One of the most consistent managers in FPL history has made his move.
Mark Mansfield, who boasts seven top 10k finishes and a best rank of 227th, has confirmed he’s playing his Wildcard in Gameweek 13 — and he’s doing it before the chaos hits.
His draft is live on the Elite XI: Team Reveal page, and subscribers will be alerted instantly when he makes a transfer — but let’s hear a bit more about why he has decided to play his Wildcard for Gameweek 13.
Mark made it clear this wasn’t a last-minute decision:
“The plan from the start had been to Wildcard this Gameweek based on the fixture swing for Liverpool and City.”
A quick look at the Fixture Planner makes the decision clearer. Man City rank second for attacking difficulty over the next five Gameweeks, with home fixtures against Leeds and West Ham looking particularly appealing. Liverpool are third, also facing the same two relegation-battling sides, although both matches are away.
However, the reality hasn’t quite matched expectations:
“On the one hand it's unfortunate that Liverpool have turned out to be awful, but at the same time other players would have oriented their squads to have players from Liverpool were it otherwise.”
He also feels he’s dodged a common mistake:
“Everybody fell into a Virgil van Dijk trap which I can easily avoid.”
Timing before the festive chaos was a major factor:
“A big attraction of this Wildcard week is that it's right before the period of 3 gameweeks in 7 days. Every season I get spanked in this period before Christmas and this time I'm hoping I can deal with it better by having a fresh squad whilst many I see around me are in disarray.”
For Mark, waiting made little sense:
“I can see no benefit to waiting longer as the likely alternative would be Gameweek 19 and I'd hope I can get my squad in good shape by then using AFCON transfers.”
It isn’t just about Liverpool and Man City:
“Other clubs that go into extended periods which you could argue are attractive are Villa, Man United, Brighton, Newcastle, Brentford, Forest.”
This season’s unpredictability has shaped his approach:
“This may highlight what a strange season this is, and shows why this might be a mix-and-match wildcard where I try to pick the odd differential here and there.”
He also challenged the current template:
“There are several template picks that are no more than middle-of-the-road assets, for example VVD, Sensei, Mateta.”
Expected minutes will guide his selections:
“When looking at the next 3 gameweeks I'll try to play fixtures and expected minutes heavily, based on the upcoming midweek games.”
Including some early-stage thoughts:
“There are some United assets I'd expect to make 3 starts, and somebody like Saka or Foden who I would be less sure on.”
Only a few names are guaranteed:
“Alongside Haaland I'm locked on defenders from Arsenal and Palace, Mbeumo, Minteh.”
It’s clear why Arsenal and Palace defenders are high on Mark’s list. The Opta Stats Sandbox shows Arsenal have conceded the fewest goals this season (6), with Palace just behind on 9. They also lead the way for clean sheets — Arsenal on 7 and Palace on 6 — and eight of the top 10 scoring defenders come from one of these two clubs.
With another 2 assists in his 11-point haul, Minteh now leads the league for FPL assists (7). 🤝
— Fantasy Football Fix (@FantasyFootyFix) November 23, 2025
And he’s still owned by just 5.7% of managers… how?! 👀 pic.twitter.com/2aJWc2jzC2
In midfield, only Semenyo (6) has scored more goals than Mbeumo’s five, although Manchester United do face Everton on Monday night. Minteh is also emerging as one of the best-value options in the game. He has the most FPL assists (7), two more than any other player, and sits third among midfielders for total points (61) at just £6.1m.
Everything else hinges on a key decision:
“It will depend on where I fall with respect to the Salah/Saka/Bruno/Mateta conundrum.”
He’s weighing up several questions:
“Do I want two United midfielders against Palace?”
“Can I trust Saka or Mateta's minutes next week?”
“Can I trust Salah with the captaincy and if not why get him?”
His draft will be finalised later in the week — and Elite XI: Team Reveal followers will be notified instantly when changes happen.
Mark has now used all his first-half chips:
“This is the last of my chips for the first half of the season so there is no strategy.”
AFCON could be a deciding factor:
“I'll hope to blend this Wildcard so that I can keep my AFCON transfers as long as possible.”
He also expects to be flexible:
“The abundance of transfers will be unusual and will mean I could end up making luxury moves week-to-week to avoid burning transfers.”
And, in typical Mark fashion, he ended with a smile:
“It would probably be for the best if I made some suboptimal moves in my wildcard :)”
You can:
With the busy Christmas period approaching, there may be no better manager to learn from.
Unlock all our powerful FPL tools – including Elite XI: Team Reveal, AI Assistant Manager, Opta Stats and more – with 63% OFF Premium Plus this Black Friday.
Join 89% of our members who won their main mini-league last season.
TRY IT NOWAlready a Premium user? Login here
© fantasyfootballfix 2024 | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
