| POSITION | PLAYER NAME | THIS WEEK | POINTS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) |  |  |  | Donor | 105 | ||||||
| 2 (1) | |  | | Mystical | 100 | ||||||
| 3 (1) | |  |  | Feel | 90 | ||||||
| 3 (1) | |  | | If Winter Ends | 90 | ||||||
| 5 (1) | | | | Ali Bergkamp | 85 |
Saturday August 17
Arsenal v Burnley
12.30pm BST, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal got off to a good start with a 1-0 win away to Newcastle last week and they will look to build on that in this game before their fixtures get considerably tougher next week. Only the top two took more points and scored more goals than Arsenal at home last season. They weren’t overly impressive last week, but they have an awful lot of players to come back into the team.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the Arsenal player most likely to make a difference for fantasy managers with Nicolas Pepe and Alexandre Lacazette worth considering too once they’re up to full fitness.
Burnley had a very good 3-0 win at home to Southampton last week as they got their season up and running a lot earlier than last season. They only won four of their 19 away games last season and only three other teams conceded more goals on their travels last season. Only the three relegated teams lost more games last season and only four teams conceded more goals.
Ashley Barnes lived up to my prediction last week and he’s certainly worth considering for fantasy managers along with Chris Wood and maybe Johann Berg Gudmundsson.
I think Arsenal should be strong enough to take the three points, but Burnley won’t make it easy for them.
Prediction: 3-1
Aston Villa v Bournemouth
3pm BST, Villa Park, Birmingham
Villa led for a long time at Spurs last week, but they ended up losing 3-1 and they will hope to get some points on the board this week. They won less than half of their home games last season, but only two teams scored more home goals even if it was in the Championship. They have a relatively easy start to the season and they showed enough last week to suggest they are more than capable of staying up.
Others have predicted a good season for John McGinn and after last week he could be of interest to fantasy managers.
Bournemouth conceded late on at home to Sheffield United last week and had to settle for a share of the spoils. Only two teams lost more away games last season and no other team conceded more away goals. They were the highest scorers in the bottom half of the table last season, but only the bottom two teams conceded more goals.
Callum Wilson was the Bournemouth player who performed for fantasy managers last week and he should definitely be considered by fantasy managers along with Ryan Fraser and Josh King.
I think this will be a very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end all square.
Prediction: 1-1
Brighton And Hove Albion v West Ham United
3pm BST, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton had a very good 3-0 win away to Watford last week to get the Graham Potter reign off to a good start. They only lost eight of their 19 home games last season with only Huddersfield scoring less goals at home. They only missed out on relegation by two points last season which is why Potter replaced Chris Hughton as they try to play a more attractive brand of football.
Both Matt Ryan and Lewis Dunk did very well for fantasy managers last week and both of them are available at a very good price as are Davy Propper and Florin Andone.
West Ham were thrashed 5-0 at home to City last week, but surely Brighton won’t be as difficult a task for them. They lost more than half of their away games last season, but this is a game where they will surely target all three points. They just about managed to sneak into the top half of the table last season and they will hope to improve on that this season.
I’m not sure which West Ham players to recommend after last week, but Sebastien Haller looks like he could do well given the chance.
I think Brighton might have just enough at home to take the three points in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Everton v Watford
3pm BST, Goodison Park, Liverpool
Everton drew 0-0 away to Palace last week in a game which could have gone either way. Only the top six took more points at home last season and they will look to that home form to help them push for a top six finish this season. They lost almost as many games as they won last season despite finishing eighth, but they did concede less goals than two of the top six.
Everton’s defensive options could be interesting for fantasy managers with Lucas Digne probably the best of them whike it’s always difficult to ignore Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Watford were soundly beaten at home to Brighton last week in what looked like a good opening game for them on paper at least. They took almost as many points on their travels as at home last season even if they did concede a lot of goals in those away games. They just about missed out on a top half finish last season, but they will have to do a lot better than last week if they’re going to better that record.
If they continue to play like they did last week there won’t be too many Watford players coming on to the radar of fantasy managers.
I think Everton will be too strong for Watford and will win the game while keeping another clean sheet.
Prediction: 2-0
Norwich City v Newcastle United
3pm GMT, Carrow Road, Norwich
Norwich played well away to Liverpool last week despite losing 4-1, but this won’t be as difficult a task for them. No other team took more points at home in the Championship last season and only one other team scored more goals. Their defence might not have been the best in the Championship last season, but they were the top scorers.
Last week I suggested Emiliano Buendia and Teemu Pukki might be worth considering for fantasy managers and so it proved and their ownership looks set to increase.
Newcastle lost 1-0 at home to Arsenal last week and the signs are it could be a long and hard season for them. They only lost seven of their 19 away games last season, but they drew more away games than any other team. They conceded less goals than two of the top six last season, but only the bottom four teams scored less goals.
With Matt Ritchie listed as a defender he has to be of interest to fantasy managers while Fabian Schar has an eye for goal, but it’s a risk to select any Newcastle players.
