What you need to know for Gameweek 17
The news, data, risers and fallers in Fantasy Premier League
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Fantasy Gameweek. This is our round-up of everything you need to know for Gameweek 17. This includes the news that matters, the key data from Impect, our data partner, and the risers and fallers.
The deadline for transfers and changes to your team for Gameweek 17 is 6.30pm UK time on Friday December 15 - that’s today!
Here are some of the key news stories this week:
-Kieran Trippier, the top-scoring defender in Fantasy Premier League this season, is suspended for Gameweek 17. More here
-Erling Haaland could be fit for Manchester City’s match against Crystal Palace, but it sounds more likely that he will miss it. More from Pep Guardiola here
-The January transfer rumours have started: Tottenham want to sign a centre-back. More here
These are the fixtures for Gameweek 17:
These are the most transferred-in players this week so far:
And these are the transfers-out:
Now for the key data from Impect, our data partner.
These are the top-five and bottom-five teams for xG per game so far. As a reminder, xG measures the quality of chances that a team creates by attributing a score to each chance based on the likelihood of it being a goal. For example, if the chance was certain to be a goal then it would get an xG score of 1. However, xG does not take into account the quality of the player with the chance or the goalkeeper they are facing. It just looks at the location of the chance and the number of players around the ball.
Best
Liverpool - 2.21
Chelsea - 2.1
Man City - 2.07
Aston Villa - 2.03
Newcastle - 1.95
Worst
Sheffield United - 0.85
Burnley - 1.02
Luton - 1.14
Nottingham Forest - 1.18
Wolves - 1.32
And here are the best five and worst five for xG per game conceded:
Best
Arsenal - 0.8
Man City - 0.95
Newcastle - 1.26
Brentford - 1.38
Crystal Palace - 1.41
Worst
Luton - 2.25
Sheffield United - 2.23
West Ham - 1.98
Bournemouth - 1.88
Tottenham - 1.85
Moving on to the players, these are the top-10 for Offensive Impect, which measures the attacking effectiveness of a player for their team when they are on the pitch. This data should be used in conjunction with how many minutes these players are on the pitch…
Callum Wilson - 100
Erling Haaland - 99.7
Mo Salah - 99.3
Darwin Nunez - 99
Ollie Watkins - 98.7
Heung-Min Son - 98.3
Leon Bailey - 98
Chris Wood - 97.7
Taiwo Awoniyi - 97.3
Alexander Isak - 97
Next, these are the post-shot xG rankings. As a reminder, post-shot xG measures the quality of a chance after the shot has been taken, so it also takes into account the quality of the shot:
Erling Haaland - 13.6
Dominic Solanke - 10.11
Ollie Watkins - 9.57
Mo Salah - 8.8
Heung-Min Son - 8.54
Bryan Mbeumo - 7.19
Odsonne Edouard - 6.29
Matheus Cunha - 6.23
Abdoulaye Doucoure - 6.05
Alexander Isak - 5.75
Lastly, these are the top defenders for Offensive Impect, which shows the defenders who are contributing to attacks, which is really useful to know for FPL:
Pervis Estupinan - 100
Nathan Ake - 99.2
Kieran Trippier - 98.4
Sven Botman - 97.6
Reece James - 96.8
Manuel Akanji - 96
Cristian Romero - 95.2
Oleksander Zinchenko - 94.4
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 93.5
Lewis Dunk - 91.9
Finally, let’s look at the risers and fallers…
Risers
Raul Jimenez (FWD, £5.3m)
Who saw this coming? Fulham, a side that struggled to find the net in the early knockings of the season, have scored 16 goals in their last four Premier League fixtures. They have won each of their last two – at home against Nottingham Forest and West Ham – 5-0.
A run like that is impossible to ignore and striker Jimenez has been a huge beneficiary, scoring three in his last two starts and netting maximum bonus points in each fixture. It’s been a while since the Mexican was a true factor in FPL, but unlike Fulham’s form, Jimenez being clinical in front of goal should not be a surprise.
In his first season in the Premier League while at Wolverhampton Wanderers, the striker scored 13 goals and assisted another 10. In his second, he scored 17 and assisted seven. A horrific head injury affected his form and minutes over the next three campaigns, but he now looks settled at a progressive Fulham side that are creating the sort of chances Jimenez used to thrive off.
