| Rank | Player | Res | Cls | Exa | Slm | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 - |  | 6 | 15 | 15 | 5 | 41.0 |
2 - |  | 3 | 13.5 | 21 | 3 | 40.5 |
3 1 |  | 4 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 38.0 |
4 1 |  | 5 | 12 | 18 | 3 | 38.0 |
5 4 |  | 4 | 9 | 21 | 3 | 37.0 |
My fantasy team had another good week and I climbed up the rankings yet again into the top three percent of managers overall. My choice of Erling Haaland as my captain paid off again with his second hat trick in a row and he was ably assisted by Mohamed Salah, Bukayo Saka, Alexander Isak and Joao Pedro. It’s difficult to look past Haaland as my captain again this week, but Salah and Joao Pedro look like good choices too.
A lot of fantasy managers are considering using their first wildcard this week and it might not be the worst decision if you’ve had a poor start to the season. Fitting both Haaland and Salah into the same team looks like the best move which means players like Smith Rowe, Antoine Semenyo, Rico Lewis, Antonee Robinson, Luis Diaz, Kaoru Mitoma, Joao Pedro and Danny Welbeck might all have a part to play too. I will be keeping my wildcard for another few weeks at least and I’m not sure if I will make any changes to my squad this week.
Saturday September 14
Southampton v Manchester United
12.30pm BST, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
Southampton lost 3-1 away to Brentford last week and they’re one of two teams without a point from their first three games. They lost their opening home game against Forest and this could be a tougher game, but they play fellow newcomers Ipswich at home next week. They have done reasonably well defensively so far, but no other team has scored less goals and that’s a statistic they need to change quickly.
I can’t see any Southampton players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
United lost 3-0 at home to Liverpool in their last game to make it two defeats from their first three games. They lost as many away games as they won last season, but they don’t play any of the other big six teams on the road before December. They have a pretty good run of games coming up, but Southampton are the only team to have scored less goals so far.
None of the United players have done much for fantasy managers so far, but Bruno Fernandes must surely come good soon.
Nothing less than a victory will do for United in this game and I think they will get it with a couple of goals to spare.
Prediction: 0-2
Brighton And Hove Albion v Ipswich Town
3pm BST, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton drew 1-1 away to Arsenal last week to leave themselves two points off the top of the league after three games. Their next two games are both at home to teams they should be expected to beat and they could do quite well in them. Their games get a lot more difficult after those two games though and we’ll have a better idea of how good they are soon enough.
Joao Pedro and Danny Welbeck are in very good form for fantasy managers while Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh have done well too.
Ipswich got their first point of the season with a 1-1 draw at home to Fulham in their last game and it was enough to keep them out of the bottom three on goal difference. No other team has conceded more goals away from home so far and their next four away games are all ones they will hope to get something from, but as a newly promoted team no games are easy. Only
Everton and Wolves have conceded more goals, but they don’t play any of the big six in their next seven games.
I’m still not sure which Ipswich players might be able to do enough to catch the eye of fantasy managers.
I think Brighton’s impressive start to the season will continue with another three points in this game.
Prediction: 3-1
Crystal Palace v Leicester City
3pm BST, Selhurst Park, London
Palace got their first point of the season with a 1-1 draw away to Chelsea last time out and they’re just above the relegation zone on goal difference. They lost their opening home game and they need to get something from this one with their next three home games all against big six teams. Only Southampton have scored less goals so far, but will hope to improve their goals for column in this game.
Eberechi Eze is the Palace player to have for fantasy managers and he could do very well in this game.
Leicester lost 2-1 at home to Villa in their last game and they’re just ahead of Palace on goal difference going into this game. They lost their only away game so far and they travel to Arsenal in their next away game before trips to the two other teams promoted with them last season. They have managed to score in each of their games so far and that trip to Arsenal is the only game in their next seven where their chances of taking something are remote.
I’m not sure there are any Leicester players who can do well for fantasy managers.
I think Palace will get their first win of the season with a couple of goals to spare in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
Fulham v West Ham United
3pm BST, Craven Cottage, London
Fulham drew 1-1 away to Ipswich last week to make it four points from their first three games. They won their only home game so far and their next two games are at home, but West Ham and Newcastle will be tougher opponents than Leicester. Four of their next five games are against teams who finished in the top half of the table last season and it could be a difficult period for them.
Smith Rowe is probably the best of the Fulham players for fantasy managers at the moment with both Antonee Robinson and Adama Traore worth watching too.
West Ham lost 3-1 at home to City last week and they have lost two of their first three games, but those two defeats were against teams who finished in the top four last season. Their only points so far came away to Palace and only two other teams conceded more goals on their travels last season. They play three of the big six in their next six games which could see them struggle for points during that run.
Jarrod Bowen is the best of the West Ham players for fantasy managers with Tomas Soucek looking promising too.
I think this is a game which could go either way and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a draw.
Prediction: 2-2
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest
3pm BST, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool won 3-0 away to United in their last game to keep their 100% start to the season intact and they’re only behind City at the top of the table on goals scored. No other team took more points on their own ground last season and their next two games are at home against teams who finished in the bottom half of the table last season starting with this one. They are the only team who haven’t conceded a goal so far with only City scoring more.
Salah is an absolute must have for fantasy managers with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota very good options too.
