EDITOR'S ELEVEN: GW6 Superheroes & GW7 Wildcards

Here’s the good news: Gameweek 6 wasn’t the unmitigated disaster that Gameweek 5 was. But it wasn’t a roaring success, either. In fact, I was just three points into the green, which, turns out, feels a whole lot like a red arrow.

As an addendum to my initial goalkeeper transfer of Johnstone to Flekken, I eventually opted on a minus-4 to swap Baldock for Botman as well – and thank Bobby Robson I did. Johnstone not only kept his place between the sticks this week but ALSO pulled off an 8-point stunner, while my investment in Brentwood's keeper returned a disappointing 2 points. Fortunately, the damages were offset by my Magpie defender, who replaced Colwill in my starting lineup and returned for a whopping 12 points – his share of the 8-0 Bramal Lane massacre. His name's Botman. Tell your friends about him.

By the time the dust settled, this week's transfer fiasco saw me up by 10 points – and all said and done, I finished the weekend on 81(-4) points and jumped up the ranks a modest 89K, for a current overall rank of 814K.

This is how it went down…

GAMEWEEK 6

In a fleeting moment of lucidity, Everton remembered how to play football, embarrassed Brentford in their own house, and that was that for Flekken’s clean sheet. Meanwhile four miles down the road, Ben Chilwell trotted onto the pitch at Stamford Bridge and put in a forgettable 29 minutes, which was just long enough to wipe out his 1 point with a yellow card. Of my starting defence, only Rúben and Botman returned, with 6 and 12 points respectively.

It was my midfield that really turned things around this week, with Foden, Saka and Son posting double-digit returns and Maddison managing a 9-pointer before that knee-twist – one of those (hopefully) minor injuries that looks much worse in stills than in videos. The only midfielder to let me down was Mbeumo with his single point against Everton.

Up front, Nicholas Jackson wrote his own fate with YET ANOTHER single-pointer and a fifth yellow card, which finally put him and his owners out of their misery. And to top off my mediocre weekend, Haaland had a quiet one (by his standards, anyway) with a single goal and 6 points, which I dutifully doubled with the captain’s armband. Unlike many managers, it wasn't a game week to remember nor was it one to forget.

SO WHY THE EARLY WILDCARD?

The plan was to pull the trigger in Gameweek 8 but I opted to move it forward a week for several reasons – and in no small part, it had to do with my beloved (but unbelievably poor-performing) Chelsea. With 1 clean sheet from 6, Colwill was dead weight when he wasn't on my bench, Chilwell fell victim to a tactical shift and Jackson couldn't get on the end of a cul-de-sac. The fantasy was as bad as the reality.

But Chelsea was just part of the problem. With Liverpool’s fixtures take a tantalizing swing, I was beginning to get mad Mo FOMO, too. And Mbeumo might have gone off the boil. And Pedro felt like a low-impact sub who only scores from the spot. And Foden was going to be a rotation risk as the Champions League ramped up. And Flekken looked like a shortsighted mistake. Long story short, I’d fallen out of love with my squad – and that was as good a reason to wildcard as any. So yes, that hallowed first chip is active! Here’s how I’m approaching the next phase of the season, starting with a 3-4-3 next week, with a wildcard squad worth ₤100.8M with ₤0.1M ITB…

GAMEWEEK 7 WILDCARD SQUAD

GOAL

The Areola-Turner Rotation is more than just a titillating innuendo – it’s also a budget way of getting good alternating shot-stoppers for the upcoming fixtures. I’m planning on scheduling their rotation for the weeks ahead and not giving it much thought after that.

DEFENCE

My only regret is that Aston Villa don't have striped jerseys.

With the Newcastle fixture swing starting in earnest next weekend, it’s time to double-up on the Toon’s defence. Rather than squeezing Trippier into the squad, I’ve opted for the ₤1.9M cheaper Fabian Schär (who still provides a legitimate level of attacking threat) and beside him, big bad Botman with his clean sheet potential and apparently, the occasional header.

Brighton face Villa (A), Liverpool (H) and Man City (A) in their next 3 fixtures, so it’s understandable if Estupiñan’s return to the squad feels a bit premature, but there’s a logic to it: By Gameweek 10 and the Seagull’s incredible run of fixtures, he’ll be everyone’s wildcard darling – and while most managers will be doing backflips to bring him in, I’ll be benefitting from his inevitable price rise(s), and using that week’s free transfer elsewhere (sometimes, it’s good to get ahead of the curve). With the exception of next game week, (where he’s head-to-head with my new Villa acquisition, Matty Cash) he’ll be riding my bench for the next few fixtures.

While we’re on the South Coast, I’ve chosen Brighton’s Tariq Lamptey as my budget enabler. This feisty ₤3.9M defender has all the potential to earn minutes in De Zerbi’s rotational eleven - case in point, his pair of assists in 76 minutes against Man United in Gameweek 5 – not bad for sub four milllion ‘bench fodder’.

MIDFIELD

Mitoma is in the squad for the same reasons as Estupiñan but he’ll be seeing more playing time than his defensive colleague. This (literal) student of the sport can produce attacking returns out of thin air – one of the benefits of doing your uni thesis on dribbling. Academia aside, his consistent returns and relative nailed-on-ness (let's ignore last weekend) make him a super solid asset going into Gameweek 10.

Alongside Mitoma are the dynamic duo of Son and Maddison. As a massive fan of Ange-ball (and Ange press conference quotes and Ange Postecoglou in general), I’m betting that the big Aussie's free-attacking version of the Lilywhites will produce a sizeable goal-tally over the upcoming weeks. If the pair don’t produce results next week against Liverpool, they’ll certainly have opportunities after that with Luton (A), Fulham (H), Palace (A), Chelsea (H) and Wolves (A). At the time of writing, the jury is still out on Madders’ knee twist but I’ve rolled the dice on it being minor, and maybe a 1-week recovery at worst. If I'm right, I have Diaby at home to Brighton waiting in the wings. If I wrong, and he's pulled a 'Proper Maddison' , then I'll move him on for another viable midfield option (no, not Mbeumo – that train's running out of steam).

And like so many, I’ve brought in Salah, one of the driving forces behind this wildcard, really. The Egyptian has posted returns in every match so far this season and shows no signs of stopping. Plus, Liverpool’s fixture run looks absolutely filthy from Gameweeks 9-12, with Everton (H), Forest (H), Luton (A) and Brentford (H).

ATTACK

Yes, we're doing a little rank-chasing with this front line. With two of the lesser-owned forward joining the most owned player in the game (and that’s about all I need to say about Haaland). In the first double game week of the season, I’m taking a modest punt on Morris – the reason for my 3-4-3 this week. And with Everton (A) and Burnley (H) to contend with, the wily striker feels good for at least 1 return.

Alongside the Luton man is another differential in Taiwo Awoniyi, whose attacking consistency is comparable to the FPL GOAT himself, Mo Salah. If the big Nigerian can maintain his current output, his owners will be feasting weekly.

Like what you see? The algorithm does. Fantasy Football Hub’s Rate My Team tool gives this squad an impressive 97% rating. Guess we’ll see how intelligent the artificial intelligence really is…

Good luck in Gameweek 7.

~DP