The best goalkeepers for a Double Gameweek 37 Free Hit
Just two opportunities remain for FPL managers to activate a Free Hit. If used for Double Gameweek 37, here are the best goalkeepers.
In December, it was announced that all FPL managers would be given an extra Free Hit chip to cope with the unprecedented number of Covid postponements. It altered the chip strategy of many, allowing them to ride the winter wave and keep two Free Hits for the latter stages.
According to LiveFPL’s Gameweek 36 post-deadline data, 4,248 of the top 10k still have a Free Hit to use. 5.96 million overall. Therefore, with the next round including Double Gameweeks for five less-chosen sides, Gameweek 37 seems a good time for activation.
So below are the leading candidates for the Free Hit goalkeeping spot.
Best goalkeepers
Jordan Pickford (Everton, £4.8m)
Given it was another weekend of fantastic results for Everton, a midweek win at Watford could remove some urgency from their promising home matches against Brentford and Crystal Palace. They entered last Sunday five points adrift of safety yet already find themselves up in 16th place.
Still, they will be determined to quickly secure Premier League survival and these fixtures will see many Free Hitters triple-up on the Toffees. They have kept three clean sheets from their last four home games, with Jordan Pickford still grabbing six points in Sunday’s 2-1 win at Leicester.
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa, £5.5m)
Undoubtedly last season’s star FPL stopper, Emiliano Martinez was duly given a huge price rise heading into 2021/22. However, for a one-week punt, the Argentine international offers a pair of home outings against Crystal Palace and Burnley.
Since Steven Gerrard’s first game as manager in Gameweek 12, Aston Villa has the league’s fourth-lowest numbers for conceding shots on target and expected goals (xGC) – both better than Tottenham and Arsenal. What may hold managers back from Martinez is the slightly cheaper, yet highly-attacking full-backs in front. Matty Cash (£5.3m) and Lucas Digne (£5.0m) have haul potential.
Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester, £5.0m)
On paper, Leicester’s Double Gameweek 36 looked stronger and they’ve already failed the first half of that. But, with other doubling teams offering either attacking defenders or goalkeeping rotation, Kasper Schmeichel will likely get two starts. The trip to Watford has clean sheet capability, whilst save points can accumulate when visiting Chelsea.
Jose Sa (Wolves, £5.2m)
It’s easy to overlook those with one match during Double Gameweeks. Wolves host a Norwich side that has lost their last three matches without scoring. Over the season, he is the highest-scoring FPL goalkeeper below £6.0m.
