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This article provides a preview of what Gameweek 18 has in store for fantasy managers, including top captain selections and strong picks for the weekly FPL Challenge game.
Happy Christmas Eve, RotoBallers! Gameweek 17 was a week to remember for FPL managers who gave the armband to Mohamed Salah as he bagged 21 points in a nine-goal thriller between Spurs and Liverpool. There is no time to relax, as our Boxing Day fixtures begin in a few hours.
The FPL Challenge: Festive Fixtures series introduces this week's new task, "Out of the Box," where goals outside the box are worth seven extra points. As always, we’ll offer weekly breakdowns of the top assets to target and help you maximize your point potential.
The Gameweek 18 deadline for the 2024-25 Fantasy Premier League season is Thursday, December 26, at 6:00 a.m. EST, when Everton visits Man City. Also, check out the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the squad gets you all set for every EPL and UCL slate with our EPL DFS lineup picks and betting picks.
Where will your team be spending Christmas? 🎄#FestiveFixtures pic.twitter.com/gvP1axTs40
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 23, 2024
Gameweek 18 Tips
Target Liverpool, Arsenal and Bournemouth's Assets
With 16 goals scored in its last five games, our league leaders, Liverpool, are now sitting four points clear of second place, Chelsea, and still have an outstanding game in hand. The Reds put six goals past Tottenham last weekend and have been an unstoppable force under Arne Slot.
Third-place Arsenal is unbeaten in its last six games and will be eager to take on goal-shy Ipswich. Meanwhile, fifth-place Bournemouth is exploding in confidence after its 3-0 away victory over Man United. The Cherries should not find it difficult to ace past Crystal Palace at the Vitality stadium.
Given this, FPL managers are advised to prioritize selecting FPL assets from Liverpool, Arsenal, or Bournemouth for Gameweek 18.
💹 PL GW18 matchups
First look at projected goals and clean sheet odds for the midweek round of Premier League games, via spread betting markets pic.twitter.com/90chivE6EB
— Rob T (@robtFPL) December 23, 2024
According to goal projections, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Bournemouth are expected to produce 3.65 xG, 3.00 xG, and 1.75 xG (expected goals) in their upcoming fixtures, respectively.
Additionally, in defense, Liverpool and Arsenal are tipped as favorites to earn clean sheets in their upcoming encounter, with odds of 50% for Liverpool and 52% for Arsenal.
Fewest non-penalty xG conceded in the Premier League this season:
◎ 16.91 - Arsenal
◎ 18.86 - Liverpool
◎ 19.63 - Nottingham Forest
◎ 21.17 - Fulham
◎ 22.66 - Aston Villa pic.twitter.com/8Ec32uhFLW— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) December 23, 2024
Recommended FPL assets for Gameweek 18:
- Liverpool: Mohamed Salah (on pens), Luis Diaz, Virgil Van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
- Arsenal: Martin Ødegaard (on pens), Gabriel Jesus, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhães.
- Bouremouth: Justin Kluivert (on pens), Antoine Semenyo, Dean Huijsen, and Milos Kerkez.
Fallen Starboy: Potential Bukayo Saka FPL Replacements
Arsenal's Starboy will be out for "many weeks," as Mikel Arteta announced. With an unknown return date, FPL managers must search for a quality midfield replacement who can deliver huge attacking returns.
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Bukayo Saka will face a spell on the sidelines pic.twitter.com/xFMaNq0ZR0
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 23, 2024
There is a high probability our readers already have either Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer, or both players in their teams; hence, these picks will be ignored here. Our RotoBaller top three Bukayo Saka's replacements are:
- Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m) - Man United: The Portuguese midfield maestro has contributed nine attacking returns (four goals, five assists) in the league. Fernandes brings in a guaranteed safety of playing minutes and has the advantage of being on penalties for the Red Devils.
- James Maddison (£7.7m) - Tottenham: The Englishman has amassed 25 points in his last three matches and has been an attacking threat who is more involved than his teammates. However, it's important to note Madders is also prone to team rotations or early substitutions if a tactical change is needed.
- Ismaila Sarr (£5.7m) - Crystal Palace: Contributing three goals and an assist in his last two EPL matches, Sarr's goal threat for the Eagles has significantly improved in recent weeks. The Senegalese newfound form could make him a solid differential choice for fantasy managers.
A few honorable mentions include West Ham's Jarrod Bowen, Arsenal's Martin Ødegaard, and either Man City's Phil Foden or Kevin De Bruyne, should the Cityzens pick up form in the coming weeks.
