Buy Low, Sell High: Gameweek 31

Trading well is key to building that high upside, title winning squad but anyone who has played in a draft league will know exactly how difficult it can be to get a deal over the line!

The art to trading is knowing who to target and when to strike as well as which players to use in the trades. This weekly segments looks into the strategy of selling high on those overachievers and buying low on those studs that haven’t performed as expected…

Here’s the trades we recommend ahead of Gameweek 31…

Buy Low

Demarai Gray – Everton – Forward

Demarai Gray was one of the bargains of this season’s drafts after starting the season like a steam train. Injuries have stalled Gray’s progress significantly but with Richarlison struggling for form and Dominic Calvert Lewin’s own fitness a constant worry, Gray’s return will be crucial to Everton’s progress going forward as they fight to escape from a shock relegation.

The winger is a decent Fantrax asset in his own right and will be most people’s Everton player of the season (the best of a bad bunch) but their games in hand make Toffees assets worth trading in. They travel to a tiring West Ham this Sunday before facing Burnley in a relegation six pointer in the second part of their double gameweek.

With other DGWs to come, getting Everton assets on board could be a decent play and most should be available fairly cheap. I see Gray as the best of the bunch if you can get him but Anthony Gordon is another one definitely worth a look.

Jamie Vardy – Leicester City – Forward

In a similar vain to Gray, Jamie Vardy has had plenty of fitness worries this season but his team also have plenty of re-arranged fixtures to boost their stats! The Leicester City legend has had a season dogged by injury but manager Brendan Rodgers is optimistic that their talisman will be back after the international break.

Unlike Everton, The Foxes do have the distraction of midweek European football at the moment so rotation is a factor to be wary of but Vardy should still see plenty of minutes due to the poor form of stand-ins Patson Daka and Kelechi Iheanacho.

The veteran goalscorer’s injuries should mean you can get him for a lower price than normal at the moment. Harvey Barnes and James Maddison are the safer options while the poor form of Youri Tielemans may mean you can snatch a usable Leicester asset at a lower price if that’s your aim.

Sell High

Philippe Coutinho – Aston Villa – Midfielder

Philippe Coutinho has lit up the Premier League since his return, that is undeniable. The Brazilian star has slotted straight back in, far better than even manager Steven Gerrard would have imagined and his four goals and three assists in ten appearances but him right up there with the very best Fantrax assets in the game.

Why does he feature in the “sell” section? A few reasons. Firstly, his ghosts points aren’t those generally expected from an elite asset. In the six games that he has failed to claim an attacking return, Coutinho hasn’t scored over 10 points in any of them with his last two games combining for a disappointing 9.5 points over 180 minutes.

Add in the fact that Villa’s next couple of games look tough on paper (Wolves and Spurs) and he also blanks in DGW33 and Coutinho isn’t looking like a top asset in the short term, especially if you’re fighting for a play off spot. You should still get a good price for him and this stage and you can look to use him to get a player with more fixtures left to play before the season’s close.

Kai Havertz – Chelsea – Midfielder

Kai Havertz (and many of the high end Chelsea boys) could easily fit into either category in this week’s article. Although the young German star looks to be starting his customary end of season purple patch and has plenty of fixtures to spare with some friendly ones coming up…

Why is he a sell? Rotation worries me for any Chelsea asset, especially the bigger ones like Havertz, Reece James and Mason Mount. With the title challenge all but gone and top four secured, all eyes will be on retaining the Champions League and securing an FA cup, meaning the big guns could easily sit out of the league games in favour of playing in the big midweek blockbusters. With the big name factor, the form and the fixtures to come, you can target most top assets with Havertz at this stage.