| Rank | Player | Res | Cls | Exa | Slm | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |  | 10 | 13.5 | 6 | 3 | 32.5 |
2 1 | | 8 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 32.0 |
3 1 | | 9 | 10.5 | 9 | 2 | 30.5 |
4 2 | 11 | 7.5 | 6 | 1 | 25.5 | |
5 2 | | 12 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 25.0 |
6 1 | | 12 | 4.5 | 6 | 1 | 23.5 |
Saturday October 17
Everton v Liverpool
12.30pm BST, Goodison Park, Liverpool
Everton won 4-2 at home to Brighton in their last game and they’re now three points clear at the top of the table. They have won both of their home games so far with no other team scoring more goals at home. They have won all four of their games with no other team scoring more goals and only Villa and West Ham conceding less.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin and James Rodriguez are the Everton players to have for fantasy managers while Richarlison (if he’s fit) is doing pretty well too.
Liverpool were absolutely thrashed 7-2 away to Villa in their last game and they’re three points behind Everton going into this game. They won their first away game against Chelsea, but the defeat against Villa means no other team has conceded more goals away from home. They may have had the best defensive record in the league last season, but so far this season only West Brom have conceded more goals though only Everton, Leicester and Spurs have scored more.
Mohamed Salah is the best of the Liverpool players for fantasy managers at the moment while Sadio Mane is hard to ignore too if he’s passed fit to play, but their defenders haven’t lived up to their usual standard so far.
I think this will be a close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end with the spoils shared.
Prediction: 2-2
Chelsea v Southampton
3pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea won 4-0 at home to Palace in their last game and three points in this game would put them right back in the mix again. Only Liverpool conceded less goals at home last season and their home form this season could be crucial if they’re going to make an impression. They have scored 10 goals in the three games besides the one against Liverpool and their attacking options look very promising.
It’s not easy to know which Chelsea players to recommend to fantasy managers with so many players settling in, but Mason Mount and Kai Havertz could be the ones to watch.
Southampton won 2-0 at home to West Brom in their last game to make it two wins in a row after losing their first two games. Only the top two took more points away from home last season and they will do very well to match that record this season. They have conceded six goals in their first four games, but five of them were in one game against Spurs and they have looked solid defensively otherwise.
Danny Ings is the Southampton player to have for fantasy managers.
I think Southampton will make a game of it, but Chelsea will take the three points.
Prediction: 2-1
Manchester City v Arsenal
5.30pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City could only draw 1-1 away to Leeds in their last game and they find themselves in an unlikely fourteenth place early on, but they have played a game less than most of the other teams. They only lost two games and conceded 13 goals at home last season, but they have already lost their first home game this season and they conceded five goals in that game. They need to improve quickly if they’re going to have any chance of winning the league with three tough games in their next five including this one.
Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne are the City players most likely to make a difference for fantasy managers while Phil Foden is one to keep an eye on too.
Arsenal won 2-1 at home to Sheffield United in their last game to move into the top four with three wins in their first four games. They only won four away games last season and they’re in the middle of a very tough run of away games. Their results over their next few games will give us a good idea if they’re going to improve on last season.
Alexandre Lacazette was the best of the Arsenal players for fantasy managers early on, but he didn’t play in their last game while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is always a player who does very well.
I think this is going to be a very close game with Arsenal possibly getting the better of things and winning narrowly.
Prediction: 1-2
Newcastle United v Manchester United
8pm BST, St. James’ Park, Newcastle
Newcastle won 3-1 at home to Burnley in their last game to make it a healthy seven points from their first four games. No other team drew more home games last season and they will do a lot better if they can turn a few of those draws into wins. Only Villa and West Ham have conceded less goals so far, but goalscoring has been an issue for them for a few seasons and they still need to score more goals.
Callum Wilson seems to be the Newcastle player to have for fantasy managers while Allan Saint-Maximin showed against Burnley that he might just offer some value too.
United were embarrassed 6-1 at home to Spurs in their last game and they went into the international break in sixteenth place, but they have played a game less than most of the other teams. Their only win so far was away to Brighton and only Liverpool conceded less goals away from home last season. Only West Brom have conceded more goals so far and they need to sort out their defence if they are to improve on last season.
So far Bruno Fernandes is the only United player living up to expectations for fantasy managers while Marcus Rashford can be expected to do well too.
This is a game United really need to win, but I think Newcastle will manage to take a point from them.
Prediction: 1-1
Sunday October 18
Sheffield United v Fulham
12pm BST, Bramall Lane, Sheffield
United lost 2-1 away to Arsenal in their last game and they’re only off the foot of the table on goal difference. Only City conceded less goals at home last season, but they have lost their first two home games this season without scoring a goal. They got their first goal of the season in that defeat at Arsenal and no other team has scored less goals so far.
Maybe Rhian Brewster can be the cut price striker fantasy managers and United are looking for.
