Fantasy Football tips and advice: Transfers and captains for Gameweek 32
Tom Carnduff's Gameweek 31 suggestions combined for 25 points on Sky and 19 points on FPL. He's back with his thoughts for Gameweek 32.
Ah, the excitement of a double gameweek. Whether it's excitement or nerves probably depends on your position in mini-leagues, but it's a huge opportunity for points with games taking place across seven different days.
Keeping faith in Kelechi Iheanacho paid off with two goals in our Gameweek 31 tips, while Conor Coady's clean sheet was the perfect way to start the weekend.
The never-ending cycle of football takes us to Gameweek 32, which begins with Everton hosting Tottenham on Friday night. The top line to remember for this week is that Spurs play twice, with a contest against Southampton occupying Wednesday's earlier kick-off slot.
That will influence both transfers and captaincy choices this week, and a large part of the focus will be on Jose Mourinho's men with the potential for points in their attack. Elsewhere though, the battle for Europe continues to heat up and West Ham's value is still too low despite their lofty position in the table.
For Gameweek 32, we have three transfer suggestions, although a maximum of two are recommended based on free transfers. However, taking a -4 to bring in a Spurs player may not be the worst decision considering the games for them. We also have captaincy choices - split into safer and riskier selections.
Should I transfer in Lucas Moura?
- Position: Midfielder
- Sky cost: 8.9
- FPL cost: 6.6
The importance of having a Spurs player in your team can not be stressed enough for Gameweek 32. Harry Kane and Son Heung-min are the obvious go-to candidates, and while they are both good options to have, one player who continues to be overlooked despite recent good performances is Lucas Moura.
His selection rate on FPL is a low 2.3% while that jumps down to 1.31% on Sky. Moura is a differential option at this stage of this season but one that is performing and producing points that not many fantasy football players will have.
Tottenham do have their own problems and we can't expect them to cruise through Gameweek 32, but they have two games against opponents that they should beat. Everton are running short on numbers due to injury while Southampton are in free fall, and the weekend's FA Cup semi-final clash with Leicester is their only hope of any joy this season.
You're getting two games for the price of one with Tottenham this week, but they are also two games which should bring points. Southampton have conceded 12 goals in their last four Premier League outings - a worrying stat considering three of those games were against teams lower than them in the table.
Everton sit below Tottenham in the form charts as their season unwinds to a disappointing conclusion. They've failed to win in any of their last five in all competitions and the odds have them as outsiders here. Spurs score regularly and it would be a missed opportunity not to maximise their attacking options on fantasy football this week.
Moura has three assists in his last four Premier League games. For Sky players, he's hit tackles tier bonus points in two of his last five outings. His shots output could increase and that's one area we can point out but his actions elsewhere have led to a regular stream of points over the weeks.
Should I transfer in Pablo Fornals?
- Position: Midfielder
- Sky cost: 7.8
- FPL cost: 5.8
West Ham have already been flagged up as a team with a good fixture list to end the season. Jesse Lingard was a Gameweek 30 suggestion, and he's definitely worth having given form, but another player who may go under the radar between now and the final day is Pablo Fornals.
Fornals scored in the recent victory over Wolves having returned to the side following a two-game absence. West Ham's results should mean that this side remains largely unchanged where possible and Fornals has been enjoying maximum minutes - three of his last four have seen him play the full 90.
He has a bigger impact operating out wide of a front three or attacking midfield, that is where he has seen the most success, and a continuous run in the starting XI should bring points. We shouldn't let his points so far influence the decision to include him for the remainder of the season.
Lingard's form will put increased focus on him from opposition defences and Michail Antonio's absence means goals will have to come from elsewhere. That injury has also seen Jarrod Bowen playing further forward, but we'll come to him shortly.
An incredibly low 0.5% of FPL players have Fornals, while his figure drops to 0.2% on Sky. We talk a lot about finding points that others won't have at this point of the campaign and gambling on Fornals may well pay off - particularly when we consider West Ham's fixtures after this week.
Four of the Hammers' last seven games are against teams with a score of 2 on FPL's Fixture Difficulty Rating. They still have to play Newcastle, West Brom, Burnley and Southampton while Everton's form really throws into question their 4 rating on this index - West Ham could easily win there too.
Should I transfer in Jarrod Bowen?
