With the midweek fixtures out of the way, I’ve made some updates to the player rankings to bring you my player tips for the next five games. Brace yourself for some gibberish.
First off, looking at the forthcoming fixtures there’s s few things that stand out. Sides like Villa, Reading, Birmingham and Fulham have very decent games approaching, which seem to present an ideal opportunity for fantasy managers to gamble on some mid-price options in order to make up some mini-league ground.
Reading’s next four include three at home and prior to the Liverpool game they showed some promise with two wins with clean sheets. Shorey is one I really fancy to come good in the next few weeks then. He’s already contributed 9 assists this season and should add to that tally with Birmingham, Blackburn, Newcastle and Fulham to come next. Elsewhere amongst Coppell’s men it’s Hunt and maybe Kitson that are worth a punt. The latter has lost his place recently but I can see him starting for Long at the weekend after his tantrum at Anfield.
Shorey and Hunt both climb in the rankings then, as does Young at Villa. A midfielder in some games, a striker in others, he’s a good option with Villa’s fixtures looking kind. They have the United game of course, but aside from that, it’s looking rosy for Young presenting him with plenty of chances to add to his huge haul of assists in the coming weeks. There will inevitably be FPL bonus to show for Villa wins too. Elsewhere at Villa Park Barry, Carew, Agbonlahor and Laursen are all also worth a look.
When it comes to Fulham it’s all about Bullard. He continues to hold firm high in my midfielder rankings. Also consider Davies though if you’re looking for a lower price option here. McBride offers value up front although Fulham have 3 away from home in the next 4 so are perhaps a less attractive option than Reading. That shouldn’t stop Bullard’s influence and returns however.
As for Birmingham, McFadden has flourished in recent weeks and his fixtures should prolong that over the next five. He maintains a good ranking then, while Larsson also figures with fears over his injury alleyed earlier today. He should be fit for the trip to Reading.
Outside of these mid-price options there’s little movement amongst the big guns. When it comes to keepers, Van der Sar climbs to the top with a return reportedly likely against Liverpool. Cech remains out of the rankings right now but does seem set for a return against Arsenal. I’m holding fire on that for now though. Hahnemann climbs slightly and Howard drops a little with fixtures against Liverpool and Chelsea to come.
In defence Vidic is swapped in for Ferdinand, although Terry keeps the top spot. Lescott drops slightly with fixtures as does Carragher. Scharner and Shorey present the mid-price option with Gallas dropping slightly with tough games against Chelsea, Liverpool and United to come. Wheater drops, he looks good short-term with Derby this weekend but has a hellish run after that and has 8 bookings to his name. Wigan’s Taylor is a new entry, although he could drop out should Kilbane get the nod in Wigan’s lineup with Koumas suspended for the next three.
Ronaldo tops the midfield as usual with Gerrard, Lampard and Cole holding firm behind him. Bullard climbs above Fabregas just behind. Bentley drops with tough fixtures ahead. Cahill is an injury doubt so he drops a little. Jenas holds firm with some decent fixtures, as does Hunt. Ballack drops with uncertainty over his starting role. Barry climbs with good fixtures. Huddlestone is a new entry on the back of decent form and with good fixtures to come. Petrov comes back in after serving a three-match ban.
Up front Berbatov keeps just ahead of Torres with his strong fixtures to come. Young is a big climber with Yakubu and Adebayor holding their positions. Defoe drops a little after being forced out of the Spurs game this weekend through Premier League rulings on his transfer. Anelka and Drogba are kept low by the uncertainty of selection. Kitson is a new entry for Long.
That’s just about it for a summary of the ranking updates. The weekly Scout Picks will be up tomorrow evening as per usual.