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Welcome to Gameweek 8, Rotoballers! Just like the previous campaign, we are continuing our soccer coverage to include the great game of 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 the advice to help you snag those weekend-making green arrows and avoid the doom and gloom of a red arrow.
Due to extraordinary circumstances, there will only be seven Premier Leagues games played this weekend. It's thrown the FPL community into a bit of a spiral, with Wildcards, Free Hits, and transfer hits happening all over the place. The games postponed were: Chelsea-Liverpool, Man United-Leeds, and Brighton-Crystal Palace. As a result, ensure you don't have players from those teams in your XI when the deadline rolls around.
The Gameweek 8 deadline is 1:30 pm Eastern on Friday, September 16. 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.
RotoBaller FPL Staff Roundtable - Gameweek 8
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 Gameweek 8!
The Premier League will postpone three games this weekend. Which game do you think will have the most significant knock-on effect on FPL rosters?
- Euan Leith: The Chelsea versus Liverpool postponement will cause many FPL managers to make some tough decisions. I'm one of those managers, and it's pushing me closer and closer to hitting the Wildcard button.
- Jamie Steed: The Chelsea versus Liverpool game would have likely had the highest percentage of rostered players of the three games but the way Brighton has started the season, their game against Crystal Palace being postponed (due to rail strikes) is probably the most impactful hit to rosters.
- Mark Kieffer:
- Brandon Wampler:
Furthermore, is now the right time to jump off Liverpool assets with their upcoming run of games?
- Euan Leith: I think it's the right time. Despite a good win over Ajax on Wednesday night, this isn't the same team from last season. With Brighton, Arsenal, and City next month, FPL managers can spend their budget on other players.
- Jamie Steed: I was jumping off Liverpool before the Gameweek 7 postponement with both my Liverpool players about to get the boot. So now seems as good a time as any.
- Mark Kieffer:
- Brandon Wampler:
Have the last couple of weekends persuaded you to activate your Wildcard?
- Euan Leith: The button hasn't been clicked, but the drafts are being made for my squad. I can see myself having a shiny, new eleven by Friday's deadline. However, I'm trying to wait until after the European games to make any concrete decisions.
- Jamie Steed: Nope. I'm fortunate that I can field a starting XI this weekend and have two transfers available, so I'm holding on to my Wildcard right now.
- Mark Kieffer:
- Brandon Wampler:
Which defender, midfielder, and forward would you want to get into your Wildcard team if you did activate it this weekend?
- Euan Leith: I already have Keiran Trippier (Jamie's been telling me about him for weeks!), but the Newcastle double-up is interesting with Nick Pope. I like Jarrod Bowen's price drop to £8.1 million in the middle of the park and West Ham's upcoming fixtures. Then up front, there's only one man I'm after: Aleksandar Mitrovic.
- Jamie Steed: I'd stack Newcastle defensively, but I already have Trippier, so I'd have to go with Schar, Botman, or Burn. Tottenham has the easiest game on paper, so Son, Kulusevski, and Kane would be the easiest choice.
- Mark Kieffer:
- Brandon Wampler:
Graham Potter is the new Chelsea manager. How do you think this will affect the Stamford Bridge assets?
- Euan Leith: With how sturdy Brighton is at the back, I'm hoping for more clean sheets for the Blue's defense. Reece James has all the attacking upside in the world, but an extra clean sheet or two across the season would be nice. Also, I'm hoping it breathes new life into Christian Pulisic's time at Chelsea, as he was relegated to a bench role under Teuchel.
- Jamie Steed: I'm hoping it brings some more cohesion to their play which has looked disjointed for months. As long as Reece James doesn't suffer, I'd be happy. But if Potter can help to unlock one of Ziyech, Pulisic, or Havertz, I'd be interested.
- Mark Kieffer:
- Brandon Wampler:
Who's keeping a clean sheet in Gameweek 8?
- Euan Leith: Wolves can't score against average Premier League teams. I don't see them putting one past Ederson, Ruben Dias, and Joao Cancelo.
- Jamie Steed: Newcastle United. I keep saying this, but only Manchester City have scored at Newcastle this season, and in 2022, they have six clean sheets in 12 home games, with the 3-3 draw with Manchester City being the only occasion in which they've conceded more than one at home. Speaking of Manchester City, they will surely keep a clean sheet against a Wolves team seemingly allergic to scoring and so desperate for goals they've signed Diego Costa on a free transfer.
- Mark Kieffer:
- Brandon Wampler:
Which defensive player is providing an attacking return?
- Euan Leith: A Tottenham defender is scoring against Leicester. I just have no idea who will be in the starting XI for Conte. Ivan Perisic played 90 minutes on Tuesday night and could be a questionable start.
- Jamie Steed: I had a hunch about Aaron Cresswell last weekend before the postponements, so I'll run with him again this weekend. Kieran Trippier is my favorite play, though.
- Mark Kieffer:
- Brandon Wampler:
- Euan Leith: I don't think Son Heung-Min's scoreless start to the season will continue much longer. A date with Leicester will bring plenty of chances for the South Korean to bag his first tally of the 2022/23 season.
- Jamie Steed: Leicester City have been such a mess this season, and it's hard to look beyond Harry Kane, who has scored 17 goals in 14 EPL games against them. He scored in both games against Leicester last year (plus an assist) and has six goals in their previous six EPL meetings (with two assists).
- Mark Kieffer:
- Brandon Wampler:
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: Since I'm leaning towards using my Wildcard, I can have anyone I want. An outside choice is Alexander Isak. I've been impressed with his start at Newcastle and may pair him with Mitrovic and Erling Haaland in a front three.
- Jamie Steed: I'd have to say Kane for the above reasons. If Leicester City thought their season couldn't get any worse, it's about to this weekend.
- Mark Kieffer:
- Brandon Wampler:
Who's getting the Captain's armband?
- Euan Leith: It's on Haaland, but I want to see how much he plays against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday. If he plays the entire game and teammate Kevin De Bruyne gets an early sub, I may switch from the Norwegian to the Belgian,
- Jamie Steed: I'm currently considering Trippier, seeing as Haaland will be massively captained. As safe a pick as he is, Wolves are still a tough team to score against. Cancelo also makes sense as I don't see Wolves scoring, so the clean sheet is a solid floor, and he has goalscoring or assisting potential.
- Mark Kieffer:
- Brandon Wampler:
Finally, what's your bold prediction for this weekend's slate of games?
- Euan Leith: Son Heung-Min grabs his first goal of the season. Fulham gets a critical road win at Forest. And finally, Newcastle wins by three goals against Bournemouth.
- Jamie Steed: Leicester City will find themselves six points from safety, and we see three different defenders find the back of the net over the seven-game schedule.
- Mark Kieffer:
- Brandon Wampler:
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!
