Fantasy Premier League: Staff Roundtable - Gameweek 17

Welcome to Gameweek 17, Rotoballers! This season, we are expanding our soccer coverage to include the great game of Fantasy Premier League. So, if you are a seasoned veteran, or a rookie navigating your first campaign, 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.

The action kicks off at 2:45 pm Eastern on Tuesday, Dec. 14, between Norwich and Aston Villa. Therefore, our lineups will lock at 1:15 pm Eastern, and then we strap ourselves in for 10 games of FPL magic across three days. The midweek highlights include Man City welcoming Leeds, a London derby between Arsenal and West Ham, and Liverpool with an inviting clash versus Newcastle.

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 17

The Staff Roundtable is an attempt to get you inside the mind of our FPL staff. Our top soccer writers - Euan Leith, Jamie Steed, Phil Goyette, and Brandon Wampler - will answer questions each Gameweek to give you an idea of how they view the games. So without further ado, let's kick off Gameweek 17!

How did Gameweek 16 go?

• Euan Leith: Conor Gallagher saved me with a 15-point masterpiece. However, I also suffered heartbreak when Phil Foden came on for my other Man City midfielder, Ilkay Gundogan, in the 55th minute. 
• Jamie Steed: Not great. Just 46 points, not helped by Raul Jimenez being subbed in from my bench to contribute minus two points.
• Phil Goyette: 
• Brandon Wampler: Not too shabby, by far one of my best weeks. Gallagher and Salah carried, with secondary efforts from Cancelo and company.
  

Who is your favorite differential pick at Captain?

• Euan Leith: Any City midfielder. Any matchup with Leeds is one to always target in FPL.
• Jamie Steed: There's so much uncertainty with squad rotation at this time of year and Covid outbreaks popping up. I'd be more inclined than ever to play it safe and would even consider going with a goalkeeper for one of the top teams. Allison, Ederson, and Mendy all have decent home matches this week.
• Phil Goyette: 
• Brandon Wampler: Barring no postponements, I am targeting Fernandes.

Which goalkeeper is keeping a clean sheet?

• Euan Leith: Robert Sanchez will reward his FPL managers with a clean sheet against Wolves. They've scored one goal in their previous five games. 
• Jamie Steed: I mentioned the top three in the previous question. David de Gea is a good option if the Manchester United game goes ahead. And I also like Vicente Guaita at home to Southampton.
• Phil Goyette:
• Brandon Wampler: Alisson should be a guarantee to keep a clean sheet

Who is your must-have defender right now?

• Euan Leith: It's still Trent Alexander-Arnold for me. He's averaging 9.3 points per game over his last six contests. 
• Jamie Steed: Anyone from Liverpool but Wolves'' Rayan Ait Nouri has been in good form, plays as an attacking wing-back, and the penalty Wolves conceded against Manchester City at the weekend ended a run of four straight clean sheets. Just monitor if the Wolves at Brighton game goes ahead this Wednesday.
• Phil Goyette: 
• Brandon Wampler: With Cancelo out for a match, if Telles continues to stay in the XI, I am all over him.

Which highly-rostered player will blank?

• Euan Leith: Any Manchester United player. With the game hanging in the balance, I'm not sure I can risk them. 
• Jamie Steed: Tino Livramento is the sixth most rostered defender but has scored just five points in his last five games as Southampton's struggles continue. Crystal Palace should add to their woes on Wednesday, having scored in each of their last seven home games.
• Phil Goyette: 
• Brandon Wampler: Maddison could blank against the Spurs.

Who will FPL managers be transferring IN the next gameweek?

• Euan Leith: Managers will be scampering to add the West Ham assets back into their lineups with the upcoming fixtures.
• Jamie Steed: Ait Nouri will get a boost if Wolves'' game goes ahead and Leicester City's James Maddison should cross the 10% rostered mark this week, especially if he bags a fourth double-digit outing in his last five games. Keep an eye on Maddison's teammate Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who is making a name for himself too.
• Phil Goyette:
• Brandon Wampler: Mahrez and Lukaku -- both great matchups

Who will FPL managers be transferring OUT next gameweek?

• Euan Leith: Callum Wilson will be on the chopping block with Patrick Bamford and Ivan Toney back in action. Plus, Newcastle's schedule is brutal. 
• Jamie Steed: Jamie Vardy could be set for the chop by many managers, after not starting against Aston Villa and then being an unused sub against Newcastle United.
• Phil Goyette:
• Brandon Wampler: Any Leicester players still in the squad.

What's your bold prediction for this week?

• Euan Leith: A surprising amount of managers will triple Captain Salah but suffer a slight disappointment at his return.
• Jamie Steed: We get a full slate of games. That might be a bit too optimistic, so I'll' go with Harry Kane scoring his second EPL goal of the season. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets his third against a Leicester City defense I still have no confidence in.
• Phil Goyette: 
• Brandon Wampler: Liverpool will beat Newcastle 5-0, and West Ham will beat Arsenal 2-1 at Emirates.

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!