The Ultimate Free Hit Team For Gameweek 13

Freehitting in Gameweek 13 makes sense for… basically anyone who has the chip left and doesn’t want to use it in Gameweek 16.

Palace play United, who don’t even know when they’re going to be competent themselves, and Arsenal travel away to Chelsea, so dropping their assets for a week makes sense.

On the other hand, a well-rested City face a well-battered Leeds side at home, while Brentford play Burnley, and Aston Villa face up against Wolves, who’ve racked up a whopping 2 points in… 12 games?!

So let’s take a look at who the best players are from some of the standout fixtures from this week:

Erling Haaland is naturally the best player to own this gameweek and should be in all your drafts. It’s as simple as that.

When it comes to MIDs I really like Phil Foden. Sure, his offensive data doesn’t look as good as it did last season, but his minutes are holding up well, and the fact that he came on at half-time in the UCL is indicative of the trust Pep has in him. As long as the minutes stay strong, I’d be hopeful of returns.

Jeremy Doku (£6.5m) is an alternative, but the early sub risk is too high to warrant going there, in my opinion.

Nico O’Reilly (£5.3m) is the best option in defence. His attacking data (an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.28) is absurdly good, and he should play a full 90 this week. In the long run I prefer Gvardiol, but when it comes to a one-week punt, how can you say no to a flying full-back?

West Ham are really, really bad. They’re so bad, in fact, that they conceded 4.05 xG to Bournemouth on the weekend, which is more than Brighton conceded to Brentford even after giving up two penalties.

They’re the second-worst defence in the league based on xGA, and I think that’s reason enough to add Mo Salah to your FH drafts. His performances haven’t been great this season, but his underlying data has begun to pick up, and he’s pretty lowly owned, making him one of the best differentials in the game.

Beyond Salah I’d consider Szoboszlai if we get any indication that he won’t play RB. Van Dijk also warrants some thought if your budget allows it (alright, Mr Moneybags).

Sean Dyche didn’t die (become Everton’s manager) for Burnley to be, by a loooong way, the worst defence in the Premier League. No seriously, conceding more than 2 xG a game takes some doing.

Igor Thiago is the second-best FWD to own this week. He’s a nailed-on, penalty-taking guy, and while his underlying data has been inflated by penalties, he’s still a striker facing Burnley this week. Just buy him already.

In midfield, Kevin Schade (£7.0m) and Dango Ouattara (£6.0m) are unbelievable punts. Schade’s a 90-minute man who takes up really good positions, and while Ouattara’s minutes aren’t nearly as secure, I think he has the higher ceiling. Pick one or both, depending on your budget.

Nathan Collins (£4.9m) is the pick to go for in defence. He’s racking up nearly 10 DEFCONs/game, meaning he hits the threshold rather frequently, and Brentford’s clean sheet odds look good this week. For that reason, Caoimhin Kelleher should be worth looking at too.

I’m sure a domesticated cat with brittle bones could take on Wolves and win at this point.

I don’t hate Ollie Watkins as a pick, but I think he forces you to sacrifice too much elsewhere, so I’d swerve him just for that reason. The same logic goes for Morgan Rogers too (I much prefer Schade).

If you do want your share of the Villans, I’d go for their defence. Wolves have one of the worst attacks in the league, and Matty Cash (£4.6m) has looked pretty convincing going forward, so I’d like to have him in my draft. Ezri Konsa, conversely, is the ol’ reliable pick.

And Emiliano Martinez is a brilliant option between the pipes.