With the DGW 34 over, several FPL managers will find themselves disappointed as big names like Hazard, Sterling, Coutinho, and Henderson failed to deliver. Managers who owned Terry, Ivanovic, Skrtel, and Vardy, however, will likely be a bit more satisfied (I assume very few of you had any Hull players). Still, with the DGW over and another on the horizon, it is time to look forward and focus on which players you brought  in for DGW 34 you want to get rid of and which players you want to bring in for the upcoming DGW.

Firstly, let us look at the players that were the most popular for DGW 34, and decide if they should be kept or sold. From Liverpool, Sterling, Hendo, Skrtel, Coutinho, and Moreno were the most popular players, yet Skrtel was the only one to deliver with 11 pts. Liverpool’s fixtures aren’t bad for the remainder of the season, and with a home match against QPR next, keeping your Liverpool players can easily be justified. Henderson has blanked in his last 2 matches, but had 4 goals and 1 assist in the 6 previous matches. Due to his price, I feel that he can be kept for the remainder of the season. Sterling, on the other hand, is almost 2m more expensive, and has considerably less impressive stats with only 1 goal and 1 assist in his last 6. While he always has the potential to score, you will most likely want to replace him, preferably with an Arsenal midfielder.

The same can be said for Coutinho, who has only 1 assist in his last 6. Moreno can be kept with Liverpool perhaps keeping a CS in GW 35, but that obviously depends on his fitness. If he’s not fit, I suggest selling him, possibly for van Aanholt if you want to free up funds. From Chelsea, Hazard, Ivanovic, Terry, and Fabregas were commonly owned players, with several also owning the injured Remy. Obviously, Hazard, Ivanovic, and Terry are season keepers. Fabregas has improved his form lately with 1 goal and 3 assists in the last 6 matches, but you might still want to sell him for an Arsenal midfielder. Remy could be fit soon, but I still feel that Giroud is a better option. From Leicester, Vardy, Schlupp, Cambiasso, and Schmeichel were commonly owned players. Leicester have a very good fixture list, facing Newcastle, Southampton, Sunderland, and QPR, with Sunderland being the only away match, hence, keeping your Leicester players can be justified. Many were burned by Schlupp who didn’t feature, but if he can regain his fitness before the next GW, it is acceptable to keep him. If not, van Aanholt is a good option.

Cambiasso is arguably the best 5th midfielder in the game at the moment, thus there is no reason to sell him. Schmeichel can be kept, or sold for Pantilimon. Vardy can also be kept, but I suspect that many will want to bring in Giroud, assuming they have the necessary funds. Very few managers owned any Hull players. Their remaining fixture list is very difficult, with Arsenal and United coming to visit, and they also take a trip to White Hart Lane. If you have any Hull players, you can keep them and hope for the best, or get rid of them for the other players mentioned in this article.

Looking at replacements for your DGW players, Arsenal and Sunderland should be your primary focus as they have an upcoming DGW in GW 37. From Sunderland, Pantilimon and van Aanholt are the standout options, and can be direct replacements for your Leicester or Hull players, or replace your Chelsea or Liverpool players to free up funds. From Arsenal, there are a couple more options, making the selection a bit more difficult. Defensively, Ospina and Koscielny are the standout options. Bellerin would be a great option at 4.6, but Debuchy might eat away on his game time. While Arsenal certainly have the fixtures to keep several clean sheets, most players would probably want to load up on 3 offensive options. The players to choose from are Sanchez, Özil, Ramsey, Cazorla, and Giroud. In order to see which of these 5 players are the best options, let us examine the stats from the last 6 GWs (note: Özil did not feature in GW 30, Cazorla came off the bench to play 10 min in GW 29, and Ramsey only played 4 min in GW 28). Giroud leads the way with 4 goals and 1 assist, while Ramsey has 2 goals and 1 assist, Sanchez has 1 goal and 1 assist, Cazorla has 2 assists, and Özil has 1 goal. Surprisingly, Giroud has created the most big chances with 3, while Ramsey has created 2, and the remaining 3 have created 1 each. Giroud also has the most shots on target with 7, while Sanchez has 6, Özil and Ramsey have 4, and Cazorla has 1. Sanchez has the most through balls with 8, while Ramsey and Giroud have 5, Cazorla has 2, and Özil has 1. Finally, Özil has the most passes in the final third with 132, while Ramsey has 106, Sanchez has 105, Cazorla has 87, and Giroud has 58. By analysing these stats, it seems that Özil is more involved in the build-up rather than the finishing of the play, while Giroud seems less involved, but more efficient and clinical as he has created the most chances but has the fewest passes in the final third. Ramsey and Sanchez seem to be involved in both the build-up and the finishing. Cazorla seems to be a bit less involved altogether. Hence, Giroud, Sanchez, and Ramsey are the best offensive options from Arsenal, or you could go with two of them and get Koscielny or Ospina instead.

That brings an end to this article. I hope that you will find it helpful for the little that is left of this season, and I wish you luck in getting as high a ranking as possible. Thanks for reading!