The Athletic FPL Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Dealing with Pep roulette Feb 01, 2021

Show notes

It's another tight turnaround for gameweek 22 so the FPL General is ready to go with transfer advice, captaincy picks, a watchlist update and answers to all these burning questions:

For those of us who brought in DCL do we stick or cut our losses?
Is the wisest method for next few weeks to limit hits and stick with your picks?
Is it worth looking for a Son replacement while Kane is out?
What to do with Chilwell?
What to do with Stones and Cancelo now that Pep is playing roulette with his defence?
What advice do you have for managers who are struggling to hit their stride at the moment?
If you have two free transfers and a good team, how do you avoid weakening the squad?
With Pereira on such fine form should we be considering him as an option?
Is having too much points potential on the bench a help or a hindrance?
Do we start planning for the upcoming double gameweeks now?
When are you planning to use your second wildcard?

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Is it time to abandon Patrick Bamford? Jan 28, 2021

Show notes

The FPL General is here ahead of the quick turnaround for gameweek 21 with transfer advice, captaincy advice, a watchlist update and answers to these questions:

Who is your preference between Son and Kane?
Kane & Son double-up or City defence double-up?
Is it too late to go for Gundogan now?
Who's the best Leicester midfield option?
Are you sticking to the plan of selling Soucek for Son?
Is Kane, Antonio, Watkins the preferred front three for the rest of the season?
With Digne back is it time to reinvest in Everton assets?
Is one active keeper enough to enable me to spend money elsewhere?
What to do with Reece James after he didn't feature in Tuchel's first game?
Is it time to lose Bamford?

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Replacements for injured KDB and out-of-form Salah Jan 22, 2021

Show notes

The FPL General reflects on a very hectic double gameweek and gives you all the advice you need ahead of gameweek 20 which gets underway on Tuesday.

All the usual transfers, captaincy and watchlist updates, as well as these questions answered:

What advice would you give to managers in the top 10k to maintain their position?
Is KDB to Son a no-brainer?
Other replacements for KDB?
How would you rank Son, Rashford, Maddison as potential Salah replacements?
Is player price a distraction given the current high-priced flops?
Which two Man City defenders would you recommend in a double-up?
Are Trent and Robertson no longer a realistic double-up?
Give me a differential for each position to hold from now until end of season...
Are we being too patient with Salah?

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How to tackle double gameweek 19 now that the fixtures have changed Jan 14, 2021

Show notes

The FPL General is here to guide you through the ever-changing FPL landscape amidst yet more covid fixture chaos, with all these questions about the massive double gameweek 19 answered:

How many double GW players would you need to justify using the bench boost?
If you're not bench boosting in GW19 would triple captain be a good option instead?
Where do you draw the line at taking a points hit to make bench boost viable for the double GW?
Is a Manchester City defender now essential?
Is Michail Antonio worth a punt in the double gameweek?
Is Fernandes a risky captain now he's a yellow card away from missing a game in the double gameweek?
Would you still bench boost if you have three Leeds players, who only have a single game in GW19?
Is Salah a must-have for the double gameweek?
If we're not using bench boost this week when would be the next best opportunity?
Is not using bench boost or triple captain this week too risky?
Does the Villa double gameweek make their assets a stronger option given their run of good fixtures?

Plus there's plenty of transfer & captaincy advice and the usual watchlist in/out update

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Navigating the disruption + best differential options for GW18 Jan 08, 2021

Show notes

The FPL General is here to provide guidance on how best to navigate the increasingly disrupted and unpredictable FPL schedule

Plenty of captaincy & transfer advice, the usual watchlist update, plus these questions answered:

Should we fill our free-hit squads with differentials?
Does it make sense to play free-hit if there are only 5 games being played?
Do you enjoy how chaotic this FPL season has become or long for a return to normality?
Is it best to save your chips for later in the season when the covid postponements have calmed down?
If I use two free transfers now and then free-hit a day later will my free transfers remain or be cancelled?
Lacazette or Martial for free-hit squads?
Who are the top differentials for GW 18?
Is it worth taking a points hit to get 9 players for GW18 enabling us to keep our free-hit chip for later in the season?
With all the postponements is the wildcard becoming more of an option for those of us who used our first wildcard early?
Are triple-ups too risky this season with all the potential postponements?
Double gameweek19 - to bench boost or not?
Is KDB a trap?

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Changing plans for double gameweek 19 + is it time to replace Son with Rashford? Dec 31, 2020

Show notes

The FPL General is here to pick up the pieces after a disrupted gameweek 16 that saw two games postponed and some big players left pointless.

