<p>Fantasy Premier League author <a href="https://twitter.com/Davvawavva">David Wardale</a> explains why James Maddison might just be the best FPL transfer for the remainder of the season.</p>
<p>You can catch all our other brilliant <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-ultimate-guide-fpl-tips/">FPL Gameweek 31 tips right here</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Gameweek 31&#8217;s Best FPL Transfer Doesn&#8217;t Need two Fixtures</h3>
<p class="western">Decent chunks of our time and attention are currently being spent on the teams with double fixtures this gameweek.</p>
<p class="western">But are we risking missing out on better options with just the one fixture, especially when that match-up looks, on paper at least, to be less than appealing?</p>
<p class="western">That might well be the case with <strong>James Maddison (£6.8m)</strong>.</p>
<p class="western">The midfielder was one of our Blank Gameweek 30 tips and many Free Hitters brought him in for a sweet 10-point return against Brentford.</p>
<p>We can only stress that we don&#8217;t own shares in the man, but he&#8217;s well worth another look because Maddison has major potential to be a long-term option. And at this point of the campaign, that basically means he could be a season keeper.</p>
<p class="western">Maddison has spent the international break resting up, which is just as well as he&#8217;s likely to be a busy boy for the rest of the season.</p>
<p class="western">He&#8217;s certainly an in-form one, scoring twice in the last three matches he&#8217;s played, only two of which he started.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-45135" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.47.04-1024x831.jpg" alt="fpl tips best transfer gameweek 31" width="1024" height="831" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.47.04-1024x831.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.47.04-300x243.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.47.04-768x623.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.47.04-1536x1247.jpg 1536w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.47.04-610x495.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.47.04-1080x876.jpg 1080w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.47.04.jpg 1592w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Maddison&#8217;s Elite per/90 Stats</h3>
<p class="western">In fact, because of concerns over his back, the midfielder has been used sparingly by Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers in recent weeks.</p>
<p class="western">He has started the last two matches, but they&#8217;re the only two he&#8217;s played the full 90 minutes in since Gameweek 25.</p>
<p class="western">Despite that relative lack of action, only two midfielders have scored more goals than him over the last four gameweeks.</p>
<p class="western">He&#8217;s also set up two big chances – a figure only one midfielder can better over that period, even if no assists resulted from his six key passes.</p>
<p class="western">Digging a little deeper into those numbers doesn&#8217;t, at first glance, flatter Maddison.</p>
<p class="western">His two goals have come from a mere four attempts. Three of those were on target and all of them came outside the box.</p>
<p class="western">Small wonder that his xG is a measly 0.42, way down the food chain when compared to the other midfield scorers from Gameweek 27 onwards.</p>
<p class="western">But Maddison has time – or the lack of it – on his side.</p>
<p class="western">The 198 minutes he played in those four gameweeks is less than half that of another two-goal midfielder, <strong>Philippe Coutinho (£7.5m and 424 minutes)</strong>.</p>
<div id="attachment_45136" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-45136" class="wp-image-45136 size-large" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.51.36-1024x583.jpg" alt="Maddison fpl tips best transfer gameweek 31" width="1024" height="583" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.51.36-1024x583.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.51.36-300x171.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.51.36-768x437.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.51.36-1536x875.jpg 1536w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.51.36-2048x1166.jpg 2048w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.51.36-610x347.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.51.36-1080x615.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-45136" class="wp-caption-text">Maddison is second for Big Chances Created per 90 since GW27.</p></div>
<p class="western">Intriguingly, the only double-scoring middle man with comparative minutes was <strong>Riyad Mahrez (£8.7m and 193)</strong>.</p>
<p class="western">The Algerian packed three times the shots (12 v 4) into his pitch-time, but didn&#8217;t manage to create a single chance for his Man City team-mates.</p>
<p class="western">Over the season, only three midfielders with similar minutes to Maddison have out-performed him, points-wise. And all three are from top four sides.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Fallible Gameweek 31 Opposition</h3>
<p class="western">Gameweek 31&#8217;s trip to Man United doesn&#8217;t, on the face of it, look overly promising, especially as United have kept two clean sheets across their last three home matches.</p>
<p class="western">That sounds impressive until you realise their opponents, Brighton and Watford, are in the bottom four for goals scored this season.</p>
<p class="western">In fact, the Seagulls have found the net just the once in six matches, while the Hornets engaged Full Hodgson Mode at Old Trafford, sitting deep and living off scraps up front.</p>
<p class="western">Against more prolific opposition, the Red Devils defence fares rather worse.</p>
<p class="western">Of the top ten scoring teams they&#8217;ve faced this season – and that includes Leicester – they&#8217;ve kept only three clean sheets.</p>
<div id="attachment_45137" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-45137" class="size-large wp-image-45137" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.55.42-1024x581.jpg" alt="best fpl transfer gameweek 31" width="1024" height="581" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.55.42-1024x581.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.55.42-300x170.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.55.42-768x436.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.55.42-1536x872.jpg 1536w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.55.42-2048x1163.jpg 2048w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.55.42-610x346.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-09.55.42-1080x613.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-45137" class="wp-caption-text">Man United are actually 6th-worst for xGC per 90 since Gameweek 27, despite their opponents.</p></div>
<p class="western">Those shut-outs came against Spurs, Crystal Palace and West Ham.</p>
<p class="western">United also shipped four goals in the reverse fixture at the King Power Stadium, albeit under a different manager.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>A Long-term Hold</h3>
<p class="western">Maddison&#8217;s appeal doesn&#8217;t just involve this gameweek, however.</p>
<p class="western">The Foxes host Palace in Gameweek 32 and then have a double, involving trips to Newcastle and Everton.</p>
<p class="western">There are two more doubles yet to be arranged after that because Rodgers&#8217; side still has 11 matches to play this season – the joint most with Everton and Burnley.</p>
<p class="western">They do have European duties, against PSV Eindhoven, either side of the Eagles fixture.</p>
<p class="western">But as mentioned in <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fpl-blank-gameweek-30-best-transfer-tips-top-transfer-targets-for-bgw30">our Gameweek 30 transfer article</a>, Leicester have excelled after Euro commitments.</p>
<p class="western">And the fact they&#8217;ve done particularly well domestically following away legs on the continent &#8211; winning four and drawing the other – sets up that Double Gameweek 33 very nicely indeed as the Foxes travel to Holland prior to the Newcastle match.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-45138" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-10.00.03-1024x837.jpg" alt="fpl transfer gameweek 31 fantasy premier league tips" width="1024" height="837" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-10.00.03-1024x837.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-10.00.03-300x245.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-10.00.03-768x627.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-10.00.03-1536x1255.jpg 1536w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-10.00.03-610x498.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-10.00.03-1080x882.jpg 1080w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-30-at-10.00.03.jpg 1584w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
<p class="western">Maddison is fairly fixture-proof in that regard as well.</p>
<p class="western">At home this season – four goals, five assists. Away – four goals, one assist.</p>
<p class="western">He&#8217;s also owned by just 9.3% and the Foxes have won three of their last four matches, so there&#8217;s a lot to love about the midfielder right now.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><b>The Fantasy Premier League 2021/22 Ultimate Guide for Double Gameweek 31</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our</span><a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-ultimate-guide-fpl-tips/"> <b>Ultimate FPL 2021/22 Guide for Double Gameweek 31</b></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has everything you could ever need to be a successful FPL manager including guides, team previews, player picks, strategy articles, tools, <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a>, expert team reveals and much much more…</span></p>
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