EPL DGW-37 FPL Player Picks

The home stretch has been quite fun. Two of the previous three gameweeks were doubles, helping many fantasy managers make last-gasp charges at their mini-league leaderboards by racking up triple-digit scores.

The doubles have also driven a bit of a trend toward similarity among actively-managed teams though, with fantasy gaffers choosing to add many of the same double-gamers to squads that, at this point in the season, already often overlapped with the “template” pretty closely. By definition, it is the differentials that will set you apart!

Round 37 brings us the season’s second-to-last gameweek, as well as the campaign’s final double, with Brighton, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United all playing twice. Double-gamers give you two bites of the cherry, so they will dominate my list of player picks this week.

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Fixtures:

Saturday 20 May

Spurs vs Brentford

Bournemouth vs Man Utd

Fulham vs Crystal Palace

Liverpool vs Aston Villa

Wolves vs Everton

Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal

Sunday 21 May

West Ham vs Leeds

Brighton vs Southampton

Man City vs Chelsea

Monday 22 May

Newcastle vs Leicester

Wednesday 24 May

Brighton vs Man City

Thursday 25 May

Man Utd vs Chelsea

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Goalkeeper

David De Gea (£5.1m, Bournemouth vs Man Utd; Man Utd vs Chelsea)

Despite an annoying tendency to make dumb errors, De Gea leads the league in clean sheets this season. The Spaniard has two solid fixtures this week, then finishes the season at home against Fulham, so you can buy him for the double and then keep him for the finale.

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Alisson (£5.4m, Liverpool vs Aston Villa)

Liverpool is on a nine-game unbeaten streak, and Alisson has kept three clean sheets in a row, bringing his total to just two shy of De Gea’s. An appointment with a Villa side that has stumbled lately, managing only two goals over its last four games, means another cleanie could be in store for ‘Pool’s Brazilian shot-stopper this week. Alisson and the Reds will then close the season with a visit to St. Mary’s Stadium, so like DDG he’s another you can keep for GW-38.

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Defenders

Kyle Walker (£4.7m, Man City vs Chelsea; Brighton vs Man City)

The juggernaut that is Manchester City has gone undefeated over its last 23 across all competitions, and if it can defeat Chelsea on Sunday Pep’s men will repeat as EPL champions. Walker has started six of City’s last seven league matches so my fingers are crossed that he makes the S-XI for both of these. I’m really hoping he does, because fantasy considerations aside, I’m really looking forward to watching him joust with Mitoma.

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Pervis Estupinan (£4.9m, Brighton vs Southampton; Brighton vs Man City)

Estupinan grabbed the headlines when he piled up an impressive 17 points as Brighton all but dashed Arsenal’s Premier League title aspirations. He nailed the coveted defender’s trifecta of goal, assist, and clean sheet, and he follows this week’s double with a visit to Villa to finish the season.

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Luke Shaw (£5.2m, Bournemouth vs Man Utd; Man Utd vs Chelsea)

The return of Raphael Varane lifts the appeal of Shaw, who can now return to his regular left-back role as he did last weekend. His attacking threat and clean sheet potential make him an excellent choice for the double. He even takes some set pieces now and then.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.7m, Liverpool vs Aston Villa)

Jurgen Klopp’s switch to an inverted fullback system has seen TAA thrive. Functioning as a central midfielder when the Reds are in possession, TAA has scored one goal, provided six assists, and kept three clean sheets in his last eight games. He has set pieces in his locker too, as he reminded us with this stunner against Leicester earlier in the week:

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Midfielders

Eberechi Eze (£5.6m, Fulham vs Crystal Palace)

Easy peasy, Eberechi Eze! Roy Hodgson’s return has immediately boosted the atmosphere at Selhurst Park and sparked Eberechi Eze to life. Although Wilfried Zaha may have now played his last game in a Palace shirt after picking up a hamstring injury against Bournemouth, there seems little cause for alarm in the Eagles camp. Eze has shown that he can fill Zaha’s boots, with six goals from seven matches. Plus, he hogs dead balls and could even be on pens now too.

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Kaoru Mitoma (£5.7m, Brighton vs Southampton; Brighton vs Man City)

Channeling his inner Pep, Roberto De Zerbi confounded FPL managers by benching Mitoma for one of Brighton’s two games GW-35. But after that breather, and with the Seagulls pushing for Europe, Mitoma has a strong chance of featuring in both of this week’s fixtures. And despite his fantasy blank against Arsenal, his battle with Ben White was satisfying to watch, and his duel with Kyle Walker will be too.

Alexis Mac Allister (£5.6) is another great shout. Brighton’s top scorer has 10 goals and takes direct free kicks and penalties, and I especially like owning PK-takers in double gameweeks.

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Ilkay Gundogan (£7.4m, Man City vs Chelsea; Brighton vs Man City)

Underrated and out of contract this summer, Ilkay Gundogan has been phenomenal for City during the run-in. With five goal contributions in his previous two league fixtures and a double this week, Gundogan is unsurprisingly the most-purchased player in FPL ahead of GW-37.

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Bruno Fernandes (£9.4m, Bournemouth vs Man Utd; Man Utd vs Chelsea)

With Marcus Rashford back in training but not yet certain to be ready in time for Bournemouth (be sure to check in to our Pre-Deadline Chat on Friday!) Bruno Fernandes becomes the best fantasy attacker in a Red Devils shirt. Fernandes has notched six goals and nine assists this season, marking his second-best season for returns. United’s midfield string-puller, he also takes free kicks and corners, so over two games he will see plenty of chances. He’s a mainstay of EtH’s starting lineup too, missing out on just one start throughout this whole campaign.

However, if Rashford fails to pass fit and Bruno’s price tag is too rich for your blood, then consider Antony (£7.3). He has started 10 of the last 11 and is over £2 cheaper than his Portuguese teammate.

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Mo Salah (£13.1m, Liverpool vs Aston Villa)

With a remarkable tally of 19 goals and 11 assists, Mo Salah stands as the top choice among the single gamers this week. Even though he only plays once in Round 37, this is the Egyptian Magician we’re talking about — he could easily outperform any of the double gamers. Indeed, he has returned double digits in four out of seven of his last matches. He is guaranteed to start and takes penalties too.

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Forward

Callum Wilson (£7.0m, Newcastle vs Leicester)

Isak or Wilson? There is no bad answer to this question, but right now it’s the English international who makes my list. At the time of writing, Wilson has scored 10 goals in his previous nine games and is in the form of his life.

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Harry Kane (£11.4m, Spurs vs Brentford)

No matter whether Spurs win, lose, or draw, Harry Kane always seems to find a way to put the ball into the net. If not for a certain Norwegian goal-machine’s mind-blowing 2022-23 season, Kane’s 27 goals and 8 assists would probably be the subject of a lot more conversation.

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Erling Haaland (£12.4m, Man City vs Chelsea; Brighton vs Man City)

By now, extolling the greatness of Haaland’s inaugural campaign as a Sky Blue has become a bit monotonous. Fifty-two goals in 48 appearances pretty much says it all. You’d be nuts to go without him in a double gameweek with City pushing for the title, and if you somehow still have that Triple Captain chip in your pocket, now is the time to spend it — on him.

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What’s your plan for GW-37? How’s your team looking? Any differential players you think will shine or flop? Who are you adding and removing? Who is your captain (Haaland again)? Please let us know in the comments section below!

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