The 5 best FPL tips for Gameweek 29
Plenty of Fantasy Premier League managers will be activating their Free Hit chips this weekend with only eight teams involved due to the FA Cup quarter-finals taking place at the same time.
The Free Hit allows bosses to make unlimited changes to their FPL squads for one week only, making it an appealing option for reduced gameweeks like the one coming up.
Only three of the top 10 most popular assets in FPL have a fixture in Gameweek 29 with a host of big clubs – including the title-challenging trio of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City – not playing in the league this weekend.
Tottenham players are bound to be in demand following their comprehensive victory at Villa Park last Sunday, while Aston Villa are also in action as they travel to West Ham.
This is an extract of i’s Fantasy Premier League tips. Sign up here to receive the newsletter every week this season for our full 11-player team, advice on the best captain and more!
Gameweek 29 fixtures
Saturday 16 March
*3pm kick-off unless otherwise stated
- Burnley vs Brentford
- Luton vs Nottingham Forest
- Fulham vs Spurs (5.30pm)
Sunday 17 March
- West Ham vs Aston Villa (2pm)
Son Heung-min (Spurs)
Three direct goal contributions (including two in second half added time) ensured a 17-point score for Son Heung-min in Tottenham’s surprise thrashing of Aston Villa last weekend. It was Son’s seventh double-digit return this season, but first since Gameweek 16 which has led to a flurry of activity in the FPL transfer market.
The South Korean’s background data across the campaign isn’t especially impressive. Brentford’s Yoane Wissa is one of 13 players in the division to have registered a higher xG than Son. Ordinarily, that may indicate overperformance that will eventually tail off. That, emphatically, is not the case with Son.
The Spurs skipper is a notorious stat buster due to his above average efficiency in front of goal. According to FBREF, Son has outperformed his non-penalty xG by almost six goals, which is comfortably higher than any other player in the league.
That ability to conjure up a goal out of very little makes Son the standout captain this weekend as Spurs head to Fulham.
Price: £9.9m Points: 166 Gameweek 29 fixture: Fulham (a)
Ivan Toney (Brentford)
It’s tricky to make a compelling case to buy Ivan Toney this week based on his recent output. Brentford’s talisman has gone four games without a goal or assist and registered a combined xGI (expected goal involvement) of just 0.03 in his last appearance against Arsenal, although he almost scored with his only attempt from 40-yards out.
Buying a Brentford forward seems sensible considering they are up against Burnley and both Yoane Wissa and Neal Maupay have scored more recently than Toney has. The problem with picking one of Toney’s strike partners is that Wissa and Maupay are likely to share minutes, whereas he is a 90-minute man every week.
Toney is also Brentford’s designated penalty taker and has an excellent record from the spot, scoring 11 of his 12 attempts in the Premier League. He’s pricey, but he could be a shrewd investment for those not on a Free Hit given Brentford’s long-term fixtures; the Bees have already played the top three plus Spurs home and away in 2023-24.
Price: £8.1m Points: 39 Gameweek 29 fixture: Burnley (a)
Destiny Udogie (Spurs)
Pedro Porro is the more obvious Spurs full-back to snap up in FPL having outscored his teammate Destiny Udogie by 22 points having played just one extra game. However, Spurs may find more joy down their left side compared to their right with Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson a more reliable defender than Timothy Castagne on the other flank.
Porro has also only just returned from an injury, while Udogie looked in top form during the game at Villa Park. The Italian’s underlapping runs caused Villa issues throughout the game and he linked up well with Brennan Johnson who enjoyed his best performance in a Spurs shirt.
Udogie has supplied two goals and three assists in what has been a hugely encouraging debut campaign in English football and will look to boost those tallies further from now until the end of May.
Price: £4.9m Points: 72 Gameweek 29 fixture: Fulham (a)
Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest)
Both Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga are proving to be popular purchases this week and there is precious little to split them. At the time of writing, Gibbs-White has shaded Elanga in the most-bought charts.
It’s tough to separate the two, but Gibbs-White’s superior assist potential sees him get the nod in i‘s picks.
The 24-year-old has had marginally more shots on goal than Elanga (with 49 to 45, although Elanga has registered more on target), but dwarfs his teammate for chances created with 47 to 24. Elanga was also used as a substitute last weekend.
Nottingham Forest haven’t exactly pulled up any trees of late (pardon the pun), claiming just one win in their last eight league games, of which six have been lost.
However, Luton have kept just two clean sheets all season which boosts Gibbs-White’s appeal. Free Hit teams will largely pick themselves, but he could be a nice differential option.
Price: £5.7m Points: 86 Gameweek 29 fixture: Luton (a)
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham)
Aston Villa looked incredibly jaded against Spurs last weekend and have a growing absentee list ahead of their trip to the London Stadium this weekend. They look unconvincing in defence too, conceding eight goals in their last three league matches and keeping just one clean sheet (against Sheffield United) in their previous seven games.
The aforementioned Son took full advantage in Gameweek 28, and Jarrod Bowen may be able emulate the Spurs man’s efforts having been shifted into a centre forward role by David Moyes. Bowen has started as a striker in each of West Ham’s last three league fixtures, combining three goals (all against Brentford) with an assist in that run.
Bowen is also West Ham’s top scorer in home games this season registering seven goals in 14 games, a total that is two more than Mohammed Kudus, who is also an excellent pick this week. Bowen incidentally is second in the charts for the best non-penalty xG overperformance behind Son.
Price: £6.8m Points: 147 Gameweek 29 fixture: Aston Villa (h)
