STUFF THAT MATTERS
📅 Gameweek 18 Deadline:
Friday, 27 December — 18:30 GMT
Read this now. Thank yourself later. ⏰📊
🎰 Chip Reminder:
If you’re still hoarding chips like rare Pokémon — stop.
👉 All remaining chips MUST be used by GW19. No exceptions, no mercy.
🟨 Suspension Watch:
🚫 Szoboszlai misses GW18 after picking up his 5th yellow vs Spurs. Bench him, don’t rage-sell.
⚽ Penalty Plot Twist:
👀 Gyökeres stepped up for the pen vs Everton… with Saka on the pitch.
Make of that what you will — but it’s definitely something.
🏥 The Medical Room (Good and Bad News):
🚑 Bruno — Hamstring injury. Expected out for at least a month. Pain.
🚑 Isak — Ankle surgery done. Out for a couple of months (Slot confirmed).
🤕 Bradley — “50/50” to face Wolves.
✅ Wirtz — Slot says: “He will be there for us on Saturday.” Music to the ears of the managers eyeing him as a GW18 differential. 🎶
🤕 Esteve — Injury not serious, but doubtful vs Everton.
🤕 Hincapie — Missed Carabao Cup, doubtful vs Brighton.
🟢 Wilson — Injury scare avoided. Expected to be available vs West Ham.
🟢 Estêvão & Delap — Both confirmed fit for Villa.
🟢 Welbeck & Van Hecke — Back in contention vs Arsenal.
⏳ Gakpo — Closing in on a return, but still doubtful for the next match.
👉 That’s the adeaks up and ruins your mood 😏📊
GAMEWEEK 18 FIXTURES
YELLOW CARD TIME BOMBS
MIDWEEK STUFF
How Did Your FPL Assets Do? 👇
ARSENAL 1-1 CRYSTAL PALACE (UCL) ➡️ Guehi - 1 x ⚽, Lerma - 1 x 🅰️,
Lacroix (OG)
Among Other Things…. 👇
Timber, Saliba, Calafiori all started and lasted the whole match. Saka came on in the 67th minute, Rice came on in the 86th minute. Gyökeres and Raya were unused subs.
Mateta, Guehi, and Lacroix played the whole match. Richards played 75 minutes.
Keep scrolling — things only get spicier from here🔥😎
PLAYER FORM
TEAM FORM
DEFCON MONSTERS
SAVE MERCHANTS
TRANSFER PLAYBOOK
Let’s talk transfers — the fun kind, not the “why did I do this at 2am?” kind 😅
🚑 Bruno Replacements (The Big Decision)
🔥 Cunha
If you already own Foden, this is the move.
✔️ Attacking return in each of his last 3
✔️ xGI over 1.00 in of them
✔️ Fixtures? Delicious.
Bonus: Penalties might be in play 👀
➡️ High upside, low regret potential.
⚡ Gordon
Two double-digit hauls in the last three. On pens. Fixtures line up nicely.
The only concern? Minutes roulette 🎰
If his minutes were nailed, we wouldn’t be having this debate.
🧱 Rice
The sensible option. The grown-up pick.
7 DefCons already, set pieces, steady minutes.
He won’t explode often — but he won’t hurt you either. Reliable vibes 📊
🎨 Wirtz
Slow start, but signs of life.
2 assists in last 4, good fixtures (Arsenal (A) aside), minutes improving.
Not flashy — but quietly becoming relevant.
❄️ Cold Showers (Proceed with Caution)
🧊 Palmer
Elite talent, wrong time.
Maresca has basically told us he’s not built for three games a week yet.
At that price? You deserve nailed minutes — and right now, you’re not getting them.
⏳ Rogers
3 big returns in 6? Tempting.
Next two fixtures? Absolutely not.
Park this thought until GW19 ends.
🎭 Grealish
Fixtures scream BUY.
Form whispers “maybe don’t.”
➡️ 9 blanks in his last 10.
Short-term punt? Brave. Sensible? Debatable 😬
⚖️ Semenyo
The definition of don’t-buy-don’t-sell.
Selling him to fund Ekitike? Completely reasonable.
Otherwise… hold and move on.
🎰 Cherki
Doku out helps. Busy fixtures don’t.
Minutes still a headache, Pep still Pep.
High ceiling, high stress.
🤔 The Big Debates
❓ Thiago — Must Sell?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: You can sell him — Ekitike, Bowen, Woltemade all make sense.
But:
✔️ Still on penalties
✔️ Fixtures are good
✔️ Minutes are secure
Keeping him isn’t madness. It’s just… patience 😌
🔥 Ekitike — Essential?
Kinda, yeah.
Isak’s out. Fixtures are great. Form is hot.
Only downside? Probably not on pens.