Gameweek 18 Top Captain Picks
The weekend fixtures present a list of fascinating options for your captaincy choice. Players like Martin Ødegaard against Ipswich, Cole Palmer at home to Fulham, and Man City's Erling Haaland against Everton all present strong cases. However, my top two picks would be:
Mohamed Salah (£13.5m) - Liverpool
Topping the FPL rankings with 177 points, averaging 11.1 points per match, and delivering yet another attacking return for nine consecutive gameweeks. The Egyptian King has already contributed 15 goals and 11 assists for Liverpool in the league. World Class!
Want a Christmas present this holiday? Then it's time to trust Salah with the armband again as Liverpool welcomes Leicester to Anfield.
1 - Mohamed Salah is the first player to reach double figures for both goals and assists before Christmas in a Premier League season in the history of the competition. Class. pic.twitter.com/Lg9GNOg2tg
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 22, 2024
Alexander Isak (£9.0m) - Newcastle
The 25-year-old recently scored a hattrick against Ipswich, making it six goals in four consecutive matches for Newcastle. The Swedish forward has amassed 47 points in his last four matches and is just three points shy of the 100-point FPL mark.
Set to take on Aston Villa next at St. James' Park, Isak has the home advantage and impeccable form to contribute more goals for the Geordies, making him a compelling captain option in Gameweek 18.
Since Alexander Isak made his Premier League debut, only Mohamed Salah (52) and Erling Haaland (76) have scored more than his 41.
Elite CF. 🔝🔝🔝 pic.twitter.com/3C8R7fxqML
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) December 23, 2024
FPL Challenge: Festive Fixtures
The FPL Challenge section for the 2024-25 season is back, and RotoBaller remains your go-to source for valuable insights on selecting the right assets for any challenge.
The 17th challenge, "Home for the Holidays," focused on selecting a team of nine players with an unlimited budget, where players at home earned double points. This week, we have a new task in the Festive Fixtures series, and our goal is to help you maximize points for each task presented.
In case you missed it, here is a breakdown of what is expected from the FPL Challenge: Festive Fixtures event.
Fantasy Challenge is LIVE for 2024/25 🚨
Build your squad for Gameweek 1 now 👇#FPLChallengeAccepted
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 24, 2024
The Festive Fixtures is a four-gameweek run that tasks fantasy managers to take on diverse festive challenges while celebrating the holidays and anticipating the new year. This series covers four tests focusing on earning points through different players and play styles.
- Gameweek 17: Home for the Holidays - Players at home earn double points.
- Gameweek 18: Out of the Box - Goals "outside the box" are worth seven extra points.
- Gameweek 19: Final Countdown - The formation must be 2-0-2-5.
- Gameweek 20: New Year, New Chance - Big chances created are worth five additional points.
It's time to come together.
It's time for the #FestiveFixtures. pic.twitter.com/SSDKSjf44h
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 18, 2024
Festive Fixtures FPL Challenge: Out of the Box - Players to Target
Week 18 of the FPL Challenge highlights selecting a team of nine players with an unlimited budget. This week's task is to select top FPL assets with a high likelihood of scoring from a long-range strike.
RotoBaller's top picks for this week's challenge are:
- In goal, David Raya presently ranks fourth among goalkeepers with 67 points, boasting six clean sheets in the league, and is likely to keep a clean sheet against Ipswich.
- In defense, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gabriel Magalhães, and Milos Kerkez are excellent defenders to rely on for potential clean sheets and attacking returns.
- In midfield, Mohamed Salah, James Maddison, and Luis Diaz come in. Mo Salah takes the spotlight as our captain of the week.
- For the forwards, an attacking duo of Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak completes the attack, rounding off our lineup in a 3-3-2 formation.
Remember, there is nothing carved in stone, which means fantasy managers are at liberty to select any other top FPL Challenge alternatives not mentioned above. Best of luck to everyone participating in this week's challenge!
Join the RotoBaller FPL League
Fancy pitting your wits against fellow RotoBallers? Then, join our free league to compete against the team and our dedicated FPL fans. Head to the official FPL site, click the leagues and cups tab, and enter the RotoBaller league code: b278pa.
Go head-to-head against your friends and family in mini-leagues 🏆
Pick your squad and compete for #FPL glory now! ⬇️
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 18, 2024
Stick around for more 2024-25 Fantasy Premier League content coming soon. Hit us up on X @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
