Another Gameweek brings another set of punts, but before I begin, here’s a reminder of how I faired last Gameweek. Daryl Janmaat was my defender for the week, and a lot of the community believed he would deliver. Indeed, he did. A goal and two bonus points brought 9 points in total, with two conceded goals stopping him from reaching double figures. Mauro Zarate’s role in a new dynamic West Ham side meant that he became my striker of choice. He produced, albeit just four points. Again, my midfielder was disappointing! Will Buckley wasn’t handed another start after impressing against Manchester United. Further bad luck has befallen my midfield picks this week after my first choice, Newcastle’s Rolando Aarons, succumbed to injury. I have, however, managed to draft in another good midfield choice for you. All ownership figures mentioned were correct as of 10th September.
Joel Ward
Team: Crystal Palace
Position: Defender
FPL Price: 4.9
Ownership: 4.3%
Delving into the Crystal Palace defence is risky with Tony Pulis gone. Neil Warnock has arrived but may be more focused on offence following his opening 3-3 draw with Newcastle. However, this Gameweek presents a home encounter with newly promoted Burnley, a team that have only scored one goal in their opening three games.
After looking at the fixtures and picking the Crystal Palace defence, I was torn between Joel Ward and Martin Kelly. I went for Ward because of his slightly favourable attacking prospects. Ward has had nearly twice as many touches in the penalty box as the former Liverpool man, and although there is little between them in terms of dribbling, both have attempted eight, but Ward has completed one more.
Seasoned Fantasy managers will be aware of Ward’s attacking prowess last season after watching him impress under Pulis. Despite only delivering three assists last term I fancy him to have greater attacking threat this season from what I have seen so far. Despite not having any shots this season, he has pushed high up the field and has a say on set pieces. Joel Ward is definitely a risky punt but a possible clean sheet, and indeed attacking returns, mean he is as good as any.
Riyad Mahrez
Team: Leicester
Position: Midfielder
FPL Price: 5m
Ownership: 0.3%
Mahrez was impressive in Leicester’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal and he will be hoping to press on at the Britannia this weekend. Stoke are not the defensive side they were two years ago and a more attacking outlook means gaps start to open at the back. With Mahrez’s vision and pace he will be pivotal in splitting the Stoke defence in half.
Mahrez’s stats speak for themselves. The Algerian has completed seven of his 13 dribbles, an outstanding completion rate. His passing is neat and crisp, with an average of 80% passing accuracy. The winger is a consistent output in the Leicester attack, and when he beats his full back he rarely fails to attempt to set up a forward. Mahrez’s appeal increases further with his set play potential. He is on corners for Leicester and with the physical powerhouse that is Leonardo Ulloa in the box there is a high likeliness of assists. An ever improving Leicester side will fancy their chances of registering their first win of the season this week and Riyad Mahrez will be key if they are to do so.
Graziano Pelle
Team: Southampton
Position: Forward
FPL Price: 7.5
Ownership: 2.2%
What a nightmare this was to choose! This season is the year of the budget striker, and with so many up and coming FPL prospects, I had quite the headache when choosing this one. Before I begin on Pelle, who I eventually settled on, I must mention the other options briefly. Leonardo Ulloa was runner up this week although I may regret not picking him as he certainly seems to have all the credentials to take the Premier League by storm. Mame Biram Diouf was another, but I haven’t seen quite enough to get excited over him yet. The final two were Dwight Gayle and Saido Berahino. The former seems to be in a rich vein of form, but since I had already chosen Ward I passed on him, whereas the latter faces an unstable Everton defence.
New Southampton giant Graziano Pelle may just be getting up to speed this season after netting more than 50 goals under Koeman in the last two seasons in the Dutch league. This week he and the Southampton side welcome an unpredictable Newcastle to St Mary’s. This game looks set to be full of goals. Newcastle’s defensive problems were plain to see in their 3-3 draw against Crystal Palace a fortnight ago, however there seemed to be some stability against Aston Villa. This week could be another defensive catastrophe for the Magpies with a physical Southampton side, tinted with some continental flair and young English talent. Of all of the teams my shortlist of strikers are facing, Newcastle were the least likely to keep a clean sheet according to the bookies, which is the stat that sold me on Pelle.
So what has been so impressive about the Southampton man? He has had 20 touches in the penalty box per game, only big hitters Emmanuel Adebayor and Diego Costa have higher numbers. Pelle is certainly an old fashioned striker; he has only one thought when he plays – goals! Only one has come so far, despite having eight attempts on goal this season. Pelle’s key attribute is his aerial threat. He is a danger from both set pieces and open play. At 6ft 4 inches he is the target man and the main threat in the Southampton side. I reckon the Italian Stallion could gallop away from this weekend’s fixtures with a good points haul to his name.
