Final Word Gameweek 30 | Supercoach EPL trades, captains, PODs

It has been about a month since I last gave my Final Word and team update, and unfortunately for me, it has been a disappointing month on the Supercoach front.

I have faced a few consecutive gameweeks of red arrows, falling from 151st a month ago, to now sitting at 216th.

In saying that, with the rankings being so very close, I am still only 50 points out of the top 100!!!

So, the season is far from over, and my surge for a top 100 rank is very much alive.

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In fact, I am just a few dodgy sit vs start decisions off.

Yes, I benched VVD for his season high 26-pointer a few weeks back, and yes, I also benched Timber for BOTH of his 20+ performances in the last two weeks.

Of course, it is frustrating, but we move. Hopefully, we can have a swing in luck for the run home.

Despite there being just 9 gameweeks of Supercoach left, we are in for an absolute gauntlet of chaos.

Navigating gameweek 31

Unless you have been living under a rock, which, for your sake, I really, really hope you haven’t, you would know about the upcoming blanks in gameweek 31.

For those new to the term “blank”, it is just another word for a bye, where a team doesn’t play that week.

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Next week, gameweek 31, will see Arsenal, Manchester City, Wolves, and Crystal Palace all on the blank.

Now, hopefully you have already been preparing for this, but if you haven’t, it isn’t too late to start now.

Step one is DO NOT trade in anyone from these teams this week.

You are probably reading this, thinking that it’s a no-brainer, but 3 of the top 5 most traded-in players right now are from these teams. Crazy stuff.

Step two is to go through your team and do a little planning.

Take my side, for example, I currently own 5 players that will blank next week: Raya, Gabriel, Timber, Rice, and Haaland.

If I don’t make any trades this or next week, I will be able to bench three of these guys (my bench keeper does not play, so benching Raya doesn’t count), but I will still be two short for the week.

Either way, I have the opportunity to sit back this week and wait until next week before I have to decide whether to trade.

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If you are in the same boat as me and can afford to wait, I would.

Arsenal play Everton, and City play West Ham this week, both exciting fixtures.

Looking ahead to next week, I am also not totally convinced I will make the trades.

It comes down to weighing up how many trades you have left and if you think it is worth it.

Let’s say you decide to trade out one of your Arsenal defenders for someone with a good fixture in gameweek 31.

There is every chance their side concedes, your new trade-in nets a stunning 3 points, and you are now stuck with him over a much preferred Arsenal asset, and a trade down, TWO if you want to trade again.

My point is, only make the trade if you are happy to keep the player you trade in for at least a few gameweeks, if not the rest of the season.

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For example, I am eyeing off a Declan Rice to Harry Wilson trade, as Wilson offers that blank gameweek coverage AND is a season-long keeper.

I am also considering trading Raya to another keeper, as although Raya is the second-highest averaging goalkeeper this season, there is another handful of goalkeepers averaging within a point of him.

I hate to bring economics terms into it, but it is all just opportunity cost.

More upcoming fixture chaos

I hope you didn’t think that was all the fun to be had, as we are expecting a few more blank and double gamweeks between now and season’s end.

These mostly fall around the FA Cup, and the team’s still left in that competition.

I won’t go too into detail about this yet, as there is still so much speculation.

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Briefly speaking, the FA Cup quarterfinals will be played after gameweek 31, and the teams who advance will then be at risk of blanking in gameweek 34 (however, this still depends on European fixtures, etc.).

What I can tell you, however, is that there are four fixtures that will definitely be happening in gameweek 34, and will not be affected by the upcoming FA Cup results.

Those are Aston Villa vs Fulham, United vs Brentford, Sunderland vs Forrest, and Wolves vs Spurs.

Make sure to follow @scplaybookepl on socials for updated information on all fixture changes!!!

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Player watchlist

Looking purely at players that offer guaranteed coverage for gameweeks 31 and 34, here are my favourite options.

Must-haves: Bruno Fernandes

Strong buys: Harry Wilson, Igor Thiago, Bryan Mbuemo

POD watch: Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Sunderland defenders, Alex Iwobi, Matheus Cunha, Neco Williams, Morgan Rogers

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Trades and captains

As mentioned above, I will be sitting in my heels and not making any trades this week.

With only 12 trades left to navigate all the craziness to come, I really only want to trade if I have to.

My tougher decisions for the week come down to who to captain and the recently haunting decision of who to bench.

I will not be making the mistake of benching Timber again, although you could probably lock him in for a 5-pointer now I am playing him.

Although I could definitely see Bowen picking up a decent score against City, I feel as though that a logical benching option.

At this stage, I will also be benching Cucurella and Neco Williams, just because I prefer some of my attacking options; hopefully, this doesn’t come back to bite.

Captaincy-wise, I am in a tough boat this week.

My loop option, being from Arsenal, means I won’t be able to utilise a vice-captain this week as I own no one from the first two games of the week.

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So straight captaincy it is, and boy, are there some tasty trade-in options this week.

Gabriel or Rice vs Everton, Fernandes vs Aston Villa, Ekitike or Szob vs Tottenham, and Haaland vs City are the contenders for me.

At this stage of the season, if I want to gain ranks, I really need to nail these calls, and honestly, at some stage, it really just comes down to luck.

Gun to head right now, I am leaning toward the ever-reliable Bruno, the only one to not have played a full midweek European fixture.

At home against a recently poor Villa side, in a crucial match for United’s top four hopes.

But I will likely change my mind at least 37 times before lockout hits…