| POS | Player Name | Badges | This Week | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) |   Rutland Gooner |   3 | -10 | 295 | |
| 2 (4) | Wayne Hubbard |  4 | +85 | 255 | |
| 3 (2) |  Michael Sheehy | | +10 | 195 | |
| 4 (2) | sensisoccerworld | 1 | +5 | 190 | |
| 5 (4) | goonerdhanesh | 1 | -40 | 130 | |
| |
Saturday October 3
Crystal Palace v West Bromwich Albion
12.45pm BST, Selhurst Park, London
Palace won away to Watford last week to keep themselves firmly in the top half of the table. They have lost two of their three home games, but those defeats were against Arsenal and City. Their away form has propelled them to the top half of the table and they will stay there if they can do better at home in games like this one.
Yohan Cabaye hasn't done too well for fantasy managers so far, but he has the ability to get plenty of points.
West Brom looked like they were going to get their third win of the season on Monday night when they led Everton 2-0, but they lost 3-2. They have kept clean sheets in four of their seven games so far and all three of their away games. They will have to be at their defensive best to get something from this game, but their defensive record away from home certainly gives them a chance.
Boaz Myhill has been the best of the West Brom players for fantasy managers and is certainly worth considering.
I think this will be a close game with few goals and Palace will just get the better of West Brom.
Prediction: 1-0
Aston Villa v Stoke City
3pm BST, Villa Park, Birmingham
Villa were beaten 3-2 away to Liverpool last week despite their best efforts to get back into the game. They have only taken one point from their last six games and they have dropped into the relegation zone as a result. They need to improve quickly or this season could end up very badly for them, but Stoke won't give them an easy ride.
Rudy Gestede has done well in recent weeks for Villa and could be worth considering for fantasy managers.
Stoke got their first win of the season at home to Bournemouth last week to move them out of the relegation zone. They have drawn two of their three away games so far, but they don't tend to win too many games on the road. They will fancy their chances away to a Villa team who are struggling badly at the moment though.
Stoke players haven't exactly set the fantasy world alight yet this season and it's not easy to see which of them might do well.
I think this will be a close game and a draw is probably the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 1-1
Bournemouth v Watford
3pm BST, Dean Court, Bournemouth
Bournemouth were beaten late on away to Stoke last week and they suffered yet another injury to one of their players. After losing their opening game at home they have taken four points from two games on their own ground. It's going to be a struggle for them with Calum Wilson out for six months, but they will give it their all.
With Wilson injured it's hard to see which Bournemouth players might do well for fantasy managers.
Watford lost at home to Palace last week to put an end to the good run they had been on. They have failed to score in four of their seven games, but they have kept clean sheets in three of them at least. There have been less goals in games featuring Watford than any other team and they don't exactly set the world alight with sparkling football.
Odion Ighalo has scored four of Watford's five goals and is worth considering for fantasy managers as are most of their defenders and goalkeeper with their defensive record.
This looks like it could be a very close game between the top two from the Championship last season and a draw looks like the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 1-1
Manchester City v Newcastle
3pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City led away to Spurs last week, but they ended up losing 4-1. That defeat was their second one in a row and it saw them surrender top spot to United. They looked so good in their first five games and they will look to regain some of that form against a team in the bottom three.
Kevin de Bruyne has done well since joining City and looks like a good fantasy bet along with David Silva and Sergio Aguero when he eventually clicks.
Newcastle almost held on for a win against Chelsea last week, but they had to settle for a draw in the end. They still haven't won a game and they haven't scored away from home either. They will have got some encouragement from their game last week, but it will be a huge task for them to get anything out of this game.
I still can't see any Newcastle players worth recommending to fantasy managers.
As bad as City were last week surely they should win at home to Newcastle with a few goals to spare.
Prediction: 3-0
Norwich City v Leicester City
3pm BST, Carrow Road, Norwich
Norwich did well to get a point away to West Ham last week and keep themselves comfortably in mid table. They haven't kept a clean sheet yet, but they have scored in six of their seven games too. They will feel they have every chance at home to a Leicester team who certainly won't sit back and defend.
Wes Hoolohan and Nathan Redmond have done well so far for fantasy managers and they're still available at a good price.
Leicester were beaten for the first time last week when they went head to head with Arsenal and lost 5-2. They have scored and conceded in every game so far and they're the joint top scorers in the league too. They have to be admired for having a go no matter who the opposition are and it has made them very enjoyable to watch.
Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy have been the stand out fantasy performers in the Leicester team so far.
I think this will be a close game which could go either way with a Leicester victory possibly on the cards.
