Normal service resumed to an extent in Gameweek 12 of Fantasy Premier League as an average score of 57 was more on the expected lines after two consecutive weeks with average score figures of 42.
Once again it was the defenders leading the way as five made it into the Team of the Week for GW12 with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Tyron Mings the leading goalscorers while Antonio Rudiger, Reece James and Joao Cancelo were just behind the two.
The defenders have outscored the forwards so far this season and it’s a trend that many FPL managers could have a look at and play an extra defender in place of a striker. In terms of the pricing, a top-performing defender and a budget forward costs the same and it’s a no-brainer where the investment should be.
GW13 will again see some of the big guns face each other as Chelsea host Manchester United and Manchester City take on West Ham United. But there are easier games for Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham.
Fixture Difficulty
Leeds, Leicester, Tottenham and Liverpool have the best games on paper in coming weeks with Antonio Conte’s men having the best run of them all. Southampton, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Watford have it tough in coming weeks.
Fixture Difficulty Ratings
| Team | Combined Difficulty rating for GW 13-15 | GW13 opponents | GW14 opponents | GW15 opponents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 9 (2, 4, 3) | NEW(H) | MUN(A) | EVE(A) |
| Aston Villa | 10 (3, 4, 3) | CRY(A) | MCI(H) | LEI(H) |
| Brentford | 8 (3, 3, 2) | EVE(H) | TOT(A) | LEE(A) |
| Brighton | 8 (2, 4, 2) | LEE(H) | WHU(A) | SOU(A) |
| Burnley | 8 (3, 3, 2) | TOT(H) | WOL(A) | NEW(A) |
| Chelsea | 10 (4, 2, 4) | MUN(H) | WAT(A) | WHU(A) |
| Crystal Palace | 9 (3, 2, 4) | AVL(H) | LEE(A) | MUN(A) |
| Everton | 9 (2, 4, 3) | BRE(A) | LIV(H) | ARS(H) |
| Leeds | 7 (3, 2. 2) | BHA(A) | CRY(H) | BRE(H) |
| Leicester | 7 (2, 2, 3) | WAT(H) | SOU(A) | AVL(A) |
| Liverpool | 8 (2, 3, 3) | SOU(H) | EVE(A) | WOL(A) |
| Man City | 9 (4, 3, 2) | WHU(H) | AVL(A) | WAT(A) |
| Man Utd | 10 (5, 3, 2) | CHE(A) | ARS(H) | CRY(H) |
| Newcastle | 8 (4, 2, 2) | ARS(A) | NOR(H) | BUR(H) |
| Norwich City | 8 (3, 2, 3) | WOL(H) | NEW(A) | TOT(A) |
| Southampton | 11 (5, 3, 3) | LIV(A) | LEI(H) | BHA(H) |
| Spurs | 6 (2, 2, 2) | BUR(A) | BRE(H) | NOR(H) |
| Watford | 11 (3, 4, 4) | LEI(A) | CHE(H) | MCI(H) |
| West Ham | 12 (5, 3, 4) | MCI(A) | BHA(H) | CHE(H) |
| Wolves | 8 (2, 2, 4) | NOR(A) | BUR(H) | LIV(H) |
The big ins and outs
The defenders are leading the way for obvious reasons but a couple of budget midfielders, who have been the find of the Premier League season so far, Emile Smith Rowe and Connor Gallagher are also in demand this week.
Most transferred (in) players ahead of GW13
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| DEF | James | CHE |
| DEF | Alexander-Arnold | LIV |
| MID | Gallagher | CRY |
| MID | Smith Rowe | ARS |
| DEF | Cancelo | MCI |
Chilwell leads the exits due an injury that will likely see him miss a large part of the remaining season. FPL managers have also run out of patience with West Ham’s Antonio whose points have dried up. His teammate Said Benrahma, Cristiano Ronaldo and Demarai Gray make up the rest of the top five most sold players.
Most transferred (out) players ahead of GW13
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| DEF | Chilwell | CHE |
| FWD | Antonio | WHU |
| MID | Benrahma | WHU |
| FWD | Ronaldo | MUN |
| MID | Gray | EVE |
Top picks for Gameweek 13
Whether you bring them in through transfers or (luckily enough) have them in your squad already, these are the five hottest selections for GW13:
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool): A permanent name in the list this season, the Egyptian returned to the scoresheet against Arsenal and also scored against FC Porto in the Champions League. There is no reason for any FPL manager to not own him so why would be it be any different for GW13?
Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace): With four goals in his last five matches, Benteke is a man in form. His goals are also not a case of a one-off as he is fourth for xG (Expected Goals) in the Premier League for the last four gameweeks. Up against Aston Villa at home, Benteke is favourite to keep his scoring run going.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool): The Reds full-back leads the charts for xA (Expected Assists) in the Premier League and has produced three double-digit hauls in the last four weeks. The Saints have usually been goal-shy this season so TAA owners can expect a clean sheet at the very least.
Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal): The Gunners midfielder has been excellent this season and has scored in three out of the last four matches. Often lively in midfield, the youngster has taken up the goalscoring mantle and against a Newcastle side who have leaked goals from all quarters, he’ll fancy his chances again.
Jamie Vardy (Leicester City): It’s been a quiet few weeks for Vardy as Leicester have struggled but a home game against Watford would be a good chance for the Englishman to get back among the goals as Claudio Ranier’s men are yet to keep a clean sheet this season.
Top differential picks for GW13:
Bernardo Silva (Manchester City): With three goals and one assist to his name, Bernardo Silva has emerged as a Man City asset that starts fairly regularly and is providing the goods regularly. With less than 10% ownership, he is a good budget differential to have from a really top side.
Raul Jimenez (Wolves): The Mexican was on the scoresheet for Wolves and will face Norwich next who are the league’s worst defence. The Wolves forward has returned in five out of the last seven matches and with little over 12% ownership is a good differential to have in GW13.
Teemu Pukki (Norwich City): The Canaries forward was excellent the last time Norwich were in the Premier League and the striker has started to display that form again with two goals in his last two matches. With less than 5% ownership, he is a nice budget differential.
Captaincy Conundrum
The captaincy debate has been made a no-contest by Salah’s consistency. The Egyptian has 11 goals and 8 assists in the Premier League this season and it’s hard to look beyond him for captaincy at the moment. With a home game against Southampton to come, it’s a huge risk going without Salah as the captain due to his high effective ownership.
For those who still want to look elsewhere, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Smith-Rowe could be good alternatives this week.
The Field’s FPL team
Gameweek 12 points: 65
It was another good week for our team with the defenders doing the trick. Gallagher and Armstrong chipped in with vital points. However, we have had to move on from the Southampton forward as he was always a one-week bet. We have replaced him with Wolves’ Hwang who has some exciting fixtures in the next two matches. This is our only change this week.
With the captaincy, we have pretty much adopted a keep and forget strategy with Salah.
GW13 deadline: Saturday, November 26, 2021, 4:30 PM IST
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