FPL 2023-24: Best Fantasy Team for Gameweek 17 | FPL Tips
The festive season in FPL is in full gear as we enter the fourth of seven GWs in December, and this should be a high-scoring one, with favorable fixtures for most top FPL assets and teams.
GW 16 was a decent one, but managers were in for a big shock as Erling Haaland was out of Manchester City's squad for their away clash with Luton Town. But the majority of FPL managers who captained Haaland had Salah as their vice-captains and celebrated after the Egyptian registered a double-digit haul.
Son Heung-Min was the real hero of the Gameweek, though, as he registered a 17-point haul in the final match of GW 16.
I had a sizeable rank rise to my FPL team, and it could've been more had I not taken the punt on captaining Alexander Isak. But to be fair, the Newcastle striker did have a good chance of hauling, and was denied a clear-cut goal by a tremendous Ben Davies intervention.
News of Haaland's injury has sparked FPL managers into an exodus of sales, with City also blanking in GW 18. The suspended Kieran Trippier and the injured Bryan Mbeumo are the other players who have been shipped out in droves.
Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro's steady stream of returns and promising upcoming fixtures have them on the list of most transferred-in players ahead of this FPL GW.
We have an early Friday night deadline this time around. Ensure you have your team locked in before it.
Gameweek 17 Deadline: Friday, December 15, at 06:30 pm (GMT)/00:00 am (Saturday) (IST).
FPL Gameweek 17 Fixtures
GW 17 opens with Spurs' away meeting with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Friday night. Manchester City take on Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium in one of four GMT 03:00 pm kick-offs.
Arsenal go up against Brighton at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon, as the GW concludes with Liverpool and Manchester United's marquee clash at Anfield later in the day.
FPL team suggested for previous GW
Here's the suggested team for the previous GW:
Goalkeepers: Andre Onana (MUN) (£4.8 m), Matt Turner (NFO) (£3.9 m)
Defenders: Kyle Walker (MCI) (£5.3 m), Tino Livramento (NEW) (£4.3 m), Pedro Porro (TOT) (£5.2 m), Konstantinos Tsimikas (LIV) (£4.6 m), Matty Cash (AVL) (£4.7 m)
Midfielders: Raheem Sterling (CHE) (£7.0 m), Hwang Hee-Chan (WOL) (£5.7 m), Bukayo Saka (ARS) (£8.8 m), Son Heung-Min (TOT) (£9.4 m), Mohamed Salah (LIV) (£12.8m)
Forwards: Alexander Isak (NEW) (£7.5 m), Dominic Solanke (BOU) (£6.5 m), Cameron Archer (SHU) (£4.5 m)
Captain/Vice-Captain: Alexander Isak/Mohamed Salah
GW 16 Transfers made: 2
Points Scored (- hits): 56 (-0): 52
Overall Points: 888
Overall Rank: 1,866,157.
Free Transfers available: 1
Transfers
1) Hwang Hee-Chan (MID) (WOL) (£5.7 m) - OUT | Cole Palmer (MID) (CHE) (£5.5 m) - IN
While I did consider some other differential FPL picks as a transfer to replace Hwang in midfield, I decided to play it relatively safe and go with Cole Palmer, courtesy of Chelsea's stellar upcoming fixture run, despite the impending return of Christopher Nkunku.
The punt on Hwang was short-lived, but it had to be because Wolves have a tricky run of upcoming fixtures. I was pleased he gave me a goal and two bonus points in the two GWs he was on the team for.
As for Palmer, his xGI numbers are among the best for midfielders, and he should remain on penalties for the foreseeable future.
Best FPL Team for Gameweek 17
Gameweek 17 Bench: Matt Turner (NFO) vs TOT (H), Tino Livramento (NEW) vs FUL (H), Cameron Archer (SHU) vs CHE (A), Matty Cash (AVL) vs BRE (A).
I was very happy to get a green arrow last week, despite the tiny qualm that it could've been more if I had Salah as the captain. Nevertheless, I'm pretty bullish about my chances in this GW, especially with Haaland unlikely to feature either.
Most of the players on the team have great fixtures, starting with the Spurs double-up of Son and Pedro Porro. Having a differential forward lineup of Dominic Solanke and Alexander Isak, who have home fixtures against Luton and Fulham, respectively, could pay off big time in this GW.
Doubling up on Chelsea given their current form is risky, but their fixture run is too good to not try to capitalize on. Cole Palmer is on penalties and has good xGI numbers while Sterling is usually a beast against promoted teams.
Liverpool have a favorable fixture at home to a struggling and injury-ridden Manchester United, and a Tsimikas haul wouldn't be out of the question. Kyle Walker and Bukayo Saka are two popular FPL assets who could also pick up some useful points in their outings this week.
Gameweek 17 - FPL Captaincy
I have lost a fair amount of FPL points in the last few GWs after going against the established captaincy choice of Mo Salah. I was unlucky in those situations, with both Isak and Solanke having good xGI numbers despite blanking in those GWs.
However, despite plenty of other tempting alternatives, Salah feels like a no-brainer at home to a struggling Manchester United side. An in-form Son playing for a resurgent Spurs against Nottingham Forest and a differential choice of Raheem Sterling, who loves playing against promoted teams are tempting, but I'm likely to stick with the Egyptian.
Best FPL XI for Gameweek 17 - Summary
Starting XI
GK: Andre Onana (MUN) vs LIV (A)
DEF: Kyle Walker (MCI) vs CRY (H), Konstantinos Tsimikas (LIV) vs MUN (H), Pedro Porro (TOT) vs NFO (A)
MID: Raheem Sterling (CHE) vs SHU (H), Cole Palmer (CHE) vs SHU (H), Son Heung-Min (TOT) vs NFO (A), Bukayo Saka (ARS) vs BHA (H), Mohamed Salah (LIV) vs MUN (H)
FWD: Alexander Isak (NEW) vs FUL (H), Dominic Solanke (BOU) vs LUT (H)
Formation: 3-5-2
Bench: GK - Matt Turner (NFO) vs TOT (H), 1st Sub: Tino Livramento (NEW) vs FUL (H), 2nd Sub: Cameron Archer (SHU) vs CHE (A), 3rd Sub: Matty Cash (AVL) vs BRE (A).
Chips activated: None
Captain: Mohamed Salah | VC: Son Heung-Min.