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Hi, and welcome to The Kitsman’s weekly Fantasy Premier League segment. We are moving into blank Gameweek 29 and entering the final stages of the Premier League season, and thus, the business end of the FPL timetable. GW 29 has only four fixtures, with just 8 of the 20 PL sides involved. If you have your Free Hit chip stored, this is the ideal time to use it as it is likely most FPL managers will have at least a few players missing for this week. This article will advise on which players are most attractive in GW 29 and beyond. I will be using OPTA, understat.com, fantasyfootballhub.co.uk, and other stat-based FPL resources to collate a comprehensive summary to advise you in your quest for Fantasy dominance.

 

GAMEWEEK 28 Review

 

If you scored higher than 50 points in Gameweek 28, well done. With only an average of 2.2 goals per fixture, there is no wonder that the average team points total was only 43. Jamie Vardy was the standout big money asset, helping himself to a 13-point haul assisting all three of GW 28’s highest scoring player (17) Kelechi Iheanacho’s goals. Manchester City defensive assets proved valuable once again, as John Stones (14) and Joāo Cancelo (12) buffed their clean sheets with attacking output, scoring a goal (JS) and laying on an assist (JC) respectively. In Brighton’s south coast home victory versus Southampton, Lewis Dunk repaid the 70,000 FPL managers who brought him in with a goal, whilst Che Adams scored to make his return 3 goals from his most recent three PL games.

 

GAMEWEEK 29

 

HOT

 

Leandro Trossard (5.7m) – Trossard is Brighton’s most dangerous attacking player, scoring three goals and laying on five assists. Like Veltman, Leandro Trossard will benefit from facing Newcastle in GW 29, who have conceded over 400 shots and 143 shots on target, placing them 17th in the Premier League in both aspects. Brighton are famously underperforming their xG by around 10 goals, but they will be hopeful they can take another step away from the bottom three this weekend by cashing on some overdue goals at the AmEx.

 

Gareth Bale (9.3m) – With 35 points in his last 4 games, Gareth Bale has finally arrived back in North London. Most encouragingly, his recent form does not appear to be a flash in the pan, as his before his blank in GW 28, he averaged 0.9 goals and 0.54 xG per 90. This ranks him within the 99th percentile of attacking midfielders and wide players in the Premier League this season. Spurs face a testing run of fixtures until they meet SHU in GW34, facing strong defences in the coming weeks (AVL, MUN, EVE). Moreover, Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho may consider resting Bale for Europa League fixtures, though he has not yet publicly suggested he is refocussing his Top 4 ambitions.

 

Raphinha (5.6m) – The Brazilian has become a fixture in this segment, as he continues to outperform his price and 14.5% ownership. Raphinha is a mainstay of Bielsa’s Leeds side and will be looking to add to his eleven goal contributions against an admittedly much-improved Fulham defence. Leeds have created 56 big chances this season, placing them among the league’s elite attacking outfits, with Raphinha claiming 10 of those, placing him behind only Patrick Bamford in Leeds’ attacking setup. He is undoubtedly Leeds’ most exciting midfield option, and it will be no surprise to see him improve on his tally between now and the end of the season.

 

NOT

 

A player that is not playing! – Unless you have a squad full of players belonging to one of the eight teams in action, you are best advised not transferring in a player that is not going to be playing in GW 29. Besides, a -4 this week is essentially a -2, providing the player plays at least 60 minutes. So, if there were any time to make transfers without strongly feeling the repercussions, this would be it.

The Kitsman’s RECOMMENDATION

 

Joel Veltman (4.3m) – Brighton are the most attractive side defensively going into GW 29, facing Newcastle United. After Tariq Lamptey’s season-ending injury, Veltman is a cert to start at right-back for the remaining games of the season and has picked up a goal and has registered 10 shots in his last 5 games. He is the most attack-minded of the Brighton defenders and is, therefore, the most attractive option at just 4.3m. Also, with a meagre 1.1% ownership rate he is an excellent differential option.