The FPL Banger boys are back with their Fantasy Premier League tips for Gameweek 19, outlining their top picks and best captain selection.
Welcome to a new series for the 2024/25 season, provided by Siva & Sam, the twisted minds behind the FPL Banger Podcast.
There wasn’t much festive cheer in GW18 as Bruno Fernandes inexplicably managed to score 2 less points than an injured Bukayo Saka. Here’s to a better week.
FPL Banger Gameweek 19 Tips
BEST CAPTAIN
Mohamed Salah (£13.5m) – Fixture: West Ham (A)
Cole Palmer playing Ipswich is a tempting alternative, but I do not want to get fancy with the captaincy when Mohamad Salah is having an all-timer of the season.
As impressive as Chelsea and Palmer have been this season, the Blues looked a little tired against Fulham, losing 2-1 to a late Rodrigo Muniz goal.
Meanwhile Ipswich offered absolutely nothing going forward against Arsenal (just 3 shots and an xG of 0.15 would make Dominic Calvert-Lewin blush), but they did tighten things up at the back, playing 5 defenders and limiting Arsenal to 1 goal.
All of that is a long way of saying I’m captaining Salah every week until next season.
TOP PICKS
Matz Sels (£4.8m) & Ola Ania (£5.1m) – Fixture: Everton (A)
Speaking of all-time Premier League seasons, Nottingham Forest have already matched the points tally (34) they achieved last season – after only 18 games. Only leaders Liverpool (16) and Arsenal (16) have conceded fewer goals than Forest (19), and Forest have the joint most clean sheets in the league.
Sels and Aina are the top scoring goalkeeper and defender respectively in FPL and I feel like a complete moron that I haven’t owned either all season.
Their next 4 games are against Everton, Wolves, Southampton and Liverpool (who they have already beaten this season). Would you really be surprised if they record 4 more clean sheets?
And by the way, Ola isn’t his real name, it’s actually Temitayo Olufisayo Olaoluwa Aina. That’s a reason enough to transfer him in right now.
Anthony Gordon (£7.3m) a.k.a. the Saka replacement – Fixture: Manchester United (A)
All of the potential Saka replacements (except Gordon and Jarrod Bowen) basically failed in GW18. Gabriel Martinelli and Bryan Mbeumo blanked, Luis Diaz was benched and Martin Odegaard played like someone who has zero non-penalty goals this season.
But Bruno Fernandes managed to outperform them all, scoring minus 2 points after a completely deserved and completely needless red card.
No matter, Bruno is an excellent long-term hold and his 1 game suspension means that he will be back in time for… (checks notes) Liverpool (A). Alright he’s out then.
The reluctance from some FPL managers to transfer in Gordon seems to be largely down to not wanting to own double Newcastle attack. But their fixtures are as favourable as they get. Manchester United have lost 5 in 10 under Ruben Amorim (including a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth in their last home game).
After this week, Newcastle play Tottenham “we can’t defend, have no fit defenders and it’s who we are mate” Hotspur, Wolves and Southampton in their next 5. It almost feels too easy to not just go with Gordon.
Alexander Isak (£9.1m) – Fixture: Manchester United (A)
We usually avoid so-called “obvious picks” in these articles. But we are in GW19, and I’m still seeing some very popular FPL content creators saying that they can’t or won’t get Isak just yet, and that they can wait another week.
And I’m here to tell you that they are wrong. You cannot wait another week. Take a -4. Heck, take a -8 if you have too. Alexander Isak is in top form and Manchester United are a hot mess.
This is the easiest decision you’ll ever make.
Thanks for reading the article in this new series for SportsCasting. Be sure to follow @FPL_Banger for more FPL tips and hints including their weekly podcast and team reveals.
