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In this article, we’ll provide a couple of draft ideas for any Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers wanting to take the Wildcard route in Gameweek 10.
Remember, you have until the Gameweek 19 deadline to use the first Wildcard!
The pros and cons of activation haven’t changed much from last week. It’s a chance to ditch problems such as injured duo Joao Pedro (£7.7m) and Bukayo Saka (£9.5m), underperformers like Bruno Fernandes (£11.7m) and Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.8m), plus rotation worries Yoane Wissa (£6.0m) and Rayan Cherki (£7.9m).
Replacing them are players experiencing the good upcoming fixture runs of Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
However, we’re on the verge of a two-week international break, which allows managers to think more and react to injuries. That tends to be a popular strategy.
In response to Riccardo Calafiori‘s (£5.9m) recent benching, the Ezri Konsa (£4.8m) knock and William Saliba‘s (£5.9m) return, both drafts opt for Arsenal’s safer but more expensive defender, Gabriel Magalhaes (£8.0m).
Therefore, the main decision hinges on committing to either Alexander Isak (£9.2m) or the premium midfield price point.
Choosing Isak means there’ll be a fairly light midfield, which puts template picks Morgan Rogers (£8.2m), Pascal Gross (£6.2m) and Marcus Tavernier (£6.6m) alongside lesser-owned Johan Manzambi (£6.1m) and Jack Rudoni (£4.9m).
Both are cheap and in good form, though Manzambi is regularly taken off between 60 and 70 minutes.
This squad likes the ‘big at the back’ trend, where numerous £5.0m-ish picks combine defensive contribution (DefCon) points, clean sheets and goal threat.
Maxim De Cuyper (£5.4m) could (maybe should) instead be Brighton and Hove Albion teammate Luka Vuskovic (£5.2m), who is the position’s joint-best for shooting (15). Alternatively, downgrading a defender to Bobby Thomas (£4.0m) or Leif Davis (£4.0m) will raise money for midfield improvements.
Meanwhile, no Isak allows Cole Palmer (£9.8m) to come in. The Chelsea star’s form isn’t convincing, but we know he’s capable of exploding at any minute. Also, once Saka is fit, that’s an easy slide across.
It’s not like FPL is currently lacking in forward options, either. Evanilson (£6.4m) has scored in four consecutive games, but he could easily be Thierno Barry (£5.6m), who boasts three goals in five and is the season-long leader for big chances (17). Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.1m) is a slight doubt for the weekend.
Mohamed Belloumi (£5.3m) and Julio Enciso (£5.5m) join Rudoni as interesting midfield bargains. Making that spot as cheap as possible should allow Tarik Muharemovic (£5.1m) to enter the backline.