Should you play your Fantasy Premier League wildcard early or hold out? A convincing case could be made either way.
Since your first wildcard is available until December 31st, it might appear wise to be cautious and wait.
After all, you might suffer a spate of injuries or see a number of your players fall out of form.
But there are also some valid reasons to play your Fantasy Premier League wildcard early – and here they are:
1. Zlatan Ibrahimović’s flying start
No one really knew how quickly the 34-year-old would adapt to the Premier League, and many overlooked him for this reason.
As it turns out he’s hit the ground running, but then again so has Sergio Agüero. How to pair them up?
Since they’re the two most expensive players in the game, you’re looking at significant changes to incorporate both.
You might balk at making swingeing cuts to the rest of your squad, but if they both score 25-30 it could be worthwhile.
2. The transfer window is still open
Some big moves are still yet to happen before the window slams shut over a week before Gameweek 4.
A week from now and you might have some pretty bold new ideas for your fantasy football approach.
3. There’s an international break coming up
After this weekend’s fixtures there will be a two-week break for internationals, where big-name players might pick up injuries.
Those teams worst affected would require some pretty radical overhauling.
4. There are plenty of bargains to be had
Some players who underperformed last season, and who therefore had their prices slashed, have shown signs of recovery.
We’re thinking here of Cesc Fàbregas, Santi Cazorla, Juan Mata (all £7.5m), Kevin Mirallas (£6.5m) and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (£6m).
There are also players doing well at newly promoted clubs, as well as others who could well outscore what their price indicates.
Take a look at our suggested bargains for more on that front.
5. You might fall too far behind if you don’t play your wildcard now
Backed yourself into a corner with poor squad selection? Why wait to dig yourself out of the hole? No point falling further and further behind.
If however you’ve got more hits than misses then it’s probably best to stick with what you’ve got for now.
You can change things incrementally with shrewdly planned transfers, then wildcard when injuries strike.