Hello fellow managers, 

Gameweek 17 is upon us. Here’s what we have in store for you today:

• Defender transfers

• Midfielders - star players and differentials

• Chasing points…? Go with these options

If you’re struggling with transfer decisions with your FWD options, we’ve got you covered in our previous blog here.

Defenders and midfielders will be key for this gameweek, so let’s get right into it.

Defenders

If you want excitement from your FPL assets, Pedro Porro (£5.4m) might be the defender to consider this week. 

Let’s lay out some context…

Tottenham has struggled to find form since their squad was decimated vs Chelsea in gameweek 11. 

They’ve also won one of their previous six games and have conceded 14 goals in the same period.

Spurs’ gung-ho attacking style paired with their thin squad has left them in the bottom nine in the league for Expected Goals Conceded (xGC).

But… Porro still might be a good option. Here’s why:

Firstly, he’s in red-hot form.

As an ultra-attacking full-back, Porro benefits Tottenham’s open style of play - and it’s meant he has four assists in his last five games.

He’s also top four defenders for goal involvements this season, yet he only costs £5.4m.

When you compare this to Trippier at £7m or Alexander Arnold at £8.2m, he looks like a bargain.

Secondly, Spurs are about to enter a nice fixture run. The next five games are ideal for an attacking full-back to rack up returns. 

• Nottingham Forest is decent defensively but is in bad form, losing four of their last five games. 

• Brighton have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League this season.

• Bournemouth and Manchester United sit in the bottom five for xGC this season.

So, it’s safe to say, Porro’s attacking ability could thrive over the next five. 

But… if you want more defensively sound FPL assets, consider Aston Villa players. 

Unai Emery’s men have been immense this season and it’s now time to consider bringing in one of their defenders. 

They’ve had back-to-back clean sheets against two of the biggest scorers in the league - Arsenal and Manchester City.

As they come out of what should have been a tough fixture run, there will be more opportunities for Villa to get clean sheets.

In Gameweek 17, they face Brentford away from home. While Villa is better at home, Brentford looked weak without their main man Bryan Mbeumo - resulting in a 1-0 loss to Sheffield United on Saturday. 

Their next seven fixtures look good from a defensive perspective.

Newcastle will be Villa’s biggest challenge on paper, although they looked tired amid their nine matches in 30 days. Plus, Villa have been superb at home, and Newcastle have been less impressive away from home this season.

All the above make Pau Torres (£4.6m) a good long-term pick. Even better, he’s Villa’s highest-scoring defender (58) this season. 

Levi Colwill (£4.6m) is also another option if you’re looking to have a bit of a differential.

Chelsea have been a “bag of revels” this season as Paul Merson so eloquently said last gameweek. You just don’t know what kind of performance you’re going to get from them.

They beat Brighton and drew to Manchester but lost eight games this season to a variety of teams.

Chelsea sits mid-table for xGC this season and they rank lower on that stat the more you look at their recent form.

But, Chelsea’s fixtures are about to swing. Big time. And it might be what they need to restart their season. 

Chelsea faces three of the five worst teams for Expected Goals (xG) in their next five.

You would think any team would have a chance of keeping a clean sheet with this run coming up.

In terms of Colwill specifically… he’s started 13 of the 16 games so far so it’s expected that he will start for the Blues.

He’s a versatile player who can play at centre-back and left-back.

More importantly, Colwill has two attacking returns this season but doesn’t make it into the top 20 for Expected Goal Involvement (xGI) for defenders, so this pick would be purely based on his clean-sheet potential. 

Midfielders

Spurs face Nottingham Forest at the weekend. And Son Heung-min (£9.6m) is one of the highest-scoring assets this season - with 10 goals and 4 assists. 

Last season, this fixture resulted in a 3-1 and 0-2 win for Spurs - with Son only scoring one goal across both games. 

On paper, this is a great fixture for Son… and Tottenham have a decent run of game after this one too.

Spurs also have the second-highest xG (8.53) over the past three gameweeks. 

But, don’t underestimate Forest. At home, they are not that bad defensively. 

So… Son might not haul this game, but it’s difficult to think of a midfielder - other than Salah - who’s as clinical and integral to a team’s attacking output as him. 

Phil Foden (£7.6) is an interesting pick. 

He’s achieved three goals and two assists this season, and with Haaland likely out (still not confirmed), he’ll play a more important role for Manchester City. 

He has blanked in the last two gameweeks - versus Luton and Aston Villa. 

And City has a blank fixture in Gameweek 18, which might be a reason to not spend a somewhat high price of £7.6 on the Englishman. 

But… the treble winners sit third in the league when it comes to xG, but they have scored the most goals (38) this season. 

With just an 11.5% ownership (likely to increase slightly) he could be an under-the-radar pick. 

Then there’s Jarrod Bowen (£7.6). 

West Ham faces Wolves at home next who have looked good under Gary O’Neil. They’re tough to break down and their attackers have grown in confidence.

So far, Bowen has scored nine goals and assisted once this season. He’s also third amongst midfielders for xG (6.68) - behind Mbeumo and Salah. 

His form at home hasn’t been as good as his away form. Only two of his goals have come at the London Stadium and he’s eighteenth amongst midfielders for xG at home.

Over the next six gameweeks, West Ham has a mixed bag. Bowen could do well in at least four of their next six fixtures. 

But, Bowen is a calculated risk, rather than a sure bet.

Chasing points? Here are MID options…

With Chelsea’s fixture swing in full force, managers will be tempted to bring in Cole Palmer (£5.5m) who has scored five goals and assisted three times. 

Despite their recent results, Chelsea’s attacking stats haven’t been as bad as you might think. They’re top five for xG and top four for big chances created.

They face Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge next. Sheffield United ranks fourth worst in terms of xGC away from home, and they’ve conceded the most goals (20 in seven matches). 

Some managers will be thinking of Raheem Sterling (£7.1m), who is a flat-track bully. But… 

• Palmer is on penalties.

• Sterling is a lot pricier than Palmer.

• Pochettino has been preferring Mykhailo Mudryk on the left-hand side.

Palmer is on four yellow cards so that might tip the balance for managers, but this will reset in GW19 so there are only a couple more fixtures to worry about. 

Ok… let’s talk about Richarlison (£6.6m)... tempted? 

He did secure a brace against Newcastle, and it looks like he’s going to play more centrally for Ange, which will suit him better. 

And with Son leaving for the Asia Cup between 12 Jan and 10 Feb, the Brazilian might be on penalties and have more minutes.

But, let’s be honest, he’s had one good game this season and it’s far too early to consider him an effective FPL asset. 

We couldn’t leave out an Aston Villa midfielder, especially Leon Bailey (£5.5m) who has been on fire recently. 

He has five goals and four assists this season - and at 5.5m, he’s looking like a complete bargain. 

Villa’s fixture run is looking good which could see the in-form Bailey continue returning.

But, Emergy said Bailey was “completely tired” when being withdrawn at half-time in Gameweek 16. 

So… he’s not nailed on to start. And if you have Watkins already, then it might be worth avoiding Bailey until there’s more news on his fitness.