| Rank | Player | Res | Cls | Exa | Slm | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 - |  | 7 | 30 | 21 | 7 | 65.0 |
2 1 |  | 9 | 33 | 9 | 6 | 57.0 |
3 1 |  | 9 | 30 | 12 | 6 | 57.0 |
4 2 |  | 10 | 31.5 | 9 | 6 | 56.5 |
5 - |  | 7 | 33 | 9 | 6 | 55.0 |
My choice of Erling Haaland as my fantasy captain paid off again last week with his goal helping me climb the overall rankings a little, but he probably should have had at least two more goals. Besides Haaland I was helped by points from Bernd Leno, Bukayo Saka, Julian Alvarez and Taiwo Awoniyi, but I had hoped for more. I can’t see beyond Haaland as my captain again this week, but Alvarez is worth considering too.
Odsonne Edouard, Moussa Diaby, Pedro Neto and Awoniyi are all looking like the in form players who could be this season’s bargains and I need to find a way to get more of them into my squad. Both Luton and Burnley play twice next week which could make Carlton Morris look attractive to fantasy managers, but I’m not sure which Burnley players to suggest with Lyle Foster suspended.
Saturday September 23
Crystal Palace v Fulham
3pm BST, Selhurst Park, London
Palace looked like they might steal the three points away to Villa last week, but they ended up losing 3-1 and they’re ahead of Fulham on goal difference going into this game. They won their last home game against Wolves and four of their next five games on their own ground are against teams they will be expected to finish ahead of. They had issues scoring goals last season, but they have managed four in their last two games and they will be hopeful of getting a few more in this game.
Odsonne Edouard is in very good form for fantasy managers at the moment while Eberechi Eze and Joachim Andersen aren’t doing too badly either.
Fulham won 1-0 at home to bottom club Luton last week to move themselves into the top half of the table. They have taken four points from their three away games, but only Villa and Luton have conceded more goals on their travels. They have a tough run of games coming up and only Burnley and Wolves have conceded more goals.
Bernd Leno is the Fulham player who can make a difference for fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Palace should have enough at home to take the three points in this game.
Prediction: 3-1
Luton Town v Wolverhampton Wanderers
3pm BST, Kenilworth Road, Luton
Luton lost 1-0 away to Fulham last week to leave themselves rooted to the foot of the table. They are one of four teams without a point at home, but three of their next four games are on their own patch. They are the only team without a point and no other team has scored less goals, but they will hope to put that right in their next three games which are against three of the four teams directly above them in the table.
Carlton Morris is the only Luton player for fantasy managers to consider and mainly because he plays twice next week.
Wolves lost 3-1 at home to Liverpool after leading at half time last week and they have lost four of their first five games. Their only win so far came away from home and their next three games on the road are all against teams with the same amount of points as them or even less. Only Burnley have conceded more goals while only four other teams have scored less.
No other player has more assists so far than Pedro Neto and he’s the Wolves players fantasy managers should be keeping an eye on.
I think Wolves will get a much needed victory in this game, but we won’t see too many goals.
Prediction: 0-1
Manchester City v Nottingham Forest
3pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City came from behind to win 3-1 away to West Ham last week to stay on top of the table with a 100% record. It was their home form which won them the title last season and they have begun this season in the same style on their own ground. They’re the only team who have won every game so far with only Brighton scoring more goals and no other team conceding less.
Erling Haaland is an absolute must have for fantasy managers with Julian Alvarez almost as good while Rodrigo Hernandez and Phil Foden are in good form too.
Forest drew 1-1 at home to lowly Burnley last week to make it seven points from their first five games. They have lost away to both Arsenal and United and they won away to Chelsea, but this will be an even harder task for them. They have done very well to get seven points from their first five games considering the fixtures they had.
Taiwo Awoniyi is in very good form for fantasy managers at the moment and I’m still convinced Morgan Gibbs-White will do the business very soon too.
I think Forest will offer a threat on the break, but City should win with a few goals to spare.
Prediction: 4-1
Brentford v Everton
5.30pm BST, Gtech Community Stadium, London
Brentford lost 1-0 away to Newcastle last week to put an end to their unbeaten start to the season. They have drawn their first three home games, but they will be very hopeful of getting their first home win in this game. They drew an awful lot of games last season and they’re looking like they might just repeat that feat this season.
Bryan Mbeumo is the Brentford player most likely to be of interest to fantasy managers.
Everton lost 1-0 at home to Arsenal last week to leave them on only one point and still in the relegation zone. Their only point so far came away from home, but they will have their work cut out to get anything from this game. They play two of the other teams who are expected to struggle with them in the next two games after this one and they will be very important games as their season develops.
I still can’t see any Everton players to recommend to fantasy managers.
I think Brentford will bounce back from their first defeat of the season to take all the points in this game.
Prediction: 3-1
Burnley v Manchester United
8pm BST, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley got their first point of the season in a 1-1 draw away to Forest last week, but it wasn’t enough to move them out of the relegation zone. They have lost all three of their home games and no other team has conceded more goals on their own ground. They have two tough games in a row starting with this one, but it could be the boost they need if they can get something from either of those games.
