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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 31 of the 2021-22 Fantasy Premier League season.
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Welcome to Gameweek 31, 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.
We've got 11 games popping off in Gameweek 31, and it all starts with Liverpool welcoming Watford to Anfield in the early game. The deadline to set your squad is April 2 at 6 am Eastern, and then we settle in for a weekend of Premier League madness. Some of the games to watch include Burnley-Man City, Man United-Leicester, Tottenham-Newcastle, and Crystal Palace-Arsenal.
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 perspective.
RotoBaller FPL Staff Roundtable - Gameweek 31
The Staff Roundtable is an attempt to get you inside the mind of our FPL staff. Our top soccer writers - Euan Leith, Jamie Steed, and Brandon Wampler - 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 31!
We've made it past the last international break of the season, and it's the final run-in. Where does your team stand, and how many chips do you have left?
- Euan Leith: After a Wildcard in Gameweek 28, I've jolted up to 88k. I've got one Free Hit left, and I'm hoping to use that at precisely the right time to take a run at the top 50k.
- Jamie Steed: Currently sitting 881,042nd overall and 38th in the RotoBaller Invitational with 1,763 points. I still have
my Triple Captain, Bench Boost, and one more Free Hit to use. - Brandon Wampler: Team has made significant progress over the past month or so, and I have three chips left (Bench Boost, Free Hit, and Triple Captain)
Burnley has five games scheduled over the next three gameweeks. Do you dare bring in anyone from the Clarets??
- Euan Leith: My Twitter handle is @EuanOrYouOut, but I may change it to @EuanOrYouWOUT for three weeks. I'm bringing in the Flying Dutchman as my savior. Just like Michael Scott says, "I'm ready to be hurt again."
- Jamie Steed: Three of the five fixtures are favorable, so I would consider bringing in a cheaper option from Burnley to spend elsewhere. Dwight McNeil and Ashley Westwood being set-piece takers probably provide the best value, although I expect Wout Weghorst to be one of the most popular transfer-ins of the week.
- Brandon Wampler: If I bring in anyone, it would either be Cornet or Weghorst.
With Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City still involved in three competitions, will you be fading any of their players for the last stretch of the Premier League season?
- Euan Leith: Chelsea won't challenge for the title, so I expect a lot of rotation in their Premier League squads to keep their guys fit for the Champions League and F.A. Cup. However, Liverpool and City seem engaged in a duel to the death for all three competitions and can't afford to rest anyone. I feel more confident in the Liverpool assets because City is deeper, but it wouldn't surprise me to see their strongest XIs every weekend.
- Jamie Steed: Chelsea is pretty secure in third, so it will be more likely to rotate key players. Liverpool and Manchester City being involved in such a close title race will lend itself into less rotation in the EPL. Although I do expect Manchester City to still make changes from week to week, given their depth and desperation to win the Champions League.
- Brandon Wampler: It is a very big possibility, especially with them almost "locked" into the top four.
Which teams are you targeting for transfers over the final eight gameweeks?
- Euan Leith: Outside of the top 3, I think Arsenal, Tottenham, and Leicester are good shouts. All three teams either have something to play for or several rescheduled games coming up.
- Jamie Steed: Games in hand don't necessarily mean a good thing as the more games teams have to play in a short period mean more chances of squad rotation. And some teams have tough games in hand. That being said, Leicester City has 11 games left to play and has some nice match-ups for their attacking midfielders. Outside of them, I'll be playing things weekly as much as possible, especially with nine EPL games still yet to be scheduled.
- Brandon Wampler: Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle, Aston Villa to name a few as they vie for top four or to stay in the top flight.
Budgets are getting tight. Who's one player under £5.5 million you believe can provide some discounted returns for the rest of the season?
- Euan Leith: Jean-Philippe Mateta is Armando Broja 2.0 for the final eight weeks. He's got two goals in his last four games, and an injury to his teammate, Wilfred Zaha, means he'll be the focal point of any Crystal Palace attack.
- Jamie Steed: There are plenty of goalkeepers and defenders to choose from, so I'll pick out a midfielder and say Arsenal's Martin Odegaard. He could find himself as the club's player of the season, and although he hasn't scored or assisted as many goals as he'd like, he's involved in pretty much everything good Arsenal does in and around the opponent's penalty area.
- Brandon Wampler: The first one that stands out is Ryan Fraser, and another option would be Gabriel Martinelli if he sees any run.
Who's keeping a clean sheet this week?
- Euan Leith: Alisson at Anfield is keeping Watford off the scoresheet.
- Jamie Steed: Ederson and Manchester City is the obvious choice. They've kept a clean sheet against Burnley in four straight EPL games. In the last five seasons, they've played nine times, and Burnley has failed to score in seven of them. Burnley is also the league's second-lowest scorer and failed to score in their last three games. I also like West Ham's Lukasz Fabianski to keep out an Everton team in shambles and without a goal in their last two away games.
- Brandon Wampler: Ederson should almost be guaranteed a clean sheet.
Which defensive player is providing an attacking return?
- Euan Leith: I'll take my chances with any Liverpool defender. Robbo, Big Virg, or even Joel Matip are in my thoughts.
- Jamie Steed: With Trent Alexander-Arnold out, I'm expecting more reliance on Andy Robertson to provide an attacking threat from the opposite flank, and he faces a Watford team I still don't trust to avoid a pasting.
- Brandon Wampler: Alexander-Arnold and Robertson will be back at the top of the list here.
- Euan Leith: How can you get away from Harry Kane right now? Even with Mo Salah versus Watford, the Spurs forward needs to be right up there as a must-have FPL asset for the remainder of the season.
- Jamie Steed: For similar reasons to the Andy Robertson pick, Mo Salah and Sadio Mane appeal. Salah's Egypt missed out on a place at the World Cup after losing to Mane's Senegal on penalties, so Salah will want to get back to dominating at a club level while Mane should be riding the crest of a wave.
- Brandon Wampler: The first option would be Salah, but if you want to pivot off, you can look at Kane and Son.
What are your transfer plans heading into this Gameweek?
- Euan Leith: I've got two Free Transfers. Armando Broja is already gone, with Wout Weghorst coming in. The final question remains whether I get rid of a Wolves defender because of their miserable schedule or move Raphinha to Maddison with all of Leicester's upcoming games.
- Jamie Steed: I used one Free Hit a fortnight ago and now find myself needing to replace three injured players. The most pressing of which is Alexander-Arnold, who I'll be ousting to make a saving for next week's transfer.
- Brandon Wampler: Start shaping my team for the final stretch, so I take as little hits as possible.
Who's getting the Captain's armband?
- Euan Leith: It's on Mo, but it's to be confirmed. If I get any bad vibes from Jurgen Klopp's press conference, I'm switching it to Kane without hesitation.
- Jamie Steed: I'm leaning into Salah but might look to go contrarian in a bid to make up more ground, so James Ward-Prowse and Phillipe Coutinho are my other considerations (if I don't go with Robertson).
- Brandon Wampler: Salah.
Finally, what's your bold prediction for this week?
- Euan Leith: Somewhat surprisingly, a Burnley player scores the most FPL points in Gameweek 31. Results-wise, I think Crystal Palace can but a dent in Arsenal's hunt for fourth place.
- Jamie Steed: Leicester City adds to Manchester United's miserable season with a win at Old Trafford, while Leeds United is the only team in the bottom seven to pick up a win over the weekend.
- Brandon Wampler: Spurs beat Newcastle 3-1, and Manchester United beat Leicester 3-1.
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!
