| Rank | Player | Res | Cls | Exa | Slm | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 - |  | 55 | 141 | 123 | 28 | 347.0 |
2 - |  | 51 | 135 | 123 | 26 | 335.0 |
3 - |  | 52 | 162 | 87 | 28 | 329.0 |
4 - | | 63 | 126 | 108 | 25 | 322.0 |
5 - |  | 60 | 135 | 96 | 27 | 318.0 |
My choice of Alexander Isak as my captain paid off last week, but I should have gone with my hunch and opted for Callum Wilson who was the standout player of the week. I still had a good week with David Raya, Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Pervis Estupinan, Ben Mee, Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland also getting points for me. My overall rank improved again and I’m currently sitting higher than at any other point in the season.
Haaland is going to have to be my captain this week with City playing twice and hopefully he will avoid Pep Guardiola’s dreaded rotation policy. Otherwise Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes could be the players to have or who knows which City player will pop up with a brace this week. This is the second last round of games this season and I’m hoping to continue my improvement, but I won’t finish as high as I did last season when I was just outside the top 20,000.
Saturday May 20
Tottenham Hotspur v Brentford
12.30pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs lost 2-1 away to Villa last week and the highest they can now hope to finish this season is sixth. They have only won once in their last three home games after winning the previous five. They have only won two of their last nine games and no other team in the top half of the table has conceded more goals.
Harry Kane continues to be the Spurs player who can make a difference for fantasy managers.
Brentford won 2-0 at home to West Ham last week, but it looks like ninth will be as high as they finish with a top half of the table place guaranteed. They have only won once in their last five away games with only Everton drawing more games on the road. They have won three of their last four games and they kept clean sheets in two of them, but no other team has drawn more games.
With Ivan Toney suspended for eight months David Raya and Brian Mbeumo could be the Brentford players of interest to fantasy managers.
I think the absence of Toney for Brentford and home advantage for Spurs should be enough to see the home team take all three points.
Prediction: 2-1
Bournemouth v Manchester United
3pm BST, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Bournemouth lost 2-0 away to Palace last week, but they have achieved their season’s target of remaining in the top flight. They have lost three of their last four home games with only Southampton and Leeds conceding more goals on their own patch. They have lost their last two games, but they have managed to remain in the top flight despite only Leeds conceding more goals.
Despite Dominic Solanke and Philip Billing were doing well recently for fantasy managers, but I don’t think they are worth considering for fantasy managers.
United won 2-0 at home to Wolves last week and they will be within touching distance of a top four finish if they win this game. They have only taken four points from their last six away games and they failed to score in four of those games. They had lost two games in a row before beating Wolves and this is a game they just have to win.
If he’s fit to play Marcus Rashford could do very well for fantasy managers with two games this week along with both Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw.
I think United’s need for the three points should be enough to see them win narrowly in this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Fulham v Crystal Palace
3pm BST, Craven Cottage, London
Fulham won 2-0 away to Southampton last week and they will finish in the top half of the table if they win this game with ninth place still a possibility. They have won two of their last three home games and they will fancy their chances in their final home game of the season. They have won their last two games after losing the previous three and they scored seven goals in those two wins.
With Aleksandar Mitrovic back from suspension he could be the Fulham player to have for fantasy managers.
Palace won 2-0 at home to Bournemouth last week and they could move above Chelsea into 11th place if they don’t lose this game. They have lost their last two away games without scoring after winning the previous two and only four other teams have scored less goals on their travels. They have taken 16 points from their last eight games and they scored 15 goals in those games despite falling to score in three of them.
Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise are the in form Palace players for fantasy managers to consider.
I think this will be a fairly close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the spoils shared.
Prediction: 1-1
Liverpool v Aston Villa
3pm BST, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool won 3-0 away to Leicester last week to keep their slim top four hopes alive and nothing but a win will do in this game too. They have won their last four home games and they scored nine goals in those games with only City taking more points on their own patch. They have won their last seven games and they scored 20 goals in those games while keeping clean sheets in their last three.
Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are in fantastic form for fantasy managers and they’re both very good choices for the last two games of the season.
Villa won 2-1 at home to Spurs last week and a sixth place finish is still within their reach if they can do well in their last two games. They have lost their last two away games without scoring with no other team in the top half of the table scoring less goals on the road. The win against Spurs was their first win in three games, but they had won six out of seven games before that.
I’m not sure there are any Villa players to recommend to fantasy managers in this game.
I think Villa will make a game of it, but the chances are Liverpool will get the win they need.
Prediction: 2-1
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton
3pm BST, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves lost 2-0 away to United last week, but they’re a completely different kettle of fish at home. They have won their last four home games without conceding a goal, but only Everton and Southampton have scored less goals on their own ground. They have won four of their last seven games, but no other team has scored less goals.
The Wolves defenders and keeper could be good choices for fantasy managers this week as long as they don’t keep them for next week.
Everton lost 3-0 at home to City last week, but they could be very close to confirming their Premier League survival if they can get a win in this game. They have taken five points from their last three away games, but no other team has drawn more games on the road. They have only won once in their last nine games, but they probably only need one more win to confirm their survival.
I can’t see any Everton players to recommend to fantasy managers in this game.
Despite Everton’s desperate need for something from this game Wolves recent home form suggests they will emerge victorious in this game.
Prediction: 1-0
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
5.30pm BST, City Ground, Nottingham
Forest drew 2-2 away to Chelsea last week and a win in this game could and probably should be enough to keep them in the top flight. They have won their last two home games with seven goals to their name in those two games and it’s that home form which will probably keep them up. They have taken seven points from their last four games to move very close to staying up, but only Leeds and Bournemouth have conceded more goals.
Morgan Gibbs-White is the in form Forest player for fantasy managers with Taiwo Awoniyi doing very well recently too.
Arsenal lost 3-0 at home to Brighton last week and their very slim chances of winning the title will be over if they lose this game. No other team has taken more points or scored more goals on the road, but they have only won once in their last four away games. They have only won two of their last seven games and it’s that run which has cost them the title, but only City have conceded more goals.
Martin Odegaard is the Arsenal player most likely to return points for fantasy managers in this game.
Forest have to try to win this game and that might just give Arsenal the chances they need to take the three points.
Prediction: 2-3
Sunday May 21
West Ham United v Leeds United
1.30pm BST, London Stadium, London
West Ham lost 2-0 away to Brentford last week, but they must be safe from relegation at this stage even if they’re not quite mathematically there. They have taken 15 points from their last nine home games and it’s those home points which have more or less confirmed their top flight status for another season. They have lost four of their last five games as their minds have been concentrating on their European adventure.
I don’t think there are any West Ham players to recommend to fantasy managers for their last two games.
Leeds drew 2-2 at home to Newcastle last week and they will be relegated if they lose their last two games and possibly even if they win them. They have lost their last four away games and they conceded 12 goals in those games. They have only taken two points from their last seven games and no other team has conceded more goals.
I’m not sure there are any Leeds players to recommend to fantasy managers for the rest of the season either.
I think West Ham’s European distractions might get the better of them to allow Leeds to claim three precious points.
Prediction: 1-2
Brighton And Hove Albion v Southampton
2pm BST, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton won 3-0 away to Arsenal and then lost 4-1 away to Newcastle last week to leave them still with a good chance of finishing as high as sixth. They lost their last home game after taking 13 points from the previous five and they play two home games this week. They have lost two of their last three games and they conceded nine goals in those defeats, but only three other teams have scored more goals.
Alexis MacAllister and Kaoru Mitoma are the Brighton players most likely to make a difference for fantasy managers this week.
Southampton lost 2-0 at home to Fulham last week and that defeat sealed their relegation to the Championship. They have only taken two points from their last six away games and they conceded 10 goals in their last three, but they have taken more points on their travels than they have at home. They have only taken three points from their last 11 games with only Wolves scoring less goals.
