Our midweek “Weekly Shop” article arrives once again this afternoon, as we cast an eye over those players currently under consideration for our squads across weekly and daily Fantasy Football games.
This early scouting article is divided into two sections. The “Better Buys” will look at the key players for the week ahead, generally assessing those in-form assets who are braced for a promising fixture. The “Poundstretchers”, on the other hand, are the Gameweek prospects that should offer excellent value – often one-week punts, whose lower price tags enable funds to be spent on the big-hitters elsewhere in our lineups.
In today’s article, we assess what’s on offer in this week’s two featured games FantasyBet, and PremierPunt…
Better Buys
Following four clean sheets in five between Gameweek 2-6, West Brom’s backline have since conceded five in their last two, with injuries contributing to a downturn in resilience. A home fixture against a Sunderland side that have scored only twice in their last four is an opportunity to recover the defensive solidity Tony Pulis’ teams typically display, with Boaz Myhill – at 4.5m in FantasyBet and 7.3m in Premier Punt – looking a strong option between the posts. After making six saves in his last outing against Crystal Palace, the keeper could be busy again against a Black Cat team that may be re-invigorated with the arrival of Sam Allardyce.
Chelsea’s defensive frailties have been well documented, with a single shut-out and 17 goals conceded over the first eight matches very unusual for a Jose Mourinho side. Weekend visitors Villa however offer the chance for the Blues to rediscover some coherency in defence, though – Tim Sherwood’s side have failed to score in two of their last three matches and have only notched eight goals in total this term. Chelsea look set to be without Branislav Ivanovic, who has been an uncharacteristic liability this term, whereas Cesar Azpilicueta (FantasyBet 6m, Premier Punt 9.2m) has been their most consistent performer and has started every match so far.
Alexis Sanchez’ (FantasyBet 11m, classed as a forward in Premier Punt at 15.4m) statistics over the initial six Gameweeks indicated that goals were imminent and our patience was rewarded, with five strikes over the last two matches re-affirming the Arsenal attacker as a top Fantasy pick. The Gunners do have a crucial midweek Champions League tie with Bayern to follow their trip to Watford but the Chilean’s stunning form is too integral for Arsene Wenger to rest this weekend, having produced nine goals and two assists in the last five appearances for club and country.
After serving up four goals and five assists since Gameweek 4, Graziano Pelle (FantasyBet 8m, Premier Punt 12.2m) has shot to the top of the forwards leaderboard. The Southampton frontman – who also scored in the midweek international for Italy against Norway – will be a popular pick this week, given that he’s up against a Leicester side that have conceded 15 goals so far (the fourth worst record in the league) and have yet to earn a clean sheet.
Poundstretchers
Steve McClaren’s problems at Newcastle were compounded with the news that Tim Krul will be out for the season after sustaining a knee injury on duty for Holland. Robert Elliot (FantasyBet 4m, Premier Punt 6.4m) is set to fill in over a kind run of fixtures that begins with the visit of Norwich. The six goals conceded at Manchester City could potentially be the wake-up call the Magpies need to lift themselves off the bottom of the table, whilst Elliot could rack up save points if the Magpies backline fails to keep the Canaries at bay.
Arsenal have collected a clean sheet in all four occasions that Gabriel (FantasyBet 5m, Premier Punt 7.1m) has played the full 90 minutes in the league this season, highlighting the Brazilian’s steadying influence in central defence. With Laurent Koscielny unlikely to be available for the clash at Watford, the cut-price Gabriel looks less prone to rotation than the Gunners full-backs ahead of the Bayern encounter and the visitors will be optimistic of another shut-out, considering that the Hornets have scored just once at Vicarage Road so far.
Our next pick is a little more expensive than our usual Poundstretcher options, though Sergio Aguero’s absence for City should leave enough in the bank for most Fantasy managers to splash the cash. With that in mind, we’re backing Palace’s Yohan Cabaye (6.5m in FantasyBet and 8m in PremierPunt), who has been directly involved in his side’s last three goals, scoring two and providing the assist for the other, resulting in back-to-back wins for Alan Pardew’s side. The Frenchman also scored over the international break and looks in fine form ahead of the upcoming visit from London neighbours West Ham.
Saido Berahino (FantasyBet 6.5m, Premier Punt 9.7m) had a difficult few weeks at West Brom after pushing for a move over the summer. After returning to the Baggies first XI, the frontman scored in successive matches prior to the 2-0 defeat at Selhurst Park last time out, where he was withdrawn at half-time. Tony Pulis criticised the forward’s performance against Palace, meaning it’s a risky pick, but up against Sunderland’s porous backline, the youngster should still be considered as a budget option.
These are the players on my radar ahead of this weekend’s weekly contests. On Friday, I’ll be back with a further look at both this week’s partner games – FantasyBet and PremierPunt, as I continue my quest for profit in the 2015/16 campaign.