- Position: Midfielder
- Sky cost: 7.9
- FPL cost: 5.9
I have little issue with maxing out on West Ham players at this stage of the season - that is a phrase I never expected to be saying before Gameweek 1 got underway.
David Moyes' men are flying. They are in a great position for European qualification next season, with the main hope being Champions League, while their remaining fixtures are ideal. The division's sixth-highest scorers present some real value options in attack.
Jarrod Bowen's selection rate is an indicator of how he is being judged upon the season as a whole as opposed to recent showings. He's in 2.1% of FPL teams and a lower 1.48% on Sky. Given the fact he's scored in each of his last three outings, we would have expected that to be higher.
A recent switch of position is key to that. Michail Antonio's injury could potentially rule him out for the remainder of the season, if reports are to be believed, and that has seen Bowen occupy his role as the centre forward. Sebastian Haller's departure for Ajax, after a rather forgettable spell at the Hammers, has left Moyes limited in this area.
They do have a player in Bowen though who has played the central role before. He has previously been prolific in front of goal and that is starting to show in the Premier League. He has eight this season but netted 38 in his final season-and-a-half in the Sky Bet Championship.
Bowen grabbed a goal and assist in the win over Leicester. His two starts up front have brought four shots, while there were two when he played as a forward in the recent defeat to Manchester United.
Like Antonio, Bowen gives you a midfielder on both fantasy games who is actually now playing as a striker and the likelihood is that he will remain there for the final few games. Given the teams they are up against, Bowen can reward players who take the risk on him with plenty of points.
Who should I captain in Gameweek 32?
While it's often wise to try and find an alternative captain choice for most gameweeks, particularly at this late stage of the season, it's difficult to argue against looking at anywhere but Spurs.
A double gameweek for Tottenham means we get two games instead of one and the potential for double the amount of points there. Against Everton and Southampton, the obvious choice would be to go for Harry Kane as it would be a huge surprise to see him blank again this time around.
I'm not going to sit here and tell you what you don't already know with Kane. He's got 19 goals and 13 assists in 29 Premier League appearances and posted a goal and an incredible four assists when Spurs last faced Southampton at the beginning of the season.
Spurs also scored four in their Carabao Cup trip to Everton, where Kane grabbed one off the bench. They somehow still lost that remarkable game and we shouldn't expect as many chances when the two meet in the league. However, the Toffees' injury issues should present Kane with opportunities to strike.
Alternative Tottenham options are Son Heung-min, who scored in defeat to Manchester United last time out to take his total goals+assists tally to 23 in the league this season, while Lucas Moura's low selection rate means a good haul for him will provide double the impact as a captain.
If Spurs' own issues are too much of a cause for concern then Jarrod Bowen is a good alternative option as West Ham go to struggling Newcastle.
A brave decision would be to go with Conor Coady as Wolves welcome Sheffield United. There is clean sheet potential here but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Coady among the home scorers - the Blades sit second for goals conceded from set-pieces this season.
Fantasy Premier League tips: Gameweek 32 captain picks
Safer options
- Harry Kane; Son Heung-min; Lucas Moura
Alternative options
- Jarrod Bowen; Pablo Fornals; Conor Coady
Sky Fantasy Football tips: Gameweek 32 captain picks
Friday options
- Harry Kane; Son Heung-min; Lucas Moura
Saturday options
- Jesse Lingard; Jarrod Bowen; Pablo Fornals; Conor Coady
Sunday options
- Bruno Fernandes; Edinson Cavani; Rob Holding
Monday options
- Mohamed Salah; Diogo Jota; Patrick Bamford
Tuesday options
- Mason Mount; Kai Havertz; Cesar Azpilicueta
Wednesday options
- Harry Kane; Son Heung-min; Lucas Moura
Thursday options
- Kelechi Iheanacho; Matheus Pereira; Mbaye Diagne
Listen: Fantasy Football podcast
Tom Carnduff, Billy Lumsden and Aidan Smith sit down to discuss all things Sky Sports Fantasy Football ahead of Gameweek 32.
In a week stretching across seven separate game days, the trio look at where points can be won at this crucial point of the season.
Tottenham play twice, will their players deliver or does an upcoming Cup final suggest that some big hitters will be rested?
The Transfer Tavern is back open for business and the team discuss defensive options, alongside West Ham assets to target as they continue their great form.
All that and more discussed.