With Lyle Foster suspended I can’t see any other Burnley players to interest fantasy managers at the moment.
United lost 3-1 at home to Brighton last week to make it three defeats in their first five games. They’re one of only four teams without a point away from home, but their next four away games are all very favourable ones starting with Burnley. They’re already nine points off the top of the table and they cannot afford to lose too much more ground, but they have a very good run of games coming up.
Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford are the United players who should start to bring in more points very soon.
I think United might just manage their first away win in a long time, but it will be a close game.
Prediction: 1-2
Sunday September 24
Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur
2pm BST, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal won 1-0 away to Everton last week to stay two points behind City and move into the top four. The only points they have dropped so far were at home to Fulham and only Brighton have scored more goals on their own patch. They play three of the other big six in their next four games and the results of those games will give us an indication of their chances this season.
Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus are the Arsenal players to have for fantasy managers at the moment.
Spurs came back from 1-0 down in added time to win 2-1 at home to Sheffield United last week and that win kept them in second place. They have taken seven points from their three away games with no other team scoring more goals on their travels. With Arsenal in this game and Liverpool next week Spurs will have their early season credentials tested to the full.
James Maddison, Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero are the Spurs players showing the most consistency for fantasy managers.
I think this will be another very close game with Arsenal probably making home advantage pay.
Prediction: 2-1
Brighton And Hove Albion v Bournemouth
2pm BST, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton won 3-1 away to United last week to make it four wins in their first five games. Their only defeat so far came at home to West Ham, but no other team has scored more goals on their own patch. They have both Liverpool and City to play very soon, but they won’t be afraid of anyone at the moment and no other team has scored more goals.
Kaoru Mitoma, Solly March, Pervis Estupinan and Pascal Gross are all looking very good for fantasy managers at the moment.
Bournemouth got a very good point in a 0-0 draw at home to Chelsea last week, but they still haven’t got their first win of the season. They got a good point away to Brentford a few weeks ago, but they will struggle to get anything from this game. They are one of five teams without a win, but they have drawn three of their five games with only Luton and Everton scoring less goals.
Dominic Solanke remains the Bournemouth player for fantasy managers to at least consider.
I think Brighton’s attack should have too much for Bournemouth and they will win this game by a couple of goals.
Chelsea v Aston Villa
2pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea could only draw 0-0 away to Bournemouth last week and they’re already 10 points off the top of the table after only five games. Their only win so far was at home and that was against the only team without a point so far. Three of their five goals came in that win against Luton and they have only managed two goals in their other four games.
Ben Chilwell still looks like the Chelsea player most likely to score points for fantasy managers.
Villa came from behind to win 3-1 at home to Palace last week with some very late goals to make it three wins from their first five games. They have lost two of their three away games and no other team has conceded more goals on the road. They have won three of their last four games and they scored a fair few goals in those games, but only Burnley and Wolves have conceded more goals.
Moussa Diaby is the Villa player to have for fantasy managers with Matty Cash and Ollie Watkins good options too.
I think this will be a very close game with Chelsea probably winning by a narrow margin.
Prediction: 2-1
Prediction: 3-1
Liverpool v West Ham United
2pm BST, Anfield. Liverpool
Liverpool came back from 1-0 down at halftime to win 3-1 away to Wolves last week to make it 13 points from their first five games. They have won their two home games and they have a very good run of home games coming up which could see them scoring quite a lot of goals. They only play two of the other big six teams in their next 11 games which could put them in a very strong position.
Mohamed Salah is the obvious choice for fantasy managers in this Liverpool team, but I’m not sure who else to suggest right now.
West Ham led 1-0 at halftime at home to City last week, but they ended up losing 3-1 to put an end to their unbeaten start to the season. They have taken seven points from their three away games, but they will do very well to get anything out of this game. They have a very good run of games after this one and they look very unlikely to do as badly as they did last season.
Jarrod Bowen, James Ward-Prowse and Alphonse Areola are all doing very well for fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Liverpool should be too good on their own ground for West Ham and will win by a couple of goals.
Prediction: 2-0
Sheffield United v Newcastle United
4.30pm BST, Bramall Lane, Sheffield
United lost 2-1 away to Spurs last week despite being 1-0 up going into added time and they’re still only outside the relegation zone on goal difference. Their only point so far came at home, but with Newcastle and United in their next two home games they’re unlikely to add to that. They have only taken one point so far, but all of their defeats were by a single goal which has to give them some hope.
Cameron Archer and Gustavo Hamer are the United players who might be considered by fantasy managers.
Newcastle won 1-0 at home to Brentford last week to put an end to their run of three defeats in a row, but they’re still in the bottom half of the table. They’re one of four teams without a point on the road and no other team has scored less goals on their travels. This is the first of a run of five games where they have a chance to amass a lot of points and they need those points after their slow start.
Anthony Gordon could be the Newcastle player to have for fantasy managers over the next few weeks.
I think Newcastle will get the better of United in a very close game, but only just.
Prediction: 1-2
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
Arsenal 4-1 Spurs, arsenal will be too good for spurs
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