| Rank | Player | Res | Cls | Exa | Slm | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 - |  | 31 | 90 | 69 | 18 | 208.0 |
2 - |  | 32 | 85.5 | 69 | 19 | 205.5 |
3 - |  | 33 | 84 | 66 | 15 | 198.0 |
4 - |  | 33 | 88.5 | 57 | 18 | 196.5 |
5 - |  | 34 | 85.5 | 57 | 17 | 193.5 |
My choice of Diogo Jota as my captain paid off handsomely last week as his 38 point haul was just over half of my total for the week. Besides Jota my cause was helped by William Saliba, Vitalii Mykolenko, Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer. Jota could be a good choice again this week, but I will wait to see if Erling Haaland is passed fit to play before I make a final decision.
With Mohamed Salah injured on international duty my plan to bring him back in after the African Cup of Nations could be scuppered so I might need to come up with a different strategy. Meanwhile Haaland will be back in my team as soon as he’s available and I’ll probably have to bring in Pervis Estupinan and Pedro Porro too. There are a lot of games coming up very quickly and I hope to continue my upward trajectory in the overall rankings.
Tuesday January 30
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
7.30pm GMT, City Ground, Nottingham
Forest lost 3-2 away to Brentford last week and that defeat left them two places and four points above the relegation zone. They won their last home game after losing the previous four and they have a tough run of home games coming up. They had won two games in a row before losing to Brentford and six of their next seven games are against teams in the top half of the table.
If they’re fit to play Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White can do well for fantasy managers while Chris Woods is worth considering too.
Arsenal won 5-0 at home to Palace last week to move back up to third place, but they’re five points off the top of the table. They have only taken one point from their last three away games, but no other team has conceded less goals on the road. The win against Palace was their first win in four games and only Liverpool have conceded less goals.
Arsenal’s defensive players are fairly good options for fantasy managers at the moment with Bukayo Saka a good choice too.
I think this will be a very close game with Arsenal probably winning narrowly.
Prediction: 1-2
Fulham v Everton
7.45pm GMT, Craven Cottage, London
Fulham lost 1-0 away to Chelsea in their last game, but they’re still closer to the top half of the table than they are to the bottom three. They have won four of their last five home games and they scored 15 goals in those games. They have lost four of their last five games and only four other teams have conceded more goals.
I’m not sure there are any Fulham players doing enough to interest fantasy managers at the moment.
Everton drew 0-0 at home to Villa last time out and that point kept them one point above the bottom three. They have lost their last two away games after winning the previous four and they have some very difficult away games coming up after this one. The draw against Villa was their first point in four games and they only scored two goals in those games with only three other teams scoring less goals.
Everton’s defenders and keeper haven’t done too badly recently for fantasy managers, but they have a tough run of games coming up.
This isn’t an easy game to call, but I have a feeling Everton might just shade it.
Prediction: 1-2
Luton Town v Brighton And Hove Albion
7.45pm GMT, Kenilworth Road, Luton
Luton drew 1-1 away to Burnley in their last game and they’re only one point off the relative safety of seventeenth place. They have lost three of their last four home games and they conceded nine goals in those games with only four other teams conceding more goals on their own ground. They have taken seven points from their last four games, but only the two teams below them have conceded more goals.
Alfie Doughty is the Luton player who should be of most interest to fantasy managers at the moment.
Brighton drew 0-0 at home to Wolves last week and that point was enough to keep them in seventh place. They have only taken two points from their last four away games, but two of their next three away games are against teams in the bottom three. They’re unbeaten in four games, but they drew three of them and no other team has drawn more games.
Pervis Estupinan is the Brighton player to have for fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Brighton will be too good for Luton and should win this game by a couple of goals.
Prediction: 1-3
Crystal Palace v Sheffield United
8pm GMT, Selhurst Park, London
Palace lost 5-0 away to Arsenal in their last game, but they still have five points to spare over the relegation zone. They won their last home game after only taking two points from the previous six games on their own patch and no other team has scored less goals at home. They have only won once in their last 10 games with only the bottom two teams scoring less goals.
I can’t see any Palace players doing enough to interest fantasy managers on a consistent basis, but Eberechi Eze could be worth a shout in this game.
United got a last gap goal to draw 2-2 at home to West Ham last week, but they’re still rooted to the foot of the table. They’re the only team without an away win and they have scored less and conceded more goals than any other team on their travels. Despite improving their performances recently they have done very little to suggest they have any chance of staying up with no other team scoring less or conceding more goals.
I can’t see any United players making enough of an impact to turn the heads of fantasy managers.
Despite their lowly position I think United will make a game of it, but Palace should take all the points.
Prediction: 2-1
Aston Villa v Newcastle United
8.15pm GMT, Villa Park, Birmingham
Villa drew 0-0 away to Everton in their last game and that draw saw them drop to fourth place on goal difference. No other team has taken more points, scored more or conceded less goals on their own ground. They have only won once in their last four games though and they just might be finding life at the top table difficult to cope with.
Ollie Watkins, Douglas Luiz and Leon Bailey are probably the Villa players most likely to be of interest to fantasy managers.
Newcastle lost 3-2 at home to City last time out after leading 2-1 and they only kept their place in the top half of the table on goal difference. They have lost their last five away games and they conceded 14 goals in those games with only Sheffield United taking less points on the road. They have lost their last four games and they conceded 11 goals in those games.
Despite their poor form both Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak have done well recently for fantasy managers.
I think Villa will continue to apply the pressure on Newcastle by taking the three points in this game.
Prediction: 3-1
Wednesday January 31
Manchester City v Burnley
7.30pm GMT, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City came back from 2-1 down to win 3-2 away to Newcastle in their last game to move up to second place. They won their last home game after drawing the previous three and they’re one of three teams still unbeaten on their own patch. They have taken 13 points from their last five games with no other team scoring more goals.
If he’s fit to return Erling Haaland is a must have for fantasy managers with Phil Foden, Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva good options too.
Burnley drew 1-1 at home to Luton in their last game, but they still have five points to make up if they’re going to get out of the bottom three. They have taken four points from their last three away games and they have taken twice as many points on their travels as they have at home. They have only taken five points from their last seven games with only Sheffield United scoring less and conceding more goals.
Zeki Amdouni has done well recently for fantasy managers, but he might find this game a lot tougher.
I can’t see anything other than a comprehensive City victory in this game.
Prediction: 4-0
Tottenham Hotspur v Brentford
7.30om GMT, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs drew 2-2 away to United last time out and that draw saw them fall three points behind the top four. They have won their last three home games and they scored nine goals in those games. They only play one of the teams above them in their next 11 games which could give a great opportunity to move into the top four.
While Son Heung-Min is on international duty Richarlison is the Spurs player to have for fantasy managers with Pedro Porro, Dejan Kulusevski and the fit again James Maddison all worth considering too.
Brentford won 3-2 at home to Forest last week to move six points clear of the relegation zone. They have lost their last four away games and they only scored two goals in those games with only Sheffield United scoring less goals on the road. They had lost five games in a row before beating Forest and four of their next five games are against teams in the top five.
With Ivan Toney back from his long term suspension he’s the Brentford player that can do well for fantasy managers.
I think Spurs should be good enough at home to win this game.
Prediction: 3-1
Liverpool v Chelsea
8.15pm GMT, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool won 4-0 away to Bournemouth last week and that win kept them five points clear at the top of the table. Only Villa have taken more points at home and no other team has conceded less goals on their own ground. They are unbeaten in 14 games with only City scoring more goals and no other team conceding less.
With Mohamed Salah injured on international duty the Liverpool players to have for fantasy managers could be Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Chelsea won 1-0 at home to Fulham in their last game and that win moved them above Newcastle into ninth place. They won their last away game after losing the previous four and they face the top two in two of their next three games on their travels. They have won their last three games, but they still have 12 points to make up on the top four.
Cole Palmer is the Chelsea player of choice for fantasy managers with Raheem Sterling worth a shout too.
I think Liverpool should be too strong for Chelsea and will win with a few goals in hand.
Prediction: 3-0
Thursday February 1
West Ham United v Bournemouth
7.30pm GMT, London Stadium, London
West Ham conceded a very late goal to draw 2-2 away to Sheffield United last week which kept them in sixth place. They have taken 11 points from their last five home games and they have kept clean sheets in the last three. They have taken 21 points from their last 10 games and they will hope to add another three points in this game.
Jarrod Bowen is the best of the West Ham players for fantasy managers, but Mohammed Kudus could be back from international duty very soon.
Bournemouth lost 4-0 at home to Liverpool last week, but they’re still a lot closer to the top half the table than they are to the bottom three. They lost their last away game after winning the previous four with only Sheffield United and Fulham conceding more goals on the road. They had taken 19 points from their previous seven games before losing their last two games and only the bottom two have conceded more goals.
Dominic Solanke is the Bournemouth player who can make a real impression for fantasy managers.
I think this could be a very close game, but West Ham will just have the edge.
Prediction: 2-1
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United
8.15pm GMT, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves drew 0-0 away to Brighton last week and they’re only outside the top half of the table on goal difference. They have taken 18 points from their last eight home games and they scored 14 goals in those games. They have taken 10 points from their last four games and they scored nine goals in those games.
Matheus Cunha and Pedro Neto are the reasonably priced Wolves players who can perform really well for fantasy managers while Hwang Hee-Chan is on international duty.
United drew 2-2 at home to Spurs last time out to leave them in eighth place with 11 points to make up on the top four. They have only taken one point and scored one goal in their last four away games with only Sheffield United scoring less goals on their travels. They have only won once in their last six games with only three other teams scoring less goals.
Marcus Rashford is the United player looking most likely to make a difference for fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Wolves will make things very difficult for United and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win.
Prediction: 2-1
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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