RADIO
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 32 of the 2021-22 Fantasy Premier League season.
Welcome to Gameweek 32, 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 gameweek kicks off a day early as Newcastle and Wolves lineup under the lights on Friday evening. Therefore, our FPL lineups will lock at 1:30 pm ET on Friday, Apr. 8. Then, we settle in for nine more Premier League games on Saturday and Sunday. While there are plenty of entertaining tilts to watch, everyone will be getting ready for the possible title-deciding showdown between Man City and Liverpool on Sunday night.
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 32
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 32!
Before we get into the fantasy questions, which team takes home the points in the Man City-Liverpool showdown?
- Euan Leith: I cannot be impartial for this question. The boys in red will take three points back to Anfield. YNWA!!!
- Jamie Steed: Both. I’d edge Liverpool on form, but neither side can really afford to lose this one, so I can see a draw being played out with both teams content with winning the league from their remaining fixtures.
- Brandon Wampler:
It looks like Manchester United will miss out on the top four. With nothing (really) to play for, do any of their players appeal to you for the rest of the season?
- Euan Leith: Only for Gameweek 33 on a Free Hit. The club is broken with Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo. In the summer, they need to kick Cristiano to the curb and focus on building around Bruno and Jadon Sancho for 2022/23.
- Jamie Steed: Not particularly, as there is a clear fundamental problem within the club right now. Fringe players might be playing for their futures, but Ronaldo and Fernandes aren’t justifying their FPL price tags, and I don’t think anyone else can be trusted to produce. Jadon Sancho will want to prove he’s worth the $95m they shelled out for him last Summer.
- Brandon Wampler:
The Premier League dropped some fixtures to complete our double gameweek schedules in 36 and 37. Do you have a strong preference for using a Free Hit in 33, 36, or 37?
- Euan Leith: I'm going to pass on 33 for now unless a significant injury comes up. I already have a strong contingent of Arsenal and Tottenham players for the remainder of the season. However, they have tough fixtures in those doubles and may want to get them out for more doublers towards the end of the campaign.
- Jamie Steed: The five extra matches in gameweeks 33 and 36 makes me lean into using it on one of those. However, it’ll come down to what my normal team looks like on either week and whether I can put out a strong lineup without using it in week 33.
- Brandon Wampler:
Is Arsenal still a strong triple-up option after all their defense's injuries?
- Euan Leith: As I manager with Aaron Ramsdale and Gabriel in his squad, I sure hope so. Unfortunately, I think my luck will run out. I'll keep Ramsdale because he's been superb all year, but Gabriel may be a transfer casualty in the coming weeks.
- Jamie Steed: I’ve been a vocal critic of Lacazette for some time now, and he still looks hopeless upfront. The loss of Tierney and Partey are huge defensive blows, but Cedric could continue as a starter for the remainder of the season and is a solid cheap option. The attacking quartet of Saka, Smith-Rowe, Odegaard, and Martinelli is where their best options lie, although I suspect Smith-Rowe and Odegaard might have slightly deeper-lying roles if Partey misses extended time and Xhaka fills in at left-back for Tierney.
- Brandon Wampler:
Do you still want a full-playing bench at this moment of this season? Or are you okay with having some minimum-priced dead spots in your squad?
- Euan Leith: One of the players I may be bringing in for the aforementioned Gabriel is Daniel Amartey at Leicester. He's one of the cheapest defenders in the game, and with all of the Foxes doubles coming in the next few weeks, he will be an option off the bench for my team.
- Jamie Steed: Squad rotation could come to the forefront, especially for the bigger teams, so the last thing I want is for dead bench spots and then have a couple of starters not play, resulting in blanks.
- Brandon Wampler:
Who's keeping a clean sheet this week?
- Euan Leith: Martin Dubravka and the Newcastle defense keep Wolves from howling on Friday night.
- Jamie Steed: No team really stands out this weekend, but I’ll take a punt on Arsenal. With a somewhat makeshift back four, they’ll need to bounce back from Monday’s lackluster defeat, and as long as Nuno Tavares doesn’t start for them, they should be able to keep out a Brighton team with one goal in their last seven games.
- Brandon Wampler:
Which defensive player is providing an attacking return?
- Euan Leith: Trent Alexander-Arnold looked in peak form against Benfica on Tuesday. If Liverpool scores multiple goals on Sunday, it feels like a safe bet that one will be off the foot of TAA.
- Jamie Steed: I mentioned Cedric as a nice cheaper option, and I also like Joachim Andersen of Crystal Palace. He picked up two assists against Arsenal, albeit from poor defensive plays. But he also took a direct free-kick and tested Aaron Ramsdale, so if he finds himself on set-pieces (either taking them or being on the end of them), Leicester City’s inability to defend set-pieces all season offers a nice chance for a goal or assist.
- Brandon Wampler:
- Euan Leith: Son stole the show on Sunday, but I'm not forgetting about Harry Kane. He's got 10 attacking returns in his previous six games. Sign me up.
- Jamie Steed: If Manchester City is to get anything from the game, Kevin de Bruyne will need to play a big part, and he has two goals and five assists against Liverpool in the EPL. Jadon Sancho likely won’t get a better chance to have a big game this season away at Everton. He’s been in decent form with two goals and three assists from his last six starts.
- Brandon Wampler:
What are your transfer plans heading into this Gameweek?
- Euan Leith: I'm downgrading Gabriel to Amartey, and then it's either another defender up to TAA or Raphinha to James Maddison.
- Jamie Steed: I’ve had to oust Tierney but have brought back Alexander-Arnold following his return from injury.
- Brandon Wampler:
Who's getting the Captain's armband?
- Euan Leith: It's going with the most in-form player in the league, Harry Kane.
- Jamie Steed: Jarrod Bowen appeals most after his goalscoring return from injury last weekend. Wilfried Zaha at Leicester City is my other option I’m debating.
- Brandon Wampler:
Finally, what's your bold prediction for this week?
- Euan Leith: Five shots find the back of the net at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon as Liverpool cruise to a 4-1 win over the defending Champions.
- Jamie Steed: I don’t foresee many upset potentials but Southampton beating Chelsea is something I’m half-expecting. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that there will be no clean sheets kept in the EPL this weekend.
- 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!
