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The RotoBaller Soccer staff gathers around the penalty box for their weekly FPL roundtable discussion. This week, the team discusses 11 questions for Gameweek 12 of the 2021-22 Fantasy Premier League season.
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Welcome to Gameweek 12, Rotoballers! We are expanding our soccer coverage to include the great game of Fantasy Premier League. If you are a veteran of the game, or a rookie navigating your first season, we will set you right as we look to acquire those weekend-making green arrows and avoid the doom and gloom of a red arrow.
This weekend, the action kicks off at 7:30 am Eastern on Saturday, Nov. 20, between Leicester City and Chelsea. Therefore, our lineups will lock at 6 am Eastern, and then we strap ourselves in for 10 games of FPL magic. The highlights of this week include big games between Liverpool-Arsenal, Man City-Everton, and Tottenham-Leeds.
Also, be sure to check out the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the team gets you all set for every English Premier League and UEFA Champions League slate from a DFS perspective.
RotoBaller FPL Staff Roundtable - Gameweek 12
The Staff Roundtable is an attempt to get you inside the mind of our FPL staff. Our top soccer writers - Euan Leith, Phil Goyette, Jamie Steed, and Brandon Wampler - will answer 11 questions each Gameweek to give you an idea of how they view the games. So without further ado, let's kick off Gameweek 12!
How did Gameweek 11 go?
- Euan Leith: 55 points and a red arrow. Overall Ranking: 286k
- Phil Goyette: Green arrow up! I can't ever complain about that result.
- Jamie Steed: 56 points which saw me creep into the top-50 of the RotoBaller Invitational (at last)
- Brandon Wampler: It was a bust, but it was led by Gallagher, Salah, and Cancelo.
Who's getting the Captain's armband this week?
- Euan Leith: It's tough to get away from Mohamed Salah, even against Arsenal. Remember what he did to United?
- Phil Goyette: Mo Salah. He almost has to be the pick at this point until he proves us otherwise.
- Jamie Steed: Bernardo Silva. Everton has been in poor form. Bernardo has played 90 minutes in each of Manchester City's last six league games and could find himself with a goal, assist, and clean sheet combo this week.
- Brandon Wampler: Bruno Fernandes will be my Captain this week based on his return to set pieces and a plus matchup.
Who is your favorite differential pick at Captain?
- Euan Leith: I'll buy the new manager bounce and nominate international hat-trick sensation Harry Kane.
- Phil Goyette: Basically, any captain other than Mo is a differential this week. So Cristiano Ronaldo away to Watford sure looks tasty.
- Jamie Steed: I'll echo Euan with the new manager bounce but with Newcastle's Callum Wilson. His best form was under Eddie Howe at Bournemouth, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him find the back of the net against a struggling Brentford side.
- Brandon Wampler: Another solid captain could be Son in a more attacking formation.
Which goalkeeper is keeping a clean sheet?
- Euan Leith: Crystal Palace's Vincente Guaita has back-t0-back clean sheets against Man City and Wolves. He makes it three in a row on the road against Burnley.
- Phil Goyette: Man City has the best clean sheet odds this week, and it's not particularly close. So, my money is on Ederson.
- Jamie Steed: David de Gea. Watford has been dreadful this season, and that five-goal outburst at Everton are the only goals they have scored in their last five games. Just one goal scored in their previous four home games tells its own story.
- Brandon Wampler: Southampton's Alex McCarthy has a solid chance for a clean sheet.
Which defender is providing an attacking return?
- Euan Leith: It feels like there are three easy answers here, but I'm riding with Reece James against a leaky Leicester City.
- Phil Goyette: Trent Alexander-Arnold at home to Arsenal.
- Jamie Steed: Aaron Cresswell for West Ham United. He takes set-pieces, is in good form, and only two teams have more goals than West Ham this season.
- Brandon Wampler: Emerson is a cheap defender with a more attacking role in a decent matchup.
Which midfielder do you not roster but wish you did?
