Gameweek 24 is shaping up to be a hugely popular wildcard window. For those who do not want to hold the chip for later, gameweek 24 offers some great fixture swings and long-term options.
We look at the teams and players to target and put together a wildcard draft.
Teams and Players to Target on Wildcard
Chelsea:
Fixture runs don’t get much better than Chelsea’s next four, with West Ham, Leeds and Burnley all at home, and a trip to Wolves. Beyond this, things toughen up, but the opportunity is there on wildcard to take advantage. With Cole Palmer struggling for fitness, there are some other standout options.
Enzo Fernandez (£6.7m) offers great value in midfield, even after his recent price rises. With Cole Palmer a constant injury doubt, Enzo has a share of the Chelsea penalties and set pieces. He also moves into the ‘10’ position when Palmer is out, increasing his potential for attacking returns. While we do not have a complete picture of Rosenior’s tactics, Enzo finds ways to points even when stationed in the double pivot. At £6.7m, he is a very cheap entry into what could be a profitable spell.
Trevoh Chalobah (£5.6m) seems just as reliable under the new manager as he was under Maresca. A threat from set pieces, Chalobah has also offered a steady floor of defensive contributions (defcon) this season. He is 11th among defenders for total contributions, and has hit the threshold 11 times, including in each of the last four.
Robert Sanchez (£4.9m) is another route into the Chelsea defence. With a lack of standouts elsewhere for the Blues, a defensive double-up with Sanchez and Chalobah could be the way to go on wildcard. Sanchez is fourth for points among goalkeepers and leads the way among those priced under £5.0m. Since his mistake in the cup, Sanchez has made up for it with 11 saves. On the season, he is second only to Jordan Pickford for xG prevented.
Manchester United:
The Carrick era could not have got off to a better start for Man United. How they fare in fixtures where they are the favourite will be interesting to see over the coming weeks.
Bruno Fernandes (£9.4m) is looking as close to essential as it comes. A 90-minute talisman, he takes penalties, free kicks and corners. He has also now been moved back to his preferred position in the ‘10’, offering more routes to attacking returns. He has looked excellent in recent weeks and may even be entering the captaincy consideration.
Bryan Mbeumo (£8.3m) has scored in each of the last two since his return from AFCON. He has also been playing as an out-of-position (OOP) forward, although this may have been due to the tactical setup for these two tougher matches. Regardless of where he plays, Mbeumo has been a standout for Man United this season, with 0.58 expected goal involvements (xGI) per 90.
Patrick Dorgu (£4.4m) has been rewarding owners of late and surprisingly continued in his OOP role on the left wing under Carrick. This was likely done to utilise his pace on the break, so his starts on the wing may not be too secure. Harry Maguire (£4.3m) could be a more stable route into the defence. De Ligt will threaten when he returns from injury, but if Maguire can continue his excellent performances, then the spot is his to lose.
Aston Villa:
Not only are Villa four points off the top, but they also play only Chelsea and Liverpool from last season’s top five between now and the end of the season.
Morgan Rogers (£7.7m) is the standout in this Villa side. Without any set pieces, he has contributed seven goals and five assists. His finishing is excellent, and his shot numbers are improving. In the last 8, no one in the league has taken more shots than him. There is a small chance that he is on penalties for Villa, with Tielemans having missed his last couple. This remains to be seen, but it would elevate him even further.
Ollie Watkins (£8.8m) could be an option in the barren forward landscape. He has nine goal contributions in his last 10 and has finally had a run of consistent starts and minutes in the side. He is up there with Rogers for shot numbers recently and leads forwards for non-penalty xG in his last six.
Honourable Mentions:
With the title charge and a potential double in gameweek 26, three Arsenal players will almost certainly be in most wildcard teams. Gabriel (£6.9m) and Declan Rice (£7.4m) are very secure options, while there is a decision to be made between Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) and Jurrien Timber (£6.3m). Timber offers another good route into the defence but has failed to deliver on his promising underlying data. White’s return could also mean that he faces some minutes management. Saka’s form has dipped of late, with Madueke eating into some of his game time, but he still offers penalties, set pieces and a good level of open-play creativity and goal threat.
Bournemouth have a kind fixture run until gameweek 31. While the defensive numbers leave much to be desired, Marcos Senesi (£4.8m) and James Hill (£3.9m) both can chip in with defcon and the odd assist. No one has more defcon this season than Senesi, while Hill has averaged 10.2 a game since he came into the side in gameweek 19.
Outside of the obvious Erling Haaland (£15.1m), very few forwards have stood out this season. Dropping down to Kroupi. Jr (£4.6m) or Matheus Mane (£4.5m) in the forward line could afford upgrades elsewhere. Both are starting and offering good value. Mane could even benefit from the potential double in gameweek 26.
Daniel Munoz (£5.8m) returned from injury in gameweek 23. While Palace have struggled recently, his attacking potential cannot be understated. Palace’s fixtures are good until gameweek 30, giving Munoz the platform to resume his fine form from earlier in the season.
Gameweek 24 Wildcard Draft
For those building a wildcard this week, the fixture landscape from gameweek 31 onwards is worth keeping an eye on.
There are likely blanks in gameweek 31 for Arsenal and City, and more announcements to come regarding blank and double gameweeks in the weeks that follow.
For now, target the run-up to the first blank gameweek in 31, but saving some transfers going into this period would be very wise.
