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            <p><em>Former HOF Number 1 FPL Manager <a href="https://twitter.com/richclarkefpl">Richard Clarke</a> is an FPL veteran and has one of the most enviable best records out there, notching 2 top 500 finishes, 8 top 10k finishes and has never finished outside the top 0.5% in every single one of his 14 seasons. </em><em>Rich will be revealing his team on a weekly basis in 2020/21 season; providing observations and strategy comment where appropriate.  </em></p>
<div id="attachment_23495" style="width: 712px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23495" class="wp-image-23495 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Screen-Shot-2020-08-14-at-08.36.32.png" alt="Fantasy Premier League Tips GW18" width="702" height="571" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-23495" class="wp-caption-text">Rich's FPL record</p>
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<h2>Gameweek 17 Performance: 69 points</h2>
<p><strong>(Rank rise =  up 19,000 places to 126k)</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_31171" style="width: 758px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31171" class="wp-image-31171 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-11-at-15.48.02.png" alt="fpl free hit team" width="748" height="674" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-31171" class="wp-caption-text">Rich's Gameweek 17 Points</p>
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<h3>Brief review of Gameweek 17 and current situation</h3>
<p>Well this is fun isn't it?</p>
<p>The beginning of the last game week was eleven days ago, New Year's Day! It seems almost a lifetime ago with the amount of chaos and re-scheduling that has occurred since.</p>
<p>Almost every fantasy manager will have been impacted in some way by the postponements and sudden rearranged fixtures. Luck has played a part and perhaps the most serious of planners feel the most discombobulated by it all.</p>
<p>All we can do is play the fixtures immediately in front of us and accept that the next few weeks will be subject to sudden change.</p>
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<h3><strong>My Team</strong></h3>
<p>My own team got through Gameweek 17 with a decent green arrow - with some good (and bad) decisions.  Captaining <strong>Harry Kane (24 points) </strong>and transferring in <strong>Rob Holding (10 points)</strong> were the good bits.</p>
<p>Second benching <strong>Thomas Soucek</strong> and <strong>missing</strong> out on his <strong>11-point haul</strong> was not so good. I had benefitted from four straight <strong>Stuart Dallas returns</strong> (three of which were off the bench) - so figured the Leeds man was never going to blank again as I went 4-4-2 for a change. It didn't work out.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, I'm happy with the overall ranking progress to <strong>126k</strong> at this stage. The climb has been enough to see me get back into the<strong> Top 10</strong> in some '<strong>All time FPL Manager Ranking</strong>' lists this month which is nice to see and a good position to improve further.</p>
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<h3>Gameweek<strong> 18 - Free Hit!</strong></h3>
<p>As a Gameweek 16 wildcarder, I had always planned to use the free-hit chip this week. The various fixture additions and cancellations in the last two weeks, have not made this a straight-forward decision for many fantasy managers on other strategies.</p>
<p>I have <strong>only four players</strong> with a fixture this week (<strong>Kane, Son, Fernandes and Holding</strong>), so my decision is an easy one. If you are out there, with 7 or 8 players in your squad (and maybe have one or two transfers?) - the decision is not so easy. It may well pay off in the long-term to save the free-hit chip and look to survive this week fielding a smaller team.</p>
<p>Writing just after confirmation that the <strong>Aston Villa v Tottenham</strong> game has been <strong>replaced by Tottenham v Fulham</strong>, this means I can now start to get serious about the selections this week.</p>
<p>The late confirmation of an easier Tottenham fixture actually makes the free-hit squad selection a simpler process.With four '<strong>Traditional Big-6'</strong> teams now having a fixture, it is possible all eleven starters could come from these sides.</p>
<p>The draft below will likely be selected overnight, following the FA Cup 4th and 5th round draws this evening, and assuming there are <strong>no further government announcements over football cessation.</strong>  There could be further news right up to the deadline of course, but I feel with the confirmation of the Tottenham game being 'On' for Wednesday - there is a strong chance Gameweek 18 will be played out.</p>
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Rich Clarke’s Gameweek 18 ‘Free-Hit’ Team Reveal | Fantasy Premier League Tips 20/21

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