Fantasy Football tips and advice: Gameweek 31 transfers, selections and captain choices
Tom Carnduff delivers his fantasy football tips and advice for Gameweek 31 with transfers and captaincy choices discussed.
Who has the best fixtures in Gameweek 31?
Only two teams have a double gameweek in Gameweek 31. EVERTON face West Ham and BURNLEY take on Manchester City before the duo meet at Turf Moor on Wednesday night.
Even with the two games, neither has a fixture list that provides appeal. They're also struggling sides and it's optimistic to think they will suddenly turn it on and return plenty of points.
CHELSEA will be a team to target in a home contest against Brentford while LIVERPOOL are the obvious team as they face Watford at home.
LEEDS' attacking figures under Jesse Marsch make them an interesting side going forward - more on that shortly - while TOTTENHAM can also provide attacking returns in a home encounter against Newcastle.
What are the best transfers to make for Gameweek 31?
Based on statistics, form and fixtures, we pick out three players worth considering for Gameweek 31.
Rodrigo
- Position: FWD
- FPL price: £6.2m
- Sky price: £8.3m
Rodrigo is a player who has benefitted from Jesse Marsch's arrival at Leeds. A side now posting very promising attacking numbers and getting results to match.
The Whites have won their last two Premier League contests with Rodrigo scoring in both. What is remarkable is the fact that they could have scored more than five across those games - posting expected goals (xG) tallies of 3.00 v Norwich and 3.29 against Wolves.
Rodrigo is a starter in this Leeds team but the news of a further injury to Patrick Bamford means extra emphasis will be placed on the Spanish forward to deliver.
He's a bargain price too. At £6.2m on FPL, he's considerably cheaper than a lot of others in his position. This is the price range for the likes of Christian Benteke and Salomón Rondón - players who don't start for their clubs.
Kai Havertz
- Position: MID
- FPL price: £7.9m
- Sky price: £9.5m
There always has to be interest when you're getting a midfielder on fantasy games playing as a striker. Kai Havertz has been in great goalscoring form for Chelsea and that makes him a strong option for the remainder of the season.
Chelsea will have a balancing act of Premier League and Champions League - particularly given that they will finish in the top-four but aren't involved in the title race. However, we can be confident of Havertz's involvement.
He scored one goal from 0.86 xG against Newcastle, one from 0.30 xG v Norwich and two from 0.98 xG v Burnley. Not only is he scoring, he's getting into good positions to strike.
It's sustainable and should mean more goals before the end of the season. His 6.5% selection rate on FPL makes him a good differential too.
Thiago Silva
- Position: DEF
- FPL price: £5.7m
- Sky price: £8.6m
Chelsea players are ones to target given the fact that they have five games against sides rated '2' on FPL's FDR in their final run of fixtures and Brentford at home could easily bring a clean sheet for Thomas Tuchel's men.
The Bees average 1.09 xGF per away game in the Premier League but they have struggled against the better teams. They posted 0.33 xG in their trip to Anfield to face Liverpool with 0.56 xG against Manchester City.
For Chelsea, they have averaged 0.98 xGA per home game. Ultimately, they should limit Brentford's chances to score and that makes Silva a good option here.
He's also a decent price for a starting defender in a top team. Silva has three goals in 23 league outings this season.
Who is the best captain for Gameweek 31?
The obvious choice this week is MOHAMED SALAH and it's hardly a surprise when we consider the fact that Liverpool face struggling Watford at home.
The forward grabbed a goal and an assist as they won 5-0 in the first meeting between these two earlier in the season and there's every chance of a repeat here.
The addition of Luis Diaz means there are more rotation options to Jurgen Klopp but DIOGO JOTA will be a good differential option if he is involved from the start.
Away from that fixture, KAI HAVERTZ's form for Chelsea makes him a solid contender. He faces a Brentford defence who have conceded 28 goals across their 15 away league outings - averaging 1.77 xGA per contest.
RODRIGO looks a brave differential option given his pre-international break form. Leeds have been good in front of the opposition goal and he should have opportunities to strike against a Southampton side who have struggled away.
The Saints have conceded 31 goals across their 14 away league games - an average of 1.93 xGA in each of those. You can also consider RAPHINHA when it comes to differentials.
Those who desperately want to give the armband to someone playing twice may as well look to WOUT WEGHORST. However, note that Manchester City game for Burnley first - that will not give them plenty of chances to strike.
FPL: Gameweek 31 captain picks
Safer options:
- Mohamed Salah, Kai Havertz, Kevin De Bruyne
Alternative options:
- Rodrigo, Raphinha, Diogo Jota, Joao Cancelo
Sky Sports Fantasy Football: Gameweek 34 captain picks
Saturday:
- Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Kai Havertz
Sunday:
- Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Saïd Benrahma
Monday:
- Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Conor Gallagher
Wednesday:
- Wout Weghorst, James Tarkowski, Dwight McNeil
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