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Welcome to Double Gameweek 27, RotoBallers! Like the previous campaign, we are continuing our soccer coverage to include the great game of the Fantasy Premier League. So, even if you are a seasoned veteran or a rookie navigating your first 38 gameweeks, we will set you straight. We're here to provide advice to help you snag those weekend-making green arrows and avoid the doom and gloom of a red arrow.
The schedule will get really funky in FPL as we enter the season's final third. We have two double gameweeks in the next three, and they sandwich a blank gameweek. Fortunately, the Rotoballer crew will be here for you, rain or shine. In Double Gameweek 27, Brentford, Brighton, Crystal Palace, and Southampton have two fixtures.
The Double Gameweek 27 deadline is 6:00 am Eastern on Saturday, March 11. Also, 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 and betting perspective.
And of course, #FPL can translate into #DFS, all of which we have plenty of at @RotoBaller https://t.co/U9pKeHkJYv pic.twitter.com/z2ubf1KeKj
— Jamie Steed (@Baseball_Jimbo) February 4, 2023
RotoBaller FPL Staff Roundtable - Double Gameweek 27
The Staff Roundtable is an attempt to get you inside the mind of our FPL staff. Our top soccer writers will answer questions each gameweek to give you an idea of how they view the games. So without further ado, let's kick off Double Gameweek 27!
- Euan Leith: I was... and it did not go well. However, a Wildcard isn't a one-week fix, and I've set myself up well to attack the upcoming fixtures. Starting with six doublers for this gameweek and at least 10 players for the blank gameweek next week.
- Jamie Steed: I’m tempted to use it next week when the FA Cup sixth round leaves us just seven EPL games. As things currently stand, I’ll have two keepers, two defenders, two midfielders, and one forward available. Having just six starting players will be rough, so if I can mitigate it next week and use the Free Hit for GW29 when we have 16 games, that seems the optimal way to maximize the fixtures.
Brighton has a double Gameweek in 27 and 29. They have several attractive options to add to your FPL squad. Who are your favorite three?
- Euan Leith: I would have to say the three options I selected on my Wildcard: Solly March, Kaoru Mitoma, and Pervis Estupinan. Unfortunately, I benched Mitoma and started march last week. Jamie's been an Alex Mac Allister stan for significant portions of this season and was undoubtedly in my thoughts. However, I'm backing the underlying stats for March and Mitoma's magic touch to bring home some points this week.
- Jamie Steed: I will keep hammering home Alexis Mac Allister as my number one choice, especially after he finally repaid my faith at the weekend. Kaoru Mitoma has been in great form since the World Cup and is my next option. Then, it’s between Pervis Estupiñán or Jason Steele, who has taken the starting place from Robert Sánchez and, at £3.9M, is a great option to have in goal.
Brentford, Crystal Palace, and Southampton are the other teams with two games this Gameweek. Which of their players interests you the most?
- Euan Leith: Ivan Toney looks in cracking form as controversy swirls around the Brentford forward. On Monday versus Fulham, he converted from the penalty spot and hit the woodwork with a brilliant free kick. The England international is close to a must-have for his two fixtures this week and is worth a hit if you want to give him the Captain's armband.
- Jamie Steed: Given Palace face Manchester City as one of their two games and their lack of goals, I’m avoiding them. James Ward-Prowse is the only Southampton player I’d be willing to roster, given what he can do from set pieces (just not penalties). For Brentford, despite having two away games, at least one clean sheet looks very plausible, so David Raya is of interest. Ivan Toney is an obvious play considering his goalscoring tendencies, and Mathias Jensen, with nine-goal involvements this season, is also worth considering.
Liverpool buried Manchester United on Sunday with a 7-0 result. It’s been a tumultuous season for the Anfield lot, but are you in or out?
- Euan Leith: After a quick Google search, it was Luther Ingram that sang, "If loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right." And that's how I feel about the Anfield assets. I did yank them out of my squad on the Wildcard, but they are certainly in my thoughts for the season's final third. Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, and the defenders are all coming into form as Liverpool chases a Champions League spot.
- Jamie Steed: I’m still not fully in especially given they face Manchester City and then Chelsea in GW29 after sitting out GW28. But I was high on Cody Gakpo a few weeks ago, and that’s not changed, but I’m not entirely on board with Liverpool as a whole…….yet.
Arsenal gave their fans a scare on Saturday but survived a feisty Bournemouth side. So are you still confident in a triple-up for the league leaders?
- Euan Leith: There's no problem with an Arsenal triple-up, but I currently do not have three Gunners in my squad. I opted for Oleksandr Zinchenko and Bukayo Saka on my Wildcard squad and upgraded Martin Odegaard to James Maddison for Leicester's fixtures. The final spot for a triple-up comes down to Odegaard or Gabriel Martinelli, with the former getting more minutes and the latter a far more explosive punt.
