Welcome to our latest visit to the Weekly Shop, where we will help guide your selections for daily and weekly Fantasy Football squad building, scanning FanDuel’s player list with all ten Gameweek 10 fixtures in mind.
A couple of those encounters provide us with a host of options in our shortlist this week.
The match at Old Trafford offers prospects from both sides. Jose Mourinho will be expecting a strong response after the chastening defeat at Chelsea, so we’re already considering a pair of Manchester United midfield assets.
Mourinho’s men have won only once in six league matches, but recent 4-1 victories over Leicester City and Fenerbache at Old Trafford suggest they’re worth the investment.
United welcome a Burnley side that have struggled away from Turf Moor but will have hope of a result on the back of the 2-1 win over Everton.
Though the Clarets have conceded three goals in each of their away performances this campaign, only goalkeepers benefit from clean sheet points in FanDuel, making their defenders ideal recruits for our line-ups.
West Ham United’s visit to Everton should be a compelling clash and also throws up options from both teams.
The Hammers’ stock is on the up after a second straight 1-0 win, having seen off Sunderland at the Olympic Stadium. We’re expecting another stubborn defensive display at Goodison Park, against a Toffees side that will be keen for a victory after a four-match winless run.
Ronald Koeman’s men may have floundered somewhat, but they have attacking assets that have looked threatening despite a dip in results.
Better Buys
We start the review of our targets by scanning the top bracket options – those players who demand hefty fees but have the fixtures and form to justify the outlay.
We will be looking to build our FanDuel squads around these assets, relying on them to drive our weekend points tallies.
In goal, back-to-back clean sheets has put Watford’s Huerelho Gomes (£7.4m) on our radar for the visit of Hull City.
The Brazilian has made eight saves in his last two matches, scoring 20 FanDuel points at Middlesborough followed by 26.5 points at the Liberty Stadium last time out.
Watford host a Hull City side that have scored only once in their last three outings. The Tiger’s have made just 81 attempts in nine matches: Middlesbrough are the only side that have managed less (77).
Our other stand-out keeper pick this week is Tottenham Hotspur’s Hugo Loris (£6.7m).
The French shot-stopper has conceded only twice in six outings, picking up four clean sheets in that run. His opponents Leicester City have been underwhelming on the road, losing all four of their matches and failing to score at Stamford Bridge in their last away trip.
When selecting defenders, we elect to focus on players that are likely to be under sustained pressure from attacking teams. Clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI’s) as well as tackles are all rewarded in FanDuel, and it’s the defenders up against frequent attacks that tend to gather these in high volume.
That puts Burnley’s Michael Keane (£7.4m) firmly in our thoughts: his trip to Old Trafford should require him to put in another tireless defensive shift.
The centre-back is now second overall in the league for CBI’s recorded (121), behind Hull’s Curtis Davies (137). Keane’s seven goal attempts also puts him in the top ten defenders for efforts on goal and all of those efforts have arrived in the last four Gameweeks.
Another defender who has displayed an attacking threat of late, while also registering substantial contributions at the back, is West Ham United’s Winston Reid (£7.7).
The Hammer’s stopper has a goal and assist in his last three appearances, helping increase his FanDuel points average to 22.72 points per match.
Tasked with keeping Romelu Lukaku quiet at Goodison Park, the centre-back looks up to the challenge; his 61 CBI’s are second only to the aforementioned Keane (64) over the last four Gameweeks.
Arsenal’s visit to Sunderland should see Patrick van Aanholt (£7.9m) continue to pick up tackle points; the Dutchman has made 11 in four home ties so far.
The much-maligned left-back has also scored twice at the Stadium of Light from eight shots on target, so offers the chance to pick up points at both ends of the pitch.
We will have our eyes on the teamsheet for Crystal Palace’s clash with Liverpool, which could see Scott Dann (£8.9m) make a return. The Eagle’s centre-back has the best average of defenders in FanDuel, picking up 25.6 points over five matches before being sidelined.
Leicester City’s defenders could also be worth investment ahead of their trip to White Hart Lane.
Christian Fuchs (£9.8m) scored 46 points against Palace, a decent score even when his goal is taken out of consideration. The full-back’s 20 tackles this season puts him among the top three defenders for that metric.
Wes Morgan’s (£7.3m) lower price tag also puts him in the frame for the trip to Spurs; the centre-back has picked up the most CBI’s (75) of the Champion’s back-line.
In midfield, Phillipe Coutinho (£13.3m) is a currently a hot property across all the Fantasy games: his winner against West Bromwich Albion was a fourth goal of the season, and he’s also claimed the same number of assists.
Ahead of the trip to Selhurst Park, the Brazilian is the top midfielder for goal attempts with 37 over nine matches. Twelve of those have been on target; only Swansea City’s Gylfi Sigurdsson has hit more on target efforts.
It’s worth considering that FanDuel’s scoring system can also favour more defensive minded midfielders.
With that in mind, Leicester City’s Danny Drinkwater (£8.4m) has emerged as a potentially profitable pick in the mid-price bracket.
