This season has continued similarly to how it begun. Many of the performers from the previous two weeks performed yet again in Gameweek 3. Bargain picks like Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez fired again and both the Manchester clubs kept a third consecutive clean sheet. Swansea’s Bafetimbi Gomis, one of the most popular transfers-in from last week was on the scoresheet for the third time this season. Finally the Fantasy Football Scout community’s favourite Alexsander Kolarov also found the net, picked up a clean sheet and bonus points too.
It has once again been tough picking players to feature in this article. Partly because there aren’t really any new names that have sprung into Fantasy manager’s plans; a lot of the performers from this week were very much already on the radar as a result of previous performances. Nevertheless, I have compiled a bunch of the most popular picks from this week, giving my views on how well I think they will perform going forward, and whether I would recommend picking them up. All prices correct as of August 25.
Callum Wilson (5.5)
There is no surprise that the Bournemouth striker is featured this week. After being a popular pick all pre-season, due to his friendly price tag and promising form in the Championship, Wilson failed to produce in the first two weeks. A trip to West Ham looked to be another tough encounter, with the Hammers putting in some strong performances to date. The side Bournemouth faced looked far different to the West Ham who had impressed in previous games, allowing Bournemouth, and Wilson, to score their first goals of the campaign.
Wilson finished the game with a hat-trick, one of which was a spot kick, adding to his appeal. When Yann Kermorgant is off the pitch, Wilson is on penalty duties. His trio of goals saw him rise to the top of the forward rankings, on 21 points. This quickly grabbed the attention of many managers, seeing his price rise back up to 5.5 not long after he fell to 5.4. Further price rises can be expected if he gets on the scoresheet again this weekend.
Bournemouth face Leicester, Norwich, Sunderland, Stoke and Watford in their next five games, a set of fixtures that looks too good to ignore. Wilson’s new-found form may have come just at the right time, especially with it looking increasingly likely that Diafra Sakho could miss out due to a groin injury. With the Senegalese forward failing to score so far this season and West Ham facing Liverpool, many managers were already looking to ship him out.
Verdict: Wilson looks a great buy, especially ahead of the fantastic fixtures. Bournemouth look like a side who will score a fair few, but also concede a lot. They were strong against other Championship sides last season, so should be able to beat the weaker teams in the league. However, it is questionable whether Wilson will continue to get returns against the stronger sides. For now, he is a fantastic option as a third striker, especially for those who managed to pick him up for 5.4. If you have no other pressing issues, I would try to get him in, especially for the likes of Sakho. It’s debatable whether he is worth a hit or not. I wouldn’t say so, considering his price; he isn’t exactly hard to fit in.
Pedro (9.5)
With Chelsea looking far from the team they were last season in their opening fixtures, new signing Pedro looked a good bet to improve their form. He made an instant impact, scoring their first goal of the game against West Brom, as well as assisting the second. However, not everyone was convinced by the Spaniard, with a recent Hot Topic sparking debate over his potential to rival Eden Hazard points wise.
At Barcelona, Pedro averaged a goal every 210 minutes, which is quite impressive considering some of the players around him, such as Lionel Messi, are more prolific. This could be turned on its head however; by saying he was getting superior service at Barca, with Andres Iniesta, Messi and Xavi just a few of the world-class players that were supplying him. Looking at his recent games, though, his goal for Chelsea was only his second in his last 10 appearances for club and country, with no assists to his name in any of those games either.
With Palace at home, and Everton away the next two fixtures, Pedro looks likely to bring in some more points. However, with Hazard’s mammoth ownership and penalties to his name, it is debatable whether or not Pedro can match Hazard’s output. The Belgian looked off the pace in the first two games, but against West Brom he looked once again like the Hazard we all know and love.
Verdict: After only playing one game for the Blues, it would be unfair to come to a premature conclusion right now. We have to give Pedro time to settle at the club and prove his worth. His price tag is certainly on the range of premium, and at that price I’d be more tempted by the likes of David Silva. Some may want to jump on the Pedro wagon sooner rather than later, but I think this is one to avoid for now, until we know more. If Hazard is fit and firing with his high ownership he is about as essential as a player can get.
Kolarov (5.6)
Kolarov can’t exactly be called a bandwagon, as he has been a popular pick on here for many seasons prior to this one. He was popular after the first couple of weeks, registering two clean sheets, and four bonus points. Picked up by many on a Wildcard coming into this week, favoured to the more expensive Vincent Kompany, Sir Alek was on the score sheet for the first time this season. His goal and clean sheet saw him register a total of 15 points for the game against Everton, which saw him jump to the top of the defender rankings, on a par with Vincent Kompany.
The one issue with owning Kolarov is the fact that Gael Clichy is always looming to take his left-back spot. There is no doubt they will be rotated, with boss Manuel Pellegrini saying nobody in the team is safe from rotation confirming that further. Many are willing to take the risk though, given his fantastic run of fixtures. City face Watford, Palace, West Ham, Spurs, Newcastle and Bournemouth in their next six games; fixtures which should see Kolarov continue to register clean sheets, bonus and even the odd attacking return. With some set plays to his name too, Kolarov is justifiably one of the most popular picks right now.
His price looks set to rise to 5.8 this week, with those who didn’t play their Wildcard rushing to pick him up ahead of the home encounter against Watford. Bacary Sagna looks an option too, priced at a mere 5.0. With Zabaleta ruled out for around a month, Sanga looks nailed on for the next few games at least. His strong performances could see him keep Pablo Zabaleta out of the team for longer than expected, with the whole of City’s defence looking solid. Nobody is 100% safe from the City defence; hence most have gone for Kolarov, the exciting pick.
Verdict: Kolarov looks the best pick of the City defenders, due to his excellent attacking potential, set piece duties and his tendency to return bonus points. Their fixtures are too good to ignore, with almost everyone loading up on three City players; a defender looks essential judging by their previous performances. If there has ever been a time to own Kolarov, it is now. We all know the risk that comes with it, but that’s just part of the fun.
8 years, 6 months ago
I have none of these players - getting worried now. 🙂