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Welcome to Gameweek 13, Rotoballers! We are expanding our soccer coverage to include the great game of Fantasy Premier League. If you are a veteran of the game, or a rookie navigating your first season, we will set you right as we look to acquire those weekend-making green arrows and avoid the doom and gloom of a red arrow.
This weekend, the action kicks off at 7:30 am Eastern on Saturday, Nov. 27, between Arsenal and Newcastle United. Therefore, our lineups will lock at 6 am Eastern, and then we strap ourselves in for 10 games of FPL magic. The highlights of this week include big games between Manchester City-West Ham and Chelsea-Manchester United.
Also, be sure to check out the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the team gets you all set for every English Premier League and UEFA Champions League slate from a DFS perspective.
RotoBaller FPL Staff Roundtable - Gameweek 13
The Staff Roundtable is an attempt to get you inside the mind of our FPL staff. Our top soccer writers - Euan Leith, Jamie Steed, and Brandon Wampler - will answer 11 questions each Gameweek to give you an idea of how they view the games. So without further ado, let's kick off Gameweek 13!
How did Gameweek 12 go?
- Euan Leith: 80 points and a green arrow! Up to 202k Overall Ranking and 18th in the Rotoballer Invitational.
- Jamie Steed: A below-average 49 points and lots of red arrows in the rankings.
- Brandon Wampler: I relied on Mohamed Salah and Joao Cancelo to carry, but it didn't quite work out.
Who's getting the Captain's armband this week?
- Euan Leith: Roses are red, Violets are blue, Salah's my Captain, and should be yours too.
- Jamie Steed: Emile Smith Rowe. Last weekend's dud was hardly a surprise, and he should bounce back this week at home to the league's leakiest defense.
- Brandon Wampler: Salah or Son will be my Captain due to plus matchups
Who is your favorite differential pick at Captain?
- Euan Leith: Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Newcastle has conceded three goals in three of their last five matches, and Aubameyang's only in 4.2 percent of all FPL squads right now.
- Jamie Steed: Wilfried Zaha. Three of his four goals have come at home this season, and he has two goals and two clean sheets in his last three games.
- Brandon Wampler: Most will rely on Salah playing at home, so I would go Son to be different.
Which goalkeeper is keeping a clean sheet?
- Euan Leith: Diving deep into the kit bag here and betting on Brentford's Alvaro Fernandez to keep it clean against Everton. The blue team on Merseyside has only scored three goals in the last five games and lost four of those five matches in the process.
- Jamie Steed: Alisson. At home against the league's second-lowest scorers. He already has three clean sheets in six home games this season.
- Brandon Wampler: Alisson will keep a clean sheet, even though Southampton have been showing signs of life
Outside of the big three (Cancelo, TAA, Reece James), which defender provides an attacking return?
- Euan Leith: I'll take the free square and say Chelsea's Marcus Alonso. With the Ben Chilwell injury news, he will find his way back into Teuchel's good graces and remind FPL managers of the player who averaged 7.6 points per game from Weeks 1-5.
- Jamie Steed: Everton's Lucas Digne. Despite having zero goals and assists so far, only four defenders have more 'shot-creating actions' than the left-back. Gets to face a struggling Brentford side this week that's conceded ten goals in their last four games.
- Brandon Wampler: I will rely on Newcastle's Matt Ritchie as another option once again. As long as he is on sets, he provides ample value.
Is there anyone outside of Joao Cancelo worth rostering from Manchester City right now?
- Euan Leith: Short answer: No. Long answer: I have Phil Foden in my team right now, but I'm looking for ways to get out of there. With the fixture crunch coming up, the Pep roulette challenge is officially upon us.
- Jamie Steed: My pick for Captain last week, Bernardo Silva. He made it seven straight EPL games of playing all 90 minutes last week. Plus, he scored and kept a clean sheet. He will likely be a victim of squad rotation soon but ride him while you can.
- Brandon Wampler: Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, and Riyad Mahrez are great options with decent floors and relatively good upside.
Which highly-rostered player will blank?
- Euan Leith: Cristiano Ronaldo. It looks like we are all down on United even with their new interim manager. Per the Fantasy Premier League podcast, Ronaldo only has one goal in 15 appearances against Chelsea, and it came in the 2008 Champions League final.
- Jamie Steed: Bruno Fernandes. The seventh highest rostered midfielder's form has mirrored his team's and now faces the league's best defense, away from home, without a permanent manager, and I'm not convinced he'll even start this weekend's game.
- Brandon Wampler: Bruno Fernandes will continue to disappoint in a crucial fixture
Are you making one, two, or rolling your free transfer?
- Euan Leith: I'm doing my best to roll the transfer for next week with the short turnaround starting on Tuesday. However, there's always the last-second temptation before the deadline, especially with the Chilwell news.
- Jamie Steed: Just one. Overdue but Andreas Christensen will be ousted. The initial plan was to bring in his Chelsea teammate Ben Chilwell. However, his injury serves as a reminder to wait until the midweek European fixtures are completed before making transfers. So I'm pivoting to Marcos Alonso.
- Brandon Wampler: I am going to try and hold myself accountable with a single transfer.
Who will FPL managers be transferring IN next week?
- Euan Leith: Anyone guaranteed to play 90 minutes. All the top clubs have European football before Gameweek 13, then play three EPL games in eight days. The days of rotation are coming, so it's good to get a head start.
- Jamie Steed: Maxwell Cornet. Listed as a midfielder but plays as a forward and has scored four of Burnley's nine goals in their last four games.
- Brandon Wampler: Salah, James, and Alonso, if they don't have them already.
Who will FPL managers be transferring OUT next week?
- Euan Leith: Jamie Vardy managers (including myself) have convinced themselves to hold for one more week. However, another blank against Watford will have teams scurrying for other options.
- Jamie Steed: Danny Ings. His first start in three games lasted barely an hour. He has one goal in the last 10 match weeks and may fall out of favor with the new manager.
- Brandon Wampler: It would make sense to transfer out City players in favor of Liverpool.
Who's scoring the most points?
- Euan Leith: I'm sticking with my differential Captain pick and saying Aubameyang. He's got six goals and three assists in his last eight games against Newcastle.
- Jamie Steed: Sadio Mane. Outscored teammate Mo Salah last weekend with a goal/assist/clean sheet combo. He gets to face his former team, which he scored against in this fixture last season. Another trifecta could be in play.
- Brandon Wampler: Salah, Son or Bukayo Saka will score the most points.
What's your bold prediction for this week?
- Euan Leith: Ivan Toney is the talk of the town with two goals against an effortless Everton.
- Jamie Steed: This weekend has the feel of being a low-scoring match week, and I reckon eight goalkeepers will end up keeping clean sheets, making it a defensive bonanza.
- Brandon Wampler: Brentford will beat Everton, and Watford will beat Leicester.
Is there a question you would like to have answered every week? Hit us up on Twitter @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
