Well, folks, here it is; our final Fantasy Premier League preview for the 2017/18 season. It’s certainly been a fun campaign, in which Manchester City more than deserved their record-breaking title win.
Along with the highs, there is the inevitable lows, with Swansea City, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion all getting relegated, but no doubt all three will be doing their utmost to return to the Premier League at the first attempt.
Anyway, enough football chat, it’s time to get on with our FPL preview. First and foremost I’d like to apologise. I had an absolute shocker in gameweek 37. I heavily recommended bringing in Gabriel Jesus but the young Brazilian disappointed massively; perhaps he’s already off on his summer holidays…
Our biggest tip for this week is the same as last time out; make sure you use your triple captain, bench boost or free hit if you still have them! Anyway, let’s get straight onto our final player recommendations of this season.
Three players to buy
Aaron Creswell – West Ham United - £4.9million
The English left-back looked solid against Manchester United on Thursday night, and a home game against Everton is a prime opportunity for some last-ditch points.
At just £4.9million he’s cheap yet reliable, and I love the fact that Creswell has only been selected by 2.7% of bosses. It gives you a chance at making up ground on your rivals, provided he puts in a solid performance of course!
Wilfried Zaha – Crystal Palace - £7.0million
April’s Premier League Player of the Month deserves immense credit. He’s been brilliant recently, and I’ve resisted bringing him in for a few weeks; but now it’s finally time to make the splurge.
The £7.0million man is the most transferred-in player during this gameweek, but with Palace taking on Swansea, there is a real opportunity for the Englishman to score big points. Seven goal contributions in six games shows that he’s no slouch and I’m backing him to finish the season strong.
Harry Kane – Tottenham Hotspur - £13.1million
It’s the final GW and if you’ve still got ground to make up on your rivals, it’s time to go big or go home. Kane is the most expensive player in FPL; and with three goals in his last four, the confidence will be flowing.
Tottenham host a Leicester City side with nothing to play for, and no doubt Kane’s Spurs teammates will be feeding him the ball in a last-ditch effort to win the Golden Boot; although it looks extremely unlikely that he’ll win it.
Three players to sell
David Silva – Manchester City - £8.3million
Our outgoings is an all-Manchester affair this week, and I want to start with David Silva. The Spaniard will go down as a Premier League great, but he’s only started one of Manchester City’s last three. It’s a toss-up as to whether he plays on the final day.
I’ve always maintained the fact that your FPL starting XI should be guaranteed starters, whereas £8.3million is far too much to have rotting away on your bench. His 12% ownership is relatively high, but it’ll likely drop considerably before the action kicks off this Sunday.
Alexis Sanchez – Manchester United - £11.4million
Since his Manchester derby heroics, Alexis Sanchez has been quiet in the Premier League. If he plays, I think his mission will be to get through the game un-injured so he can take part in the FA Cup final, but don’t be surprised to see him get given the game off completely.
His £11.4million pricetag just hasn’t been justified this year, so it’s time to get rid. Better late than never, eh?
Romelu Lukaku – Manchester United - £11.5million
Jose Mourinho has confirmed that his star striker will not play against Watford, and although it may seem glaringly obvious, having £11.5million sat on your bench going into the last gameweek just isn’t a good idea.
Somewhat surprisingly, after just one goal in his last four (while also missing the last two games), his ownership still stands at over 22%. In terms of replacements, if you want to keep a United striker, you could look at either Anthony Martial or Marcus Rashford. Your guess is as good as mine in regards to which one starts against Watford, though…
Thank you to every single person who has read these articles this season. Hopefully, you’ve all enjoyed great success throughout the campaign. We’ll see you after the World Cup for an early-season 2018/19 preview.
