I’ll get into everything you need to know about GW30 in a second, including the best players to buy, captaincy, wildcards, and FPL Challenge, but first, I think it’s important to acknowledge GW29.
My friend’s son was born during GW29. He was so excited about it all, and he spent days preparing for it. In fact, he began to differentiate from all the other parents, so his child was unique. And then his child was born.
He’s going to say his first words!
“I didn’t Free Hit in GW29,” he whispers.
And he was just as disappointed as you were when you found out that you cannot, in fact, refund your Free Hit.
But I’m here to help you stop this disappointment from happening again in the future. No, it’s not through a latex solution, but rather through LazyFPL’s brilliant newsletter, which concisely (and humorously) tells you everything you need to know before every FPL deadline, just like your own assistant FPL manager.
Neat, eh?
Chip Strategies and Double Gameweeks
Double Gameweek 34 has been confirmed. No, Sheffield United fans, your players still aren’t relevant assets, even in a DGW with Burnley (H). That might just be the biggest insult ever.
- Arsenal: Wolves (A) + Chelsea (H)
- Bournemouth: Villa (A) + Wolves (A)
- Crystal Palace: West Ham (H) + Newcastle (H)
- Everton: Forest (H) + Liverpool (H)
- Liverpool: Fulham (A) + Everton (A)
- Sheffield United: Burnley (H) + Manchester United (A)
Wolves: Arsenal (H) + Bournemouth (A)
Meanwhile, Spurs blank in DGW 34.
I believe that Spurs’ DGW is quite likely to be in GW36, meaning:
- Chelsea: West Ham (H) + Spurs (H)
- Spurs: Liverpool (A) + Chelsea (A)
Leaving Double Gameweek 37 looking something like this:
- Brighton: Newcastle (A) + Chelsea (H)
- Chelsea: Forest (A) + Brighton (A)
- City: Fulham (A) + Tottenham (A)
- United: Arsenal (H) + Newcastle (H)
- Newcastle: Brighton (H) + United (A)
- Spurs: Burnley (H) + City (H)
Who to Buy in FPL Gameweek 30?
We’re once again considering a six gameweek horizon, so we go knee deep until GW35, while assuming Spurs and Chelsea double in gameweek 36.
Virgil van Dijk
FPL picks have never been blander. Yes, in a world of Trent’s and Robertson’s, van Dijk is the best Liverpool asset.
Why?
Because of his big head.
His npxG+xAG/90 of 0.14 is much like most of the Dutch population after all—occasionally, quite high.
And Liverpool are pretty solid defensively; they find themselves third in the league for xGA.
The cherry on top of this tasteless, sugarless cake? He faces BHA, SHU, CRY, eve+ful, whu in his next six.
Overall, I don’t think many defenders are worth a transfer in this week, since most have tough fixtures.
So, you may as well do what Charlie Taylor holders have been doing, and play whoever’s on your bench, and hope for a miracle.
It is Easter, after all.
Beyond this gameweek, though, I like:
- Gabriel
- Saliba
- Rúben Dias
- AÏt-Nouri
- Mykolenko
Mohamed Salah
I was sat in History a couple of years ago, and my teacher asked me to name pharaohs.
So I went along, as you’d expect: Tutankhamun, Ramesses II, Khufu, and the like.
And then she asked me who the most powerful one of them all was.
“But, miss, he’s still alive!”
“Who?”
“And with an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.96, while being nailed, on penalties, and with six good fixtures, the Egyptian King of Merseyside…”
I was rudely interrupted by the teacher kicking me out of class.
But hey, at least now she knows why Salah’s the best player to buy this week.
Son Heung-min
This may be the third time I’ve repeated this joke, but it’s been stuck in my head, so if my despairing friends and family have to listen to it again, so do you.
My girlfriend was reading a book today titled “The Most Attractive Football Managers in the World.”
Curious, I opened the book, and I was met with Rob Edward’s terrified face, along with some quotes from a recent interview.
“I haven’t been able to sleep recently,” said Rob. “I-I’m seeing this face in my sleep. And every so often, that face starts singing to me.”
“Here comes the Son, doo-doo-doo-doo.”
Son faces Luton (H) this week, and then whu, NFO in GW 31 and 32, and will play as the 9 if Richarlison’s injury keeps him out. Son’s underlying data remains high, but he continually overperforms it anyway.
I’d still prioritise Salah, meaning selling Son may be viable quite soon, but if you can afford to get both (in which case I’m jealous of your team value), I really like Son.
Don’t tell Daughter I told you that.
- I’d make sure to have Palmer in your side this week too, as he faces the least Burnley-esque Burnley ever. A haul wouldn’t surprise me at all.
- Saka and Ødegaard are good options from next week onwards.
Alexander Isak
Look, I think Isak is a brilliant option.
So much so that I ran into an IKEA chanting for his Swedish meatballs.
Needless to say, I was thrown out, but that doesn’t take away from Isak’s merit.
Assuming he remains fit (which is a big if), he’s nailed on, the talisman of a very good Newcastle attack (5th for xG over the season) and on penalties. His npxG+xAG is also very good, at 0.67.
I genuinely think he’s one of the best assets in the game, if he remains fit. If Christmas were tomorrow, I’d ask Santa to give Isak durable hamstrings (after I asked him to give me another email account so I could subscribe to the LazyFPL newsletter twice). It’s a small price to pay for all salvation (all his returns).
- The rest of my suggestions regarding forwards have minor caveats, except Erling Haaland and Dominic Solanke, who I still think are great picks. I’d almost consider them to be must-haves, especially Solanke, with his DGW 34.
- Darwin Nunez: I’d like to wait another week to wait for more info regarding his injury, after which he is a beyond-excellent pick.
- Matheus Cunha: I’ll probably buy him in GW31, but I wouldn’t jump the gun unless you can bench him. Just make sure you don’t make a typo when you tell your friends about him.
Wildcard
Here’s a Gameweek 30 Wildcard draft, assuming you’re Free Hitting in GW34 and Bench Boosting in GW37. Apologies for blinding you with light mode.
Who to Captain in FPL Gameweek 30?
Son Heung-min
I’ve told you why Son is a great asset in the “Who to Buy” section, so let’s look at why Luton are bad defensively.
Well, for starters, have you seen their airport?
Luton are dead last for xGA in the Premier League. And this is in a league with Sheffield United in it. That should be a criminal offence.
It’s not any less criminal than their airport, that is.
The markets love Spurs, and they were even projected to score 3.20 goals at one point, which is one of the highest projections of the season.
Rob Edwards wants to attack, and that leaves plenty of space open for Son in transition against an injury-hit Luton Town side.
And Spurs are fresh too, since they could simply take the bus and not a flight to Luton City Airport. Bullet well and truly dodged.
Mohamed Salah
Brighton have actually improved a lot defensively; in fact, they’re fourth for xGA over the season.
I think some portion of this must be attributed to their easy fixtures in the last ten gameweeks; however, there has been a noticeable improvement.
Salah’s Salah, however, and he could quite easily haul. I think Son’s floor and ceiling, for that matter, are higher than Salah’s, but I don’t mind Salah either. Liverpool’s attack is astoundingly good too.
Verdict
Son is my standout captaincy pick, followed by Salah. However, I find the gap between the two (favouring Son) to be much larger than what the general consensus seems to show.
Cole Palmer is also a good option, but I prefer the other two. I’d consider Palmer, though; the fixture and match-up are worth it.
Maddison and Isak are some hail-mary options, should you like them.
FPL Challenge
Apparently, FPL Towers didn’t think trying to get a green arrow and not rage-quitting this game was big enough of a challenge, so they’ve started a new game mode where you pick a team just for one week based on a series of challenges.
This week’s challenge? The Todd Boehly- err, unlimited money challenge.
And, in true FPL style, people have already found a loophole:
Since this is only the first week and a lot of the rules are uncertain, here are some generic tips:
- I like risk maximisation for this game mode as opposed to hedging. It’s for this reason that I’m considering having four Chelsea defenders in my team.
- Go rogue, but not too rogue. I don’t see a scenario in which Luton keep a clean sheet this week, for example, so going with five Luton defenders, just in case they do, isn’t ideal. However, triple Fulham attack may be good, for example.
- And if you can, try the above loophole. If it doesn’t work out, we’re in beta-testing anyway. If it does, you can gloat. It’s a win-win.
As always, I’d like to end with a story.
You see, I met Cole Palmer this weekend.
So I asked him why he’s always cold. Was he too lazy to carry a jacket with him?
And surprisingly, yes. He said, “I’m a part of the Lazy Revolution.”
And you should be too. Sign up for the free LazyFPL newsletter and join over 49,000 FPL managers in their pursuit of a green arrow.
