The Weekly Shop – Gameweek 26

Welcome to our latest Weekly Shop, where we scan the player list of our partner game FanDuel to seek out the key assets to consider for the upcoming Gameweek.

While there are only eight fixtures this time around, we’ve pinpointed half of those matches as being potentially rewarding sources for FanDuel points.

Spurs host Stoke City to provide an enticing menu of attacking options. The Potters will likely be on the back foot throughout, so their defence should also guarantee us points, with a demanding afternoon looming for Mark Hughes’ men at White Hart Lane.

While Sunderland have suffered some mixed results of late, their weekend opponents Everton are unbeaten in eight outings. The Toffees have scored 13 goals in their last three matches at Goodison Park, so we’re eyeing up their well-tuned attack and also considering a Black Cats rearguard that is sure to come under intense pressure.

Elsewhere, Marco Silva’s positive impact on Hull City has us mulling over several of their inexpensive assets, as they host a Burnley outfit that continue to struggle away from Turf Moor.

Finally, a struggling Leicester City host Liverpool at the King Power Stadium. The Reds performance against Spurs last time out has bolstered our confidence in Jurgen Klopp’s attacking options, while despite an encouraging midweek display in Europe, we’re anticipating a busy afternoon for the Foxes backline.

The Better Buys

We begin by casting our eye on the top end of the market as we seek out players with proven pedigree. These assets have the underlying numbers to support significant investment and will form the foundations of our line-ups.

As usual, we first ponder the leading options for our goalkeeper’s jersey – an area that’s normally associated with penny-pinching rather than a big spend.

True enough, it seems we’re able to avoid the very top end of the market for this weekend, lowering our sights somewhat to consider a pair of mid-price options.

Everton’s Joel Robles (£6.9m) picked up a fourth clean sheet in six encounters at Middlesbrough last time out and a strong average of 19 points per match supports our theory that the shot-stopper remains underpriced.

Sunderland are his weekend opponents on Merseyside and, while they may have notched four on their travels at Selhurst Park, a failure to net in the other three of their previous four league ties indicates that Robles and Everton should be more than capable of shutting them out at Goodison.

Our next candidate has made 22 saves over five outings since returning to the Hull City starting XI in Gameweek 21. Eldin Jakupovic (£7.4m) is now an assured starter after earning clean sheets against Liverpool and Manchester United in his previous three outings.

Burnley make the trip to the KCOM Stadium having scored a single goal in each of their last four on the road. However, the Clarets have tallied just five goals in 11 away matches overall – only Middlesbrough (89) have mustered fewer shots on their travels than Sean Dyche’s travel-sick outfit (93).

A visit to White Hart Lane promises an abundance of clearance, blocks and interception (CBI) points for the Stoke City rearguard. It’s these defensive actions that we target when considering FanDuel defenders, with goalkeepers the only position that benefits from clean sheet rewards.

Ryan Shawcross (£7.7m) is our pick from the Potters’ defence as he squares up against an in-form Harry Kane. A robust 45 CBI’s over his previous four run-outs and an 18.4 FanDuel point average in the last six indicates that the centre-back should offer value.

Steve Cook (£8.5m) is in our thoughts once again. The Bournemouth centre-back ranks first for CBI’s (72) over the last six Gameweeks and a steady 19.25 average during that period reflects why he sits at the higher end of the price range. We’re expecting Cook to be kept busy again, marshalling Eddie Howe’s defence away to West Brom and helping to combat the hosts’ aerial threat.

West Ham are hunting a third straight win on the road having struck three goals at St Mary’s and the Riverside Stadium. Robert Snodgrass (£9.2m) created six chances against West Brom to contribute to a score of 25.5 points, despite failing to register a goal or an assist.

The January signing did earn an assist at Southampton and also scored seven goals earlier in the campaign with Hull before his move to London. We’re hopeful that the Scot will be heavily involved in the Hammers’ visit to Watford – the home side have secured just two clean sheets in 12 matches at Vicarage Road.

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard (£12.8m) continued his irrepressible form at Stamford Bridge against Arsenal with an eighth goal in 12 in front of his own fans. The Belgian is the top scoring midfielder at home, despite ranking fifth for goal attempts (34). Swansea City pay a visit to the league leaders, and, while improved under Paul Clement, they have conceded more big chances (65) than any other side.

Sunderland leaking four goals at home to Southampton is a worrying sign ahead of their encounter with Ronald Koeman’s free-scoring Toffees.

That’s promoted our interest in Everton’s attacking assets, with Ross Barkley now hinting at some consistency – at least at Goodison Park. Three assists and a goal (all at home) from 15 chances created and 13 goal attempts over last six Gameweeks are encouraging numbers.

Toffees’ striker Romelu Lukaku has hit 17 goal attempts over that period. with nine on target. The Belgian also appears to prefer home comforts – scoring six in his last three on Merseyside. Only Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez (16) has had more shots in the box than Lukaku (14) over the last six Gameweeks. Meanwhile, Sunderland have conceded the most penalty area attempts (63) over the same period: it all adds up to another bountiful afternoon for the in-form frontman.

Spurs have notched 17 goals in their last six outings at White Hart Lane. That reliability in front of goal has aided Christian Eriksen (£12.7m) in building the best average for midfielders in FanDuel with 27.2 points per match over 24 appearances.

The Dane’s 14 chances created and 15 goal attempts have delivered three assists over the last six. Set-piece duties could also prove to be a factor against Stoke City this weekend – only Everton (30) have conceded more attempts from set pieces than the Potters (28) over the last six Gameweeks.

The reduced fixture programme could make a double-up with Harry Kane (£12.7m) a popular strategy. The omens are certainly good: Stoke have conceded 13 in their last five away, leaking four at both Chelsea and Liverpool. Kane scored a hat-trick at Fulham in the FA Cup last weekend and has notched four goals in his last two home matches.

If your budget fails to stretch to include both the Spurs big-hitters, then Son Heung-min, available for £9m provides a cheaper route into Mauricio Pochettino’s attack.

A long break with no cup commitments should see a refreshed Liverpool outfit make the trip to the King Power Stadium to take on Leicester. The Foxes have conceded 12 goals with no reply in their last five league matches, while Sadio Mane’s (£12.5m) brace against Spurs last time out has made him an obvious target.

Elsewhere, Roberto Firmino is an alternative at £11.9m. Classified as a forward in FanDuel, the Brazilian has netted three goals and served up an assist over his last four at home. A total of 20 goal attempts over the last six Gameweeks is bettered only by Alexis Sanchez (26).

The Poundstretchers

We next delve into the middle to lower end of the FanDuel player list, assessing the budget options that will help us stretch to consider our ‘better buy’ big names.

In goal, we will certainly have our eye on David Moyes’ teamsheet with Jordan Pickford a possible returnee at Goodison Park.

Vito Mannone (£7.4m) has been an able replacement, but we’re expecting an immediate recall for Pickford who was simply outstanding before his knee injury. The Sunderland shot-stopper is available for just £6.3m and made an average of 4.8 saves a match before being sidelined; he remains third overall for saves despite his lengthy absence.

West Ham’s Darren Randolph (£6.6m) is another keeper that provides an option to preserve funds. Notably, he registered 17.75 with six saves at Southampton in the Hammers previous away match, so we’d expect reasonable returns from a visit to Watford.

Stoke City’s Phil Bardsley sustained a knock at Crystal Palace to open the door for his replacement Glen Johnson (£7.2m) to find a spot in Sunday’s clash with Spurs. The full-back scored 27.75 points in FanDuel against Manchester United in his previous start, accruing 12 CBI’s and four tackles.

Sunderland’s Lamine Kone, available for £7.2m, appears to offer a bright prospect having registered 42 CBI’s over three outings since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations. A battle with Everton’s Lukaku should ensure that the centre-back maintains those strong defensive returns.

Leicester City’s Wes Morgan (£7.5m) has been trying in vain to halt the Champions’ decline – he is ranked second among defenders for CBI’s over the last four (49). That’s given him a healthy average of 18.25 FanDuel points during that spell, a score we would expect the Foxes’ captain to meet or surpass against Liverpool’s attack this weekend.

Middlesbrough’s Bernardo is also a budget option for the weekend, as he attempts to silence Christian Benteke at Selhurst Park. The Colombian centre-back has a respectable average of 18.2 FanDuel points over his last six appearances.

A pair of cut-price Hull City midfielders could just prove excellent value against Burnley.

Evandro (£6.1m) will be expected to start behind a lone striker with Sam Clucas suspended. The Brazilian has demonstrated his promise – creating four chances against Arsenal – and we’re expecting him to improve on a modest 12.75 average over the last four in the Clarets clash.

Meanwhile, winger Lazar Markovic demands an increased outlay, priced at £7m. However, a 22.75 haul at the Emirates saw the speedy Serb draw four fouls and produce as many tackles. A performance that bodes well for his potential influence at both ends of the pitch against Burnley.

Bournemouth’s visit to The Hawthorns has us considering James Morrison’s (£7.1m) credentials based on recent form. The Baggies midfielder has scored twice and provided an assist over the last three to make him another budget consideration.

Watford boast a pair of forwards that could prove potential bargains ahead of their West Ham encounter. Mauro Zarate (£6.3m) appears to have settled quickly in his new surrounds: the Argentine created a couple of chances, struck three shots on target and extracted four fouls against United and Burnley.

Team-mate and fellow new signing M’Baye Niang is available for £7m; a goal and an assist (to score 43.75) in the Hornets previous home clash suggests that the Frenchman could be worth the extra £0.7m spend.

We revisit Hull City for our final pick, with striker Oumar Niasse (£7.1m) coming under consideration. The forward’s displays against Arsenal and Liverpool indicate that the loanee could provide strong value ahead of Burnley’s visit to the KCOM Stadium. In those two previous outings, Niasse recorded three shots on target, five fouls drawn and scored against Liverpool: encouraging returns ahead of the Clarets match-up.

I’ll be back on Friday with a closer look at FanDuel’s contests when I’ll also be revealing which of these names made my strongest line-up for Gameweek 26.

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