PlayON Player Picks – Gameweek 30

After a brief hiatus last week, we roll out our player picks for PlayON, the weekly Fantasy Football game, once again this Friday lunchtime. We’re on the lookout for potential bargains in our assessment of this week’s PlayON Price List, with some eye-catching value on offer from the blue half of Merseyside:

If you’re new to PlayON, it is weekly Fantasy Football so you can dip in and out of playing throughout the season. Once your starting XI is built you can compete for cash.

Similarly, you can challenge other players to one-on-one games, selecting the amount at stake. The likes of Robbie Fowler, Les Ferdinand and OptaJoe are all playing the game and are there to be challenged for free or for £1. The Fantasy Football Scout team is also available to be challenged and has a 51% win rate up to this point. You can also create an open challenge against anyone else on the site – just click the amount you want to play for and the number of slots (number of people who can accept your challenge) on the one-on-one page .

For a more in-depth introduction to PlayON, take a look at this season’s introduction article.

Goalkeeper – Tim Howard
The Everton keeper is available for a cut-price 7.9m this weekend ahead of a home showdown with Cardiff. Roberto Martinez’ side have conceded just one goal in their last three games at Goodison Park, and with the Bluebirds failing to score in each of their previous trio of road trips, the hosts will be confident of delivering an eleventh clean sheet of the season. Swansea’s Michel Vorm is also on our budget radar this weekend. Setting you back a mere 7.4m, the Dutchman has been beaten just once in his last five home appearances and he’ll be confident of keeping the Baggies at bay, given that Pepe Mel’s men have failed to score more than once in each of their last five fixtures. If you’re willing to pay a little more, Southampton’s Artur Boruc is available for 8.5m ahead of a home clash with Norwich.

Defender – Dejan Lovren
Having recovered from illness earlier in the week, the Southampton centre-half sets you back a mere 7.7m in this week’s PlayON player price list. Lovren offers the prospect of points at both ends of the pitch against Norwich tomorrow – he’s already notched twice this term and will be optimistic of keeping a clean sheet, given that the Canaries have scored only three times in their previous six away matches. Sunderland’s Phil Bardsley has also scored twice this term and, priced at 8.3m, welcomes Crystal Palace to the Stadium of Light, with Tony Pulis’ charges scoring just once in their last four on the road. Further up the budget bracket, Leighton Baines is difficult to ignore for Everton’s home clash with Cardiff. A price of 8.7m shouldn’t be any deterrent for the Toffees left-back, whose raids down the left are sure to pose the visitors plenty of problems.

Midfielder – David Silva
Manchester City return to league action this weekend after their previous couple of league matches were postponed due to cup commitments. Manuel Pellegrini’s side now find themselves nine points behind Chelsea but with three games in hand – a trip to Hull on Saturday lunchtime won’t be easy, but if City are to prevail and keep their title bid on track, Silva, at 8.8m, is likely to be instrumental. Fulham’s Pajtim Kasami is currently a doubt after being forced off against Cardiff last weekend but, having been re-installed to the starting line-up under Felix Magath, the 7.1m-priced wide man has already found the net this term and is set to welcome Newcastle to Craven Cottage tomorrow. Everton’s Ross Barkley is also worth considering – at just 7.5m, his penchant for a long shot is favoured by the PlayON scoring matrix.

Forward – Romelu Lukaku
Since recovering from an ankle injury, the big Belgian has scored in each of his two appearances across all competitions for Everton. Coming in at a cut-price 9.6m, Lukaku’s power and pace could well prove the undoing of Cardiff’s porous backline tomorrow afternoon as Roberto Martinez’ men look to bounce back from last week’s disappointing FA Cup exit at Arsenal. With Sergio Aguero more than doubtful to feature in City’s trip to Hull, Edin Dzeko is likely to lead the line and can be picked up for a reasonable 10.6m for the KC Stadium encounter. Sunderland’s Fabio Borini, at 10.7m, could be one to consider at home to Crystal Palace. The Italian has netted twice in his last four league starts and, shifted to the lone forward role against City in the Capital One Cup final, opened the scoring in the Black Cats’ 3-1 defeat.

The Fantasy Football Scout Game

We have a £2 multiplayer game, dedicated to our community, which is now open and the prize pot is building.

Challenge Your Mates

You can also set up your own multiplayer games with your mates to play for bragging rights only or for cash. Create your own game at www.playon.co.uk.

Finally, a reminder that we have published a strategy guide, offering some tips for getting the most from your PlayON lineup, right here.

You have to be over 18 to enter cash games at PlayON. If you do wager some cash, please remember to gamble responsibly. PlayON is licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission.