Gameweek 35 Wildcard Q and A

In this article we take a look at a Gameweek 35 Wildcard Q and A. Members of the FPL community sent in their questions and dilemmas ahead of the new round so we brought in our FPL expert @dmpwright to answer all of them right here!

Our Gameweek 35 Wildcard Q and A can be extremely important for managers. Many within the community are prepping for a bench boost in Gameweek 37 and with that comes a lot of 50/50 calls and tough decisions.

Haaland or no Haaland?

Given the lack of other standout DGW forwards, I’d almost certainly have Erling Haaland in my wildcard squad. That is unless Pep Guardiola indicates his injury is serious enough to put his GW37 minutes in doubt.

If Haaland is ruled out of GW35 and you decide to initially go without then I’d consider having funds in the bank to transfer him in later down the line. Although I’d avoid booking in too many transfers as other issues are likely to arise between now and GW37.

Do we ditch Salah and other Liverpool players?

I’d get rid of Liverpool players on wildcard. One exception might be Trent Alexander-Arnold. Trent has plenty of upside, although it’s difficult to include him and build a decent squad that allows you to fully attack the GW37 fixtures.

Whether you get rid of Mohamed Salah depends on your appetite risk. He’s likely to be a relative differential from GW35 onwards. So if you’re chasing or just looking to attack the final few fixtures, then Salah is definitely someone you could consider keeping on wildcard.

Do we ditch Arsenal players?

Despite a couple of tricky away fixtures against Spurs and Manchester United between now and GW37, I’d probably include one Arsenal defender on wildcard (most likely Gabriel). This is due to how good their defence has been this season – but I wouldn’t double up.

Bukayo Saka is also worth considering given Arsenal’s game against Bournemouth in GW36, in particular. You could always move him on for Phil Foden or Bruno Fernandes in GW37, providing you haven’t booked in too many other transfers.

However, I’d only take one of Salah or Saka if bench boosting in GW37. If neither hit, you run the risk of giving up significant ground to other managers who are likely to have 14 or even 15 DGW players.

Which Spurs assets should I target and why?

I won’t go into too much detail about Son-Heung Min (on penalties, playing as a forward), who should be a lock in all wildcard squads.

Outside of Son, I’d definitely have Pedro Porro if he’s fit to start both GW35 fixtures and funds allow (providing it doesn’t compromise the rest of your wildcard squad). No defender has taken more shots this season and only Kieran Trippier (7.68) has higher NPxGI than Spurs’ Portuguese fullback (7.65).

James Maddison is also an option (his recent form and Fantasy production has been poor though), as is Guglielmo Vicario, who might not keep many clean sheets. But, he should get save points and is one of the top three or four goalkeepers to consider with a GW37 bench boost in mind.

You could also consider Brennan Johnson (who has good underlying numbers) or Timo Werner as differentials, although they are xMins risks!

Which are the best defenders on wildcard?

Outside of Gabriel and Porro, I’d probably have Malo Gusto if he’s available for GW35. He only costs £4.3 million, has decent NPxGI across the season and has six fixtures between now and GW38.

Depending on budget, I’d also include one of Dan Burn or Fabian Schär given Newcastle’s favourable fixtures. Although, you could also consider someone like Jan Paul van Hecke or Lewis Dunk.

The final defensive slot is probably a toss-up between a Manchester City and Manchester United defender. In an ideal world, I’d make that decision closer to GW37 given potential issues with rotation and form, respectively. As things stand, I’d probably have Joško Gvardiol.

Which are the best two goalkeepers to eventually bench boost in GW37?

I’d probably have Vicario as one of my goalkeepers. I’d want a goalkeeper with a DGW in both GW35 and GW37, and not taking Đorđe Petrović frees up a slot for a third Chelsea player – most likely Nicolas Jackson.

My second goalkeeper would be Andre Onana – assuming you select Gvardiol, Foden and Haaland then there’s no space for Ederson. It’s unclear who Newcastle’s goalkeeper will be by the time GW37 comes around, with Nick Pope apparently nearing a return to action.

What would your ideal GW35 wildcard draft look like?

Here’s what my ideal draft would look like if I were wildcarding in GW35. Anthony Gordon is a good pick in midfield, particularly as Newcastle play Sheffield United at home in GW35. However, Alejandro Garnacho is still a solid option if you need a budget enabler and his position in the Manchester United midfield doesn’t seem to have been adversely affected by his recent falling out with Erik ten Hag.

The rest of the team isn’t too different to most GW30/GW31 wildcards, with Foden, Cole Palmer and Alexander Isak all making the cut.