Trackers are not supposed to outperform the market, of course, but the anomalistic wrinkle of closely following the crowd in the big ‘free hit’ window of the season led to the further anomaly of a gameweek rank inside the top million for MeanReversionMachine. That is the third time it has happened this season and the portfolio’s adviser promises to try harder to ensure a more appropriately average showing for the remaining few weeks.
As you can see below, most-bought goalkeeper (Raya), most-bought midfielder (Gibbs-White) and second most-bought striker (Bowen) all managed double-digit hauls while the two most-bought defenders (Virgil and Porro) managed a very respectable 12 points between them. Less positively, Xavi was subbed off injured after barely an hour yet still managed to match the combined points of Mukiele, Rogers and Thiago.
Then there was Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, to whom we entrusted the captaincy for one week only after he was bought by approaching three-quarters of a million FPL managers. Presumably, they were hoping for a repeat of the previous week when he scored 16 points away to Sunderland; unfortunately what they received was a repeat of the 25 gameweeks this season when he has scored two points or worse.
“Presumably, his buyers wanted a repeat of the previous week when Watkins scored 16 points; what they got was a repeat of the 25 times this season he has scored two points or worse.
And so it is back to business as usual, with the portfolio reverting to its overriding policy of reflecting the most-owned players in the game. As such there is no change from the previous-but-one gameweek – everyone except for the cheap ‘enablers’ of E-Steve, Gudmundsson, Ampadu and Kroupi Jr being there on merit aside from Fulham midfielder Wilson, who steps up a rung in place of the now unaffordable Rogers of Aston Villa.
Source: Fantasy Premier League
Finishing up, as ever, with a regular look at our Herdwatch tables of the most bought and sold FPL assets of recent gameweeks, the most recent ‘buy’ list shows a renewed appetite for Manchester City – and predictably so given their impending double gameweek next time out. As you can see in the top-left table, Cherki looks to be replacing Semenyo in a preferred light-blue triple-up that also includes Haaland and O’Reilly.
Interestingly enough, the other three players in the list – West Ham’s Bowen, Calvert-Lewin of Leeds and Nottingham Forest’s Gibbs-White – are all the main goal threat in three of the four teams still firmly threatened by relegation, as opposed to already encompassed by it. Picking players from ‘those with something left to play for’ as opposed to ‘already on the beach’ is of course a very solid FPL strategy at this end of the season.
Unsurprisingly, perhaps, players from the fourth team – Spurs – are rather less fancied although, until his injury, Xavi was beginning to look an interesting pick, both in FPL terms and that weird ‘real life’ version of the game people insist on playing. Porro has been looking rather more like his old self meanwhile and Richarlison has been involved in every goal Spurs have score in their last six matches – though sadly that is just the two.
One last observation, Liverpool defender and captain Virgil again features among the week’s most sold players – partly, one would imagine, to make way for O’Reilly and partly as FPL managers worry about him facing Bruno and the rest of the Manchester United attack on their home turf. Still, as you can see in the bottom-right table, he was also a very popular sell, three gameweeks back – since when he has averaged seven points a game.
Source: Fantasy Premier League