Fulham lost 1-0 away to Wolves in their last game and they’re the only team below United in the league. They lost their first two away games, but all of the goals they have scored so far came away from home. They have lost all four of their games with only West Brom conceding more goals and only United scoring less.
I’m not sure there are any Fulham players to recommend to fantasy managers, but Aleksandar Mitrovic is still capable of doing well I suppose.
I think United will take the three points, but there won’t be too much in it.
Prediction: 1-0
Crystal Palace v Brighton And Hove Albion
2pm BST, Selhurst Park, London
Palace lost 4-0 away to Chelsea in their last game to make it two defeats in a row after winning their first two games. No other team scored less goals at home last season, but they have a good run of home games coming up starting with this one. They have the potential in their next seven games to amass a good haul of points if they can increase the amount of goals they score.
Both Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend have started the season well for fantasy managers and are certainly worth considering.
Brighton lost 4-2 away to Everton in their last game and they have lost three of their first four games. They have lost both of their home games so far and only United have conceded more goals at home, but both of those defeats were against “big six” teams. Only four other teams have conceded more goals, but they have scored in each of their games and they have a pretty good run of games coming up.
Neal Maupay is the Brighton player to have for fantasy managers at the moment while Leandro Trossard and Solomon March are worth watching too.
I think this will be a very close game and a draw is probably the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 1-1
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United
4.30pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs won 6-1 away to United in their last game and that win was enough to move them up to sixth place. They have only one point and one goal from their first two home games, but they will want to get their first home win in this game. No other team has scored more goals so far with only Villa and West Ham conceding less and their next four games all look like very good fixtures.
Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane have been in exceptional form for fantasy managers in their two away games and they will hope they can replicate that form at home.
West Ham won 3-0 away to Leicester in their last game to make it two wins and two clean sheets in a row against two very good teams. They conceded less goals on their travels than they did at home last season, but they are in the middle of a tough run of away games. They have scored seven goals without reply in their last two games and only Villa have conceded less goals.
Michail Antonio is probably still the best of the West Ham players for fantasy managers, but Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals have impressed in recent weeks too.
I think West Ham will make a game of it and might just take a point to continue Spurs’ woes on their own patch.
Prediction: 1-1
Leicester City v Aston Villa
7.15pm BST, King Power Stadium, Leicester
Leicester lost 3-0 at home to West Ham last time out, but they’re still third in the table. That defeat against West Ham was their only defeat so far and they have a reasonable run of home games coming up. No other team has scored more goals so far and three points in this game should put them up to second place at the worst.
Despite their result against West Ham Jamie Vardy and Timothy Castagne are still good options for fantasy managers while James Justin is hard to ignore at such a good price too.
Villa won 7-2 at home to Liverpool in their last game to move up to second in the table. Only Everton have scored more goals at home and they have a very good run of home games until the end of the year. They have won their first three games with no other team conceding less goals and only three teams scoring more and those three teams have all played an extra game.
Jack Grealish was on fire against Liverpool and he must be of interest to fantasy managers now along with Emiliano Martinez and maybe even John McGinn and Ollie Watkins.
I think this will be a close game, but Leicester will get back to winning ways and put an end to Villa’s perfect start to the season.
Prediction: 2-1
Monday October 19
West Bromwich Albion v Burnley
5.30pm BST, The Hawthorns, Birmingham
West Brom lost 2-0 away to Southampton in their last game, but they’re still one point above the bottom three. Their only point so far came at home and only United have conceded more goals on their own turf. Their next three games give them a chance to show they have a chance of staying up, but no other team has conceded more goals.
Matheus Pereira is the West Brom player most likely to perform for fantasy managers.
Burnley lost 3-1 away to Newcastle in their last game and they’re only off the foot of the table on goal difference. They took almost as many points away from home as they did at home last season, but they have lost their first two away games and they conceded seven goals in those games. They will want to get something from this game as they play Spurs and Chelsea in their next two games.
I still think Chris Wood can do a good job for fantasy managers, but Burnley will have to improve for him to do so.
I think this will be another very close game and the chances are Burnley will emerge with the three points.
Prediction: 1-2
Leeds United v Wolverhampton Wanderers
8pm BST, Elland Road, Leeds
Leeds drew 1-1 at home to City last time out and they look to be by far the best of the three promoted teams.
Patrick Bamford is the Leeds player doing the most for fantasy managers at the moment while Mateusz Klich and Helder Costa haven’t done too badly either. They took more points at home than any other team in the Championship last season and they have taken four points from their first two home games. Their only defeat so far came away to the champions and their next four games offer them every chance to get plenty of points.
Wolves won 1-0 at home to Fulham in their last game to bounce back from the 4-0 defeat away to West Ham in their previous game.
Raul Jiminez is still the best option for fantasy managers in the Wolves team while Romain Saiss, Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence aren’t the worst choices either. They only lost five away games last season with only two other teams conceding less goals on the road. Their away games get pretty awkward after this one, but they fared well against a lot of the top sides last season.
I don’t think there will be too much between these two teams and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the game end all square.
Prediction: 1-1
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment