Our Friday lunchtime look at the PlayON Player Price List arrives once again. As always, we offer a couple of picks per position: one essential weekend target and a left-field alternative for your consideration.
Fantasy managers should be aware that PlayON have separated the early kick-off (Man City at home to West Brom) from the Gameweek. Essentially, this allows us to soak in the team sheets for the five matches that take place at 3pm and finalise our starting line-ups prior to the deadline.
Goalkeepers – David Ospina
Available for 7.2m, the Arsenal stopper kept a second clean sheet in three in last week’s convincing 3-0 defeat of West Ham. Owned by 8% of PlayON managers, Ospina travels to an injury-hit Newcastle side that are also devoid of the services of top scorer Papiss Cisse through suspension – having scored once in the last four Gameweeks, the Magpies are clearly toiling up front just now. Southampton’s 7.8m-priced Fraser Forster is currently the most popular goalkeeper and sits in 38% of teams ahead of a home encounter with Burnley but, for just 0.2m more, we’ve gone for Thibaut Courtois as our essential pick. The 11%-owned Belgian faces an away trip to Hull, who have scored only once in three matches and are without the injured Nikica Jelavic. Courtois is an excellent shot-stopper with 2600 save points accrued over the last three – 400 points more than Forster in the same period – and is the cheapest of the Chelsea defensive regulars.
Defenders – James Collins
An injury to team-mate James Tomkins has afforded the Welshman an opportunity to step up in the Hammers first-team. Visitors Sunderland have scored a single goal in five matches and despite the arrival of new manager Dick Advocaat are likely to struggle here. The main attraction of the central defender is his price-tag – available for 6.1m, Collins, who sits in just 5% of PlayON teams, provides a budget route into Sam Allardyce’s backline. We’ve picked Ryan Bertrand (7.2m, 45% ownership) as our essential defender for the same reason. The Saints left-back is considerably cheaper than Jose Fonte (8.2m) and Nathanial Clyne (8.1m) and just 0.1 more expensive than Toby Alderweireld, despite offering far greater threat in the attacking third, with two goals and a pair of assists so far. Southampton host a battling Burnley side and have racked up nine of their 13 clean sheets at St Mary’s.
Midfielders – Scott Sinclair
We’re backing the Villa wide man as our left-field pick as Tim Sherwood’s side look for a fourth successive win in all competitions at home to Swansea. Available for just £7.2m, Sinclair scored in his previous home appearance and looks to have established himself as a key figure on the flank for the midlands outfit in recent outings – with an ownership of just 3%, he looks a real differential heading into the weekend. Sadio Mane comes in as our essential midfielder. We were tempted to go for Eden Hazard but the Belgian’s £14m price tag is far steeper than Mane’s kind £9.7m ahead of Southampton’s home encounter with Burnley. Currently sitting in 46% of PlayON teams, the Senegal international has scored in three of his last four starts at St Mary’s and was handed a support role through the middle in last week’s trip to Chelsea.
Forwards – Diafra Sakho
West Ham will be desperate for a home win against Sunderland after losing their last two at the Boleyn Ground. Despite scoring just once in the last four Gameweeks, Sakho (£8.6m) has looked a real threat in and around the box – indeed, he’s produced more attempts inside the penalty area (16) than any player over that period. Owned by 15% of PlayON managers, he’ll fancy his chances against a Black Cats backline that shipped four at home to Villa last weekend. As mentioned above, with City’s clash against West Brom excluded from the Gameweek, we’re unable to call upon Sergio Aguero’s services. Instead, we back Tottenham’s Harry Kane (£8.6m, 65% ownership) to continue the form that has served up six goals in as many matches – at home to a Leicester side that’s conceded at least twice in all but one of their last 11 road trips, he seems set for another prosperous weekend.
