Welcome to our latest look ahead at the round of upcoming fixtures and the cast of players we’re considering in our partner FanDuel’s daily and weekly games.
As always, we start by picking out some of the key encounters ahead that look to present sure-fire sources of FanDuel points.
Chelsea may be busily calming off-field issues with Diego Costa but weekend visitors Hull City should at least offer obliging opponents. That forces us to ponder the Blues’ attacking options, while Marco Silva’s side will surely have their backs to the wall, which means plenty of defensive points are on the cards from the Tigers’ rearguard.
Fourth-placed Arsenal also have a favourable fixture with travel-sick Burnley rolling up to the Emirates Stadium. We have the Gunners down for a clean sheet and goals as they look for a fifth consecutive home victory.
We’re also assessing West Brom’s options at both ends of the pitch prior to a visit from struggling Sunderland, with the Baggies seeking a fifth win in six at The Hawthorns.
Lastly, Everton’s encouraging win over Manchester City throws up some intriguing cut-price options from Ronald Koeman’s squad as they make the trip to Crystal Palace.
Better Buys
We begin by identifying some of the big-hitters that will form the basis of our Gameweek 22 line-ups. These are assets that require heavy investment but have a proven track record of delivering returns.
In goal, Petr Cech (£7.1m) is our standout pick after earning three clean sheets in his previous four league matches. The Gunners stopper has made 11 saves over that period and recorded a healthy 17.3 FanDuel points average.
Bearing in mind that visitors Burnley have scored three goals in nine on their travels, we’re confident that the Arsenal custodian can pick up the ten points available to goalkeepers for a FanDuel shutout.
Thibaut Courtois (£7.5m) is potentially an even more appealing option to consider for the visit of Hull but his inclusion requires more outlay. Chelsea have conceded just 15 shots in the box over the last four Gameweeks.
At the other end of the pitch, the Tigers defence will likely be facing waves of attacks from Antonio Conte’s outfit. We’ve got our eye on Michael Dawson (£8.6m) from Hull’s backline – the defender has averaged 23.1 FanDuel points over the last four.
When targeting defenders in FanDuel, with no points for clean sheets available, it’s their clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI’s), as well as tackles that are the vital sources of points.
Papy Djilobodji (£8.4m) has registered 90 CBI’s over the last six Gameweeks – that’s 10 more than any other player and helped the Sunderland defender average 22.9 points over that period. The centre-back should be busy again up against an in-form West Brom side that have scored three or more in four of their last five at The Hawthorns.
Our midfield is very likely to include Eden Hazard (£13.8m) based on his numbers at Stamford Bridge this term.
The Belgian has scored seven goals in ten league appearances in front of his own fans and hosts a Hull side that has conceded three or more in five of their last eight on the road.
The midfielder’s spot-kick duties add to his appeal as the Tigers have already yielded ten penalties this campaign, which is one shy of the Premier League record. Furthermore, even if Diego Costa does start, Hazard is likely to be moved to the left flank and would be facing a defence struggling to field a recognised right-back.
Another fine prospect based on his preference for home comforts is Adam Lallana (£11.2m). Liverpool’s much-improved midfielder has notched four goals and five assists in seven home starts and entertains a Swansea City side that’s shipped 13 goals in their last four on the road.
Lallana has averaged 31.6 points over his last four at Anfield, making him the obvious in-form pick in the Reds midfield, though Philippe Coutinho (£12.6m) is another to consider after he was handed a first start since November in last night’s FA Cup win over Plymouth Argyle. The Brazilian is second only to Christian Eriksen (£12m) among FanDuel midfielders for average points accrued per match (27.5).
We’ve elevated Matt Phillips (£8.5m) into better buys on the back of a pair of goals and four assists in his previous four at The Hawthorns. The winger looks excellent value for money at home to a Sunderland side that have shipped 12 goals in four matches.
Alexis Sanchez (£15.2m) is a no-brainer at home to Burnley. Despite starting the last four on the left flank, the Chilean is the top forward for chances created (12) and goal attempts (24) during that period. The hefty price tag is somewhat understandable, given that the Arsenal forward has blanked only once in his last nine league outings.
It’s been a while since we’ve regarded Romelu Lukaku (£13m) as a contender for our squads, yet three goals in his last four outings highlights the Everton’ frontman’s improving form.
The Belgian has averaged 26.8 points during that timeframe, having produced six shots on target and as many chances created; he will fancy his chances of adding to those numbers as the in-form Merseysiders visit Selhurst Park.
Poundstretchers
Now we turn to the budget end of the player list – these “Poundstretchers” can act as enablers in our line-ups to free up funds for the “Better Buys”, while also promising some potential points at low cost.
Joel Robles appears to have usurped Maarten Stekelenburg as Ronald Koeman’s first-choice stopper and three clean sheets in four matches demonstrates just why. Available with a price tag of just £6.3m, the Everton keeper’s average of 20 points per match in that run makes him a tempting bargain acquisition.
However, we also must point out that Koeman has revealed that Stekelenburg is now 100% fit and the Everton manager went on to say he faces a dilemma over his keepers for the weekend. Clearly, this indicates that Robles is not nailed-on and the situation, therefore, will need to be monitored closer to the deadline.
Middlesbrough’s Victor Valdes (£6.7m) is another option – the Spaniard scored 30 points at Watford in his last match, picking up a clean sheet and five saves. Despite conceding twice in his previous outing at Old Trafford, the shot stopper still accrued 29 points due to an impressive ten saves.
Jan Vertonghen’s period on the sidelines should provide Fantasy managers with some cut-price Spurs replacements. That could reap immediate rewards against a wounded Manchester City that will be looking to bounce back from the bitter defeat at Goodison Park.
Centre-back Kevin Wimmer (£6.2m) would be a like-for-like switch for Vertonghen, though Ben Davies (£6.4m) is also in the reckoning. Either way, be sure to check in with the Spurs teamsheet with the late swap function ready to react to Mauricio Pochettino selection.
Again, depending on the teamsheet, the Sunderland right-back position could be a cheap route into a defence that’s likely to come under pressure at West Brom.
Mainstay Billy Jones (£6.4m) has a consistent FanDuel average of 18.75 points over his last six outings, though Donald Love (£6.9) is also in contention having earned a start and returned an assist last time out.
Middlesbrough’s defence will be forced to contend with the physicality of Andy Carroll this weekend, which should result in some heavy CBI returns for their defenders. Bernardo (£6.7m) is one to watch here – he has started two of the last three for Aitor Karanka and, with the switch to a back three at Watford last weekend, he could be on the teamsheet once more.
Another defender to monitor is Jeffrey Schlupp, who is set for his full Premier League debut after completing a move to Crystal Palace. Available for only £6.2m, the full-back could even be handed an advanced role by Sam Allardyce.
Everton look set to provide us with a pair of cheap enablers in midfield.
Tom Davies (£5.3m) has netted a goal and served up an assist in back-to-back starts, drawing seven fouls (worth 0.5 points apiece) over those two outings. Meanwhile, recent signing Morgan Schneiderlin is also worth a look at just £4.8m.
Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi (£8.8m)also offers value this weekend. He has recorded 12 goal attempts over his last four outings, with 11 of those shots arriving from inside the box. That has returned a goal and two assists – enough to provide us with a cheap route into the Gunners’ attack for their meeting with a Burnley defence that has been brittle on their travels.
A fourth goal of the season at Hull City underlined Junior Stanislas (£7.6m) as the leading Bournemouth midfield candidate for our rosters. Six assists this term make him a likely key factor for the visit of a listless Watford. Stanislas is also on spot-kicks while Callum Wilson remains benched and also hogs set-pieces, including direct free-kicks.
If you’re after a differential from Eddie Howe’s outfit, then one of Benik Afobe (£7.4m) or Callum Wilson (£8m) could be worthy of investment.
Check with the teamsheets to see who Howe has selected to take on the Watford rearguard: only Swansea City (17) have conceded more big chances than the Hornets (13) over the last six rounds of matches.
West Brom’s Salomon Rondon (£9.3m) is another front-man on our radar.
The Venezuelan has netted four goals and two assists in his last five outings at home ahead of Sunderland’s visit. Three of those resulted in a hat-trick against Swansea City, which provided the striker with a score of 72.5 points that round. No Premier League side has conceded more headed attempts than the Black Cats.
Finally, Chelsea’s Pedro (£9.9m) is another we’re considering. In the Spaniard’s last 12 league starts he’s tallied five goals – including a strike at Leicester in Gameweek 21 – and served up as many assists. Like Hazard, he will surely be a key weapon for the Blues ahead of Hull City’s visit to Stamford Bridge.
I’ll be back on Friday to take a look at the FanDuel contests on offer and also propose a line-up to show how I put a side together.
Before we sign off, a reminder that, earlier this week, we launched the Fantasy Football Scout FanDuel Social League – a free to enter tournament, with £450 in prizes and spanning four Gameweeks.
Check out the details for that via this link.