A 22 point FanDuel average over his last four outings makes Drinkwater appear a steady option. Only Everton’s Idrisa Gueye (£8.6m), with 35 tackles this term, has recorded more than the Foxes asset’s 26.
Drinkwater made seven tackles in his last away match against Manchester United. A respectable 16 goal attempts so far this season also shows promise as the Champion’s travel to Spurs.
Our next selection, United’s Paul Pogba (£11.3m) makes the list as a player who appears to revel in home comforts.
The Frenchman has accrued much stronger FanDuel scores at Old Trafford, averaging 28.6 points there compared to just 13.4 points per match on the road.
A brace against Fenerbahce in the UEFA Champion’s League followed a strike against Leicester City in recent run-outs in front of his own fans. Pogba’s 10 chances created and 13 goal attempts in four league matches at home is encouraging ahead of the encounter with Burnley.
Stoke City’s Joe Allen, available for £8.6m, looks good value against his former club Swansea. The midfielder’s all round abilities, recently adding goals to his creativity and combativeness, has seen him rise to third in the FanDuel midfielder table with 28.53 points scored on average.
Everton may not have been securing results of late but Romelu Lukaku (10.4m) has maintained a steady stream of points. Six goals and a pair of assists in six outings have placed him first among the FanDuel forwards leaderboard with 31.19 points per match.
The Belgian is the top forward for chances created with 17 and only Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic (15) has struck more than his 14 shots on target this term.
Despite the stalemate with Middlesborough, Arsenal’s previous six consecutive wins mean Theo Walcott (£10.6m) and Alexis Sanchez (£13.9m) both remain tempting options for the trip to the Riverside.
Opponents Sunderland have conceded 91 shots in the box (only Hull City and Burnley have conceded more) which indicates that the Gunners should be treated to opportunities to boost their goal tally.
Poundstretchers
Stoke City’s Lee Grant (£5.7) has successive clean sheets, making the veteran Potter our go-to keeper for those planning to save funds between the sticks.
Swansea visit the bet365 Stadium having failed to score against Watford at the Liberty last time out.
It’s also worth considering Liverpool’s Loris Karius who is available for £5.6m. A visit to Crystal Palace should see the German shot-stopper return points from saves at the very least.
Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso (£5.8m) remains at a bargain price despite four straight starts and an assist against United last time out. The wing-back has a healthy 20.69 FanDuel points average over those four outings, providing an enticing value option.
West Ham United’s Aaron Cresswell (£6.2m) is set to make just his second appearance of the season as he returns from a ban against Everton. The full-back displayed his willingness to get forward at Crystal Palace before picking up a red card, creating two chances and serving up the assist for the Hammers winner.
The Swansea City starting line-up is likely to be unsettled while Bob Bradley figures out his first preferred options. Kyle Naughton (£7.6m) accrued 31.75 points last time out including two chances created and 10 CBI’s. The full-back has started every match this campaign, which makes him look a reliable pick for the visit to Stoke.
Alfie Mawson (£6.3m) and Stephen Kingsley (£5.8m) both made the first XI against Watford and provide cheaper though riskier alternatives to Naughton; neither are likely to score a lot but can function as cheap enablers in our teams.
Liverpool defender Joel Matip (£6.1m) has seven appearances but remains at a short price. A 28.5 point haul at West Brom was mainly down to his 11 clearances and 5 tackles; another aerial bombardment is likely to be incoming at Selhurst Park.
Everton’s Yannick Bolasie (£6.9m) notched his first goal of the campaign to add to the three assists he’s served up so far from 14 chances created, the winger appears to be building a promising understanding with Romelu Lukaku.
If you’re not convinced by Pogba but are looking for a cheap route into the United attack, then Jesse Lingard’s (£5.9m) three starts in four makes the winger a potentially good value option against a Burnley side that have been porous away.
Since returning to the Spurs fold, Mousa Dembele (£7.1) has made nine tackles over the last two. The Belgian should be busy again breaking up play against Leicester City – he scored a respectable 22 points at Bournemouth in his last outing,
After being sidelined for the draw with Spurs, Junior Stanislas (£6.9m) may return for the trip to Middlesborough. The midfielder netted three goals and produced as many assists in a trio of impressive performances before his lay-off.
Southampton’s Charlie Austin may be facing Chelsea, but with a kind price tag of just £6.1m, the frontman remains firmly in our thoughts. The ex-QPR striker was a useful out-ball for the Saints, drawing five fouls against Manchester City. Three goals in his last two outings at St Mary’s bodes well for the Blues visit.
Similarly, Watford’s Troy Deeney (£7.9m) has had two positive performances at home, scoring in both of the Hornets’ recent matches at Vicarage Road from four shots on target. Six chances created over his last four outings adds appeal as Hull drop in on Watford.
I will return on Friday with our FanDuel Focus article, revealing just how many of this list made the final cut to take their place amongst my preferred line-up, along with a review of the available contests ahead of the weekend.
