Which FPL stars could be rested after international duty?

The final international break of 2023 could have big consequences for Fantasy Premier League managers.

More than 200 Premier League players have been away representing their countries, including many of the most-owned Fantasy picks.

Already we have seen injury flags added to the likes of Erling Haaland (£14.0m), Kaoru Mitoma (£6.6m) and Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) following their respective withdrawals from their national team squads.

See: Premier League club-by-club player injury list

It’s not just fitness, but also fatigue levels that will be important to monitor ahead of Saturday's Gameweek 13 deadline at 11:00 GMT.

Previously this season, we’ve seen popular Fantasy players such as Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m), Darwin Nunez (£7.5m) and Alexander Isak (£7.4m) rested in the first Gameweek back after an international break.

In this article, we take a look at which of the highly-owned Fantasy players have been in action for their nations and how many minutes they’ve accumulated over the last week.

Late returns

Premier League players taking part in matches in North and South America are often the biggest worries for starts and minutes in the following Gameweek.

They are not only last in midweek international action but they also have the longest journeys back to their respective clubs.

Club managers may be wary about starting players who are fatigued after their recent minutes and long-haul flights.

With Manchester City and Liverpool contesting the early Saturday kick-off in Gameweek 13, there’ll be particular concern over Nunez, Julian Alvarez (£7.1m) and Alexis Mac Allister (£5.8m).

Below is a list of top-flight players who were in action either late at night on Tuesday 21 November or in the early hours of Wednesday 22 November (GMT).

Argentina
Location (kick-off time GMT): Brazil (Wednesday, 00:30)
Players (minutes): E. Martinez (90), Mac Allister (90), Romero (90), J. Alvarez (78) Fernandez (70), Lo Celso (70), Montiel (0)

Brazil
Location (kick-off time GMT): Brazil (Wednesday, 00:30)
Players (minutes): Jesus (90), Emerson Royal (90), Alisson (90), Guimaraes (78), Martinelli (78), Gabriel (72), Douglas Luiz (12), Joelinton (9), Joao Pedro (0)

Colombia
Location (kick-off time GMT): Paraguay (Tuesday, 23:00)
Players (minutes): Lerma (90), Diaz (81), Sinisterra (0)

Ecuador
Location (kick-off time GMT): Ecuador (Tuesday, 23:30)
Players (minutes): Caicedo (90)

Jamaica
Location (kick-off time GMT): Canada (Wednesday, 01:30)
Players (minutes): De Cordova-Reid (90), Pinnock (90), Bailey (89)

Mexico
Location (kick-off time GMT): Mexico (Wednesday, 03:30)
Players (minutes): E. Alvarez (120), Jimenez (0)

Uruguay
Location (kick-off time GMT): Uruguay (Tuesday, 23:30)
Players (minutes): Bentancur (86), Pellistri (77), Nunez (73)

Players most at risk of being rested

Joachim Andersen (£5.1m), Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) and Son Heung-min (£9.7m) were the only three players in the above list who completed 180 minutes in total.

Salah warmed up for the trip to Man City by scoring four goals in Egypt’s 6-0 victory over Djibouti last Thursday, while Son found the net on three occasions across his two outings for South Korea.

Ollie Watkins (£8.5m) and Marcus Rashford (£8.6m) were only handed around an hour of gametime by England, meanwhile.

That will come as welcome news to FPL managers who own either of the pair, with a rest gratefully received ahead of a busy December for Premier League players.

See: How to handle fixture congestion and rotation in FPL

Of the 30 most-owned picks in FPL, 10 are currently flagged with injuries.

Three of them, Haaland, Bowen and Andre Onana (£4.8m), were involved in the matchday squads for their countries’ first November international fixture, before withdrawing due to fitness issues.

Total mins played by most-selected players

Fantasy managers are advised to wait until Friday’s press conferences for further updates on the trio, none of whom are thought to be seriously injured.

The most-selected defender, Kieran Trippier (£7.0m), played all 90 minutes of England’s 2-0 win over Malta last Friday but then left the Three Lions’ camp for personal reasons.

A further three players in the above list, Moussa Diaby (£6.8m), Bernd Leno (£4.7m) and Pedro Porro (£5.3m), are fit but didn’t receive call-ups.

For more useful FPL information on the international break, Fantasy Football Scout’s round-up covers all 20 Premier League clubs in detail.

View all the latest FPL tips ahead of Gameweek 13 in Fantasy Premier League