| Rank | Player | Res | Cls | Exa | Slm | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 - |  | 36 | 94.5 | 57 | 17 | 204.5 |
2 - |  | 40 | 70.5 | 78 | 16 | 204.5 |
3 - |  | 43 | 69 | 66 | 15 | 193.0 |
4 - |  | 33 | 70.5 | 75 | 12 | 190.5 |
5 - |  | 38 | 78 | 57 | 14 | 187.0 |
I had a poor week with my fantasy team, but thankfully I wasn’t the only one and I didn’t lose too much ground overall. Mohamed Salah failed to return as my captain as the only players to get me any points were Chris Wood, Lewis Hall and Ola Aina. I will be sticking with Salah as my captain this week and hopefully I can make up some of the ground I lost on the teams ahead of me, but I’m still in the top one percent overall.
I haven’t made my mind up on whether to use my sub this week or roll it over to use two next week when Liverpool and Everton both play twice. The chances are I will try to bring a Liverpool defender and Luis Diaz once my finances allow it. There’s also the option of using my triple captain option next week when Salah has two games in the hope it gives me an extra boost in the overall rankings.
Saturday January 25
Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest
3pm GMT, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Bournemouth won 4-1 away to Newcastle last week and that win left them three points off the top four. They have taken eight points from their last four home games and they only conceded one goal in those games with no other team conceding less goals on their own ground. They are unbeaten in 10 games and they scored 20 goals in those games as well as keeping four clean sheets.
Antoine Semenyo and Milos Kerkez are still the best bets in the Bournemouth team for fantasy managers, but when Justin Kluivert has a good day he can have a really good day.
Forest hung on to win 3-2 at home to Southampton last week and that win moved them level on points with second placed Arsenal. They have won their last four away games and they kept clean sheets in their last three with only Palace conceding less goals on the road. They have taken 22 points from their last eight games and they kept clean sheets in four of them with only the two teams above them conceding less goals.
Chris Woods, Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibb-White plus all of the Forest defenders and keeper can do very well for fantasy managers.
This is a very difficult game to call, but I think a draw is the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 1-1
Brighton And Hove Albion v Everton
3pm GMT, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton won 3-1 away to United last week and that win moved them up to ninth place and within six points of the top four. They haven’t won in their last four home games, but they drew three of them and no other team has drawn more games on their own patch. They have won their last two games after failing to win the previous eight, but they drew six of those eight games and no other team has drawn more games.
I suggested Kaoru Mitoma might be a good option for fantasy managers last week and he proved to be so while Joao Pedro is worth considering too.
Everton won 3-2 at home to Spurs last week to move four points clear of the relegation zone. They have only taken three points from their last six away games and no other team has scored less goals on their travels. The win against Spurs was only their second win in 13 games and only Southampton have scored less goals.
I’m still not sure there are any Everton players doing enough to peak the interest of fantasy managers, but they do play twice next week.
I think Brighton will make it three wins in a row by a narrow margin in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Liverpool v Ipswich Town
3pm GMT, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool scored two very late goals to win 2-0 away to Brentford last week and that win moved them six points clear at the top of the table. They have only won once in their last three home games, but only Bournemouth have conceded less goals on their own ground. They’re unbeaten in 17 games with no other team scoring more or conceding less goals.
Despite no returns in his last two games Mohamed Salah is still a fantastic option for fantasy managers with Luis Diaz and their defenders and keeper good choices too.
Ipswich lost 6-0 at home to City last week and that defeat kept them in the bottom three on goal difference. They have taken seven points from their last four away games, but this is the first of three very difficult games on the road in a row. They have only taken one point from their last three games and they conceded 10 goals in those games with only three other teams conceding more goals.
I can’t see any Ipswich players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
I can’t see anything other than a comprehensive Liverpool victory in this game.
Prediction: 4-0
Southampton v Newcastle United
3pm GMT, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
Southampton lost 3-2 away to Forest last week to leave them rooted to the foot of the table as they await their inevitable relegation. They have lost eight of their 10 home games with no other team scoring less or conceding more goals on their own patch. They have only taken two points from their last 12 games with no other team scoring less goals and only Wolves conceding more.
I can’t see any Southampton players who would be of interest to fantasy managers.
Newcastle lost 4-1 at home to Bournemouth last week and that defeat saw them drop out of the top four. They have won their last three away games and they scored eight goals in those games, but their next two games on their travels after this one are really tough. They had won six games in a row before losing to Bournemouth and they scored 18 goals in those games.
Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, Jacob Murphy and all of the Newcastle defenders and keeper are good options for fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Newcastle will win this game by at least a margin of two goals.
Prediction: 1-3
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal
3pm GMT, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves lost 3-1 away to Chelsea last week, but they managed to stay out of the relegation zone on goal difference. They have lost three of their last four home games and they conceded nine goals in those games with their next three games on their own ground all against teams in the top half of the table. They have lost their last three games and they conceded nine goals in those games with no other team conceding more goals.
Matheus Cunha is the Wolves player to have for fantasy managers with Jorgen Strand Larsen a possibility too.
Arsenal led 2-0 at home to Villa last, but they had to settle for a 2-2 draw which saw them fall six points behind Liverpool at the top of the table. They have taken 12 points from their last six away games and they scored 16 goals in those games with only Palace conceding less goals on the road. They are unbeaten in 12 games, but they drew five of them and only Liverpool have conceded less goals.
The best of the Arsenal players for fantasy managers at the moment are probably their defenders even if they haven’t kept a clean sheet in four games.
I think Wolves will make things difficult for Arsenal, but the away team will take the three points.
Prediction: 1-2
Manchester City v Chelsea
5.30pm GMT, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City won 6-0 away to Ipswich last week and they’re now only two points behind fourth place. They have taken four points from their last two home games after losing two of the previous three and their next three home games are all against other teams in the top six. They have taken 10 points and scored 14 goals in their last four games with only two other teams scoring more goals.
Phil Foden is the in form City player for fantasy managers with Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne doing well too, but City have a very tough run of games.
Chelsea won 3-1 at home to Wolves last week and that win was enough to move them back into the top four. They have only taken two points from their last three away games and three of their next four games are on their travels with only Liverpool scoring more goals away from home. The win against Wolves was their first win in six games and they need to get something from this game to stay ahead of City.
Cole Palmer is the only Chelsea player showing enough consistency to interest fantasy managers.
This is a huge game for two teams fighting for a top four place and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them share the points.
Prediction: 2-2
Sunday January 26
Crystal Palace v Brentford
2pm GMT, Selhurst Park, London
Palace won 2-0 away to West Ham last week and that win moved them up to 12th place as they close in on the top half of the table. They have only won once in their last six home games with only two other teams scoring less goals on their own ground. They have only lost once in their last 11 games and they are in the middle of a very good run of games.
Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze are very good choices for fantasy managers at the moment with the Palace defenders and keeper looking good too.
Brentford lost 2-0 at home to Liverpool last week and they’re now five points off the top half of the table. They won their last away game after failing to win the previous nine and their next three away games starting with this one are against teams below them in the table. They have only won once in their last seven games, but their next six games are all against teams below them in the table.
Bryan Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa are the Brentford players who can do well for fantasy managers over the next few weeks.
I think this will be a close game with a draw the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 2-2
Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City
2pm GMT, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs lost 3-2 away to Everton last week and they find themselves nine points off the top half of the table and only eight points above the relegation zone. They have only taken two points from their last six home games and they conceded 17 goals in those games with only Brentford scoring more goals on their own ground. They have only taken one point from their last six games and they conceded 16 goals in those games, but only Liverpool have scored more goals.
James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-Min are the Spurs players who can do well for fantasy managers.
Leicester lost 2-0 at home to Fulham last week to stay one place off the bottom of the table, but they are still only two points off seventeenth place. They have lost their last five away games and they conceded 16 goals in those games with only Wolves conceding more goals on their travels. They have lost their last seven games and they conceded 22 goals in those games while only scoring two with only two other teams conceding more goals.
I can’t see any Leicester players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Spurs will get a badly needed victory in this game with at least a couple of goals to spare.
Prediction: 3-1
Aston Villa v West Ham United
4.30pm GMT, Villa Park, Birmingham
Villa came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 away to Arsenal last week to leave them four points off the top four. They have taken 13 points from their last five home games with only three other teams taking more points on their own ground. They have taken eight points from their last four games and their next three games are all against teams in the bottom eight.
Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins are the Villa players to look at for fantasy managers at the moment.
West Ham lost 2-0 at home to Palace last week to leave them in 14th place. They have taken seven points from their last five away games, but their next three away games are all very difficult starting with this one. They have lost three of their last four games and they conceded 13 goals in those games with only three other teams conceding more goals.
If he’s fit to play Jarrod Bowen is the West Ham player most likely to do well for fantasy managers.
I think Villa should be good enough at home to win this game by a couple of goals.
Prediction: 3-1
Fulham v Manchester United
7pm GMT, Craven Cottage, London
Fulham won 2-0 away to Leicester last week and they’re only seven points off the top four despite being in 10th place. They have drawn their last four home games with only Brighton drawing more games on their own patch. They have only lost one of their last 10 games, but they drew six of them with only Brighton drawing more games.
Antonee Robinson is probably the most consistent Fulham player for fantasy managers with Alex Iwobi and Raul Jiminez shining on occasions too.
United lost 3-1 at home to Brighton last week and they’re now seven points off the top half of the table. They have only won once in their last eight away games, but only Palace have conceded less goals on their travels. They have only taken seven points from their last nine games and they conceded 19 goals in those games.
Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo are the United players most likely to do well for fantasy managers.
I think this is a game which could go either way with a draw being the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 2-2
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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