There been manic activity in the Premier League as managers have scrambled to add valued players to their squads with the winter transfer deadline nearing, creating a conundrum for the brave denizens of its virtual counterpart—Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
With so many jumping ship for a plethora of reasons, it can get hard to pick someone because a player who’s been a success at one club might not click at his next.
To assuage the dilemmas of all the FPL tacticians, The Statesman is at hand with a detailed article ahead of each game week.
The indicators are:
Teams in BOLD are top 4 contenders.
Prices (in £ million) marked in Green indicates a rise in Base Price.
Prices (in £ million) marked in Red indicates fall in Base Price.
Goalkeeper
Nick Pope
Team: Burnley
Fixtures: Newcastle (A), Man City (H), Swansea (A), Southampton (H) and Everton (H)
Price: 4.8
Score: 97
Ownership: 8.3%
Why yes: The Clarets have been on a dreadful run of late, yes, but they are bound to bounce back and against a misfiring Newcastle United side, expect them to register a win and a shutout. The Magpies are as far from free-scoring as you can imagine and despite playing at home, look unlikely to win.
Why no: After exiting the FA Cup at the hands of Chelsea, Rafa Benitez’s men will be smarting and looking to return to winning ways in front of their fans. Burnley seem to be in free fall at the moment and it remains to be seen if they can recover their stride against Newcastle. Tom Heaton is said to be nearing a return to first-team action and it’s uncertain which of the shot-stoppers Sean Dyche will go with in coming weeks.
Defenders
Ryan Shawcross
Team: Stoke City
Fixtures: Watford (H), Bournemouth (A), Brighton (H), Leicester (A) and Southampton (A)
Price: 4.8
Score: 41
Ownership: 0.7%
Why yes: Paul Lambert has brought back Stoke’s brutally-effective style back and the result was there for all to see in his first game. Against a shellshocked Watford, the Potters are odds-on to register a win and are unlikely to concede. This gameweek’s first wildcard pick, Shawcross is handy on the other end of the pitch as well, making him a likely candidate to accumulate bonus points (BPS). Fixtures as ‘easy’ as they will ever get.
Why no: As the business end of the season nears, nobody can be taken for granted and as several of Stoke’s opponents are expected to be in involved in the relegation dog-fight, they will be desperate to nick a result.
Victor Moses
Team: Chelsea
Fixtures: Bournemouth (H), Watford (A), West Brom (H), Man United (A) and Man City (A)
Price: 6.4
Score: 79
Ownership: 1.7%
Why yes: Moses has been one of Chelsea’s attacking bright spots this season, rampaging on the right-flank in his wing-back role, which effectively makes him a midfielder for all intents and purposes. Cheaper than other attack-minded defenders the Blues possess, the Nigerian is a safe option and could prove to be a massive differential in the weeks to come.
Why no: Few will be able to afford his steep price and even in that range, the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta (£7.0 m) and Marcos Alonso (£7.3 m) will be more appealing prospects for most FPL managers. Antonio Conte’s men have demanding clashes nearing towards the end of February.
Midfielders
Theo Walcott
Team: Everton
Fixtures: Leicester (H), Arsenal (A), Crystal Palace (H), Watford (A) and Burnley (A)
Price: 7.1
Score: 10
Ownership: 1.4%
Why yes: Walcott was bright on his Everton debut, grabbing an assist as Sam Allardyce’s men were held to a draw by West Bromwich Albion. The Merseysiders will be fresh for their challenge against Leicester after not being involved in the FA Cup on the weekend and don’t bet against Walcott on opening his account.
Why no: Don’t expect the Toffees to transform into a free-scoring side anytime soon and Leicester are on a high at the moment. Those who have Gylfi Sigurdsson (£8.0 m) in midfield or Cenk Tosun (£7.5 m) up top can steer clear from Walcott.
Eden Hazard
Team: Chelsea
Fixtures: Bournemouth (H), Watford (A), West Brom (H), Man United (A) and Man City (A)
Price: 10.6
Score: 112
Ownership: 7.3%
Why yes: Hazard’s been back to his mercurial best of late and is primed for a double-figure haul against the Cherries at home. Expect Conte’s men to make a statement after their disappointing Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Arsenal last week.
Why no: Hazard is pricey and Chelsea do have testing games on the horizon (against the Manchester clubs). With Alvaro Morata struggling for form, Hazard’s assists tally may not increase exponentially any time soon.
Forwards
Mame Biram Diouf
Team: Stoke City
Fixtures: Watford (H), Bournemouth (A), Brighton (H), Leicester (A) and Southampton (A)
Price: 5.4
Score: 71
Ownership: 3.5%
Why yes: Diouf may be playing as a midfielder, but the African is heavily involved in all of the Potters’s attacking forays. This gameweek’s second wildcard pick, the Stoke man is a decent third-choice forward, if nothing else.
Why no: The 30-year-old goes missing in games and is too erratic for the liking of most FPL managers. Midfielder Xherdhan Shaqiri (£6.0 m) is, arguably, a better option.
Sergio Aguero
Team: Manchester City
Fixtures: West Brom (H), Burnley (A), Leicester (H), Arsenal (A) and Chelsea (H)
Price: 11.8
Score: 133
Ownership: 26.4%
Why yes: With Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus out of the picture for the moment at least, Ageuro is a guaranteed starter at the apex of City’s formidable attack. His hat-trick against Newcastle was a timely riposte to those claiming his abilities were on the wane and expect him to put the Baggies to the sword.
Why no: In Sane, City have lost a terrific player and it’s uncertain if the likes of Bernardo Silva will be able to step up in his absence. At the very least, the Citizens have lost a lot of pace and it’s unsure if they can maintain their cavalier style of play.
PS: The Gameweek deadline is Tuesday, 18.45 GMT/ Wednesday, 0015 IST.
Previous articles in this series: