With the exception of the more maverick, contrarian Fantasy Premier League managers out there, virtually everyone playing the game this season will have expected to use their Triple Captain chip on Erling Haaland. However, Double Gameweek 22 has the potential to sway some minds…
After successfully avoiding potential banana skins against lower league opponents in the FA Cup, Manchester United and Leeds United’s Premier League fixture at Old Trafford on Wednesday 8 February has been confirmed, meaning that both clubs will play twice this gameweek.
United’s pair of matches could certainly tempt FPL managers to take a triple captaincy punt on the red-hot Marcus Rashford. The Red Devils are at home in both games, first against Crystal Palace and then against Leeds, clubs that have won a combined three league matches out of 18 away from home in 2022-23.
The fixtures are promising and Rashford’s form is exceptional: he has scored 10 goals in 11 appearances since the World Cup, finding the net in all but two of them. In FPL currency, Rashford’s 46 points since the Premier League’s resumption is the joint-most alongside Haaland and Brighton winger Solly March, who has improbably reached that tally in one game fewer. Bruno Fernandes is a compelling alternative, albeit more of a risk.
Gameweek 21 top scorers
Goalkeepers:
- Martinez (Aston Villa), Raya (Brentford), Guaita (Crystal Palace) – 10
Defenders:
- Zouma (West Ham) – 11
- Estupinan (Brighton), Royal (Spurs) – 9
Midfielders:
- Bowen (West Ham) – 16
- Anthony (Bournemouth), Mitoma (Brighton) – 10
- Saka (Arsenal) – 9
Forwards:
- Haaland (Man City) – 17
- Nketiah (Arsenal) – 13
- Watkins (Aston Villa), Surridge (Nottingham Forest) – 8
Double Gameweek hysteria aside, FPL managers should keep a close eye on any incomings and outgoings on transfer deadline day, particularly in light of Joao Cancelo’s shock Manchester City exit. Cancelo is, at the time of writing, the sixth-most owned player in FPL so there will be plenty of managers on the lookout for defensive reinforcements. All aboard the Rico Lewis express!
This week’s deadline is at 6.30pm on Friday night. Here’s i‘s FPL team for Gameweek 22, featuring a United triple-up:
Gameweek 22 fixtures
Friday 3 February
- Chelsea vs Fulham
Saturday 4 February
- Everton vs Arsenal
- Aston Villa vs Leicester
- Brentford vs Southampton
- Brighton vs Bournemouth
- Man Utd vs Crystal Palace
- Wolves vs Liverpool
- Newcastle vs West Ham
Sunday 5 February
- Nottingham Forest vs Leeds
- Tottenham vs Man City
Wednesday 8 February
- Man Utd vs Leeds
Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea)
If Chelsea keep a clean sheet on Friday, which they have managed in three of their six league matches post-restart, it’s a reasonable assumption that Kepa Arrizabalaga will collect some bonus points. Kepa has earned seven of them in that period, at least two more than any other goalkeeper. Fulham may have just ended their 17-year hoodoo against the Blues, but they are without a win at Stamford Bridge since 1979.
Price: £4.6m Points: 63 Gameweek 22 fixture: Fulham (h)
Luke Shaw (Man Utd)
After earning more FPL points than any other player between gameweeks 17 and 19 (with 32), Luke Shaw has since recorded just four in his last three matches. That shouldn’t put you off keeping Shaw if you have him or buying him if you don’t considering United played the top two teams in the division and conceded in the 92nd minute in the other match in that run. Shaw has both attacking and clean sheet potential over the next two games.
Price: £5.2m Points: 66 Gameweek 22 fixture(s): Crystal Palace (h), Leeds (h)
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An auto-pick already but even more so given Cancelo’s unexpected downfall at and departure from Manchester City. Erling Haaland is the only player in the game with more FPL points than Trippier this season and the right-back has 44 more than any other defender. The last time Trippier scored fewer than seven points in a single gameweek was during a 2-1 win over Spurs on 23 October. He’s played a sizeable chunk of football since then.
Price: £6.1m Points: 141 Gameweek 22 fixture: West Ham (h)
Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal)
It is a fair assumption that Everton will be more resolute and difficult to beat under Sean Dyche than they were under Frank Lampard, but the former Burnley boss has his work cut out to turn the Toffees into an attacking force: only Wolves have scored fewer goals than them this season. Arsenal look a decent bet to keep a clean sheet this weekend then and Gabriel is arguably the pick of their backline having had 10 more shots than any of his defensive colleagues.
