If you’re in a rush and need some last-minute Fantasy Premier League (FPL) advice, here’s a quick round-up of what you need to know about Gameweek 12.
WHEN’S THE FPL GAMEWEEK 12 DEADLINE?
All transfers and team selections need to be done by 11:00 GMT on Saturday 22 November.
GABRIEL OUT – WHO TO REPLACE HIM WITH?
The biggest FPL news of November’s eventful international break is undoubtedly Gabriel Magalhaes‘ (£6.5m) injury. Playing for Brazil, the most-owned defender – someone in every single squad of ‘The Great and the Good’ – suffered a thigh problem.
“He’s going to be out for weeks. We need to have another scan, I think it’s next Wednesday, and we’ll have the timeline probably much more clear than we have at the moment.” – Mikel Arteta on Gabriel
Mikel Arteta’s Friday update didn’t confirm the rumours of a two-month absence, but even a few weeks out will be enough to trigger millions of sales.
In response, we’ve looked at how Arsenal usually cope without Gabriel and picked out some recommended replacements.
Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) makes sense, considering Liverpool’s promising set of fixtures. As well as goal threat and possible clean sheets, this unanimous Scout Squad pick is doing well for defensive contribution (DefCon) points. Although recently the league has seen a slight decline in the latter.
But with the Reds in unconvincing form, are their players even essential for this run?
Alternatively, the ‘Buy, Keep, Sell’ article likes Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly (£5.0m) as a way out of Gabriel.
DOUBTS OVER SEMENYO
A ‘Big Numbers’ round-up shows that Antoine Semenyo (£8.0m) is the top midfielder for points (75) and attacking returns (10), but he’s also on three successive blanks, including a missed penalty. It means managers can debate about whether he’s still unsellable.
However, perhaps his international break injury will make the decision easier for some.
“It’s not like a muscle injury. That definitely takes you out. No, I think it’s going to be a matter of his feelings today and we’ll see. But I really don’t know if he’s going to be available for tomorrow or not. I hope he is because he’s very important for us. But with the ankle, it’s a matter of pain and how you feel yourself. And we will see.” – Andoni Iraola on Antoine Semenyo’s ankle
Owners could replace Semenyo with an all-round midfield star but be wary of Bryan Mbeumo (£8.6m), Mohamed Salah (£14.2m), Ismaila Sarr (£6.7m) and Iliman Ndiaye (£6.6m) soon going to AFCON.
Their absence will allow other players to briefly step in and benefit, though there are safer picks like Bruno Fernandes (£8.9m) and Enzo Fernandez (£6.7m) who regularly appear in the Goals and Assists Imminent tables.
CHIPS + FIXTURES
Add in the slight doubts over Daniel Munoz (£5.8m) and Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m), plus Dan Burn‘s (£5.1m) suspension, and managers may be tempted to navigate Gameweek 12 with a Free Hit.
We’ve provided three possible drafts, where Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal assets have strong odds for attacking returns and clean sheets.
Pro Pundit duo Lateriser and Zophar both explain why they’re contemplating using the chip in either Gameweek 13 or 16. They’ve also each held a Q&A session, covering topics like van Dijk, Nick Woltemade (£7.4m) and choosing either Mbeumo fleetingly or teammate Matheus Cunha (£7.9m) for a bit longer.
The upcoming transfer top-up allows managers the luxury of aggressive, short-term punts. But ‘Jump On, Jump Off’ suggests sticking with Manchester United all the way through to Gameweek 21.
Meanwhile, those still able to use Wildcard can check out the pros and cons of using it now. New Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Rob Edwards has been analysed, as have the starts of Nuno Espirito Santo at West Ham United and Sean Dyche at Nottingham Forest.
BEST FPL GAMEWEEK 12 CAPTAIN
Erling Haaland (£14.9m) is the recommended armband recipient of Captain Sensible, but Mohamed Salah is preferred by our Rate My Team (RMT) algorithm.
In second place, they both like Bukayo Saka (£10.1m).
TEAM REVEALS
SCOUT PICKS + DIFFERENTIALS
Our weekly selection – which is essentially a Free Hit in all but name – picks three Chelsea names about to face Burnley.
The aforementioned Matheus Cunha is one of three liked as a differential pick.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
We’ve predicted the starting XIs of all 20 Premier League teams.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck with FPL Gameweek 12!
