Big Man Bakar’s FPL Gameweek 35 Tips: Captaincy Debate, Should You Keep Saka And Who Can Replace Joao Pedro?

Big Man Bakar is back with his FPL gameweek 35 tips, answering the biggest questions ahead of this week’s Premier League fixtures.

Big Man Bakar’s Best Gameweek 35 FPL Tips

Q) Sell Saka for Mbeumo or save a transfer this week?

I will be selling Bukayo Saka for Bryan Mbeumo this week.

Transferring Saka out so soon after buying him in Gameweek 33 feels awkward, but I can’t let the sunk cost fallacy cloud my judgment; I must treat this Gameweek’s call as an isolated decision.

Firstly, Saka’s minutes are under serious doubt as Arsenal are expected to rotate before their clash versus Paris Saint-Germain.

If there’s significant uncertainty over whether he even starts against Bournemouth, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify holding.

Arsenal then face Liverpool away in Gameweek 36 — not a fixture where you’d expect big returns — so if Saka doesn’t start in 35, you’re essentially holding him through two poor Gameweeks.

In that context, a transfer now, ahead of time, becomes a smart and proactive decision.

Mbeumo, on the other hand, is a high-upside pick with one of the strongest fixture runs to close the season: Manchester United, Ipswich, Fulham and Wolves.

He’s on penalties, central to Brentford’s attack, and es the eye test as both a talisman and an assured 90-minute man.

More importantly, Mbeumo’s ceiling is also high enough to warrant the armband — a crucial detail particularly in Gameweek 35 and potentially even in Gameweek 36 if Haaland’s or Marmoush’s minutes are in question.

Yes, I may want to bring back Saka in Gameweek 37 or 38 — but with the current context, selling Saka this week is a low-risk, high-reward play.

While I can alternatively save a transfer, I just don’t think it’s worth overlooking Mbeumo when he has a great run of fixtures to come and is in my opinion, the optimal captain this week.

This week just feels like the best entry point.

Q) Best FPL Captain Gameweek 35?

I’ll be rolling the dice with Mbeumo this week.

With no player standing out as an obvious captain candidate, this week feels like a nice spot to take on the likes of Salah and Marmoush.

Chelsea’s impressive home form and strong defensive data is making me doubt the Salah pick – especially as Liverpool have already secured the Premier League title, which could lead to a dip in motivation.

Although Marmoush is a good shout at home to Wolves, he’s typically delivered steady returns instead of big hauls.

Mbeumo checks all the right boxes this Gameweek: form, minutes, penalties, home fixture and an opponent in Man United which may not be at full strength with their focus being on the Europa League.

Q) Best Joao Pedro replacement?

Managers in need of a new striker or those parting ways with João Pedro should seriously consider Yoane Wissa.

Brentford’s next four fixtures—against Man United, Ipswich, Fulham, and Wolves—present great opportunities for attacking returns.

As a lot of FPL managers will already own Mbeumo, doubling up could be a nice way to gain rank by going all in on the Brentford attack.

Watkins is also a nice alternative to Wissa if you have the funds.

With Rashford out injured till the end of the season, Watkins will surely see an increase in his minutes and may even find himself as the penalty taker on occasion.

Q) Should we plan for Haaland?

With no concrete update on Erling Haaland’s injury, I simply have no confidence in Haaland’s minutes in the weeks.

I see little reason to actively “plan” for him at this stage without any positive update on his injury.

Q) Which one of the Villa, Arsenal and Palace defence would I prefer to play this week?

Like many others, I’ve got plenty of big benching dilemmas this week.

When I’m unsure about a 50/50 call, I usually turn to market odds to guide my decision-making.

The current market odds suggest Aston Villa have a 32% chance of a clean sheet, with Arsenal and Crystal Palace each given a 29% probability.

Q) When is the best time to use the Assistant Manager chip?

Since there are no doubles, now is the optimal time to play the Assistant Manager chip.

Delaying until Gameweek 38 seems ill-advised—Spurs are the only viable table bonus team at that point, and they may not be at full strength if they make the Europa League final.

Glasner and Maresca are the ones that appeal this week – Maresca more realistically given that a lot of us have already tripled up on Palace already.

If Forest win or draw against Brentford, then Maresca will be eligible for table bonus this week which will give him a high ceiling, considering that motivation for Liverpool to win may be lower than usual.

In case Brentford win against Forest, then Hurzeler this week may not be a bad shout either.