And so the most unusual season in Premier League history is coming to and end. After an unprecedented global lock-down temporarily halted Liverpool’s rampant run towards a much-deserved first title in 30 years, a huge combined effort resulted in Project Restart and the eventual reaching of this final gameweek 38+ of the 2019-20 Premier League campaign. One that none of us will ever forget and that each one of us can be proud of. Because in the midst of everything, football fans and fantasy managers en masse have shown their love for the game. In turn, if this season’s crisis has shown us anything, it’s how integral fans and followers are to the game. Not just to the entertainment side of it, but to the in-game experience and team performance as well.
Like an enormous bright red cherry on top, plenty of teams still have plenty to play for this gameweek. Man United, Chelsea and Leicester are all within a point of each other with two Champions League spots for grabs. Spurs can still grab sixth place IF Wolves lose at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and José Mourinho’s men beat Palace at Selhurst Park. At the other end of the table, Aston Villa, Watford and Bournemouth are fighting to be that one club to secure Premier League football next season on the season’s very last day. On top of that, with GW38+ encounters such as Chelsea vs Wolves, Leicester vs Man United and West Ham vs Villa, it’s promising to become an exciting, exhilarating and, unfortunately for some, heartbreaking end to a crazy season.
It’s been a pleasure writing these FPL previews for and with you, and we already can’t wait to be back next season! By the way, if you’re one of the many that have a Free Hit left then check out the fiso forum topic on taking a Free Hit for GW38+.
Don’t forget: the deadline for gameweek 38+ has been set at 15h00 (UK time) on Sunday, July 26th.
Most transferred in/transferred out players (as per July 24th, 2020)
TRANSFERS OUT | TRANSFERS IN | POSSIBLE REASONS | |
GK | Schmeichel (LEI), Henderson (SHU), Patricio (WOL) | Pope (BUR), Martinez (ARS), Ederson (CIT) | Likely clean sheets for Burnley and City, Martinez is a cheap starter with a good fixture. |
DEF | Söyüncü (LEI), Doherty (WOL), Wan-Bissaka (UTD) | Tarkowski (BUR), Pieters (BUR), Aurier (TOT) | Likely clean sheet for Burnley, Aurier is facing Palace. |
MID | De Bruyne (CIT), Fernandes (UTD), Willian (CHE) | Sterling (CIT), David Silva (CIT), Antonio (WHU) | The possibility of a massacre at the Etihad, Antonio’s excellent form coinciding with a good fixture. |
FOR | Vardy (LEI), Jimenez (WOL), Rashford (UTD) | Kane (TOT), Aubameyang (ARS), Jesus (CIT) | All incoming assets have favourable fixtures in this final gameweek. |
Premium fantasy picks
When you think about it, it’s kind of strange that a forward of Harry Kane‘s (£10.9m) calibre is only turning up as one of our premium fantasy picks for practically the first time this season in the final gameweek. It’s an indicator of the tough season the England striker has had, mainly due to injury issues earlier on in the season. A performance and managerial crisis earlier in the season following their Champions League final defeat did not help either, but it looks like Kane’s back in form just in time to help his Spurs grab a European spot. With 4 goals and a resulting 25 FPL points from the last two games, he looks determined to finish the season on a high and upcoming opponent Crystal Palace won’t be delighted about it. The Eagles have been in torrid shape since the restart and the fact that they have conceded 12 goals in the last five games will be music to Kane’s ears as he visits Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Our second premium fantasy pick is a striker as well and at the same price, namely Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£10.9m). The Arsenal striker was in pretty clinical form for the FA Cup semi-final encounter with Man City last weekend, scoring 2 goals to put Arteta’s men through to the final, but he’s been underwhelming for FPL managers over the past few weeks. From his last three outings, the Gabonese forward took just 6 FPL points, which is unjustifiable for a £10m+ striker. He is nevertheless still an outside candidate for the Golden Boot as he currently trails leader Jamie Vardy by three. As an FPL manager, just knowing that he’ll be eyeing that outside chance when the Gunners welcome a Watford side in turmoil to the Emirates on Sunday should make your heart skip a beat. Of course, Arsenal and Auba are also experts in breaking that same heart, as we’ve seen so many times over the years, but we’re going with him. Last time we did, he hauled big against Norwich, so fingers crossed for a repeat.