He's got all the usual advice on captaincy picks, transfer plans, watchlist update, plus all your questions answered, a lot with the upcoming blank and double gameweeks in mind...

Would you say it's better to wait until the last minute to make transfers and ignore price changes?
Is it still worth planning to bench boost in GW19 given the postponements we saw this week?
Who's the best 4.4 million or less defender?
Is it worth taking hits to bring in players for the double gameweek 19?
Is using our free hit chip in gw18 now a waste with more double gameweeks to come?
What are your thoughts on Meslier for the double gameweek?
Would you go double Leeds attack?
Is Michail Antonio worth a gamble for double gameweek 19?
Are you scaling back your forward planning and only looking two or three weeks ahead?
Is the lesson from the last few days to make sure we have a strong bench?
Is Rashford a better option than Son?

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Festive Fixture Preview - It's wildcard season! Dec 22, 2020

Show notes

The FPL General previews both of the upcoming gameweeks as the festive football comes at us thick and fast. He's got plenty of advice for those of you playing your wildcards, plus all the usual tips on captaincy choices, transfers, watchlist update, plus these questions answered:

In order of priority for double gameweek 16, how do you rank KDB, Salah, Son and Bruno?
Is new info about double gameweek 26 changing your chip strategy?
Which players are essential on a gameweek 16 wildcard?
Is now a good time to go for a Robertson and Alexander-Arnold double-up?
Do the fixtures of Spurs, Liverpool and West Ham lend themselves to a wildcard before gameweek 15?
Who are the best one-week-punts for those of us wildcarding in gameweek 16?
Who are the best five players to pick up on a free-hit in gameweek 18?
Who are the best Chilwell replacements?
What is the maximum number of single game players holding on to in double gameweek 16?
Who would you rather own long-term Robertson or Grealish?

Gameweek 15 deadline is Saturday 26th December 11am

Gameweek 16 deadline is Monday 28th December 1.30pm

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Planning ahead for double gameweek 19 Dec 17, 2020

Show notes

The FPL General is here with another update as the games keep coming thick and fast, he's got the usual watchlist updates, transfer & captaincy advice for the weekend.

The January fixtures have been announced and we now know that we'll have a blank gameweek in gw18 and a double gameweek in gw19 so there are a lot of listener questions to get through...

Which players should we target on a gw16 wildcard?
How do we tackle gw18 with only five games?
Best chip strategy for gw19 if you've already used your wildcard?
When will the second wildcard of the season be released?
Can we use wildcards in conjunction with chips?
Triple captain or bench boost in gw19?
Which defender to buy for the next five gameweeks?
Who are your top 5 players to aim for in gw19?
If you had to transfer out Kane or Son who would you go with?
Best differential pick for gw14?

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Midweek fixtures preview - who's best captain KDB or Bruno? Dec 14, 2020

Show notes

The FPL General looks ahead to the midweek Premier League fixtures with advice on the best captaincy options - will it be KDB or Bruno Fernandes? Remember that this week's FPL deadline is on Tuesday at 16:30!

There's also more transfer advice, a watchlist update, review of GW 12, plus these questions answered:

Has the return of home crowds had an impact on team performance?
Is Soucek a viable starter now?
Who is the best option to replace Jota?
Is John Stones a good price for a gamble or should we stick with Dias or Walker?
Advice for using the bench boost chip?
Is it time to sell Ollie Watkins?
Who are the best Fulham differentials?
Do we need to have both Kane & Son for the rest of the season?
Are there any teams that you refuse to sign players from?
Should I hold Vardy for the upcoming Everton game?

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Is Salah the must-have captain this week? Dec 08, 2020

Show notes

The FPL General drops his weekly dose of wisdom as we look ahead to gameweek 12 of the FPL season, including his thoughts on whether Mohammed Salah is the must-have captaincy option this week, plus his usual watchlist update, transfer advice and the following questions answered:

Is it worth dropping De Bruyne for Salah this week?

Who are your preferred sub 4.5 million defenders?

Would I be stupid to sell Ramsdale now after having him since GW1?

Is the goalscoring rate of Zouma and Vestergaard sustainable?

Is Son a must own at his current price?

Should we keep the faith in Jota or spend the cash on Trent instead?

Is it safe to go Bruno, KDB, Salah and Son in midfield?

Are Reece James and Chilwell the new Trent and Robertson?

How would you rank the premium assets through to GW15?

Who is a differential risk to target before a wilcard in GW16?

For this week's partnership go to www.virginwines.co.uk/theathletic

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