Fantasy Premier League: Staff Roundtable - Gameweek 21

The RotoBaller Soccer staff gathers around the penalty box for their weekly FPL roundtable discussion. This week, the team discusses the main questions surrounding Gameweek 21 of the 2021-22 Fantasy Premier League season.

Welcome to Gameweek 21, Rotoballers! This season, we are expanding our soccer coverage to include the great game of Fantasy Premier League. So, if you are a seasoned veteran, or a rookie navigating your first campaign, 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.

The action kicks off at 7:30 am Eastern on Saturday, Jan. 1, with the impressive Arsenal against goal-scoring Man City. Therefore, our lineups will lock at 6 am Eastern, and then we strap ourselves in for (at least) 10 games of FPL magic across three days. The Gameweek 21 highlights include the previously mentioned Arsenal-Man City clash, Watford welcoming Tottenham, and Chelsea hosting Liverpool in a battle rife with title ramifications.

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 21

The Staff Roundtable is an attempt to get you inside the mind of our FPL staff. Our top soccer writers - Euan Leith and Jamie Steed, will answer questions each Gameweek to give you an idea of how they view the games. So without further ado, let's kick off Gameweek 21!

Happy holidays gents! Did you survive the festive period madness?

• Euan Leith: The Arsenal triple-up gave me a late Christmas present as Tierney and Lacazette both returned double-digit hauls. Then I felt on top of the world after Bowen's 14-point masterclass to begin Gameweek 20 before the Salah blank. I still scraped two green arrows from it, though, and have both Free Transfers available for GW 21.
• Jamie Steed: An ok 44 points from Boxing Day and a very 'meh' 36 points from nine players this week. Having your only sub being a goalkeeper who scored 15 points didn't really help matters this week, though.

If you've been on FPL Twitter recently, you know the Double Gameweeks are coming. So how do you want to attack them moving forward?

• Euan Leith: I think I'm passing on the potential of a DGW (Double Gameweek) this week because the fixtures still aren't released. So I may use one of my two Free Hit chips when those games are locked into the schedule for Gameweek 22. However, I'm trying to maneuver a second Spurs player into my team this weekend, with the option to bring in Ronaldo as well. So I could hold off on the Free Hit chip until later in the year. Long story short: I'm still up in the air.
• Jamie Steed: I'll be utilizing free hit, triple captain, and bench boost on the best matchups, especially focusing on the uneven game weeks where not all teams are playing twice. I've got some catching up to do, so I need to squeeze out every point I can, especially with 20 games still to be rescheduled.

Mohammed Salah is off to the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday. So, will you be selling him before or after this Gameweek? Or, not at all?

• Euan Leith: Argggggh! This is the most challenging decision I've had in FPL all season. Selling him and watching him go nuclear against Chelsea would scar me for a month, but Son has the potential DGWs coming up, and I may want to beat the rush to get him in the team this weekend. With Salah's recent form, I'm leaning 75 percent towards selling him before the GW 21 deadline.
• Jamie Steed: After this gameweek. Following his penalty miss against Leicester, I feel he'll be out to prove a point against Chelsea (his former team) before departing to Africa.

Who's been the most pleasant surprise in FPL at the halfway point?

• Euan Leith: All the cheap midfielders. Raphina, ESR, Saka, Gallagher, and Bowen have all come through at certain points this season.
• Jamie Steed: Young attacking midfielders such as Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe, and Conor Gallagher have been great, but anyone that's watched the EPL for more than a year will have been aware of them. So I'll pick Emmanuel Dennis. He's the top-scoring forward, has eight goals and five assists in 16 games, and was signed by Watford for less than $5m.

Who's been the biggest disappointment in FPL at the halfway point?

• Euan Leith: Can I say the entire crop of expensive forwards? Ronaldo and Lukaku have both failed to meet their lofty expectations. Harry Kane has been an enormous waste of money in the game. Jamie Vardy is more inconsistent than my golf game. Michail Antonio was MIA from Gameweeks 9-19. The fact a Watford double-up in attack is one of the more appealing options right now tells you all you need to know.
• Jamie Steed: Harry Kane edges out Kevin de Bruyne. But de Bruyne has been injured, so an easy transfer out. Kane has just been well below par. He's finding his form now but is still barely inside the top-20 forwards for points scored and came into the season as the most expensive forward.

What will you do with any Chelsea assets considering their upcoming run of fixtures (or lack thereof)?

• Euan Leith: It's not me; it's you, Chelsea. The much-lauded defensive double-up has fallen by the wayside in the last month. Reece James is injured, and it didn't look good when it happened. So Antonio Rudiger is the only one I can consider rostering right now. However, I may hold off until late February with Liverpool, Man City, and Tottenham up next and then the Club World Cup.
• Jamie Steed: Depending on their value, I'd look to transfer them out. But with so many games being called off, fields a full XI is hard enough. Jorginho (£5.9m) is currently the only Chelsea player I'd keep and start no matter the opponent. Although he's so reliant on clean sheets and penalties to provide points.

What's your bold prediction for this week?

• Euan Leith: If the Arsenal-Man City game goes ahead, I see the Gunners grabbing at least a point. They've been in top form recently, and City will be playing their third game in a week. Also, have Twitter open on Sunday during the Chelsea-Liverpool game as the Non-Salah managers versus Salah managers twist and turn with every chance he creates.
• Jamie Steed: Depending on their covid situation, I can see Wolves frustrating Manchester United and leaving with at least a point. Leicester City's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will also get the midfield trifecta of a goal, assist, and a clean sheet.

What is an FPL New Year's resolution you want to make?

• Euan Leith: Patience is a virtue. I've found myself taking a few unnecessary hits this year because of knee-jerk reactions when I should've just ridden out the storm. So I will attempt to limit my transfer hits in the second half of the year.
• Jamie Steed: Stop using my wildcard in the first month of the season!

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!