What the wildcard can do for your fantasy team

We’re well into the business end of fantasy football now, and with the second wildcard of the season now available, FPL managers are daring to dream about topping their work’s league.

With a wildcard, comes the opportunity to shape and change your season and send you spiralling towards the top if you make wise transfers. The wildcard can also lead you further into pits of despair, when the likes of Charlie Austin and Joe Bryan somehow creep into your team. However, with some careful man-management, and a keen eye for a bargain, the wildcard can present the opportunity you need to kick-start your season.

Look to the red side of Manchester

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Ever since José Mourinho received the sacking from Man Utd, the Red Devils’ attacking players have flourished and significantly increased their points haul. The likes of Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have all excelled thus far under Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Despite playing Tottenham away next, the Red Devils have some excellent fixtures coming up and getting at least two United attackers into your starting XI would only see you pick up the points.

That being said, you would be best suited avoiding United defenders. Even with the presence of one of the best goalkeepers in the world, the United defence have only kept three clean sheets all season. Solskjær doesn’t seem to have revitalised the defence in the way he would have hoped, but only rejuvenated their attack, so it is not expected that they will suddenly begin raking up clean sheets. Additionally, when you consider the cost of United defenders (Young at £5.7mil, Valencia at £6.4mil), there are better value options to have elsewhere.

Whites over Blues in London

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The teams from London are enduring mixed seasons. Tottenham are flying and are being touted as surprise title challengers, whereas Chelsea are stuttering in fourth. This form should translate into your fantasy football decisions: show hesitance when selecting players from Chelsea, apart from the magical Belgian Eden Hazard. Chelsea have endured a mixed winter period under Maurizio Sarri, and only the Belgian has been consistently scoring points. Even with the summer arrival of Christian Pulisic now confirmed, Hazard is expected to keep the points coming in persistently. Interestingly, Chelsea defenders have picked up two clean sheets in their last two games and Marcos Alonso is the current top scoring defender in FPL, but the Blues have some awkward looking away fixtures coming up, and seem to be a team out of form. David Luiz offers the best value of any Chelsea defender at £5.9mil.

Conversely, Tottenham defenders are well worth your buck, and they have three back-to-back home games on the horizon all of which could render easy clean sheets. Mauricio Pochettino does have a tendency to rotate, but the likes of Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld are definitely worth an investment given current injuries. However, those who have been enjoying the rich form of Son Heung-min will soon be having to look for a replacement for the South Korean, as he departs for the Asian Cup following Tottenham’s clash with Man United. Son has racked up over 100 points thus far and replacing that for a minimal fee will be challenging. However, look no further than the Scotsman Ryan Fraser. The winger has been in terrific form for the Cherries this season, and is currently joint-top with Hazard on the assists table, he also costs £2.2mil less than the South Korean.

Defenders your wildcard can unleash

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There has been one stand out defender of the fantasy season that has taken all managers by surprise. The form of Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been excellent through this campaign, and at a minor cost of £4.4mil, the 21-year-old has to be a mainstay in your fantasy team. Elsewhere, league leaders Liverpool have an (on paper) winnable set of fixtures coming up, and despite Dejan Lovren’s questionable performance against Man City, he offers the best value of any Reds defender with Joe Gomez set to be out for a few more weeks at least.

Finally, another shrewd investment would be Leicester City man Ricardo Pereira. Billed as a defender on FPL, yet often played as an attacking midfielder or winger for Claude Puel’s men, Pereira is one of the lucky players who will reap the benefits of any Leicester clean sheet and is still likely to pop up with a goal or an assist when played in attack. He is most certainly worthy of a wildcard investment at £5.2mil.

Step away from Yorkshire

Aside from those who you should bring in, there are certain teams you should be looking to avoid as we step towards the business end of the season. One such team is Huddersfield, who are looking well and truly doomed for relegation. With three clean sheets all season, a top scoring midfielder on a measly 52 points, and Steve Mounie notching only his first goal of the season in the recent defeat to Burnley, there is absolutely no value or need to bring in any Huddersfield players, despite some manager’s desperate need for that golden differential.