FPL: Drop this quintet – including Mbeumo and Rice

Double Game Week 33 In FPL is huge, but also unforgiving if you drag the wrong players into it. With doubles everywhere and every minute counting, this is the week to remove doubts about injuries, poor matchups and players whose upside has already peaked. If you’re chasing rank, the key now is to be ruthless: turn shaky minutes into reliable backups and make sure your squad is set to attack the scrum. Here are five players I’d be happy to sell this week.

Brian Mbeumo (8.5m)

Mbeumo has been a great FPL asset for much of the season but the timing now feels wrong. If you followed the benching call last week, you were probably relieved, and I’d give the same advice again here. Even if he does return to the XI, his form has cooled and there is no double Manchester United tempt you to keep it during the week. At this stage of the season, you want players who can give you 160-180 minutes up through the double, not someone with one lousy game and a possible rotation cloud. Mbeumo is still a good player – just not one I would keep now.

Declan Rice (7.2m)

Rice had a brilliant season for Arsenalbut the FPL numbers over the past six gameweeks simply haven’t been strong enough to justify keeping him through that stretch. An attack rate of 0.04 xG per game doesn’t do much for a midfielder, and his 9.6 DEFCON average falls below the threshold that really makes a difference. That matters in a double game week where you want players who can realistically bounce back in multiple ways. With no brace and just one game against Manchester City, Rice looks like a luxury pick to move on from. There are better places to spend your money if you’re chasing the ceiling.

Anton Stach (4.8 m)

If Stach was your Leeds midfielder of choice, he is brutal but clear: sell. He’s out until Gameweek 35, making him an unnecessary stopper for the team at a time when every spot needs work. You don’t want dead weight standing in your XI during the biggest weeks of the season, especially with better options in Leeds available at the moment. A direct move to another midfielder from the same team makes sense – Ethan Ampadu for DEFCON potential, or Brendan Aaronson if you want the more advanced scoring option. Either way, there’s no reason to waste a slot on an injured player.

Nico O’Reilly (5.0m)

O’Reilly was a very good wildcard shot last week, but the days since have been a bit of a roller coaster. The 14 points were great, then came the suspected hamstring injury and early substitution that made owners sweat. There is still no clear update from Pep so the situation remains confused. The good news is that recent training pictures show him back with the first team, which softens the blow slightly. However, if you can move it for a completely safe starter, it’s not the worst idea. This is the part of the season where you want certainty, not guesswork.

Malik Tiau (5.1m)

Thiaw has some attractive traits – decent DEFCON, a bit of an offensive threat, and enough minutes to matter. But the timing is wrong. Newcastle’s defense was not clean enough to justify keeping the faith in a run that included Bournemouth at home and Arsenal away. This is a difficult pairing for any back line, especially one that struggles to lock down consistent clean sheets. When picking defenders in a doubleheader week, you want upside or reliability – ideally both. Thiaw doesn’t give you enough of either right now. If you can upgrade, now is the time to do it.