Forest drew 1-1 at home to Wolves last week and they are still unbeaten three games in to the season, but they have drawn two of their games. Only three other teams lost more away games last season, but they did win their first game on the road this time around. Their next two games starting with this one are against teams who have started the season very well and they could be in for a tough time in those games.
Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood are the Forest players who should be of interest to fantasy managers.
I think Liverpool will continue their great start to the season with another win in this game.
Prediction: 3-0
Manchester City v Brentford
3pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City won 3-1 away to West Ham in their last game to keep their 100% record intact and keep themselves at the top of the table. They were the only team unbeaten at home last season with no other team scoring more goals on their own patch and three of their next four games are at home. The next two games after this will be bigger tests for them and they have already scored more goals than any other team.
Erling Haaland is an absolute must have for fantasy managers while Rico Lewis, Bernardo Silva and Kevin de Bruyne should be considered too.
Brentford won 3-1 at home to Southampton last week to make it two wins from their first three games, but this will probably be their toughest game of the season. Only two other teams lost more away games last season and they play four of the big six in their first four away games this season. They were the highest scorers in the bottom half of the table last season and the loss of Ivan Toney doesn’t seem to have affected them, but they will do very well to get anything from their next two games.
Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa are the Brentford players who can make a difference for fantasy managers.
I can’t see anything other than a comfortable City victory in this game.
Prediction: 4-1
Aston Villa v Everton
5.30pm BST, Villa Park, Birmingham
Villa won 2-1 away to Leicester last week to make it two wins in their first three games. They lost their opening home game against Arsenal, but their next two games are at home to teams who finished in the bottom half of the table last season. Five of their next six games are against teams that finished in the bottom half of the table last season and they could find themselves in a strong position after those games as long as they can balance them with their Champions League commitments.
Jhon Duran has done very well for fantasy managers with limited game time with Amadou Onana impressing too and surely Ollie Watkins will come good soon.
Everton lost 3-2 at home to Bournemouth in their last game despite leading 2-0 with less than five minutes to play and that defeat left them at the foot of the table. Only Sheffield United scored less goals away from home last season, but their next two away games after this one are against newly promoted teams. They are one of two teams without a point so far with no other team conceding more goals and only Southampton scoring less.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is probably the only Everton player for fantasy managers to even contemplate.
I think Villa will make it three wins out of four with a few goals to spare in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
Bournemouth v Chelsea
8pm BST, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Bournemouth came back from 2-0 down with only a few minutes left to win 3-2 away to Everton last time out and they’re still unbeaten after three games. Only four other teams scored less goals at home last season and they have a very hard run of home games coming up starting with this one. Five of their next seven games are very difficult, but the other two are against newly promoted teams and they need to take the maximum points from those two games.
Antoine Semenyo is the stand out Bournemouth player for fantasy managers at the moment while Luis Sinisterra has returned well given his limited game time.
Chelsea drew 1-1 at home to Palace last week in a game they really should have won and they have only won once in their opening three games. They lost as many away games as they won last season, but they scored six goals in their opening away game this season. They are in the middle of a good run of games, but they need to make the most of that run before things get more difficult for them.
Cole Palmer remains by far the best asset in the Chelsea squad for fantasy managers while Nicolas Jackson isn’t a bad bet either and Noni Madueke showed what he is capable of against Wolves.
I think Bournemouth will make things difficult for Chelsea and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them share the spoils.
Prediction: 1-1
Sunday September 15
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal
2pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs lost 2-1 away to Newcastle in their last game and they have only won once in their first three games. They were the only team not to draw at home last season with only the top three winning more games on their own ground. This is the start of a tough run of games for them and they will want to get something from their most bitter rivals.
Son Heung-Min is probably the Spurs player most likely to do well for fantasy managers with Pedro Porro and Cristian Romero looking good so far too.
Arsenal drew 1-1 at home to Brighton after playing most of the second half with 10 men and they’re now two points behind the pacesetters. They had by far the best defensive record away from home last season, but they play away to City next week so these two games will be a real test. Only City scored more goals last season and no other team conceded less, but the chances are they won’t be keeping a clean sheet in their next two games starting with this one.
Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz are the attacking Arsenal players to have for fantasy managers while their defenders and keeper are all very good choices too.
I think this will be a very close game with Arsenal probably managing a narrow victory.
Prediction: 1-2
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Newcastle United
4.30pm BST, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves drew 1-1 away to Forest last week to get their first point of the season, but it wasn’t enough to move them out of the bottom three. This is the second of four difficult home games in a row and they need to perform a lot better than they did in their 6-2 defeat against Chelsea. Only the bottom four lost more games last season and with the games they have coming up they could be facing a lot more losses.
Matheus Cuna and Jorgen Strand Larsen are both capable of doing very well for fantasy managers once their fixtures improve.
Newcastle won 2-1 at home to Spurs in their last game to make it seven points from their first three games. They drew their first away game and they have a good run of away games early on, but only two other teams conceded more goals on the road last season. Only the top three scored more goals last season and they have a good run of games at the moment, but they get a lot tougher in a couple of weeks.
Alexander Isak is the best option in the Newcastle team for fantasy managers with Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon possibilities too.
I think this will be a close game with Newcastle probably winning by one goal.
Prediction: 1-2
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment