Update, Saturday 7 November
Mikel Arteta dismissed the concern over Declan Rice on Friday evening and laughed off the criticism around it, hours before Arsenal's home game against Hull City on Saturday. The piece was waiting for exactly this kind of word from the manager, and it points the same way as the numbers.
Nothing else has moved. FPL still lists Rice as available with a 100% chance of playing, and he stays on 5.1 expected points with a 93% chance of appearing. No midfielder in his price range scores higher this week. Hold him and start him.
Arteta also gave more detail on Bukayo Saka's injury. FPL still lists Saka with a thigh injury, no return date and a 0% chance of playing. The 5.7% who own him should bench him for Hull. Rice's owners don't need to do anything.
A worry with no detail
On the eve of Gameweek 10, the 13.5% of managers who own Declan Rice have a headline to deal with, and not much else.
A worry about Rice came out on Friday as England named their squad. That's all we know. Nobody has said what the problem is or how serious it might be, or whether it affects Saturday's home game against Hull City, and Mikel Arteta hasn't said anything to give it weight. It's a worry, nothing more.
The numbers haven't moved
FPL still lists Rice as available with a 100% chance of playing, and there's no news note on his profile. Our numbers give him a 93% chance of appearing against Hull, 5.1 expected points and an 18% chance of scoring.
That 93% is the important figure. It's exactly what the market gives the fully fit midfielders around his price, so it isn't building any extra risk into Rice's minutes. If the odds thought something was wrong, it would show there first.
Selling leaves you worse off
Look at what the money buys. Bryan Mbeumo is the obvious alternative: £7.9m, 19.8% owned, a 33% chance of scoring against Aston Villa on Sunday, and 5.0 expected points. That's more goal threat than Rice, but it costs another £0.5m and comes out slightly lower on points this week.
Matheus Cunha (£7.8m) in the same fixture and Florian Wirtz (£7.2m) away at Crystal Palace both come to 4.5. Using a transfer on an unexplained headline, only to end up with a lower score, is hard to justify.
Hold and start him
Keep Rice in your starting XI. He has the best expected points of anyone in this price range for Gameweek 10, at home to Hull. Only something concrete from Arteta or the club should change your mind, not one vague headline. Check our injuries page before the deadline in case that changes. If you were already thinking about Mbeumo for the longer run, that's a separate decision. Don't let this news push you into it.
Sources: AOL.co.uk, London Evening Standard, Yahoo Sports