🚨 DGW28: the moves to make 📈

🚨 The stuff you should know 🚨

⏰ Double Gameweek 28’s deadline is Saturday 9th March, 11:00 GMT.

👀 Bournemouth and Luton will play twice.

✅ Arteta “pretty positive” that Saka and Martinelli can be a part of DGW28.

😕 Solanke has been carrying an injury since Gameweek 21, reveals Iraola.

👀 Salah available again.

🚑 Senesi withdrawn from Argentina squad, unlikely to play in DGW28.

Keep reading to find out why the Professor is taking a hit this week.

Alright?

Quick one today, I’m afraid folks.

After embarking on a “surprise trip”, I’ve ended up in Bilbao; a city whose name I’d only ever heard when preceded by the word “Athletic” prior to now. It turns out it’s much more than just a middling Spanish football club.

Or so I’ve been told. After all, I’m sat in the hotel room writing this instead.

My girlfriend is sympathetic, but in the same way that one might be sympathetic towards someone struck by a terrible affliction. She offers an understanding nod that says “one day we’ll get you the help you need”.

The things we do for FPL.

It’s a Double Gameweek, so let’s crack on.

p.s. if you have any recommendations for Bilbao, please reply so I know what I’m missing.

Double Gameweek 28’s fixtures.

Bournemouth and Luton play twice this week.

Bournemouth: Sheffield United (H) and Luton (H).

Luton: Crystal Palace (A) and Bournemouth (A)

Solanke’s form.

There was mooted excitement when this Double Gameweek was announced. At the time, Dominic Solanke was in excellent form and Bournemouth were relatively fresh off a run that had seen them score at least two goals in seven consecutive Premier League games.

Whilst they have continued to score goals, their talisman - and really the only one of Bournemouth’s attackers that is absolutely guaranteed to play if he’s fit - has scored just two goals in his last seven.

Iraola has since revealed that Solanke has been carrying an injury since Gameweek 21, which could explain his dip in performance.

“It’s a situation that isn’t new for Dom. Since the Spurs game away, it’s something that bothers him, he’s been managing it quite well but this week he’s felt more pain.”

What does it mean for FPL managers?

Not a great deal.

Most managers already own Solanke, and it’s hardly the time to get rid of him. He’s also the most-transferred in player this week, and will certainly be the most captained amongst active managers too.

Just as a good run of form could expire at any point, so too can a bad run of form. Is there a better opportunity to regain some goalscoring momentum than a pair of home fixtures against the two worst defences in the league?

What Bournemouth players should you bring in?

A self-professed “FPL addict and Bournemouth fan”, FPLScofield, has published an excellent (and incredibly long) thread about which Bournemouth players to go for this week.

If you don’t have the time or will to read it, it can be summarised thus:

1) Solanke is a must.

2) Every other attacker - apart from Antoine Semenyo, who is listed as a forward - is too risky. None are guaranteed 180 minutes.

3) Neto (the goalkeeper) and Illia Zabarnyi (a nailed centre-back) are his preferred other picks because of their reliability.

Solanke aside, it’s not exactly the most exciting prognosis. But perhaps we’re looking for excitement in the wrong places…

Are Luton being slept on?

What began as a radical fringe movement started by a small cluster of hipster FPL managers a few weeks back has blossomed into a parliamentary debate: should we be ignoring Luton?

Look at the most transferred in players this week and something might surprise you: two of the top three are Luton players.

Their recent xG (expected goals) - the fifth-highest since Gameweek 23 - leaves a lot to ponder:

Whilst their defence across that same timeframe is statistically the leakiest, one thing seems certain: if Luton do get relegated this season, they’re going to go down scoring.

Enter Carlton Morris.

The forward has four goals in his last five and, with his colleague Elijah Adebayo out injured, Morris’ starting berth is as assured as ever. He leads Luton’s stats for basically every important attacking metric.

So which doublers should you own this week?

How aggressively you want to attack this Double Gameweek will depend on a few variables:

1) How close you are to your end-of-season goals

2) When you’re playing your Wildcard and Free Hit

3) The other players you currently own

It feels short-sighted to approach this double with the same sort of vigour you might’ve dedicated to Double Gameweek 25. We all remember how disappointing that was.

Our advice this week is to channel your inner surgeon, not your inner butcher. Calculated moves to profit on a doubling team are encouraged, but not at the expense of players you want to keep long-term.

In order, we like:

Solanke
Morris
Neto
Zabarnyi

Salah’s return and the abundance of premiums.

After featuring in Liverpool’s Europa League game on Thursday, Mohamed Salah is expected to start against Manchester City in Double Gameweek 28.

Very soon you’ll be faced with a tricky question: when and how do you get him back?

The question of “when” is relatively simple: as soon as you feasibly can.

The question of “how” is more complex for two key reasons:

1) your team probably requires an overhaul to fit him in.
2) you can’t own every premium player.

This season has been unusual for the most part, because the most desirable premiums have rarely all been available at the same time.

Erling Haaland missed his first Premier League games during Heung-min Son’s best run of the season so far.

Then Kevin De Bruyne played his first Premier League minutes just as Son and Salah departed for international tournaments.

That might be about to change. It’s possible that managers will soon have to pick four players from the following six:

• Son

• Haaland

• Saka

• Salah

• Foden

• De Bruyne

This scenario will lead to more variation amongst FPL teams, which can be a great opportunity if you’re chasing down a target and something to be aware of if you’re defending your position.

It could make your Wildcard more important than ever.

The best captain for Double Gameweek 28.

It’s Dominic Solanke vs Sheffield United and Luton.

Solanke has the second-highest xG of any player across the season and will face the two weakest teams for expected goals conceded. Despite a recent blip in form, his stats have remained strong enough to alleviate fear.

The bookies have him as the standalone favourite to score this week, and Haaland’s tricky fixture at Anfield should remove any flirtation you might have with the Norse God.

Carlton Morris is an interesting differential, but he - just like those weird little glass-boxed hammers you get on coaches - should only be used in case of an emergency.

The key stats for Double Gameweek 28.

Here are the key stats for Double Gameweek 28.

The Professor’s team.

Red arrow for the Prof last week. He’s stoic about it.

He’s always stoic. But he’s still hitting the Double Gameweek hard this week.

Current rank: 324k.

Current plans:

Dubravka → Neto
Ake → Zabarnyi (-4)

Captain: Dominic Solanke

Yes: the Prof is taking a hit. He’s going all-in on Bournemouth because, regardless of whether they double in Gameweek 34, their fixtures are decent enough after Blank Gameweek 29 to justify keeping (EVE (H), CRY (H), lut (A), MUN (H).

Here’s what his team looks like, courtesy of Fantasy Football Hub’s MyTeam.

Fancy trying MyTeam? Fantasy Football Hub are running a 7-day free trial, with 30% off after that. It’s a beast. Try it here and you’ll be helping us out too.

Other stuff we found interesting.

• Areola was benched by 1.96m managers last gameweek. He has three double-digit hauls this season, and was the gameweek’s most benched player for all of them.

• Nick Pope is expected to be back “mid-to-late March”, which will threaten Dubravka’s minutes.

• Ben Crellin has elaborated on the chances of various teams doubling across Double Gameweek 34 and Double Gameweek 37. You can see the results of his calculations here:

Next week only four teams will play. It’s a big old blanker. We’ll be back at 13:30 next Friday with an optimal, zero-BS Free Hit team, amongst other chunklets.

Until then, stay lazy.

The LazyFPL Team.