A trip to Newcastle in Gameweek 17 would normally be a “red” FPL fixture, but the Geordies have looked leggy of late, are depleted by injuries and suspensions, and come into the match-up off the back of a crushing 2-1 defeat in the Champions League against AC Milan.
In Gameweek 18, Fulham have a juicy home fixture against Burnley, followed by a difficult trip to Bournemouth. At £5.3m, Jimenez simply has to be on your radar for the festive period.
Simon Adingra (MID, £5m)
Don’t sleep on Adingra. The talented Ivorian winger has started every fixture for this dynamic Brighton side since Gameweek 4. While he hasn’t gone ballistic yet, delivering 4 goals and a single assist, Adingra has the talent and opportunity to go on a serious run of point-scoring in FPL.
He enters Gameweek 17 off the back of a virtuoso goalscoring performance in Brighton’s 1-1 home draw against Burnley. The opponents this week are title challengers Arsenal, whose usually tight defence was breached three times by Luton Town in Gameweek 16. After that it’s Crystal Palace (A) and a depleted Tottenham Hotspur (H).
A spate of injuries to positional rivals means Adingra backers should be reasonably safe from rotation risk and at just £5m, he offers serious potential value as a differential in FPL.
Jack Grealish (MID, £7.2m)
Manchester City’s forgotten man this season, Grealish is the sort of player who, given the opportunity, can deliver serious fantasy football points as part of a Pep Guardiola attack.
The absence of Erling Haaland against Luton in Gameweek 17 handed Grealish his first start since Gameweek 10 and he grabbed it with both hands, scoring the winner and bagging 10 FPL points in the process.
There is an element of gambling in going with the £100m England international. Prior to Gameweek 16, he had played a grand total of 38 minutes in the previous six fixtures, and just 453 minutes all season. Given the injury problems most FPL managers are facing at the moment, a more secure starting option might be preferable for Gameweek 17 – particularly as Manchester City have no fixture in Gameweek 18.
But keep a close eye on Grealish. He could prove a key differential over the coming weeks.
Fallers
Erling Haaland (FWD, £14m)
This is the second time Haaland has appeared in Fallers this season, despite the fact he has 14 goals and 5 assists in just 15 Premier League fixtures. However, a combination of a foot injury that leaves him a doubt for Gameweek 17, the blank fixture in Gameweek 18 and City’s recent dip in performance levels means transferring Haaland out is no longer unthinkable.
Anyone going down this road needs to do so with their eyes wide open. There is every chance the Norwegian will prove his fitness ahead of a juicy home fixture against Crystal Palace and deliver huge FPL points.
If you decide to make this move on a temporary basis, make sure you leave sufficient funds in the bank to get him back in your side for Gameweek 19, when City travel to Everton. That is followed by a Gameweek 20 home fixture against Sheffield United - certainly one you want Haaland back for.
Andre Onana (GK, £4.8m)
Manchester United are a mess, particularly at the back. They were comprehensively thumped 3-0 at home by Bournemouth in Gameweek 16. The fact Onana is still in around 15% of FPL teams is a testament to the paucity of good goalkeeper options this season. Despite United’s obvious failings, Onana is the fourth-top points-scoring goalkeeper in FPL as things stand.
However, with Liverpool and Aston Villa coming up in the next three Gameweeks, now might be the time to bank your winnings on the United goalkeeper and switch to a lower-cost option.
Kieran Trippier (DEF, £7m)
The prognosis for Newcastle United players has taken a hit in recent weeks. A fixture pile-up has combined with a horrendous run of injuries to key players.
Trippier is suspended for Gameweek 17 and while games against Luton (A) and Nottingham Forest (H) yield hope of returns at both ends of the pitch, the manner of their 4-1 reversal against Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 16 was concerning.
What’s more, in Gameweeks 20 and 21, Trippier faces up to Liverpool (A) and then Man City (H). If you aren’t considering his place in your team this week, you should plan for a switch before those fixtures.
That’s it for this edition. Thanks for reading and good luck in Gameweek 17
Graham and Tom