I can’t see any Southampton players to recommend to fantasy managers.
I think Brighton will get the win they need to keep their hopes of a top six finish very much in their own hands.
Prediction: 3-1
Manchester City v Chelsea
4pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City won 3-0 away to Everton last week and they will be champions if they win this game or even beforehand if Arsenal lose to Forest on Saturday. They have won their last nine home games and they scored 28 goals in those games with no other team taking more points or scoring more goals on their own patch. They have won their last 11 games and they scored 32 goals in those games with no other team scoring more or conceding less goals.
Haaland is the obvious choice in the City team for fantasy managers this week with Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Ilkay Gundogan all options too depending on Pep’s selections over two games this week.
Chelsea drew 2-2 at home to Forest last week and this disastrous season can’t end quickly enough for them. They have only won two of their last 12 away games with only four other teams scoring less goals on the road. They have only won once in their last nine games with only Wolves, Southampton and Everton scoring less goals.
I don’t think we’ll see any Chelsea players doing enough to peak the interest of fantasy managers.
I can’t see anything other than a City win in this game even if they don’t need it to clinch the title.
Prediction: 3-0
Monday May 22
Newcastle United v Leicester City
8pm BST, St. James’ Park, Newcastle
Newcastle drew 2-2 away to Leeds and won 4-1 at home to Brighton last week and they will be guaranteed a top four finish if they win this game. They have only lost two of their 18 home games with only United conceding less goals on their own patch. They have taken 13 points from their last six games with only three other teams scoring more goals and only City conceding less.
After his heroics last week Callum Wilson has to look very good for fantasy managers with Alexander Isak an option too.
Leicester lost 3-0 at home to Liverpool last week and their chances of avoiding the drop are getting slimmer with each defeat. They have only taken two points from their last seven away games with only Forest and Bournemouth conceding more away goals. They have only won once in their last 14 games and they lost 10 of them with only Leeds and Bournemouth conceding more goals.
If Leicester are to have any chance of staying up then James Maddison could do well for fantasy managers.
I think Newcastle should be strong enough at home to book their place in the top four and maybe even relegate Leicester too.
Prediction: 3-1
Wednesday April 24
Brighton And Hove Albion v Manchester City
8pm BST, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton play their second home game of the week and their squad is struggling with the amount of games they have had to play recently. City should prove to be a much tougher prospect than Southampton and Brighton will have to be at their very best to get anything from this game.
The Brighton players I mentioned already are the ones most likely to perform for fantasy managers, but there could be a lot of rotation in their squad too.
City play their second game of the week too and the chances are they will be champions before the game starts. If they have tied up the title it’s difficult to know what team will play, but surely Haaland will start as he will want to increase his goalscoring record.
As I said already it’s difficult for fantasy managers to know what City players will start, but I expect Haaland to be one of them.
I think City will dent Brighton’s top six hopes with a couple of goals to spare in this game.
Prediction: 1-3
Thursday April 25
Manchester United v Chelsea
8pm BST, Old Trafford, Manchester
United play their second game of the week and this could be the one to seal their top four finish if they beat Bournemouth on Saturday. Thru have taken 16 points in their last six home games and they didn’t concede any goals in those games with no other team conceding less goals on their own ground.
With City’s possible rotation ahead of their Champions League final the United pair of Rashford and Fernandes must be looking like good captain options for fantasy managers this week.
Chelsea play their second game of the week too and a team struggling as badly as them can’t be relishing two trips to Manchester in the same week. Barring an incredible finish to their season they are going to finish in the bottom half of the table and they won’t have any European football to play next season.
There is always the possibility some Chelsea players will come good and do well for fantasy managers with two games this week, but I doubt it.
With United churning out wins and clean sheets at home I can’t see this going any other way than a win for them.
Prediction: 2-0
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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