The Weekly Shop – Gameweek 25

Welcome to our latest instalment of the Weekly Shop where, once again, we cast an eye over the player list of our partner game FanDuel.

We start our analysis by first identifying some of the key fixture match-ups ahead, before drilling down to name some of our specific targets ahead of the weekend contest deadlines.

A convincing victory at Leicester City on Sunday suggests that Manchester United are in the mood to provide points ahead of a home clash with Watford. Seventeen goals from 12 Old Trafford matches is a disappointing output for the Red Devils, particularly when you consider that they rank second for goal attempts, having fired in 230 efforts this season. With Jose Mourinho calling for a sharper cutting edge, we suspect that United’s attacking options can and will deliver against the Hornets.

Back-to-back defeats have made Arsenal’s attacking options less desirable but the underlying numbers indicate that we should persevere with Arsene Wenger’s charges. Meanwhile, visitors Hull City provide their own cast of FanDuel options, with a newly resilient defence set to construct a stubborn barrier against the Gunners.

In contrast, the Bournemouth backline have been hopelessly fragile of late, though their rearguard should still guarantee us FanDuel returns ahead of Manchester City’s visit. Pep Guardiola’s men arrive bristling with attacking menace and boast an array of in-form options that are likely to feature across our weekend line-ups.

The Better Buys

To start our player list analysis, we examine some of the targets that tick both the form and fixtures boxes. While these players occupy the top end of the FanDuel market, they are the selections that can reap the big points hauls required to challenge for the contest top spots.

We begin by attempting to fill our keeper’s jersey – a position that traditionally allows for a budget option. However, often FanDuel can tempt us with a top bracket keeper, pitched at a reasonable price, and that appears to be the case this week.

Manchester United’s David De Gea (£6.9m) has secured back-to-back clean sheets to make it three in five matches; only Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois has kept more than the Spaniard’s nine shutouts this season.

Watford visit Old Trafford having scored twice in each of their last two away (including at the Emirates) but, prior to those matches, they had notched just three goals in their previous eight road trips.

If we want to spend that little bit more and seek out save points, then Sunderland’s Vito Mannone (£7.5m) certainly fits the bill. The Italian has made 32 stops since taking over from Jordan Pickford in Gameweek 19 – more than any other keeper. He faces a Southampton attack that has been struggling on their travels, blanking in four of their last six.

In FanDuel, it’s only the keepers who earn points for clean sheets. For defenders, it’s successful tackles as well as clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI’s) that yield the majority of their returns.

Burnley’s Matt Lowton (£8m) has made 29 tackles over the last six Gameweeks, ranking top for that metric. An encouraging 49 CBI’s has also helped him build an average of 19.6 during that period.

Meanwhile, Clarets centre-back Ben Mee is available for £8.1m and recorded 57 CBI’s over his last six outings, while also managing seven goal attempts. Both look tempting as they welcome the Chelsea tide to Turf Moor.

Bournemouth’s Steve Cook (£8.3m) is an excellent example of the workings of FanDuel’s scoring system: he earned 30 points against Everton last weekend, despite conceding six goals.

Cook contributed 13 CBI in that match and should be kept busy again with Manchester City paying visit to the Vitality Stadium – we’re expecting Cook to match his strong 20.63-point average in Monday’s match.

Cook is vying for top spot on the CBI leaderboard with Hull City’s Harry Maguire (£8.7m) – the pair have both recorded a tally of 51 over the last four Gameweeks. The Tigers centre-back is, once again, a viable selection ahead of his trip to face Arsenal. Like Cook, we’re anticipating that Maguire will be worked and handed the opportunity to perhaps surpass his 19.25 average.

Our first midfield target is a rather obvious one, given his current form and the struggles of weekend opponents, Leicester City.

Swansea City’s Gylfi Sigurdsson (£11.8m) has struck 13 goal attempts over last four – more than any other midfield option. That’s helped earn a 34.1-point FanDuel average in that spell, with three goals and an assist accrued. Leicester make the trip to South Wales having conceded ten times over their last four matches and 25 goals from 12 away matches this season.

Our second top bracket target is more of a gamble, although given the potential value on offer, it appears to be a risk worth taking.

West Ham’s January signing Robert Snodgrass could prove to be a canny mid-price acquisition for £8.6m, with the Scot expected to be handed his first home start for the Hammers against West Brom. A 21.85 average is certainly promising and, while we’re yet to see how he settles in his new surrounds, that kind price point encourages investment against a Baggies side that have claimed just a single clean sheet on their travels.

With Watford the visitors, Zlatan Ibrahimovic (£13.2m) will doubtless be heavily backed to add to his tally of 15 goals. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, at £10.7m, looks a viable alternative, however. The Armenian tallied 48.5 at Leicester City on Sunday, providing the satisfying combination of a goal and an assist from three chances created and two shots on target. Only three midfielders have created more chances than his 14 over the last six Gameweeks.

Gabriel Jesus (£11.6m) has usurped Sergio Aguero following his match-winning performance against Swansea City on Sunday. The Brazilian’s four shots on target and as many chances created over a pair of starts have delivered three goals and an assist. That’s translated to scores of 58.5 and 33.75 in FanDuel, making him a key target ahead of a trip to Bournemouth.

With the Cherries defence leaking goals at an alarming rate (16 in five) we must also consider doubling up on their attack, with Raheem Sterling (£10.7m) looking an intriguing candidate having provided attacking returns in seven of his last nine outings.

Finally, it’s always impossible to ignore Alexis Sanchez (£13.4m) when considering top bracket options. The Chilean is top for forwards for both goal attempts (28) and chances created (14) over the last six and, while opponents Hull City will doubtless provide a stubborn barrier at the Emirates Stadium, the Arsenal man remains a key target.

The Poundstretchers

We now turn our attentions to the more budget-friendly options. These are the picks that present a kind price tag but who also provide the promise of a steady points return to sit alongside our expensive big-hitting “Better Buy” options.

We start with an option between the sticks, namely West Ham’s Darren Randolph (£6.9m).

The Hammers have been enjoying home comforts more of late, registering three clean sheets in their last five home matches. Six saves at Southampton last weekend demonstrates the Irishman’s ability to generate points and, with opponents West Brom failing to net in three of their last five on the road, we can be optimistic on his clean sheet prospects.

Scott Dann’s late injury against Sunderland could result in a Crystal Palace debut for Mamadou Sakho (£6.9m) at the bet365 Stadium. James Tomkins, at £7.0m, is also a likely candidate for inclusion against Stoke City with the Eagles defence expected to be occupied with the presence of Peter Crouch in the Potters’ attack. That should provide a platform for the Palace defender to pick up CBI’s, with Sam Allardyce seeking a response to last weekend’s miserable 4-0 mauling to the Black Cats.

Stoke City provide their own bargain defender for us to ponder. Phil Bardsley could be available for £6.9m with Glen Johnson still a doubt to recover. Bardsley scored 23.5 FanDuel points against West Brom last weekend, creating a couple of chances and winning three tackles.

Hull City’s renaissance has been evident in their FanDuel scoring, with Marco Silva’s new look side giving us a few promising fresh faces to monitor. Omar Elabdellaoui (£6.9m) earned 23.5 points against Liverpool on Saturday, making 15 clearances – he provides a cheap route into the Tigers’ rearguard as an alternative to Maguire.

Staying with the Hull squad, we’re also monitoring midfielder Alfred N’Diaye (£6.9m) as a possible “enabler”. The Senegalese scored 43.5 points with a goal, six CBI’s, three tackles and two shots on target in the win over Liverpool. He’s another likely key figure who could thrive against Arsenal.

Another recent signing, Burnley’s Robbie Brady (£7.4m), is also on our radar having recorded 12.75 points in just 35 minutes at Watford last weekend. The ex-Norwich winger managed one shot on target, a tackle, an interception, two fouls drawn and created a chance in his brief second-half cameo. Jeff Hendrick’s suspension may open the way for a full Brady debut against Chelsea, which could lead to a very healthy first return – particularly if he is handed set-piece duties.

Southampton’s newest recruit Manolo Gabbiadini (£9.0m) is another risk that could offer reward, having tallied 30.75 FanDuel points on his debut in the home defeat to West Ham. The Italian netted once from six attempts, all inside the box, and also registered two chances created and three fouls drawn (worth 0.5 points apiece in FanDuel) to indicate that he could profit handsomely from a visit to Sunderland.

If funds are tight and Gylfi Sigurdsson fails to make our line-ups, then we may look to Fernando Llorente (£8.6m) as an option for our forward lines. The Spaniard has scored five goals in his last six at the Liberty Stadium, including two braces. He’s surely set to be a key figure against the Foxes in a game that appears to promise goals.

Finally, the aforementioned Peter Crouch (£8.2m) has renewed past glories in recent weeks – notching four goals and a couple of assists over his last six outings. Only Romelu Lukaku (15) has had more shots inside the box (14) than the veteran frontman over those six Gameweeks and, despite the threat from new signing Saido Berahino, we see Crouch starting and troubling the visiting Palace defence.

Join me back here on Friday for more FanDuel coverage, as I reveal our strongest XI and run through some of the contests on offer for Gameweek 25.

The FFS FanDuel Social League

Our FanDuel Social League is now approaching it’s climax with the final Gameweek to be played out this weekend.

We will have a full report in tomorrow’s Focus article, though you can find the new overall rankings table here.

The League is still open to entry and is free, with the Gameweek 4 weekly prizes still available. The deadline for entry for the next round is 12:30pm on Saturday.

Existing FanDuel customers, as well as those new to the game, are free to take part, although it is worth noting that this is only available to UK-based customers.

Click here your Gameweek line-up in the Social League.

You must be over 18 years of age, resident in the UK, and of legal capacity to register with FanDuel and open an Account. If you sign up, always play responsibly.