| Rank | Player | Res | Cls | Exa | Slm | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 - |  | 36 | 105 | 87 | 19 | 247.0 |
2 1 |  | 35 | 106.5 | 78 | 18 | 237.5 |
3 1 |  | 37 | 120 | 57 | 18 | 232.0 |
4 2 | | 39 | 84 | 93 | 16 | 232.0 |
5 - | | 44 | 87 | 81 | 15 | 227.0 |
I finally managed to get my transfers and choices right last week as I used my bench boost to help me finish in the top 500 out of more than 11 million teams. It meant I made up a huge amount of ground overall and all the “bad luck” of the last 10 Gameweeks or so has been undone. Of the 15 players I had in play 12 of them got me extra points and I chose the best possible captain out of all of them with Ivan Toney doing very well in his second match of the week.
There are only seven games this week which means a lot of players will miss out and it could be difficult to field a full team for some managers. I have two free transfers to use and I will be bringing in two players who play twice next week where there are 12 teams with an extra game. For those with any of their chips to use we’re at the stage of the season where it’s important to have a plan for their use. My plan worked perfectly over the last two weeks and I’m hoping to keep my momentum going and climb even higher in the overall rankings.
Friday March 17
Nottingham Forest v Newcastle United
8pm GMT, City Ground, Nottingham
Forest lost 3-1 away to Spurs last week and they’re now only two points above the relegation zone. They’re unbeaten in nine home games, but they drew five of them with no other team drawing more games on their own ground. They have only taken two points from their last five games and they conceded 12 goals in those games with only Bournemouth conceding more goals.
Both Brennan Johnson and Morgan Gibbs-White have done very well for fantasy managers recently in home games.
Newcastle won 2-1 at home to Wolves last week and they’re only four points off fourth place with two games in hand. They have only taken three points from their last four away games and they only scored one goal in those games, but no other team has conceded less goals on the road. They have only won two of their last nine games and they failed to score in five of those games, but no other team has conceded less goals.
Kieran Trippier is still the Newcastle player to have for fantasy managers while it’s not so easy to pick any of their other players at the moment.
I think this will be a very close game with Forest so difficult to beat at home and the chances are the points will be shared.
Prediction: 1-1
Saturday March 18
Aston Villa v Bournemouth
3pm GMT, Villa Park, Birmingham
Villa drew 1-1 away to West Ham last week and they’re now two points off the top half of the table. They won their last home game after losing the previous two with only Southampton and Fulham conceding more goals on their own patch. They have taken seven points from their last three games after losing the previous three and they have a pretty good run of games coming up.
Ollie Watkins is the Villa player to have at the moment for fantasy managers with Emiliano Buendia looking worth a shout too.
Bournemouth won 1-0 at home to Liverpool last week and that win was enough to get them off the foot of the table, but they’ve still in the relegation zone. They have lost seven of their last eight away games and they failed to score in five of them with no other team conceding more goals on their travels. They have won two of their last four games, but no other team has conceded more goals.
Philip Billing is the Bournemouth player who can return some points for fantasy managers at the moment.
I think this will be another close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a draw.
Prediction: 2-2
Brentford v Leicester City
3pm GMT, Gtech Community Stadium, London
Brentford lost 1-0 away to Everton and then won 2-0 away to Southampton last week and those three points moved them up to eighth in the table. They are unbeaten in their last nine home games, but they drew four of them and no other team has drawn more games on their own patch. They were unbeaten in 12 games before losing to Everton, but their next three games after this one are all against teams above them in the table.
Ivan Toney is the Brentford player to have for fantasy managers at least until his FA charge is dealt with while David Raya and Ben Mee are fairly good choices too.
Leicester lost 3-1 at home to Chelsea last week and they’re now only above the relegation zone on goal difference. They have lost four of their last five away games with only Bournemouth and Forest conceding more goals on their travels. They have lost their last four games and they only scored one goal in those games with only Bournemouth and Forest conceding more goals.
With an extra game next week James Maddison looks very attractive to fantasy managers, but Leicester’s recent results suggest it’s not a good idea to pick their players.
I don’t think there will be too much between these two teams, but the chances are Brentford’s home form should be enough to see them take the three points.
Prediction: 2-1
Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur
3pm GMT, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
Southampton drew 0-0 away to 10 man United and then lost 2-0 at home to Brentford last week and those results returned them to the foot of the table. They have lost six of their last seven home games with no other team conceding more goals on their own ground and only Wolves scoring less. They have taken seven points from their last five games, but they only scored two goals in those games with no other team scoring less goals.
I can’t see any Southampton players doing enough to recommend them to fantasy managers at the moment.
Spurs won 3-1 at home to Forest last week to move within two points of third placed United. They have lost three of their last four away games and they conceded nine goals in those games. They have won five of their last seven games and they kept clean sheets in four of those games, but no other team in the top half of the table has conceded more goals.
Harry Kane is an absolute must have for fantasy managers this week, but I’m not sure there are any other Spurs players of any real interest.
I think Spurs should be strong enough to win this game narrowly.
Prediction: 1-2
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leeds United
3pm GMT, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves lost 2-1 away to Newcastle last week and they’re still only three points above the bottom three. They have won three of their last four home games and they kept clean sheets in each of those victories, but no other team has scored less goals at home. They have only won once in their last five games and no other team has scored less goals.
I can’t see any Wolves players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
Leeds came from behind twice to draw 2-2 at home to Brighton last week, but they’re now in the relegation zone and only one point off the foot of the table. They have only taken two points from their last seven away games and they go away to the league leaders in their next game. They have taken four points from their last three games after only taking four in the previous 10.
If Leeds are going to beat the drop they will need the fit again Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford to perform well which could make them a good option for fantasy managers.
I think Wolves will pile more pressure on Leeds with a win in a very close game.
Prediction: 1-0
Chelsea v Everton
5.30pm GMT, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea won 3-1 away to Leicester last week, but they’re still 11 points off the top four with only 12 games left to play. They have only won three of their last eight home games, but no other team has conceded less goals on their own ground. They have won their last two games after only winning two of the previous 15 and they will need to finish the season very strongly if they are going to qualify for European football for next season.
Chelsea’s defenders and keeper have done well in recent weeks and they’re definitely worth considering for fantasy managers.
Everton won 1-0 at home to Brentford last week and that win moved them one point clear of the relegation zone. They haven’t won in their last nine away games and they failed to score in six of those games with only Forest and West Ham scoring less goals on the road. They have taken 10 points from their last seven games after only taking two in the previous eight and no other team has scored less goals.
When Everton do well James Tarkowski does well for fantasy managers, but that doesn’t happen often enough.
I think Chelsea will continue their improvement by winning this game with a couple of goals to spare.
Prediction: 2-0
Sunday March 19
Arsenal v Crystal Palace
2pm GMT, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal won 3-0 away to Fulham last week and that win kept them five points clear of City at the top of the table. They have won their last two home games and they scored seven goals in those games with only City taking more points and scoring more goals on their own patch. They have won their last five games and they scored 15 goals in those games with only City scoring more goals and only Newcastle conceding less.
More or less all of the Arsenal team are doing very well for fantasy managers with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli probably the pick of them.
Palace lost 1-0 at home to City and by the same score away to Brighton last week and they’re now only three points above the bottom three. They have only taken one point from their last five away games with only three other teams scoring less goals on their travels. They haven’t won in 11 games and they haven’t scored in four with only three other teams scoring less goals.
I can’t see any Palace players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Palace could give a tired Arsenal team a real test, but Arsenal should take the three points.
Prediction: 2-1
That’s it for this week.
See you in a couple of weeks.
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