation you have to expect with a new addition to the first team, and the high chance of re-injury associated with players returning from a long-term absence. Calafiori also had an injury scare last week, but seems to be OK; the question-mark over his two main rivals in the full-back slots means that he must be just about guaranteed a start this week (perhaps Kiwior too), which is good news for his 2% ownership. (Merino is apparently back training with the squad, rather earlier than originally suggested - though he must still be some way off any chance of a start.)

Brighton's van Hecke could miss several weeks with a groin problem (but I don't imagine many people had him); I suppose Adam Webster (down to 4.4 million), may become an attractive cheap defender pick for a while.

Chris Richards is still out with a hamstring problem at Palace (though it seems new signing Trevoh Chalobah might be available to deputise for him at last) - again, not likely to be a concern for many FPL managers.

Jota and Robertson have successfully shaken off minor knocks from last weekend, and look set to start OK this week. Nunez, who apparently missed last week with illness, should also be available - but probably only from the bench. There is a lot of speculation that Luis Diaz could be rested, after playing the full game against Bologna in midweek, to give Gakpo an EPL run-out. But I'm a bit sceptical about that; Lucho's form has been so good, he surely has to start every game, if he's fit - or deserves to, anyway. (The strength of Liverpool's squad - and Arne Slot's unfortunate penchant for subbing players off at around 58 minutes! - is a source of unease for anyone selecting their players.)

Oh, and Son is still a doubt at Spurs (but surely hadn't been playing well enough to justify FPL selection anyway, certainly not at his very high price-tag...).

But NONE of these (apart from Rodri, who had minimal ownership, as he'd already been missing for the start of the season with the muscle strain he picked up in the Euros Final) are sufficiently serious to justify using transfers on; you don't flip top players in and out just because they might miss one or two Gameweeks; this year, more than ever, it's important to try to roll transfers whenever possible, to bank them for a more impactful double or triple change in a later week.

Happily, we don't seem to have had any significant new worries emerge from the latest batch of European games.

Do we have any players who are dropped, or not looking likely to get the starts we hoped for?

Bruno Fernandes is 'back' - having got his ban for last week's red card (rightly) overturned on appeal. Happy news for the 7.5% of Fantasy managers who (unaccountably!) own him. But, really, why would anyone own any United players - even their best one - at the moment? As they're lurching towards an all-time post-Fergie low, and the inevitable, long-overdue sacking of their manager?

Did anyone give other cause to consider dropping them?

No new news here, I don't think.

Did anyone play so well, you have to consider bringing them in immediately?

The big 'gold rush' this week, of course, is for Cole Palmer, after his record-breaking week (first player ever to bag 4 goals in the first half of an EPL game!). But really, he was obviously going to be one of the two or three best players for the season, and everyone should have had him in their initial squad. As I mentioned a week or two back. Sancho is becoming a tempting pick from Chelsea too; though his awkward pricing at 6.5 (well, 6.4 currently) reduces his appeal, when there are so many attractive options around or below 6.0 million this year.

Dwight McNeil, thriving in a more central, No. 10 kind of role, and currently looking like a regular goal threat, also demands attention. If you're only going for one cheap midfielder, I still think Emile Smith Rowe is likely to produce more over the season, if only because Fulham look set for a fairly comfortable mid-table finish while Everton, despite their rediscovery of some attacking form, seem likely to be in the relegation scrap again. However, if you're going for two players in that price category, McNeil is possibly edging out Semenyo as the next best option; and he might even be worth switching in for Smith Rowe in the fifth seat while he's on such a hot streak.

Delap at Ipswich is also causing some excitement after his brace (so nearly a hattrick!) against Villa. I always counsel that you shouldn't get over-excited about one good performance; but Delap has been playing well all season (and I tipped him as possibly one of the best budget forwards this year before the first kick-off). Similarly, Everton's Ndiaye is on fire at the moment, and, for me, a far preferable budget forward pick to his inconsistent and injury-prone teammate Calvert-Lewin (and he's 600k cheaper too!).

There's been a lot of excitement among The Sheep about Evanilson's finally getting off the mark at Bournemouth. That was indeed a very good finish on Monday night. But... that's only one performance: not enough to go plunging in for a squad change. Even if he does start playing like that every week, I worry that Bournemouth have so much attacking talent that they are going to be sharing their goals around too much: Semenyo, Ouattara, Tavernier, Sinisterra, and Kluivert will all be claiming a share of a finite points pie.... and, although they're all very good, that probably makes none of them quite worth having for FPL.

BEST OF LUCK, EVERYONE!