April Preview
GW32-34 Strategy
Work and personal life have been a bit crazy recently; my apologies for going dark. BUT we’re back for an April preview!
April Strategy (GWs 32-34)
I want to chat through strategy for the rest of April as a whole, mainly because of GW 33 and 34. GW32 is standard, but GW33 has 6 clubs on double gameweeks followed by those same 6 clubs not playing in GW 34.
These 6 clubs are Man City, Chelsea, Bournemouth, Brighton, Leeds & Burnley. Those first 4 will have a lot of rostered players. If your squad is especially heavy on them, make sure you have a plan to at least have 10 active players in GW 34.
GW33/34 is one of the situations where the strategies won’t be the same for H2H and total points leagues. Let’s go through.
Total Points Leagues: This is the simpler one; get the points. Go heavy on waivers for the double gameweek players you most want in your squad for GW33. Every point in GW33 is worth the same as in GW34, so there’s no point of holding back.
H2H Leagues: It’s a bit more interesting here. Look at your matchups for GW33 & GW34, along with their squad. If you’re playing a team with a ton of City/Chelsea/Bournemouth/Brighton players in GW33, it might be a tough week to win. Don’t punt the week, but make sure you’re thinking extra carefully about what your GW34 squad is going to look like. Potentially bring in a key waivers pick for GW34 in GW33. However, if you’re playing someone who has a lot of City/Chelsea/Bournemouth/Brighton players in GW 34 you can potentially go all out for GW33, knowing you’re facing a weakened team in GW34.
In both cases, I think you can look to waiver the Bournemouth/Brighton players you want in GW32. Don’t wait for GW33. Brighton especially, with them facing Burnley in GW 32.
City & Palace: City and Palace have played one less match than everyone else. So they will both have an additional double gameweek somewhere before the season ends. Most of the City starters will be owned, but it’s worth taking into consideration if there’s any strong Palace players available.
City are by far the team I’d want starters from for the run in. They’re in form, and out of Europe. So the Prem will get their full attention. There’s likely going to be less rotation because of that. Pep-Roulette will always win, but if any of the players who started against Liverpool are available, they’re probably worth a punt. I could see Dias coming in for Khusanov though.
Players worth Looking At:
Isak: He’s back in the squad and will be in contention going forward. Liverpool are a bit of mess, so maybe Slot just throws him back in. It’s been a disaster of a year for Isak, but he showed his finishing class on the goal he got injured on back in December. If you’re looking for variance, he’s worth a punt.
Rayan & Tavernier: Tavernier has almost 3 XGI in his last 4 matches, but only one assist to show. At some point, the returns will come for him. Rayan’s XG has fallen off a bit since the first couple matches, but he still looks dangerous and is a good way into the Bournemouth side. Tavernier is the pick, but both have a nice GW33 of @Newcastle & Home for Leeds.
Xavi & Kudus: Well, let’s see how manager #3 goes for Spurs this season. De Zerbi plays 4 at the back, so there’s a very strong chance Xavi comes in at the 10. I’m a huge fan of Kudus as a player. He hasn’t really produced the desired returns in the last 2 seasons & he’s coming off an injury, but if he can hit some form in the last 7 matchweeks he can be a big differentiator for fantasy. I’m not sure if he’ll start in GW32, but watch for how he looks if he comes on as a sub.
Brobbey: Back with a goal last week and should continue at #9. Sunderland’s next 3 are home for Spurs, @Villa (off the back of a Europa league match) and Home for Forest. Someone like Xhaka or even Talbi could be nice pickups for this run (or at least targets for GW34).
Cherki & Doku: Cherki only started 2 of the last 6 but did start against Liverpool. A must pickup if he’s available as he’s playing well there’s a good chance he continues in the #10. Doku is a bit more of a punt, but if you have a 5th midfielder you don’t like, he could be worth picking up to see if he keeps his starting place.
Califiori & White: Hincapie is injured, so it’s Califiori’s place on the left. Like Cherki, he’s probably owned, but is a must pick up if not. Timber’s status is unclear, so White is more of a short term punt. He’ll continue if Timber is out, but I’d assume Timber gets the shirt back when fit.
Diego Gomez: Started the last 6, with 2 goals, 1 assist and 2 defcons. Brighton are playing well and have a nice schedule the rest of the way. Brighton have Burnley away this week and then a double in GW33. There’s likely someone from Brighton’s defense available, and I think any of them are good pickups for GW 32/33. Priority to Van Hecke, who has 4 defcons in his last 5 matches.
Beto: 4 Starts in a row, with 3 goals to show for it. Given the lack of depth in the striker pool, he should absolutely be owned.
Soucek: West Ham are home vs. Wolves in GW32. This just feels like a match Soucek is going to score in.
I’ll try to be back in the next couple weeks with some updates, but I’ll definitely be back for a full May preview.
Happy Hauling!
Doug