Best picks from Leicester for Double Gameweek 36
Leicester play twice in Double Gameweek 36. So let’s assess their best FPL options ahead of matches against Everton and Norwich.
If it wasn’t for Leicester’s Europa Conference League adventure, FPL managers would be all over their assets right now. With already great fixtures, boosted by being one of only three sides to play twice in both Double Gameweek 36 and 37, players like James Maddison and Harvey Barnes could have had huge ownership.
However, their mid-table season is clearly not Brendan Rodgers’ priority right now. Two semi-finals against Roma surrounded today’s game at Spurs, with the Foxes playing every three-to-four days until the season’s climax on 22nd May.
Indeed, here is a grid showing player rotation since Gameweek 31 at the start of April.
A season-ending injury to Wilfred Ndidi seems to have secured Youri Tielemans, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Nampalys Mendy as the midfield three but everything else is up in the air. The only other outfield players to start four of their last five are James Maddison and James Justin.
Note, this was produced before Sunday’s match at Spurs, where Maddison and Dewsbury-Hall weren’t in the squad at all.
Underlying Stats
Defensively, Leicester has been one of the worst when it comes to conceding shots and expected goals (xGC). Only Watford and Leeds have kept fewer clean sheets this season and their xGC of 62.19 suggests they should actually be conceding goals a lot more often.
As discussed in our ‘What to do with James Maddison?’ article, the attacking midfielder seems to be playing wider over recent Gameweeks but only three players have created more chances since Gameweek 29.
Yet his four shots inside the box and 15 penalty area touches have been beaten by many in this period.
He was the most-bought player of Gameweek 33 (652,000 buys) and second-most the week before (299,000). Typically, in true FPL style, his returns have dried up since. 21 points from five outings, with a pair of assists followed by three blanks.
Ownership for Double Gameweek
Using the top 10k data at LiveFPL, we can see the popularity of Leicester players.
Kasper Schmeichel is prominent in goal purely due to the number of fixtures and the fact he’s played every minute of this season. The cheapness of Daniel Amartey is boosted by the bonus that he actually gets games. Similarly, Dewsbury-Hall is super cheap, although he also has a recent goal and assist versus Crystal Palace.
Exciting winger Barnes would be a lot more popular if there was security over his minutes. But 113 minutes have been played over the last four league matches (pre-Tottenham).
Interestingly, Jamie Vardy is now back. What immediately holds him back is his premium price tag and high likelihood of being eased into action. Despite this, managers planning an imminent Free Hit could do far worse than punt on this proven FPL goal scorer.
Community Chatter
Az believes Dewsbury-Hall is more than just a cheap enabler. Like Anthony Gordon and Jacob Ramsey, he offers attacking potential too.
Whereas Andy is already eyeing-up the idea of a barely-owned Jamie Vardy for Free Hit 37.
FPL Dougal is cynical about getting any Leicester asset for these Double Gameweeks, knowing there’ll be high rotation taking place.
