What is the best FPL Wildcard team for Gameweek 16? Jian Batra builds an optimal FPL squad on paper for those with the first Wildcard still in tact.

Don’t forget to check out our Ultimate FPL Gameweek 16 Guide which has everything you need to help you make the best decisions ahead of the deadline.

Best FPL Defenders For Gameweek 16 | Fantasy Premier League Tips 2021/22

Is Gameweek 16 the Best Time to use Your Wildcard?

Gameweek 16 is a fantastic opportunity to play your Wildcard and improve your FPL season. I’ve never built a Wildcard team which I’m as confident about as this one.

It combines players with excellent upcoming fixture runs, players emerging into form, players who are in great form, players with the form and fixtures and a flexible structure.

Naturally, it’s unlikely everyone reading this will agree exactly with my team selection. However, the spine of the team should be fairly non-negotiable (e.g. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Mohamed Salah and to a slightly lesser extent Diogo Jota, Cristiano Ronaldo and Emmanuel Dennis/Joshua King).

Another thing I like about this squad is that it epitomises “Talisman Theory”. If your player’s team is going to score, there’s a good chance it’ll be him getting a return.

Finally, everyone will have different squad values and value tied up in different players. My squad value is £103.7m (I expect it will be higher by the time the deadline passes) and there was £0.2m left in the bank when I made this team. So if you can’t afford it, you will have to tinker slightly. I’m happy to help with that, just drop me a message on Twitter.

Fantasy Premier League Stats by OPTA

The Best FPL Wildcard Team for Gameweek 16

Best Wildcard Team | Goalkeepers

Ben Foster (£4.0m)

Before injuring himself, he looked in good form and there was certainly the possibility that he could retain his starting place. However, it’s not worth downgrading him to a keeper worth £3.9m (you gain £0.1m) when he certainly has the capacity to be first choice following his return.

You never know when you may need a backup goalkeeper: FPL plays many tricks.

He’ll feature on the bench for the most part).

Aaron Ramsdale (£5.0m)

best fpl wildcard team gameweek 16

The Number 1 spot was either between Ramsdale or David De Gea (£5.om).

I couldn’t afford De Gea (was £0.1m off). However, I would assume that plenty of FPL managers already have some value tied up in the Arsenal keeper.

Ramsdale’s fixtures are very good, and even though De Gea’s are excellent (arguably the best stretch ever seen in FPL), I’m still very comfortable going with Ramsdale.

Ramsdale has recorded a score of 7 or more points in an individual gameweek four times this season compared to De Gea’s two. This is also in three less starts.

Furthermore, as we saw last year with Emi Martinez, bonus points are gold dust for keepers. Ramsdale has already benefited from this, cominf fourth-highest in the BPS system.

I expect Arsenal to continue on their trajectory of improving slowly, and as such Ramsdale will provide good value over this run.

Best FPL Wildcard Team | Liverpool

Their fixtures in both the short and medium term are good, and they are practically fixture proof anyway so it’s unnecessary to analyse their fixture run in depth.

In the next five games they face Leeds, Leicester and Newcastle which are all very good fixtures. Villa and Spurs also present opportunity for Liverpool’s attackers to thrive.

The players selected are Trent-Alexander Arnold (£8.1m), Mohamed Salah (£13.1m) and Diogo Jota (£8.0m).

Salah is without doubt in my mind the best player in the world currently. What he offers off the ball is incomparable for anyone who boasts the attacking talent he does. His ceiling is so much higher than everyone else, he could genuinely score four goals in a game and I wouldn’t be one bit surprised.

He epitomises “Talisman Theory” and there’s a million other reasons to include him.

Alexander-Arnold is the highest scoring defender in the game and second highest scoring FPL player overall. He’s averaged eight points in his last eight games, which is utterly ridiculous.

Jota presents unbelievable value at his price point. He’s been very central too Liverpool’s attack and is often the one – rather than Sadio Mane – now who finds himself in goal scoring positions.

Ranked second for npxG+xA (11.6), in a side who can’t stop scoring, and the fact he was just rested in his midweek fixture, makes him a must have on a Wildcard.

best wildcard team gameweek 16 fpl

Best FPL Wildcard Team | West Ham

West Ham’s fixture run is the basis for the inclusion of Vladimir Coufal (£4.7m) and Jarrod Bowen (£6.5m – to a lesser extent as he’s playing excellently).

Coufal’s selection is purely based on the saying “fixtures bring form”. With a fixture run that good and the Hammers flying, it’s a fairly safe bet to assume they will accumulate at least a few clean sheets.

The good thing about Coufal is that he is nailed following injuries in the squad. As last year showed he has good attacking potential (9 assists). I expect him to be very hungry in order to cement a place in this side when there’s a fully fit squad.

Bowen, on the other hand, is a mainstay pick. His haul and exceptional performance against Chelsea was an exemplification of the talent he possesses.

From a tactical perspective, he’s moved to almost an inside forward, which has him picking up positions where he’s far more likely to return. As the heat map below shows, he’s consistently finding positions in the box on the right side.

He’s also ranked sixth in the league for npxG+xA (7.1).

Best gameweek 16 wildcard team fpl

With the information on Bowen above, I can see him not only returning consistently but racking up some huge FPL hauls (he could’ve easily have had one against Chelsea).

Best FPL Wildcard Team | Watford

Now this is the part of the Wildcard I’m most excited for.

Joshua King (£5.7m ) and Emmanuel Dennis (£5.7m).

I really didn’t expect to by typing that sentence in an article ever, but it’s why we love this game.

Regardless of the outcome, in terms of the decision making process, I’m utterly convinced this double up isn’t FPL gold, it’s better.

They both pass the eye test with flying colours: even against Manchester City, who are statistically the best defence in the league by some way. Against lesser opposition they have returns to show for their performances. In the three games prior to the one against City, the duo returned five goals and three assists between them. Staggering.

If I had to choose one I’d go for King over Dennis, simply because he has penalties and is playing in a more central role. Further, his underlying statistics are very, very good (ranked ninth for npxG+xA – 6.8). I’ve always been a fan of Joshua King so it’s great to see him doing so well.

I genuinely do believe they are two of the best attacking options in FPL right now, never mind for their price point.

best fpl wildcard team gameweek 16

Best FPL Wildcard Team | Spurs

The fixtures for the next six games are good but the basis for these two assets; Ben Davies (£4.4m) and Heung-min Son (£10.4m) exceeds that.

Davies has looked excellent in the system under Conte. Conte explained that Davies will play an Azpilicueta type role (from his title winning season with Chelsea). This means the assist potential is huge.

At a price tag of £4.4m, Spurs steadily improving their defence, a good fixture run in the next six and a high ceiling, you can’t really go wrong.

For reference as to how well the Spurs defence is improving, Spurs are ranked first for xGC (3.2) in the league following Conte’s appointment.

Then moving onto Son. The most consistent FPL asset alongside Salah. I can’t speak highly enough about him.

Spurs have been very reliant on him in the past, arguably even more so now due to Kane’s form and them playing 3-4-3. He will almost definitely return a healthy amount of points across the next six and has a high points ceiling too.

Statistically (based on overperforming his xG consistently) he’s the best finisher in world football and has been for some time.

I understand the argument of going with someone cheaper, but I just think the security of starts combined with the high ceiling is too good to pass up on.

In regards to the COVID rumours, it’s very hard to plan for it but I’ll assume the best until we get some concrete news. The squad has good depth anyway.

best gameweek 16 wildcard team fpl

Simple Wildcard Picks | Reece James and Cristiano Ronaldo

Very simply put, Reece James (£6.0m) has good fixtures in the next five. Secondly, Chelsea’s defence has proven to be very solid over an extended period of time and most importantly he has an enormously high ceiling.

Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.4m) is the greatest goal scorer in history, has the best FPL fixture run in history, is playing in a system which is built around him to some extent (receives a high volume of chances) and has penalties. Not much more needs to be said.

Enablers:

Josh Brownhill (£4.4m) – £0.1m cheaper than most in this range and nearly guaranteed a start every game. Can’t ask for much more.

Tino Livramento (£4.5m) – I imagine a lot of you will own him and have a lot of value tied up in him, so it’s an unnecessary sell. Plus he can still return some points.

Why no Manchester City assets?

To include one of their defensive assets I would have to sacrifice Son and personally I’m not willing to do that.

The reason for no Bernado Silva is that he’s massively overperforming his underlying statistics. They eyetest supports this too.

Secondly, with Kevin De Bruyne back he’s less likely to play in a Number 8 role, but rather in a False 9/RW. He’s a country mile better in the Number 8 role, especially compared to RW. Simply reference his RW performances for Portugal and City last year.

That concludes the article, I hope that helped!

Feel free to direct message me on Twitter, @FPL_JianBatra, for any questions you may have (or drop them down below).

Thank you for your support!

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