Non-premium fantasy picks
Like for our premium fantasy picks, our first non-premium pick is also a Spurs forward, Lucas Moura (£7.0m) in this case. The Brazilian winger is a good player and an excellent technician, but we admit that his FPL output has been limited this season. Up until gameweek 37+, he had just 4 goals and 3 assists to his, but courtesy of 2 assists and 2 bonus points against Leicester in the last game, he recorded the highest haul of the campaign (10 FPL points). What makes him an interesting pick, besides the hope that he’ll build on some end-of-season form, is his low price tage in combination with regular minutes and the fact that an improved Spurs side are taking on Palace on Sunday. The Eagles have been planning their holidays since the restart and on top of that, Moura’s suspected direct opponent at left-back, Patrick van Aanholt, is injured for Palace. José Mourinho’s men are fighting for a Europa League spot and we feel Moura could play a determining role in the final game.
Our second non-premium fantasy pick for gameweek 38+ is a Brazilian winger as well. Since the restart, Everton have disappointed in an attacking sense, scoring just 6 goals in 7 games, but half of those goals were scored by Richarlison (£8.2m). Everton have nothing left to play for and they are hosting a Bournemouth side on the brink of relegation who absolutely need to win so may take more risks late on in the match if not ahead. It’s hard to see where this game will go exactly, but we shouldn’t forget that the Cherries simply haven’t been very good of late. Over the 8 games since the restart, they took just 4 points, scoring just 8 goals (but spread out over only 4 of those games) and conceding a worrying 17 goals. Everton are not a high-scoring unit at the moment, but they are stable and Richarlion is their main man up front. He already has 13 goals and 5 assists to his name, and we’re hoping for an improvement of those tallies when Bournemouth come to Goodison Park on Sunday.
A differential fantasy pick or two
As if gameweek 38+ didn’t have enough to offer already, this campaign’s final game also marks the final game in English football of a Manchester City legend. In no less than 433 games for the sky blues from Manchester, David Silva (rose to £7.5m last night) scored 77 goals and provided an incredible 140 assists. What’s more though, he formed a key cog of the Man City sides that stormed English football since the take-over in 2008. Few players have had such an impact on a club’s history than David Silva. In gameweek 38+, City are hosting Norwich for what could become a goal-ridden encounter and it seems unlikely that coach Pep Guardiola won’t let Silva start for his last game at the Etihad. The risk of rotation is nevertheless always present and even if he starts, a second-half substitution as a goodbye to the fans is a possibility as well. Still, the Spaniard is in great form. He did not get any minutes in gameweek 37+, but he recorded 2 goals and 3 assists in the three rounds prior to that, good for 31 FPL points. What better way for Silva to leave City behind with a victory against Norwich and a couple of goals behind his name?
Our final fantasy pick for gameweek 38+ and indeed for the 2019-20 Premier League campaign is THE man of Project Restart, Michail Antonio (£7.1m). With 8 goals and an assist since gameweek 30+, the English midfielder-turned-striker has played a major role in what looks like West Ham’s very last-minute avoidance of relegation. In his last three games, Antonio recorded 6 goals, including the quadruple haul against Norwich in GW35+ and up next is Aston Villa at the London Stadium. The Villans are fighting for their very last chance of survival and their form has been alright lately, but so has West Ham’s and not to speak of Antonio’s. The 4.9%-owned midfielder represents a bit of a punt, but we think it could pay off handsomely. Even if the Hammers don’t keep the points at home, Antonio might get a decent return.
The captaincy
With Man City hosting Norwich, Arsenal welcoming Watford to the Emirates, Liverpool going to Newcastle, and Spurs rolling up to Selhurst Park, gameweek 38+ is offering an immediate abundance of potential candidates for the captaincy. Our armband is going on Kevin “Mr. Reliable” de Bruyne, but the likes of Jesus, Sterling and David Silva are equally attractive options. Their match-up with Norwich simply looks the juiciest on paper.
If for whatever reason you’re not feeling the City vibe or your trust in Pep Guardiola’s starting lineups has been irreparably damaged over the years, the likes of Aubameyang chasing the Golden Boot against Watford, Salah doing the same against Newcastle, or Kane and Son eyeing a European spot against a Palace side woefully out of form are excellent alternatives. There are some appealing differential options as well, though. Jack Grealish fighting for survival against West Ham, Hammers striker Antonio against Grealish’s Villans, or Danny Ings at home to Sheffield United can all deliver this week.
Whoever you choose, good luck! We’ll be back for the new FPL season in about a couple of months and meanwhile we’ll be providing some coverage for the upcoming Champions League and Europa League tournaments. Enjoy!
Finally if you like FPL but want to have a go at a weekly Fantasy Premier League type competition for large prizes then have a look at FanTeam’s Premier League 100,000 euro guaranteed prize Main Event for GW38 on Sunday with a 20 euro entry or they have a 7k game for a 2 euro entry and see discussions on the FISO FanTeam forum. There are freerolls for new entrants organised by FanTeam who will have another massive season-long Premier League comp for 20/21. Read all about a fiso member who won 30,000 euros on FanTeam from just a 2 euro entry fee.