Price: £5.2m Points: 86 Gameweek 22 fixture: Everton (a)
Marcus Rashford (Man Utd)
We’ve outlined Rashford’s credentials above and even if you aren’t 100 per cent convinced about triple captaining him, he is simply a must-have option this week. Since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, Rashford has stepped up to become United’s main man in attack: he ranks top for shots (17), shots on target (11), big chances (six) and expected goals (3.29) amongst their squad since the restart.
Price: £7.2m Points: 108 Gameweek 22 fixture(s): Crystal Palace (h), Leeds (h)
Rodrigo (Leeds)
Although Leeds are the only team playing twice this gameweek, we wouldn’t advise tripling or even doubling up on their assets given their iffy league form and tricky fixtures. Having one Leeds player is probably enough and while Wilfried Gnonto is an intriguing option (particularly at just £5m, Rodrigo is the obvious pick having accumulated 29 more points than any of his Elland Road colleagues this campaign.
Price: £6.4m Points: 92 Gameweek 22 fixture(s): Nottingham Forest (a), Man Utd (a)
Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton)
Earlier this month, Roberto De Zerbi said arrivederci to Leandro Trossard, Brighton’s most impactful attacking player of the last 18 months to two years. The Belgian has not been missed. Kaoru Mitoma has stepped up magnificently to fill the void, scoring goals in four of his last six appearances, including a wonderful stoppage-time winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup last weekend.
Mitoma's magic moment!
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) January 30, 2023pic.twitter.com/eWokAlbG5i
With Miguel Almiron’s form faltering, Mitoma is rapidly emerging as the budget midfielder of choice in FPL.
Price: £5.1m Points: 56 Gameweek 22 fixture: Bournemouth (h)
Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd)
Rashford and Shaw are the second-most bought players in FPL this week, behind United teammate Bruno Fernandes. Like Rashford, Fernandes has noticeably stepped up his output following Ronaldo’s exit, providing FPL returns in each of his last five appearances.
Fernandes has considerable pedigree in double gameweeks too: he tallied 19 points in Gameweek 20 after scoring against Manchester City and Crystal Palace and managed 23 and 12-point scores in double gameweeks last season. With a significantly lower ownership than Rashford, he could make a great differential captain.
Price: £9.9m Points: 87 Gameweek 22 fixture(s): Crystal Palace (h), Leeds (h)
Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal)
Eddie Nketiah’s FPL ownership hasn’t risen as much as you might have expected following his heroics during Arsenal’s win against Manchester United, partly one assumes, because managers are prioritising moves for Red Devils. Arsenal have a double gameweek to come in 23, however, making now an optimal time to invest.
Nketiah should be a priority transfer if you have issues in attack. Only Erling Haaland (with seven) and Rashford (five) have outscored Nketiah (four) since Gameweek 17. Nketiah is an in-form attacker playing for the in-form team in the country and costs less than £7m. Unless you’ve already filled your Arsenal quota he’s a no brainer.
Price: £6.7m Points: 42 Gameweek 22 fixture(s): Everton (a)
Analysis: Nketiah is an upgrade on Jesus
By Daniel Storey, i‘s chief football writer
Unpopular Arsenal opinion, framed as a question to make people a little less angry: what if having a poacher like Eddie Nketiah makes this team better than when Gabriel Jesus is in it?
Firstly, that’s not to lambast Jesus, who played a vital role in Arsenal’s tremendous start to the season and offers more than Nketiah in terms of tracking back and chance creation. But I refuse to believe that Jesus would have taken those two chances (or, alternatively, been in a position to take them) against Manchester United. He prefers a starting position on the left of the box. Nketiah found space on the right and finished both impressively.
And Arsenal need that poacher just as much as the creator. Jesus has scored five goals from 61 shots this season. Nketiah has scored nine from 57 shots and might just have won the most important fixture of Arsenal’s season so far.
Read Daniel’s full article here
Erling Haaland (Man City)
We briefly toyed with the idea of not including Erling Haaland in this week’s picks, but frankly it’s not worth the risk going without him. Tottenham away is a tricky game on paper – City have lost their last four games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – but Haaland can score a goal out of nothing, as he did against Spurs in Gameweek 20. Ilan Meslier is the only goalkeeper to have conceded more goals (with 20) than Hugo Lloris (19) since Gameweek 12.
Price: £12.2m Points: 169 Gameweek 22 fixture: Tottenham (a)
Ivan Toney (Brentford)
Since being snubbed by Gareth Southgate ahead of the World Cup, Ivan Toney has gone about his business with ruthless efficiency, scoring five goals in as many league games either side of the tournament. Despite only playing in four of Brentford’s last five matches, Toney ranks sixth in the division for expected goals, behind the likes of Haaland, Rashford and Nketiah. He can continue his hot streak at home against bottom of the table Southampton.
Price: £7.7m Points: 110 Gameweek 22 fixture: Southampton (h)
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