After a two-week hiatus, it’s now time to return to the Weekly Shop, as we scan the player list of our partner game FanDuel to pinpoint some of the key assets ahead of the weekend.
As mentioned earlier in the international break, we’ve teamed up with FanDuel to offer a free Survivor contest, which starts this round and runs for a total of four Gameweeks.
It has a familiar “Last Man Standing” format, with the bottom half of entrants knocked out each round. That carries on until Gameweek 33 where the highest scoring manager will win the prizes – £30 in Amazon vouchers and £20 FanDuel credit.
It’s only open to UK residents and there’s more information here.
Before we analyse the players that have caught our eye, we highlight the fixtures that appear potentially productive sources of FanDuel points.
While Manchester United remain without their talismanic forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, we’re still backing them to profit from a favourable home tie with West Brom. The Baggies defence, meanwhile, can expect a tough afternoon at Old Trafford.
Depending on the injury situation clearing, we have a keen eye on the Chelsea attack for a home clash with Crystal Palace. Sam Allardyce’s backline have toughened up of late, though, and look set for a busy afternoon that should produce FanDuel points aplenty at the Bridge.
Burnley have excelled at Turf Moor and won’t be easy opposition for visitors Spurs. The Clarets have a standout defender with some enticing underlying numbers, while Mauricio Pochettino’s side sit second and can’t be underestimated, even when facing a tricky road trip.
The Better Buys
We start by heading to the top end of the FanDuel player market to peruse the options that will form the foundations of our line-up.
Available for £7.0m, David De Gea offers the strong chance of a clean sheet as West Brom visit a United side that have conceded one goal – a Josh King penalty – in their last three home matches. Furthermore, only Sunderland (114) and Middlesbrough (108) have mustered fewer attempts on their travels than the Baggies (127).
It’s important to bear in mind that defenders don’t earn clean sheet points in FanDuel’s unique scoring system. Instead, it’s clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI’s) that provide their main source of scoring, alongside points from tackles won.
That reasoning puts Burnley’s Ben Mee (£8.5m) on our shopping list – over the last four Gameweeks, the centre-half ranks top for CBI’s (64) and returned an impressive 22.8-point average. Only Manchester United (98) have created more chances than the Clarets’ visitors Spurs (72) over the last six, so we’re expecting Mee to be a key figure at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny (£8.5m) is equally expensive but has produced a healthy 46 CBI’s and 17 tackles over his last four matches. The centre-back should be kept busy marshalling the Gunners rearguard against Manchester City on Sunday.
West Ham’s trip to Hull City is likely to develop into a battle royale between Andy Carroll (£9.5m) and the Tigers’ Harry Maguire. At £8.9m, the latter requires a considerable chunk of your funds, though a 21.5-point average over the last six home outings offers indication of his potential against the Hammers.
Manchester United United are ranked top for crosses (415) at home and have created the most attempts of any side over the last four (63). That puts Tony Pulis’ backline under scrutiny and Gareth McAuley, at a reasonable £7.8m, is our pick here. The Irishman has returned 57 CBI’s over the last six and 12 tackles, while at the other end of the pitch, he’s already netted six goals.
Those attacking numbers for Jose Mourinho’s outfit also place Juan Mata (£12m) on our radar, thanks to two goals and an assist over his last four outings. The midfielder’s growing influence also includes 13 chances created during that spell, helping accrue a strong 26.8-point average. With Paul Pogba (£12.5m) still struggling to overcome a hamstring complaint and Ibrahimovic suspended, Mata’s looks increasingly important to breaking down a stubborn Baggies rearguard effort.
Gylfi Sigurdsson (£12.9m) may have blanked last time out but the Swansea playmaker remains a key option in FanDuel ahead of the home tie with Middlesbrough. The Icelander has supplied a goal or assist in eight of ten appearances under Paul Clement and has fired 20 goal attempts over the last six rounds – only Liverpool’s Phillipe Coutinho (£11.8m), with 21, has managed more.
We’re considering Dele Alli (£12.3m) in what could be a testing encounter for Spurs away to Burnley. Promisingly, the midfielder’s penalty against Southampton last time out suggests he’s taken over spot-kick duties in Harry Kane’s absence – he’s now scored in three successive matches, producing 39+ FanDuel points in each of those outings.
Leicester City’s resurgent form, allied with a relatively kind price tag, makes Jamie Vardy (£9.3m) an intriguing prospect for the visit of Stoke. The Foxes frontman has three goals and a pair of assists over the last three, recording a 32.3-point average across those fixtures.
Craig Shakespeare’s influence also appears to have reawakened Riyad Mahrez (£10m), who has netted in back-to-back matches. The Potters managed to keep a clean sheet at the Etihad in their last away match but still appear vulnerable, having conceded 17 goals in their previous six road trips.
With Eden Hazard (£12.4m) and Diego Costa (£13.2m) still currently doubtful, Pedro (£11.5m) could emerge as the most appealing Chelsea attacker at home to Crystal Palace. The Spaniard provided two goals and as many assists over the last four and has started eight of the Blues’ last nine league matches.
Alexis Sanchez (£12.8m) allayed injury fears by playing from start to finish in both Chile’s recent internationals, producing a goal and assist in a 3-1 win over Venezuela. The forward sits atop of the FanDuel leader board with an excellent 32.1-point average over 27 matches and looks assured of a start in the crucial clash with City.
The Poundstretchers
We next turn to the budget players that enable us to select those big hitters. While our chief aim is to save funds, we also hope that they can provide healthy returns and strong value.
In goal, the cheapest option this week may well be Arsenal’s David Ospina. Available for only £6.5m, the Colombian is set to deputise for the injured Petr Cech at home to Man City and while the chances of a shut-out may be slim, save points certainly look on the menu.
The international break has not been kind to Everton’s defence, with Seamus Coleman suffering a season-ending injury and Ramiro Funes Mori stretchered off for Argentina. Their misfortune makes Mason Holgate (£6.5m) a likely starter at Anfield either at right-back or as part of a back-three.
Sam Allardyce’s defence have kept three consecutive shut-outs and while another is unlikely at Stamford Bridge (and irrelevant for defenders in FanDuel scoring), it still represents some new-found solidity.
The centre-back pairing of Mamadou Sakho (£7.3m) and James Tomkins (£7.1m) both look good value for their Chelsea visit. We’d expect Sakho to improve on a 12.7-point average over three starts, while Tomkins has made 24 clearances over the last two and has a healthy 15.6 average this season.
Burnley have conceded the most chances and crosses on their right flank over the last six Gameweeks, which bodes well for the prospects of Spurs Ben Davies (£7.5m), either as a left wing-back or left-back at Turf Moor.
If your funds don’t stretch to include Hull’s Maguire, then team-mate Curtis Davies is available for only £7.9m and could be equally busy against Carroll. If Marco Silva retains the three-man backline deployed at Everton, Davies’s strong 21-point average this term makes him one to consider.
It will be worth checking the Swansea teamsheet for their home encounter against Middlesbrough, with a couple of potential cheap ‘enablers’ potentially on show. In defence, if Martin Olsson (£7.9m) fails to shake an ankle injury, then Stephen Kingsley could fill in at a cut-price £6.3m. Midfielders Luciano Narsingh (£6m) and Wayne Routledge (£6.2m) are also budget-friendly, and either could start on the right flank.
Up top for Paul Clement’s side, Fernando Llorente (£8.7m) netted a brace in the previous home match against Burnley to score 41.5 points and demonstrate his explosive potential.
While Dusan Tadic (£8.5m) is more of a mid-price option, the Southampton playmaker could still be good value – two goals and three assists in his last five league outings indicates an upturn in form ahead of a home derby with Bournemouth.
As we predicted last time out, Andre Ayew (£7.6m) made a first start since Gameweek 19 against Leicester and provided returns for the fourth successive outing. The midfielder should retain his spot for the trip to Hull, with Michail Antonio sidelined.
The Hammers have conceded three goals to both Leicester and Bournemouth in their last two and head to the KCOM Stadium without defensive stalwart Winston Reid. That’s enough to bring our attention to the Hull forward positions.
Against Swansea, Oumar Niasse (£7.9m) notched a brace in 28 minutes in their last home match and recently scored against Liverpool in front of the Tigers’ faithful. The Everton loanee may be paired with the cheaper Abel Hernandez (£6.8), who served up an assist against the Swans.
Troy Deeney (£8.8m) is a tempting prospect at home against basement-dwellers Sunderland. The Watford frontman has returned five goals in seven and has netted in three consecutive matches at Vicarage Road. While Deeney looks the stronger option, M’Baye Niang (£7.7m) is available for over £1m less against a fragile Black Cats outfit. In midfield, Nordin Amrabat (£6.2m) is also a possible starter for the Hornets and has three assists this campaign.
David Moyes’ side also provide a bargain option, however, with their top scorer Jermain Defoe looking hugely under priced at only £8.1m. A goal for England earlier in the week was a timely reminder that the forward has already netted 14 times this season.
I’ll be back tomorrow with my strongest XI and to look at the other contests on offer this round.
In the meantime, don’t forget to get involved in our FanDuel Survivor contest.
You can register for a free account at FanDuel via this link.
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.
