The fixtures keep on coming in the closing chapter of West Ham United's thus-far remarkable 2021/22 season!
Little less than 67 hours after Thursday night’s UEFA Europa League home game against Eintracht Frankfurt, attentions will return to top-flight duties when we host Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
And with just four Gameweeks of Fantasy Premier League remaining, every single FPL point could make a huge difference! Here's all the information you require…
(A reminder that the transfer deadline this week, Gameweek 35, falls at 11am BST on Saturday 30 April!)
Bowen providing bang for your buck
With 171 points thus far, Jarrod Bowen will better West Ham United’s best-ever FPL points haul from an individual player – Dimitri Payet’s equivalent 171 in 2015/16 – if he features against the Gunners.
And the No20 remains the ultimate 'differential' in the game mode this season, selected by just 12.1 per cent of players, but at £6.9m remains top of the tree among Midfielders for Value, returning an FPL-high of 24.1 points per million spent.
What's more, Bowen has been involved in 46 per cent of West Ham’s home goals when selected this season, scoring seven and supplying six - so you wouldn't bet against him adding to his totals against Arsenal.
Know your schedules!
A reminder that, if ever there were a time to use your chips, it’s now!
Each Fantasy manager possesses four types of chips, but it’s the Wildcard (allowing unlimited transfers) and Free Hit, which allows you to make unlimited transfers for a single Gameweek, which we’re interested in.
As Premier League sides bid to complete their full 38 fixtures, one off-double Gameweeks will occur for a good number of teams in the final few weeks of the season, meaning the potential to activate your chips and score high is big.
The vast majority of this is centred in Gameweek 36 - next week. Make a note of the transfer deadline of 1.30pm on Saturday 7 May, because no fewer than ten clubs will be playing twice.
The following week, Gameweek 37, there will also be double Gameweeks for the likes of Aston Villa, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Everton and Leicester City – with no double matches scheduled for Gameweek 38, of course.
If you haven’t yet used your two Wildcard and two Free Hit chips, now is the time – it’s a prime opportunity to scoop up plenty of potentially season-defining points!
Opposition report – Arsenal
It will surprise few to learn that Bukayo Saka (£6.8m) – the fourth-most owned player in the game (with 30.3 per cent of managers selecting him) – has been the beating heart of the Gunners’ offensive efforts this season.
The 20-year-old, classified in-game as a midfielder, has tended to pick up a steady stream of points throughout the season, rather than accumulate them in bursts as with many other players, but has totalled 164 thus far.
Indeed, prior to recent Gameweek 33 away games at Southampton and Chelsea, Saka’s totals of 13 shots, nine shots in the box and 12 chances created were all more than any team-mate in the prior four rounds, suggesting that the England international remains their go-to attacking outlet.
Saka’s highest return in an individual match this season was 16 points against Norwich City in December – two goals and a clean sheet that day dominating the Canaries – and after picking up 13 against Manchester United last time out, the England midfielder remains far ahead of Arsenal’s next glut of points-scorers: goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale (£5.1m, 125 points), defender Gabriel (£5.4m, 123) and midfielder Emile Smith-Rowe (£5.7m, 122).
We’re nearing a winner…
In case you hadn’t heard, we’ve been inviting Claret and Blue supporters who enjoy a spot of casual FPL to take part in our own mini-league, where the top-scoring players each month could are in with a chance of winning West Ham-themed rewards.
There’s also a grand prize in store at the end of the season for the overall winner… and it’s getting tight up at the top of the table!
If you’d like to throw your hat into the ring for either the April or May prize (I suspect, if you haven’t yet entered, your chances of the overall prize might have gone at this stage!), all you’ll need is our league code: nlz9u2 - or you just need to click this link here.
