What is the perfect Gameweek 29 Wildcard team?
Although Gameweeks 26 and 28 were popular times to activate the Wildcard chip, could a case be made for the upcoming Gameweek 29?
Double Gameweek 29
Firstly, this upcoming Gameweek provides two fixtures for half-a-dozen teams. The two North London sides also play in the big blank of Gameweek 30, caused by the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Free Hit 30
Secondly, a huge factor in whether or not to Wildcard in Gameweek 29 is if the manager has a remaining Free Hit chip to use. If so, do they intend to use it in Blank Gameweek 30?
According to LiveFPL, almost 80% of the top 10k and overall managers still have at least one Free Hit to use, so this Wildcard squad will work on the assumption that Gameweek 30 can be ignored.
Wildcard – Goalkeepers
The ‘+1’, ‘+2’ column indicates how many previously-postponed games will soon be added for that player’s team.
As there is a budget to adhere to, the cheapest starting goalkeeper Ben Foster should be included. The very-popular Arsenal stopper Aaron Ramsdale is chosen alongside him because – despite the Gunners conceding in their last three games – they are a stable source of defensive points.
Other candidates are few and far between. Brighton’s Robert Sanchez has fixtures that rotate well with Foster’s trips to Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea but the Seagulls aren’t in good form.
Wildcard – Defenders
Ideally, a Wildcard should have a long-term defence that allows weekly free transfers to be used on attackers. Therefore, these five have fixtures that rotate so well that it’ll force several four-at-the-back selections.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joao Cancelo need no introduction. Two supreme defenders that keep plenty of clean sheets whilst being attacking monsters. With their teams in a close title race, don’t expect either side to slack off or rest players.
Meanwhile, Antonio Rudiger seems to be the safest route into a Chelsea back line with magnificent fixtures. Reece James will tempt many. Burnley’s Connor Roberts has a strong post-Man City run of games plus Everton (H), Southampton (H) and Aston Villa (a) to slot in somewhere.
Cheap Fabian Schar is an attacking threat who faces low-scoring Wolves at home on the Gameweek where Liverpool face Man City.
Wildcard – Midfielders
Names to miss out here include Philippe Coutinho – whose Aston Villa opponents look tough – and Mason Mount, where Chelsea’s midfield is hard to predict. Raphinha’s hindrance is playing for freefalling Leeds. However, such is the £6.5m – £7.9m price range covered by four-fifths of this midfield, they can easily switch around.
Mo Salah is top scorer both in terms of goals and FPL points, so he has to be here. How could he not? Bukayo Saka is nailed-on at Arsenal, a team that is out of all other competitions and battling for fourth place. He has two dougle-digit returns from three matches.
The other three are riskier for different reasons. West Ham star Jarrod Bowen has enticing fixtures but limped off at Anfield on Sunday. Then there are potential rotations for Phil Foden and Harvey Barnes, although the Leicester man is finally hitting the form that almost a million managers had faith in ahead of Gameweek 1. The Foxes have three more games to re-schedule.
Elsewhere, Son Heung-min is only not included because Harry Kane is chosen up front – an area where there is so little appeal right now.
Wildcard – Forwards
Let it be noted that Emmanuel Dennis isn’t here as a compliment. There are just so few other strikers out there – Wout Weghorst was the unlucky fourth man here.
Despite Kane costing more than Son, he spreads the funds around better and could be a good captaincy candidate. Spurs begin with Double Gameweek 29, ahead of a fixture run that will give them hope of snatching fourth place off both Arsenal and Man United.
Armando Broja is extremely popular right now. His low price allows squad depth and flexibility, whilst he passes the eye test when regularly terrorising defenders. One drawback is that he can’t face parent club Chelsea in Gameweek 32 and that coincides with Man City hosting Liverpool.
Uncertainty surrounds Raul Jimenez now that he has started to be rotated at Wolves.
Additionally, this 15-man squad has five participants of Blank Gameweek 30. So names like Raphinha, Coutinho and Eric Dier could easily be there instead, if needed.
