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 the full slate of Gameweek 12 fixtures in mind.
The weekend fixtures find Chelsea travel to Middlesbrough in ominous form, having scored 16 goals without conceding in their last five outings.
Everton suffered a 5-0 thrashing at Stamford Bridge last time out but are unlikely to be so toothless at home to a struggling Swansea City.
Sunderland’s opening victory of the campaign at Bournemouth last time out also has us considering their main goal threat.
Burnley’s visit to the Hawthorns may not seem the most enticing fixture but nonetheless, promotes a cast of robust defensive assets.
Finally, Liverpool’s trip to St Mary’s also provides us with options from both sides, as we ponder Jurgen Klopp’s cast of attacking riches and a determined Southampton defence that’s set to be tested to the limit.
The Better Buys
We begin our player list review at the top end of the market, perusing those picks who will cost big money but promise heavy returns.
They will likely underpin our FanDuel squads, as we seek to scatter riskier differentials around them in our various contest entries.
As usual, we begin with the goalkeeper slot, which in FanDuel is the only position to earn points for a clean sheet.
There are a wealth of choices to ponder, with several teams looking a decent shout for a shut-out.
Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris (£6.5m) could provide excellent value for the visit of West Ham.
Spurs have conceded only twice in five home matches, while the Hammers have scored only four goals in six outings and blanked at Everton in their last away match.
Lloris is a slight injury concern having sat out France’s friendly with Ivory Coast last night, so we will need to check in with the teamsheets and perhaps stand by with FanDuel’s late swap feature.
If you’d rather play safe, West Brom’s Ben Foster (£7.6m) is our favoured alternative.
The Baggies host a Burnley side that have netted only once in four on the road and Foster has made 17 saves over their previous four – only his opposing number, Tom Heaton (8.1m), has registered more (32) in that spell.
That particular fixture is also set to help stock our defence.
The Clarets’ Michael Keane (£7.6m) ranks top for some of the key scoring metrics in FanDuel and has recorded more clearances, blocks and interceptions (82) than any other defender over the last four Gameweeks.
We’re expecting similar returns this weekend, with plenty of aerial battles on the cards in the Hawthorns clash.
That also puts Gareth McAuley (£7.1m) in our sights. The West Brom centre-back has averaged 18.6 FanDuel points, netting twice in the league already.
Liverpool’s vibrant attacking form forces us to consider Southampton’s defence.
Virgil Van Dijk (£8.2m) is likely to turn in a busy rearguard display. A total of 118 CBI places the Dutchman amongst the top seven defenders.
The Reds also remain vulnerable at set pieces, so Van Dijk is likely to pose a threat at the other end; he’s mustered nine attempts on goal already.
Despite some minor doubts surrounding his availability after suffering a knock with Belgium, we’ve earmarked Eden Hazard (£12.6m) for our midfield.
Hazard’s form is just impossible to overlook: five goals and two assists gives the Belgian a 41.3 FanDuel points average over his last four outings ahead of the trip to Middlesbrough.
Nemanja Matic (£8.8m) offers a possible double-up option in the Blues’ midfield. The combative Serbian has averaged 25.3 points average over the last four Gameweeks and has served up six assists in nine matches.
We had our eye on selecting Adam Lallana (£9.2m) against his former club but his withdrawal against Spain last night has us turning back to both Philippe Coutinho (£13.7m) and Roberto Firmino (£10.9m).
Coutinho’s five goals and as many assists may well convince us to find the funds but we think his compatriot Firmino – who is listed as a forward in FanDuel – offers more upside. Both are averaging just under 33 points.
Romelu Lukaku (£10.4m) looks underpriced against a Swansea side that have conceded three times in each of their last two away matches.
The Everton frontman has produced the goods in six of his last eight outings, netting seven goals and providing a trio of assists.
Alongside Lukaku, many will also look to fit in Sergio Aguero (£16.2m), who played just 45 minutes for Argentina over the break.
We have some reservations on the City striker’s pitch time given the looming UEFA Champions League tie with Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday, but not enough to overlook his potential.
With three braces on the road already, Aguero looks well placed for the visit to Selhurst Park, particularly as Crystal Palace have conceded ten goals over their last three matches.
The Poundstretchers
Now we focus on the potential bargains: the players who can save us funds, while scoring points to compliment our essential “Better Buy” heavy-hitters.
In goal, we’re expecting Lee Grant (£5.8m) to make the Stoke City teamsheet again as Jack Butland continues his recovery.
The Potters have looked defensively sound of late, conceding only twice in four matches, while weekend visitors Bournemouth have failed to find the net in three of five road trips.
Leicester City’s away form is a cause for concern, though Ron-Robert Zieler (£4.5m) looks a cheap enabler away to a Watford side that have scored just three goals in four matches.
At the other end of the pitch at Vicarage Road, Costel Pantilimon (£5.4m) could be in line for a first start of the season if Heurelho Gomes misses out through injury.
In the budget defender category, we like the look of Hull City’s Michael Dawson (£6.3m).
He scored in the Tigers’ victory over Southampton and travels to Sunderland having made an encouraging 38 CBI’s over three appearances.
The West Ham defence could also provide us with a pair of cheap options ahead of their visit to White Hart Lane.
Angelo Ogbonna (£6.2m) has a respectable 16.47 FanDuel average, suggesting he should offer value in the London clash. Meanwhile, Aaron Cresswell (£6.1m) offers more of an attacking threat and has already picked up an assist in three appearances.
Injuries to Manchester United’s backline has thrown up a few budget replacements.
Phil Jones (£4.5m) accrued 18 FanDuel points in his first appearance this term, the majority arriving from 13 clearances against Swansea City.
Marcos Rojo (£4.8m) has produced 17 CBI’s and created three chances in a trio of appearances, while Matteo Darmian (£5.0m) is expected to start again with Antonio Valencia still sidelined.
Back-to-back goals for Liverpool’s Emre Can (£5.9m) indicates that he’s been given license to raid the box since returning to Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI.
The German picked up points from eight different actions against Watford, underlining his versatility. A defender classification in FanDuel ensures that Can is a potential bargain ahead of the St Mary’s trip.
West Brom’s Matt Phillips (£5.3m) scored his first goal of the season at Leicester and also picked up a third assist at Leicester City last time out.
While there are still some doubts surrounding the availability of Nacer Chadli, James McClean and Salomon Rondon for the visit of Burnley, Phillips looks assured of a start after his King Power Stadium display.
Everton’s Yannick Bolasie (£6.9m) has shown encouraging signs of consistency of late, serving up two assists and a goal over his last four outings ahead of Swansea’s visit.
With the FanDuel scoring system rewarding defensive actions, it’s often worth seeking out midfielders that are responsible for breaking up play.
Only three midfielders have registered more than Southampton’s Oriol Romeu’s (£6.9m) 28 tackles this season. The Spaniard tends to score over 20 points per match against the top teams, which should certainly be achievable against Liverpool.
Junior Stanislas returned to the Bournemouth line-up against Sunderland and has a solid 25.46 average in FanDuel. A price tag of £6.9m makes the Cherries wide man a tempting differential for the trip to Stoke City.
Up front, Jermain Defoe (£7.8m) scored his sixth goal and picked up a first assist of the campaign against Bournemouth.
The veteran has played a part in seven of Sunderland’s nine strikes and hosts a Hull City side that have conceded the most goals and attempts in the box over the first 11 Gameweeks.
Finally, after appreciating the cut-price benefits that Marcos Alonso (£6m) and Victor Moses (£5.9m) have provided over recent weeks, we’re broadening our Blues’ horizons further.
Pedro (£6.4m) has emerged as another Chelsea player to have flourished under Antonio Conte’s change of system. A 31.4 average over his last four outings proves the forward can also provide us with value in attack.
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.
