The restart has been a kind one to fantasy football players, with a number of popular options returning plenty of points.
Our last column also saw players find the net, with Miguel Almiron, Harry Kane, Anthony Martial and Eddie Nketiah getting goals in GW17.
The quick turnaround nature of the Christmas period means that players have less than 48 hours between one gameweek ending and the next beginning, and Thursday is the ideal opportunity to make necessary changes.
Want to play Fantasy Football?
- Create an account here
- Go to https://fantasyfootball.skysports.com/
When is the FPL Gameweek 18 deadline?
The FPL Gameweek 18 deadline is Friday December 30 at 18:15 GMT, with the first game kicking off at 19:45 GMT.
How do the FPL chips work?
- Bench Boost: This counts the points of those on your bench alongside your starting XI - this can only be used once a season
- Triple Captain: The captain earns 3x the amount of points for that gameweek - this can only be used once a season
- Free Hit: This allows unlimited changes for one gameweek only. A team reverts back to how it was before once this has been played - this can only be used once a season
Who has the best fixtures in Gameweek 18?
LIVERPOOL will be expecting victory in their home contest against a Leicester side well beaten by Newcastle on Boxing Day.
All eyes will be on the Reds' January transfer window but Jürgen Klopp demonstrated that they can still get something out of the players available to him with that victory over Aston Villa.
CHELSEA need points to push back towards the top-four and they were fairly untroubled in their win over Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
Nottingham Forest saw defeat to Manchester United, and Graham Potter's side know that anything less than three points here will be viewed as a poor result.
FULHAM host Southampton - two sides with contrasting results last time out - and many will be backing a home win there.
A number of fantasy players took out Aleksandar Mitrović following Marco Silva revealing that he's a doubt - the striker went on to return a season-high 15 points against Palace.
Only Arsenal and Manchester City have a better home record than NEWCASTLE this season, and that should put them in a great position facing a Leeds side who have collected the second-fewest number of points on the road.
Who are the best players to bring in for Gameweek 18?
The World Cup break gave us the opportunity to make unlimited changes to our squads, and many people would have used that period to bring in a number of players.
Future fixtures would have been in mind when doing this, with the medium to long term gains a potentially significant factor in mini-leagues being won and lost.
Sitting on those changes can be an issue though, and the availability of a free transfer every week means we can target fixtures to maximise points returns.
With Gameweek 18 in focus, who are the players to consider?
Aleksandar Mitrović
- Position: FWD
- Club: Fulham
- Opponent: Southampton (H)
- FPL Price: £6.9m
As mentioned above, a lot of us, myself included, looked away from Mitrović after it was revealed he was a doubt in the pre-match press conference.
He went onto to secure a goal, assist and 15 points in their win over Palace, and there's every chance he continues that form against a poor Southampton side.
The Saints have lost six of their eight on the road, and they'd struggled to create before James Ward-Prowse struck on the rebound from his saved penalty against Brighton.
Fulham have been averaging 1.85 xG per home game this season, with Mitrović's ten league goals coming from 63 shots and 9.87 xG.
Anthony Martial
- Position: FWD
- Club: Manchester United
- Opponent: Wolves (A)
- FPL Price: £6.7m
Martial rewarded Erik ten Hag with a goal after being given the starting centre forward role against Nottingham Forest - and he could continue his good form away at Wolves.
While Julen Lopetegui saw his side begin their Premier League era under him with a win away at Everton, they did concede chances, and similar here will see United convert.
Wolves saw their opposition post 1.44 xG for their goal, with United having 2.23 xG for three goals in that win over Forest last time out.
Martial had two shots adding up to 0.39 xG for his goal, with 0.75 xG when starting against Fulham in their final game before the break.
Andrew Robertson
- Position: DEF
- Club: Liverpool
- Opponent: Leicester (H)
- FPL Price: £6.8m
Monday's win over Aston Villa was a milestone one for Andy Robertson, who claimed the title of having the most assists of any defender in Premier League history.
While there has been a World Cup break, his 'recent' form has gone under the radar somewhat on fantasy football.
The Liverpool left-back has posted at least seven points in three of his last four games - that's despite the Reds failing to keep a clean sheet in any.
The four assists on his tally have played a big part in his points return, and he has every chance of continuing the run against this Leicester side.
Mason Mount
- Position: MID
- Club: Chelsea
- Opponent: Nottingham Forest (A)
- FPL Price: £7.5m
Those who kept faith in Mason Mount were rewarded with a goal as Chelsea beat Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night - he's in 7.1% of teams at the time of writing.
He has 63 points on his tally, but the underlying numbers highlight how this could have been more. Mount averages 1.4 key passes per Premier League game, with 1.6 shots.
A trip to Nottingham Forest presents another good chance for attacking returns - a side conceding an average of 1.89 xGA per outing.
Chelsea know the importance of victory here, and Mount has every chance of following up Tuesday's showing with another good performance.
Who should I captain in Gameweek 18?
Manchester City hosting Everton means that a lot of the attention will be on Pep Guardiola's men when it comes to captaincy.
Unsurprisingly, ERLING HAALAND will be the most popular, with his goalscoring exploits throughout the season soaring him to the top of the charts.
Another name to consider will be KEVIN DE BRUYNE, with attacking returns expected as has been the case throughout the season.
Frank Lampard's side are in trouble, and their weak defence should be no match for the strength of this City attack.
Liverpool are another to consider, and some may put faith back into MOHAMED SALAH after he scored against Villa last time out.
Leicester have conceded 28 goals from 25.3 xGA this season - an average of 1.58 xGA per contest.
Alternatives include KAI HAVERTZ following his performance in midweek, with a goal coming after being started as a centre forward.
Others may look to MARCUS RASHFORD, who is enjoying a great season for Manchester United.
FPL: Gameweek 18 captain choices
Safer options:
- Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah
Alternative options:
- Marcus Rashford, Kai Havertz, Anthony Martial