Ahead of Gameweek 19, Big Man Bakar continues with his FPL tips column as he answers EIGHT more questions that would have been rattling around manager’s heads.
Fantasy Football Tips For GW19: Big Man Bakar Answers More Key Questions
Respected Fantasy Football tips judge Big Man Bakar answers more tough questions for football managers as they try and line-up the best squads for the busy festive period ahead and Boxing Day.
These FPL questions include who to replace the injured Bukayo Saka with and if Daniel Munoz is a good addition to your teams. The FPL Gameweek 19 deadline is 1:00pm on Sunday, 29th December.
Q) What to do with Bruno Fernandes? Best replacements?
Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard are the standouts for me, depending on your budget.
Owned by just 7.1% of FPL managers, most of them being inactive teams, Eze could be a really nice differential in the weeks to come – especially for those looking at a Bruno Fernandes replacement.
Palace have a really strong run of fixtures from this point which is the major part of his appeal.
Anyone who owned him earlier in the season must recall how unlucky Eze’s been – he’s in the top three midfielders for underperformance this season.
Both him and Sarr have similar underlying data – but I marginally prefer Eze because of the fact that he’s on set pieces and has an outside chance of being on penalties, especially with Mateta not on the field.
Crucially, Eze’s price allows FPL managers to afford the likes of Trent, Isak and Alisson who are integral to our plans in the times to follow. For those with no budget constraints, I like Odegaard.
With Saka reportedly out for 10+ weeks, Odegaard should take an increasing share of the set pieces and is expected to be on penalties. This makes Odegaard a really strong set and forget options for the foreseeable, potentially even till the second time we use our Wildcard.
Q) Who is the best captain this week?
There’s not much between Salah and Palmer this week. I think this is a good week to go against the grain should you wish to. Most will captain Salah, including myself, but Palmer could easily outscore him this week.
Bookmakers’ odds have Salah at 73% to score or assist this week as opposed to Palmer’s 71% which tells you there is barely anything to split them.
Q) Best Flekken replacement? Worth selling for a hit this week?
Even without the injury, Flekken’s time has been up for a while. Brentford’s defensive struggles with xG conceded this season are unexpectedly surprising, given their usual defensive strength.
Liverpool’s xGC dominance and the possibility of a double Gameweek 24 boosts Alisson’s appeal as the third Liverpool player to own besides Trent and Salah.
His rotation-proof nature sets him apart from other Liverpool attackers not named Salah. Reliable starts are crucial, especially for doubles, and I’m avoiding Jota or Diaz in favor of safer midfield options who I’d expect to score similarly.
If you have Flekken with Fabianski as backup, I’d sell even for a hit as I’d expect to recoup those points spent in the times to come.
Q) Is it still important to prioritize Trent?
This Gameweek onward, having three Liverpool players is a preferable strategy.
Despite the recent blank, Trent’s consistency and league-best xGI for defenders make him an easy choice to prioritize if you don’t own already.
Q) What to do with Raul Jimenez?
I’ve honestly given up on Raul Jimenez – his minutes are becoming a nightmare to predict every week and he’s in “sell if you can” territory.
Muniz scored the winner against Chelsea so I’d expect him to start v Bournemouth. For those without the luxury of many free transfers, I’d bench Raul if you own him.
Luckily, Morgan Rogers and Antoine Semenyo have good fixtures in the short-term and owners can easily bench Jimenez for him, if needed.
Q) Is Daniel Munoz a good buy in the weeks to come?
I’m backing Daniel Munoz as a solid pick from here on. At just 3.4% ownership, he leads defenders for xG this season, providing chances for both defensive and attacking returns. Palace’s upcoming fixture swing further boosts his prospects.
Furthermore, they have the best clean sheet probability out of all teams this week so chances of immediate returns appear high.
Q) Bryan Mbeumo and Joao Pedro – keep or sell?
I believe most FPL managers with Joao Pedro have bigger fish to fry in their teams. His returns have dried up, but his strong underlying data, security of minutes and the cushion of penalties in his locker are enough for me to give him an extended run in my team.
Bryan Mbeumo is more of a sell because of his upcoming fixtures, but that again depends on if you have bigger issues to address in your team. Most do.
Q) Dominic Solanke – keep or sell? Worth buying Isak this week?
I think this is a transfer best made in Gameweek 20 as opposed to right now.
Solanke is more likely to score according to the bookmakers’ odds (47%) as opposed to Isak (42%) this week.
Be sure to claim the various football betting offers and free bet deals available on the SportsCasting site ahead of the next round of Premier League fixtures.
