I’ll get into everything you need to know ahead of Gameweek 28 in a second, but first, let’s acknowledge that this is a double gameweek.
And double gameweeks are pretty special.
You dive head-first into each one, jumping with glee and optimism. You emerge with dejection, a red arrow, and a strong dose of hindsight bias after watching your players become incompetent for the second game in a row.
Fun, eh?
But I’ll tell you how to avoid this pain. And LazyFPL’s newsletter does too, as it concisely tells you everything you need to know each week. Winning more by doing less has never been easier.
Double Gameweek 28 and Blank Gameweek 29
The teams that double in Gameweek 28 are:
- Bournemouth: Sheffield United (H) + Luton (H)
- Luton: Crystal Palace (A) + Bournemouth (A)
Meanwhile, the only fixtures in Gameweek 29 are:
- West Ham vs. Aston Villa
- Burnley vs. Brentford
- Fulham vs. Spurs
- Luton vs. Forest
This makes navigating the next few weeks more complicated than trying to keep up with the Kardashians. Seriously, why do that to yourself?!
For this reason, my recommendations on who to buy will be a mix of players playing in Gameweek 29 and those who don’t. Plus, every pick will be based on a six-gameweek horizon, meaning Double Gameweek 34 is not a factor here.
But here are some basic tips:
- If you’re wildcarding in GW 30 and not free-hitting in GW 29, selling Haaland for Carlton Morris is a perfectly viable move.
- I’d be careful with how much you invest in Bournemouth if you’re free-hitting in GW 29, and I’d prioritise Luton instead.
- If you’re wildcarding later in the season (GW 35/36), Bournemouth’s assets are your best friends.
Who To Buy in FPL Gameweek 28?
Zabarnyi and Kerkez
Bournemouth’s next six fixtures include SHU + LUT, EVE, CRY, lut and MUN.
That set of fixtures is greener than a vegan activist driving a Prius that runs on biofuel.
And, to make things better, Bournemouth’s defence had considerably improved before their tough run of fixtures began. They were nervy vs. Burnley, but eventually grew into the game, even against a relatively physical side.
Zabarnyi has an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.03, meaning he’s not likely to score a bullet header (or any kind of header, really), but he is nailed on.
Kerkez also has a low npxG+xAG/90 (0.04); however, he was advanced vs. Burnley and City and benefits from Sheffield United’s weakness down their right flank.
If you need a defender until around Gameweek 34, I prefer Zabarnyi. I don’t mind Kerkez for the short term; however, he’s a worry in the long run with Lloyd Kelly’s potential return.
Destiny Udogie
Dread it, run from it, Destiny arrives all the same.
That would sound more threatening if I wasn’t talking about a man whose surname sounds like a conversation between me and my pet labrador:
Labrador: I wonder who broke that vase and brought all this mud into my house?
Exasperated me: It was you, doggie!
Udogie’s fixture is admittedly, quite difficult, this week as he plays an Aston Villa side who are fifth for xG while playing for a defence that are 11th for xGA.
However, he has a fixture in GW29—Fulham (A), which is followed up by a neat fixture run of LUT, whu, and NFO. Plus, Udogie has a decent npxG+xAG of 0.21 and remains fluid with Spurs’ 8’s in possession, meaning he gets quite advanced.
As I say every week, Gabriel and Saliba are excellent options, and having one is almost a necessity. Arsenal’s defence is more impenetrable than a cement wall, slathered by tar, guarded by Harry Maguire.
James Maddison
I recommended buying Heung-min Son last week—and I still do, since he’s the best MID asset in the game for the next six weeks—but James Maddison deserves his plaudits.
Spurs are easily a top-half attack, and Maddison has an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.50. That’s more than Bowen, Gordon, Groß, and Højlund, to name a few.
We know how good James Maddison is, and his 10 goal contributions in 16 appearances are testament to that. And the fact that he has a fixture in GW29 just sweetens the deal.
Just don’t ask him about his darts celebration.
Cole Palmer
Climate change fears Cole Palmer. You may think the earth is getting warmer by 0.5°C, but it all changes when Palmer scores a goal and characteristically shrugs to chants of, “Cold Palmer!”
Eh, what am I saying? The only chant Stamford Bridge knows is, “Chelsea! Chelsea! Chelsea!” Rumour has it that Palmer doesn’t even have to shush the crowd; they’re already silent.
Yes, Cole Palmer blanks in GW 29, but he plays BUR, MUN, shu, and EVE from GW 30 onwards.
He’s nailed on for 90, is on some set-pieces and on penalties, with an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.60, and has 17 G+A in the Premier League already. Plus, Chelsea are pretty decent going forward and are likely to double in Gameweek 35.
Other good options include Bowen and Gibbs-White.
Forwards
I’ll keep it short and sweet: Haaland, Watkins, and Solanke. That’s all you need, really.
Other good options (the above trio are still better) include: Ivan Toney (only if you’re not freehitting in GW 29), Alexander Isak, and Darwin Nunez.
That said, I think Darwin Nunez is more of a priority in GW 30. And I’ll be back to spread some much-needed Darwin propaganda. The same can be said for Ivan Toney; he plays Arsenal (A) this week, after all.
Who to Captain in FPL Gameweek 28?
Dominic Solanke
Solanke is, by far, the standout option. He sounds fit enough to start both games, and I expect him to get at least 160 minutes across the double.
Bournemouth play against two of the worst defences in the league this week, and Solanke is their talisman who also takes penalties. His npxG+xAG/90 is more than decent, at 0.62, and his xIKEA (need to hide behind a sofa if you don’t have him) is extremely high.
Alternatives
Now, I must caveat this by saying I prefer Solanke by a very big margin, but here are some alternatives:
Tavernier: if you think he gets at least 120 minutes across the double (ideally split across two starts).
…and Neto (Bournemouth’s goalkeeper).
I don’t mind Christie either.
As always, I’d like to end with a story. You see, I bought Senesi last week. As you can imagine, I wasn’t happy when his hamstring gave way within ten minutes.
I angrily chased after the hobbling Argentine and asked him if he could refund me my lost optimism and why he didn’t try to play on.
He laughed (or winced) and simply told me, “I’m a part of the Lazy Revolution.”
And you should be too.
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