The World Cup is over, but the Premier League returns just a week after Lionel Messi and Argentina lifted the trophy in Qatar.
We'll spend a bit of time adjusting to the usual version of fantasy football, with our focus on the international edition for the past few weeks.
Which teams are doing well in the Premier League table? Who actually plays for who? We'll take a few days to remind ourselves - while also enjoying some midweek Carabao Cup football to welcome back the domestic action.
One major thing to note is that FPL has introduced a 'Second Chance' league - which only takes into account points scored from Gameweek 17 onwards.
That's great news if the first part of the season hasn't been what you would have hoped for - presenting the chance to do well in an overall league without having to worry about playing catch-up.
A reminder that the unlimited transfers rule also remains in place until kick-off of Gameweek 17 - even with the World Cup period now over.
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When is the FPL Gameweek 17 deadline?
The FPL Gameweek 17 deadline is Monday December 26 at 11:00 GMT, with the first game kicking off at 12:30 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 when the Premier League returns?
It's good news for Nottingham Forest, who return to action with a nice fixture list through the Christmas period and January.
The issue is that there remain few options of interest from the relegation candidates, although Dean Henderson is a solid cheaper option who delivers as a goalkeeper.
While Aston Villa have tricky GW17 and GW18 fixtures, fantasy football players may be rewarded for targeting their players given the managerial change before the World Cup.
Unai Emery is in, and they secured wins over Brighton and Manchester United prior to the pause. We'd back them for a top-half finish given the calibre of head coach now at the helm.
After the Liverpool and Spurs games, Villa take on Wolves, Southampton and Leeds (in that order) so there is plenty of chance for points throughout January.
Keep focus on Manchester United too, who are starting to get things together under Erik ten Hag.
They return from the World Cup break with fixtures against Forest, Wolves and Bournemouth - three where you'd expect them to return at least seven points from a possible nine.
Another team enjoying a good season is Brighton, and their festive period sees them come up against Southampton, Arsenal and Everton.
Roberto De Zerbi's men will be targeting a top-six finish, and even with tricky games in April, they have every chance of doing so given the nice mix of their fixture list.
Who are the best players to bring in for the restart?
Taking into account the fixture list is an important factor when it comes to transfers.
Even more so during this period of free transfers (which runs right up to Gameweek 17 starting), but it's a welcome week or so as we can fully change areas of our team that haven't been working.
Injury news and good/bad form from the World Cup will also play a part - one of the most notable being Gabriel Jesus who remains in over half of all FPL teams.
He's set to be sidelined for a while, meaning we should see more varied line-ups in the forwards department.
Focusing on Gameweek 17 and beyond, who are the players to target during this free transfers period?
Miguel Almiron
- Position: MID
- Club: Newcastle
- FPL Price: £5.8m
This seems like an obvious one, so I was surprised when I saw that Miguel Almiron's ownership percentage was 35.8%.
He enjoyed a brilliant first part of the season, even more so when we consider his final five games. They returned a huge total of 46 points with four goals and two assists.
Maybe that was a good run of form that could be stopped by the World Cup break, but at a bargain £5.8m it's well worth backing it to continue at a low risk.
His eight goals have come from 4.64 xG, meaning he's averaging 0.33 xG per game - that's a positive enough figure that allows us to keep that confidence in the Newcastle man performing.
Crysencio Summerville
- Position: MID
- Club: Leeds
- FPL Price: £4.4m
More on an option to carry throughout the remainder of the season, but Crysencio Summerville has proven that he can deliver for Leeds in the weeks prior to the World Cup break.
He scored four goals in the final four games, returning a total of 33 points for the small percentage of players who own him.
If fit, there is every chance he remains a starter in Jesse Marsch's side, with Jack Harrison's struggling form a contrast to the goalscoring displays of the young winger.
Summerville is only in 1.4% of teams - a lot of people are overlooking him despite the previous four gameweeks.
Ben White
- Position: DEF
- Club: Arsenal
- FPL Price: £4.7m
Arsenal are five points clear at the top of the Premier League table - and trebling up on Gunners assets looks a good move for the remainder of the season.
William Saliba and Gabriel are popular options in the Arsenal defence, but Ben White is a solid pick and one that will return points at a lower price.
He's seen six fewer points than Gabriel across the opening part of the season yet he's a significant £0.5m cheaper - that's a considerable amount that can be used elsewhere.
White should continue at right-back for Arsenal in a campaign that could well deliver them the title.
David Raya
- Position: GK
- Club: Brentford
- FPL Price: £4.6m
David Raya is the fourth-highest scoring goalkeeper so far, yet he is the ninth-highest selected on the game.
Even when conceding, Raya is seeing points collected for saves, which is positive considering they have the sixth-worst defence according to the xG data.
That means that Raya will continue to see chances against him, and with clean sheets a hard thing to secure, going for an active goalkeeper is a strong way to go.
After all, his 64 saves across his 15 appearances is the highest of any goalkeeper in the Premier League.
Kevin De Bruyne
- Position: MID
- Club: Manchester City
- FPL Price: £12.6m
Kevin De Bruyne commands a huge price tag, but even then, we'd expect him to be in more than 37.6% of teams considering his impact in this Manchester City team.
Only Almiron (93) has more points among midfielders than De Bruyne, with the City man the fifth-highest scorer on the game up until this point.
Having Erling Haaland in the team is a big positive, giving De Bruyne a prolific striker to convert the opportunities that he is creating.
He has nine assists across his 14 appearances so far (6.81 xA), with three goals from 2.31 xG alongside it.
Harry Kane
- Position: FWD
- Club: Tottenham
- FPL Price: £11.6m
Another big-priced player but one that continues to be overlooked despite his strong performance this season.
Harry Kane netted 12 goals and contributed a further three assists for 102 points across his 15 games and the underlying numbers show that this should be sustainable.
Kane's 12 efforts came from 55 shots and 10.56 xG, with his 3.17 open play xA also giving hope to more assists across the second part of the season.
He's now in 27.3% of teams, much higher than when club football was on, but he's worth a 'big hitter' slot in teams.
Anthony Martial
- Position: FWD
- Club: Manchester United
- FPL Price: £6.7m
Marcus Rashford has delivered with 62 points across the first part of the season, but a teammate could now be worth a gamble at the same price.
Anthony Martial's season has been hit with injuries, but he's demonstrated he can perform when involved - the striker scored twice from the bench against Manchester City.
Cristiano Ronaldo's high-profile departure from the club opens up the role for Martial to take if he can remain fit, and we can be confident he can score goals.
He's also a solid differential pick at this stage, with just 2.1% of teams having him.
Leandro Trossard
- Position: MID
- Club: Brighton
- FPL Price: £7.1m
Brighton have enjoyed a great season - even more so when we consider that Graham Potter left for Chelsea and they were forced to find a replacement.
De Zerbi has kept both results and positive performances going though and carrying a Brighton asset for the remainder of the season seems a good move as they battle for the European places.
Leandro Trossard has been a player who has been performing, with 80 points gained from the first part of the season.
It's worth noting that 48 of those points have come under De Zerbi, and they have a decent fixture list at the restart.
Eddie Nketiah
- Position: FWD
- Club: Arsenal
- FPL Price: £6.5m
A name to consider after Jesus' injury, Eddie Nketiah could now see regular minutes while Arsenal search for a replacement.
He featured in the latter part of the 21/22 season, scoring five goals across their final eight games as he found a spot in the starting XI.
That recent record proves that he can find the net, and he could be a bargain option that both delivers and frees up budget to use elsewhere.
Who should I captain in Gameweek 17?
I'm writing this pre-Carabao Cup, which should give us a bit of a better idea on who is fit and ready to go for the Premier League season.
Those involved in the latter stages of the World Cup - especially Argentina - will need some recovery time and they could well be missing for the first set of festive fixtures.
Others should be involved from the off, and the lack of ERLING HAALAND at the winter tournament makes him an even more appealing captaincy option this time around.
City go to Leeds and should see opportunities to score - ones that we can trust Haaland to convert.
There's also KEVIN DE BRUYNE, who is averaging 6.43 points per appearance this season.
Chelsea's home contest against Bournemouth should lead to victory, even with their poor pre-World Cup form under Graham Potter.
MASON MOUNT could be a solid differential pick - despite his limited involvement for England - as is RAHEEM STERLING.
It may also pay off to target Manchester United assets, with MARCUS RASHFORD and ANTHONY MARTIAL names to keep in mind.
FPL: Gameweek 17 captain choices
Safer options:
- Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford
Alternative options:
- Anthony Martial, Mohamed Salah, Mason Mount