- Euan Leith: Regretfully, I got rid of Raphinha a couple of weeks ago, and he has been on a roll. I also have eyes for Emil Smith Rowe.
- Phil Goyette: Conor Gallagher. I wish I had him from the start of the season. He's been massive.
- Jamie Steed: Jarrod Bowen. He's in the form of his life, and as mentioned, West Ham has been scoring goals for fun this season. In addition, Bowen leads the team in assists (4).
- Brandon Wampler: Kevin De Bruyne. I wish I would roster, but I don't. Note: KDB tested positive for COVID-19 this week and will isolate for 10 days.
Which highly-rostered player will blank?
- Euan Leith: Michail Antonio has been on a cold streak with four blanks in his last five. The Fixture Difficulty Rating (FDR) says Wolves should be easy, but I'm not buying it.
- Phil Goyette: Diogo Jota is a potential letdown as he's playing Roberto Firmino's role where he's not as effective as when he plays out wide.
- Jamie Steed: Jamie Vardy hasn't been at his best and will likely be playing as the lone striker against the league's top defense.
- Brandon Wampler: Kai Havertz with the potential of Lukaku and Werner still out. He will play, but he won't do anything.
Are you making one, two, or rolling your free transfer?
- Euan Leith: I took a -4 hit in Gameweek 11, so I'm trying to remain disciplined and roll my free transfer.
- Phil Goyette: Probably two free transfers this week for me. I've already swapped my backup goalkeeper Patrik Gunnarsson from Brentford for Guaita (I did it early to catch a price rise). The other move I'm pondering is Jack Grealish out for Phil Foden or Jota.
- Jamie Steed: Just one, bringing in Bernardo Silva for Andros Townsend. But I have serious FOMO with Jarrod Bowen not in my team right now.
- Brandon Wampler: I will be transferring two out to get a United stack.
Who will FPL managers be transferring IN next week?
- Euan Leith: If Spurs get off to a hot start under new manager Antonio Conte, Harry Kane and Son will be extremely popular.
- Phil Goyette: Jota has to be a really popular inbound transfer given the Firmino news. If he returns this week, his Teams Selected By percentage (TSB%) should jump.
- Jamie Steed: Southampton's Adam Armstrong. He has one goal and one assist in his last two games. He gets to face bottom-of-the-table Norwich City this week and could easily find himself in the upper echelons of the form index for next week.
- Brandon Wampler: Next week, a lot of managers will be looking at transferring in Jamie Vardy and Saka.
Who will FPL managers be transferring OUT next week?
- Euan Leith: Another bad performance from Jamie Vardy will have managers clamoring for new options. And the same could be said for Antonio.
- Phil Goyette: It could be the end of the line for Kai Havertz if Romelu Lukaku is back to full health.
- Jamie Steed: Jack Grealish. He's been carrying a knock but has just one assist and no goals in his last six starts. Only 12 midfielders have a higher price, and managers will be looking to redistribute that elsewhere.
- Brandon Wampler: Managers will be transferring out any Manchester United players.
Who's scoring the most points?
- Euan Leith: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Mo Salah has another massive performance against an old rival.
- Phil Goyette: Ronaldo at Watford.
- Jamie Steed: It'll either be Bruno Fernandes or Cristiano Ronaldo. Manchester United's struggles shouldn't factor into this game, and it could come down to who scores or assists the most in this one.
- Brandon Wampler: Bruno Fernandes against Watford.
Make a "bold prediction" for this week:
- Euan Leith: Romelu Lukaku, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, and Cristiano Ronaldo all have massive weeks, and the puzzle on which premium players to roster escalates to new heights.
- Phil Goyette: James Ward Prowse with two returns (Goal + assist) away to Norwich.
- Jamie Steed: If you read my betting article, you'll have seen I'm backing Newcastle United to pick up their first win of the season. Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin will combine for 20 points this week.
- Brandon Wampler: Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspurs get back to their scoring ways, each winning their respective matches by at least two goals.
Is there a question you would like to have answered every week? Hit us up on Twitter @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