Prediction: 2-3
Sunderland v West Ham United
3pm BST, Stadium of Light, Sunderland
Sunderland are rooted to the foot of the table with only two points from their seven games. They have lost their last three games without scoring a goal and they have the worst defensive record in the league too. They need to turn things around quickly, but that's looking increasingly less likely as the weeks go by.
Jermaine Lens looked good early on for Sunderland, but none of their players are doing anything for fantasy managers now.
West Ham were held at home by Norwich last week to end a run of three wins in a row. They have won all three of their away games so far and each of those games were against teams considered to be among the best in the league. They will fancy their chances away to the bottom club, but they can't allow complacency to creep in.
Dimitri Payet has been in outstanding form so far and is a must have for fantasy managers.
This one looks like West Ham's for the taking and I'll be very surprised if they don't win.
Prediction: 1-3
Chelsea v Southampton
5.30pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea failed to win yet again last week and they're still in the bottom half of the table. They have only won twice in their opening seven games and only Sunderland have conceded more goals than them. If Chelsea are going to have any hope of retaining the league they will have to improve an awful lot and very quickly too.
None of the Chelsea players have impressed so far for fantasy managers, but surely some of their stars will come good soon.
Southampton got a good win at home to Swansea last week and they're starting to look like they did last season. They have drawn all three of their away games so far and kept clean sheets in two of them too. They will feel they have a chance against a struggling Chelsea team and they could get something if they are at their very best.
Graziano Pelle, Sadio Mane and Dusan Tadic have all done well for Southampton so far and fantasy managers should consider having at least one of them in their team.
Chelsea must surely come good soon and they might just start to do so by winning this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Sunday October 4
Everton v Liverpool
1.30pm BST, Goodison Park, Liverpool
Everton had a great 3-2 win at West Brom on Monday night after trailing 2-0. They have only lost once in their first seven games and they have kept three clean sheets in those games while they have failed to score in three of those games too. They will be up for this game and will feel they have a real chance against a struggling Liverpool team.
Ross Barkley looks like the best fantasy option in the Everton team at the moment with Romelu Lukaku possibly worth considering too.
Liverpool won at home to Villa last week, but they made hard work of it. That was their first win in five games and they have conceded nine goals in the last four games after keeping clean sheets in the first three. They need to steady the ship and surely there could be no better way than winning the derby against Everton.
The return of Daniel Sturridge has been a great boost for Liverpool and fantasy managers too and Phillippe Coutinho is worth considering too.
It's never easy to predict this game and I'll sit on the fence by opting for a draw.
Prediction: 2-2
Arsenal v Manchester United
4pm BST, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal finally found their shooting boots when they won 5-2 away to Leicester last week. They had only scored five goals in their previous six games and they have only taken four of their 13 points at home. A win and other results going their way could put Arsenal top of the table, but they will have to be at their best to have a chance of doing so.
Alexis Sanchez finally got going last week and is a strong possibility for fantasy managers along with Theo Walcott and maybe Nacho Monreal or Hector Bellerin.
United won 3-0 at home to Sunderland last week to make it three wins in a row and to go to the top of the table. They have won five of their seven games so far and have scored nine goals in their last three games. They have a very good record against Arsenal in recent years and will hope to continue that record in this game.
Juan Mata and Anthony Martial look like very good fantasy options at the moment with Chris Smalling doing well too.
I think this will be a very close game which could go either way, but I'm leaning towards an Arsenal win.
Prediction: 2-1
Swansea City v Tottenham Hotspur
4pm BST, Liberty Stadium, Swansea
Swansea were beaten 3-1 away to Southampton last week and their good start to the season seems a long way off now. They have only one point and one goal from their last three games, but they have taken seven points from their three home games. They're a hard team to beat at home, but they will have to be at their best against an in form Spurs team.
Andre Ayew and Bafetimbi Gomis started the season very well for Swansea and fantasy managers, but it's not so easy to choose them right now.
Spurs got a great 4-1 win at home to City last week after trailing 1-0. They have won their last three league games and kept clean sheets in three of their last four. No other team has conceded less goals than Spurs and that has to give them a good chance against a Swansea team who have been goal shy in recent games.
Spurs defenders are looking like very good options for fantasy managers at the moment.
This is another game which could go either way and I think a draw is the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 1-1
My fantasy league is up and running again and it's open to all comers with a €50 prize (out of my pocket) to the winner. You can join up by using the league code 48497-14043 after you have set your team up here and good luck to all who play. There were over 1,000 teams in my league last season and there's already more than that signed up for this season.
I'm also running my Predictions League again this season and it's very enjoyable even if there's no cash prize for the winner. The code for my league is FD757-ARR after you have signed up here and of course both games are completely free to play.
That's it for this week.
See you next week.
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