FPL Top Picks For Gameweek 28
Gameweek 27 came before a domestic break for the FA Cup fifth round and gameweek 29 comes before a blank gameweek. This means that Fantasy Premier League managers must prepare for week 29 with their week 28 selections, as many players will not be available for the former.
Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Liverpool will all be out of action in week 29 which means many popular picks need to be sacrificed in week 28 for the assurance of a good points haul later.
Fear not, EPLNews is here to provide you with the best strategy to apply for both gameweeks.
Gameweek Analysis
Differentials
Liverpool face Southampton in week 28. This already tells you that removing Mohamed Salah (£13.8m) from your squad may be a mistake. He is the only player on the list of assets who will not be involved in week 29 that gets this pass, thanks to his frightening efficiency as an asset.
Newcastle United face West Ham and Crystal Palace will battle Ipswich Town. These are easy matches for the Magpies and the Eagles according to the Fixtures Difficulty Ratings (FDR) list. This also makes it tricky to part ways with assets like Alexander Isak (£9.4m), Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m), Jacob Murphy (£5.1m) and Daniel Muñoz (£5.0m).
The only way to solve this is to use a chip — Free Hit or Wildcard — that allows you to make unlimited changes, either for a single gameweek or permanently.
If using a chip is not in your strategy for week 28, then here are some differential options to choose from to replace the Newcastle and Palace assets in your team.
Pedro Neto (£6.2m)
Enzo Maresca has turned to winger (FPL midfield asset) Pedro Neto to fill in the boots of the injured Nicolas Jackson (£7.7m) and the Portuguese forward has delivered 16 points in two weeks with one goal and two assists. Leicester City, who have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 20 Premier League games, is up next for the Blues, making Neto a good differential pick for week 28.
Jorgen Strand Larsen (£5.2m)
The Dane has returned just in time from injury for Wolverhampton Wanderers as main man Matheus Cunha (£7.0m) is forced to sit out the next three games due to a red card suspension. Wolves face Everton at home in week 28 and then West Ham United in week 29. Strand Larsen is one of the better home performers in the league, with his 4.5 points average per home start on par with Palace’s Mateta, who is out of week 29 action.
Mikkel Damsgaard (£5.1m)
The only person better than Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard in chance creation over the last eight weeks is Salah, of course. This means that the Denmark international is likely to assist a goal or two against their week 28 opponents Aston Villa, who have only won once in nine away Premier League matches.
Best FPL Players for Week 26
Chris Wood (£7.2m) — Nottingham Forest
The New Zealander needs no introduction to Fantasy Premier League managers at this point. In fact, he is on track to becoming the most selected player for gameweek 29 thanks to Liverpool and Salah not being in action.
Forest will face Manchester City in week 29 at home which may be tricky, but City’s form leaves much to be desired and having Wood in your squad is likely going to pay off. Forest will then travel to Ipswich in week 29, which is a much easier fixture and one for which you must have the New Zealand striker in your team.
Cole Palmer (£11.1m) — Chelsea
This may not be a wise choice, but he remains the only player dangerous enough to give managers the double header of goals and assists in a single game after Salah. With Leicester City on the horizon and Chelsea’s forecast showing a possibility of them scoring two or more goals against the Foxes, having Palmer as one of your squad assets is also not a bad idea in spite of his form.
Beto (£5.0m) — Everton
The Guinea-Bissau striker is the FPL’s top scoring forward in the last four game weeks with 37 points accrued after five goals. His average in that time is 7.4 points, which is a haul that is only bettered by — you guessed it — Mo Salah. Everton are away to Wolves in week 28, which makes it tricky to consider his selection, but with gameweek 28 being a preparation for the next one, when Everton host West Ham at Goodison Park, picking Beto is one of the best choices for FPL managers.