Gameweek 33 was another successful week for my punts as two out of three scored high. My midfielder of choice, Craig Gardener, was questioned by many of the FFS community but when he scored for West Brom he rewarded my faith in him. The defensive midfielder picked up a yellow card which lowered his total to six points but, still, pleasing returns.
My other punt who impressed was Toby Alderweireld. The Belgian turned in a fantastic performance as the Saints beat Hull 2-0, keeping a clean sheet and earning three bonus points in the process. That meant a total of nine points for Alderweireld, and with the Southampton defence performing so well, I expect his ownership to climb in the dying embers of the season. My final punt was Steven Fletcher but Sunderland were blown away by Crystal Palace and the Black Cats’ consolation goal was netted by Connor Wickham; another disappointing return from the Scotland international. Here are Gameweek 33’s Best Punts with ownerships correct as of 15 April.
Scott Dann
Position: Defender
Club: Crystal Palace
Price: 4.9
Ownership: 1.6%
The ever-impressive Crystal Palace welcome West Brom to Selhurst Park this Gameweek and I fancy Scott Dann to score high. The centre-back has become a key member of the side under Alan Pardew and has racked up the points since the turn of the calendar year. However, with ownership as low as 1.6%, he is a steal. It is true that the Eagles are much more impressive going forward than in defence but I think that, despite their troubles, they will keep the Baggies at bay on Saturday. Tony Pulis has improved his side, although they are still in a relegation dog fight and their poor goalscoring form away from home doesn’t help. Their last three trips on the road have produced a single goal and that is why I think they won’t trouble Pardew’s men this week.
Dann also offers an aerial threat from set pieces. He has two goals and three assists to his name since Boxing Day, impressive statistics for a centre back. Dann has attacked an incredible 18 set pieces this season and is the target man from corners and free kicks. The centre-back has also won over 62% of his aerial duals this season, which highlights his effectiveness in the air. With rapid, tricky wingers in Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha, Palace earn a lot of free kicks and that means plenty chances for Dann to capitalise on. With this incredible threat and likelihood of a clean sheet, Dann is a fantastic option this Gameweek.
Marko Arnautovic
Position: Midfielder
Club: Stoke City
Price: 6.2
Ownership: 0.6%
This is the second time in three Gameweeks that I have chosen the Austrian winger but since he didn’t start against Chelsea I feel he has more to offer. He netted against West Ham last week and picked up three bonus points and I think he will carry this form into this Gameweek’s clash with Southampton. As I have written in previous articles, Arnautovic is lightning quick and capable of the extraordinary on a football pitch. He can fashion a chance out of nothing and is capable of scoring outrageous goals. There is a risk that he won’t start but I think that Mark Hughes would be a fool not to play him when he is enjoying such a rich vein of form.
Southampton boast the best defence in the league with 15 clean sheets this season and it will be hard for Hughes’ men to break them down. However, looking into the stats you can see that the Saints haven’t kept a clean sheet on the travels in their last three fixtures. The Britannia is a hard stadium for teams to take points from, and although scoring against the Saints may seem a daunting task, I think Stoke will take three points from this game. Even Southampton’s defence will struggle with Arnautovic’s directness and rocket shots; that is why I’ve picked him again this Gameweek.
Ayoze Pérez
Position: Forward
Club: Newcastle
Price: 4.3
Ownership: 1.2%
My final punt this week is Ayoze Pérez. I have had my eyes on the Spaniard for a few Gameweeks now as he has impressed me but I have been waiting for the right fixture. On Sunday Newcastle face a leaky Tottenham side and will be expecting to keep all three points at St. James’ Park. Spurs have only kept two clean sheets this calendar year and that has been a theme all season. If Pochettino’s men fail to obtain a place in Europe fingers will be pointed at a back-four that has been consistently porous. The Magpies should be able to capitalise on this. Pérez is the main man up front and it will be up to him to tuck away the chances.
I am confident that he will do just that. Pérez has five goals to his name already this season I think that figure will rise this weekend. The striker has been a thorn in the side of opponents recently, without much end product, but I think that his luck will change this week. Pérez has had 47 shots this season, of which nearly 50% have been on target. This shows that he is a sharp-shooter and doesn’t waste his opportunities, making the goalkeeper work. It is not just his shooting that appeals, the Spaniard is a workhorse all over the pitch. He has put in 44 crosses this season, creating 24 goalscoring chances for his teammates, as well as attempting over 110 dribbles (only Sergio Aguero has attempted more of all the strikers). This means that his owners can pick up points from assists as well as goals! Pérez is a livewire and I think Spurs are in for a shock this Gameweek.
Last Gameweek’s Top Scoring Punts*
DEF- Toby Alderweireld, 4.8, 2.6%, 9 pts (his ownership has risen since last Gameweek when it was under 2.5%)
MID- Ashley Young, 4.9, 1.3%, 14 pts (Yannick Bolasie may have had an ownership of under 2.5% but I’m not sure)
FWD- Glen Murray, 5.2, 2.3%, 14 pts
*These are not my selected punts but the players with under 2.5% ownership who scored the highest in the Fantasy Premier League game.
9 years, 12 days ago
Scott Dann my pick of these trio. You are on such a roll at the moment hard to ignore any of your picks though. 🙂