- Jamie Steed: I was at the game Saturday, and the scenes when Reiss Nelson scored the winner were something I’ve not seen at The Emirates in some time. While I am still triple-dipping Arsenal players, Eddie Nketiah’s race has been run as he’s carrying an injury, and Gabriel Jesus is set to return in the coming 2-3 weeks. So two of their attacking midfield trio and a defender seem the best option.
Who's keeping a clean sheet in Gameweek 27?
- Euan Leith: Despite propelling their way up the table since the restart, Nottingham Forest is not a good team on the road. In 12 away matches this season, Forest has one win, three draws, and eight losses while only scoring three goals and conceding 29. So, with all that being said, their opponent this weekend, Tottenham, has an excellent chance at a clean sheet.
- Jamie Steed: Manchester City is facing a Crystal Palace team that’s failed to score in their last two games and five times in their previous nine games. Palace has only scored a total of six goals in their last 12 EPL games. I would also say Chelsea, having kept five clean sheets in their last seven EPL games at a Leicester City side that’s now failed to score in three consecutive games. But their midweek Champions League excursions may have taken a bit of a toll.
Which defensive player is providing an attacking return?
- Euan Leith: I went with a popular Newcastle defender last week (Kieran Trippier) in a tough matchup, and I'm returning to the Magpie well again with Fabian Schar. In terms of underperforming, the Newcastle defender has two fewer non-penalty expected goals than he should. That leads all defenders in the category. Wolves has conceded at least one goal in their previous 12 games in all competitions. Their last clean sheet away from Molineux came in August against Bournemouth. Newcastle is struggling for goals, but a date with Wolves should fix those issues in Gameweek 27.
- Jamie Steed: Ben Chilwell, who picked up an assist last weekend and has been threatening from set-pieces recently. Plus, he’s returning to his former team, so there’s a narrative for those believing in that sort of thing. Trent Alexander-Arnold is also an exciting option for a goal or assist. Bournemouth has conceded more set-piece goals than any other team this season, and while they’ve had two plucky losses against the league’s top-2, they still conceded seven in the process. And two of Arsenal’s goals last weekend came from corners not being cleared.
Who's a midfielder or forward rostered in less than 10 percent of teams that will grab us those FPL points?
- Euan Leith: Brighton's Evan Ferguson plays four games in the next three gameweeks and is getting the majority of minutes leading the line for the Seagulls. He's played 72 and 82 minutes in the last two games and will see Leeds, Crystal Palace, and Bournemouth in three of the next four games. All three squads are in the bottom nine for expected Goals Allowed in the 2022-23 season.
- Jamie Steed: Three of Brighton’s attacking midfielder quartet are less than 10% rostered, although that could change before the weekend. Any of them are clear-cut options. In terms of players with one game this week, I mentioned him earlier, but Gakpo is on less than 5% of teams despite scoring four goals in his last four starts.
If you could bring in any player you don't have on your team for this gameweek, who would it be and why?
- Euan Leith: It would be the man who's stolen Jamie's heart this season: Alexis Mac Allister. Unfortunately, I'm maxed out on my Brighton boys, and I won't make a sideways transfer because I intend to roll it and have two available for the blank gameweek next weekend.
- Jamie Steed: James Ward-Prowse, as I’ve gone with Toney to replace Nketiah this week. I’ve got two Brighton players as double-ups and don’t want to take a minus this week. Especially given my midfield is my strength (and the only position where I have a fully healthy lineup), and I need defenders, so while bringing in Ward-Prowse for this week could bag me a few points over the next 2-3 weeks, it could prove more harmful.
Who's getting the Captain's armband?
- Euan Leith: I'm torn between Kaoru Mitoma and Ivan Toney. The Brighton midfielder will gain an extra point for clean sheets and has two plus fixtures in Leeds and Crystal Palace. However, Toney has two of the league's weakest defenses in Everton and Southampton. As of this writing, I'm leaning toward Toney.
- Jamie Steed: Alexis Mac Allister. He deserves it after finally rewarding my patience last week, which more than likely means a double-blank. However, I’m optimistic he can bag double-digit points without the captaincy, so a 20+ return with the armband.
Finally, what's your bold prediction for this weekend's slate of games?
- Euan Leith: My bold prediction is there's no bold prediction to be made. I see most of the heavy hitters dispatching their opponents with ease. Regarding FPL, I'll take every Brighton midfielder to grab a return across their two games and David Raya to outscore the rest of his Brentford teammates.
- Jamie Steed: Wolves taking something from their trip to Newcastle United. Dare I say Chelsea get their first away win since GW11? And Bruno Fernandes will get booked (if he starts) in a stupid tackle as he tries to prove he does care and isn’t a sulky loser like he was at Liverpool.
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!