Still feels close to a no-brainer.
🧠 Bowen
Boring? Maybe.
Effective? Absolutely.
Nailed minutes + great fixtures = green arrow potential 📈
🛡️ Defensive Shopping
🔵 Everton Defence
Fixtures are excellent.
• Tarkowski — safe, solid
• Keane — cheaper, but minutes risk once Branthwaite returns
➡️ Both fine until GW21
⚫ Newcastle Defence
Fixtures line up nicely.
• Thiaw = best pick
• Hall also interesting with Burn out
My vote: Thiaw.
🟢 O’Reilly
Always capable of popping up with returns.
Fixtures are friendly (Chelsea (A) in GW20 aside).
🔴 Calafiori
Sneaky attacking threat (xGI 0.21/90) + Arsenal defence = tasty combo.
Clean sheets + random returns? Yes please.
👉 Transfers done — now it’s time for the real stress: captaincy calls, chip chaos, spicy differentials, and my GW17 team reveal 😏📊 Keep reading.
CAPTAINCY BREAKDOWN
Let’s talk captaincy — aka the weekly decision that decides your mood for 7 days 😅
👑 Haaland
No plot twist here.
Forest are up next and their numbers - xGA 5.3 and 6 conceded in the last 5.
And before anyone says “that’s not that bad” — three of those games were against bottom-half teams.
Translation?
Haaland = safe, sensible, low blood pressure option 🧘♂️
🔥 Ekitike
Now this is the stress pick.
Form? Red hot.
Fixture? Wolves at home.
Confidence? Sky high.
If Haaland didn’t exist, Ekitike would be the easiest captain call of the week.
But he does exist — and suddenly you’re signing up for 90 minutes of refreshing LiveFPL 😬📱
🎖️ Honourable Mention: Saka
✅ Verdict:
Yes, this feels like one of those weeks where you could go against Haaland cappers…
But you won’t.
And you shouldn’t.
👉 Hand Haaland the armband, and choose peace ✌️
DIFFERENTIALS
CHIP ROULETTE
With only 2 GWs left to play them, chips are meant to be played, not admired in your inventory 😌
🧢 Triple Captain (Why are you still holding this?)
If — somehow — your TC is still unused, you’ve got two realistic ideas:
• GW18 — Haaland 👑
• GW18 or GW19 — Ekitike 🔥
Let me make this easy for you:
👉 Play it this week on Haaland.
Yes, some managers were saving it for Bruno in GW19… and, well… we all saw how that ended 🫠
Form + fitness + fixture > future plans that may never arrive.
Use it while your premium is fit and staring at a soft defence.
🪑 Bench Boost (The sneaky one)
If BB is still in your pocket, GW18 is quietly perfect 👀
Honestly? Much better than forcing it in GW19.
• Burnley — good fixture
• Sunderland — good fixture
Yes, Esteve is a doubt.
No, that’s not a deal-breaker.
➡️ Alderete is a perfectly fine plug-and-play replacement.
A playable bench with minutes + fixtures?
That’s exactly what BB dreams are made of 📊✨
🚀 Free Hit (If you’re feeling spicy)
Still got FH and tempted to unleash it now?
I don’t hate it.
If I were pressing the button this week, this is the kind of squad I’d line up:
All upside. Minimal regrets. Maximum fun 😎
TEAM REVEAL
GW17… yeah, let’s talk about it 😅
Injuries, benching disasters, and a Bruno-shaped hole in my plans delivered a red arrow — my first in six gameweeks (only the 5th of the season, but still… it stung).
📉 GW17 Points 😢😢👇
🔄 The Damage Control
The Bruno injury forced my hand early. No luxury of waiting, no room for vibes-only decisions.
➡️ Thiago ➝ Ekitike (made the call after the Isak injury)
➡️ Bruno ➝ Cunha (the next best thing after Bruno)
I did consider selling Saka to fund Cunha — but once Bruno went down, that idea was sent straight to the recycle bin 🗑️
👥 Here’s how the team lines up 👇
Am I happy with it? Yes.
Am I completely relaxed? Obviously not — this is FPL 😬
Yes, Minteh vs Arsenal isn’t ideal.
But with West Ham & Burnley coming up right after, I’m choosing patience over panic. Future me will (hopefully) thank present me.
🧢 Captaincy Call
No overthinking.
No therapy required.
👑 Haaland gets the armband.
🪑 The One That Still Hurts…
I’d be lying if I said I’m over that Hincapie 10-pointer chilling on my bench like it paid rent there 😭
But we move. We always do.
Red arrows happen, lessons are learned, and GW18 is a fresh canvas. See you soon — hopefully with smiles 😎
Till then may your arrows be green and your punts be powerful. 💚⚽🔥