I think Norwich showed enough in attack last week to suggest they will win this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Southampton v Liverpool
3pm BST, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
Southampton were well beaten away to Burnley last week and things get a lot more difficult for them this week. They only won five of their 19 home games last season, but no other team drew more games at home. They only avoided relegation by five points last season and last week’s result suggests they might have a few problems this season too.
I thought Nathan Redmond showed enough last week to suggest he will do well for fantasy managers, but maybe not in this game.
Liverpool strolled to a 4-1 win at home to Norwich last week and then won the Super Cup on penalties after extra time in midweek. No other team team took more points away from home last season with only City scoring more goals and conceding less on their travels. They only lost out to City by a point last season and they will hope to go one better this season.
Mohamed Salah is a must have again for fantasy managers while Sadio Mane seems to be back to full fitness too and he’s another great option and every fantasy team needs at least one Liverpool defender with Adrian possibly the real bargain while Alisson is injured.
I think Liverpool should win this one with a couple of goals to spare despite their midweek exploits.
Prediction: 0-2
Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur
5.30pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City found things far too easy away to West Ham last week, but Spurs will certainly offer them a stronger test this week. They took more points and scored more goals than any other team at home last season with only Liverpool conceding less goals at home. Judging by their result last week they’re pretty determined to win the league for the third season in a row.
Raheem Sterling showed why he cannot be ignored by fantasy managers last week while Kevin de Bruyne, Ederson, Aymeric Laporte and Sergio Aguero are probably the best other options who will play most often in the City team.
Spurs left it late at home to Villa last week, but they managed to take the three points before going to one of the three teams who finished ahead of them last season. Only the top two took more points and scored more goals than Spurs away from home last season. They squeezed into the top four with only a point to spare last season, but only the top two teams conceded less goals.
Harry Kane again proved how invaluable he is to fantasy managers last week, but I’m not sure what other Spurs players to recommend in this game at least.
I think City will be too strong for Spurs and should win by a couple of goals, but they probably won’t keep a clean sheet.
Prediction: 3-1
Sunday August 18
Sheffield United v Crystal Palace
2pm BST, Bramall Lane, Sheffield
United got a late goal to grab a point away to Bournemouth last week and get their return to the top flight off to a good start. No other team in the Championship took more points or conceded less goals at home than United last season and they will hope to stay up courtesy of their hone record this season. They managed 21 clean sheets in 46 games last season with only three other teams scoring more goals.
Despite their point last week I’m still not sure which United players to recommend to fantasy managers.
Palace drew 0-0 at home to Everton last week and they will be looking to recreate their away form from last season in this game. They took more points away from home than at home last week with only three other teams scoring more goals on the road. They managed to hold on to Wilfried Zaha this summer and he could be the man to help them move into the top half of the table this season.
Zaha still looks like the Palace pkayer to have for fantasy managers with Luka Milivojevic, Patrick van Aanholt and bargain buy Martin Kelly worth considering too.
I think Palace might just have enough to get a narrow victory in this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Chelsea v Leicester City
4.30pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea lost 4-0 away to United last week despite playing well for much of the game and they will want to put that result behind them in this game. They only lost one home game last season with only Liverpool conceding less goals on their own patch. They were the lowest scorers among the top six last season and losing Eden Hazard won’t help to improve that statistic.
I think Pedro could be the Chelsea player to have for fantasy managers as they look to fill the void left by the departure of Hazard.
Leicester could only draw 0-0 at home to Wolves last week and they will hope to take advantage of a Chelsea team who had to travel to Istanbul and play extra time in midweek. Only six teams took more away points than Leicester last season and they only managed two more points at home than they did away from home. They lost more games than they won last season and they need to lose less games this season if they’re going to trouble the top six.
I think Ayoze Perez and Youri Tielemans could do well for fantasy managers this season while Ricardo Pereira and Jamie Vardy need to be closely monitored too.
I think Chelsea showed enough so far to suggest they might not miss Hazard as much as predicted and I think they should win this game narrowly.
Prediction: 2-1
Monday August 19
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United
8pm BST, Molineux, Birmingham
Wolves drew 0-0 away to Leicester last week and it can’t be easy for them trying to balance Europa League qualifiers with their Premier League games. They won 10 of their 19 home games last season and they will need to improve on that if they want to get any closer to the top six. Only the top four conceded less goals last season, but only seven other teams scored less goals.
Raul Jiminez, Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota are the obvious choices in the Wolves team for fantasy managers, but they do have a lot of games at the moment and could suffer as a result.
United won 4-0 at home to Chelsea last week to get their new season off to a flying start. Only three teams took more points and scored more goals away from home last season, but they did lose seven away games. They only won half of their games last season and they conceded more goals than the rest of the top six.
Marcus Rashford looks like the best option in the United team for fantasy managers with Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba worth considering too, but I’m still far from sure about their defence.
I think this will be a very close game and I think a score draw is the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 1-1
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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