| Rank | Player | Res | Cls | Exa | Slm | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 - |  | 18 | 28.5 | 33 | 7 | 86.5 |
2 - |  | 18 | 30 | 27 | 6 | 81.0 |
3 1 |  | 25 | 27 | 21 | 5 | 78.0 |
4 2 | | 20 | 36 | 9 | 5 | 70.0 |
5 - | | 12 | 31.5 | 24 | 2 | 69.5 |
Friday December 11
Leeds United v West Ham United
8pm GMT, Elland Road, Leeds
Leeds lost 3-1 away to Chelsea last week to drop to 14th in the table, but they’re still eight points above the bottom three. They haven’t won in their last four home games and they only scored two goals in those games. They have lost three of their last five games, but they have a pretty good run of games over the festive season.
Patrick Bamford is the Leeds player to have for fantasy managers while Illan Meslier is doing quite well too.
West Ham lost 3-1 at home to United last week, but they’re still only three points off the top five. They have taken seven points from their last four away games and they kept clean sheets in two of those games. They had won three games in a row before losing to United and like Leeds the festive programme has been kind to them.
Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals have done well for fantasy managers while Lukasz Fabianski and West Ham’s defenders are worth considering too.
I think this will be a very close game with West Ham possibly just nicking it.
Prediction: 1-2
Friday December 12
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Aston Villa
12.30pm GMT, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves lost 4-0 away to Liverpool last week to drop to 10th place in the table. They have taken eight points from their last four home games and they only conceded two goals in those games with no other team conceding less goals at home. They have only won once in their last four games and only four other teams have scored less goals.
With Raul Jiminez injured Pedro Netro and Daniel Podence could be the Wolves players to have for fantasy managers, but Wolves have a tough run of games between now and the end of the year.
Villa didn’t play last week due to the COVID outbreak at Newcastle and that meant they dropped into the bottom half of the table, but they have two games in hand on most other teams. They have won three of their four away games and no other team has conceded less goals on their travels. They have lost four of their last five games and they have a run of games over the next few weeks which they hope will bring them back into the top half of the table.
Jack Grealish is the Villa player to have for fantasy managers while their other players who had started the season well seem to have faded recently.
I can see this being another very close game with Wolves winning as long as they can overcome the loss of Jiminez.
Prediction: 2-1
Newcastle United v West Bromwich Albion
3pm GMT, St. James’ Park, Newcastle
Newcastle didn’t play last week thanks to a COVID outbreak, but they’re still only three points off the top half of the table with a game in hand now. They have lost three of their five home games with only West Brom conceding more goals on their own patch. They play teams below them in each of their next three games and it should give them a chance to climb the table.
Callum Wilson is the only Newcastle player for fantasy managers to even consider.
West Brom lost 5-1 at home to Palace last week after they had a man sent off and that result dropped them down to second last place. They have only taken one point on their travels with no other team scoring less goals away from home and only Burnley conceding more. They have lost four of their last five games with no other team conceding more goals and only two other teams scoring less.
I can’t see any West Brom players to interest fantasy managers at the moment.
As long as this game goes ahead I think Newcastle should be able to take the three points.
Prediction: 2-1
Manchester United v Manchester City
5.30pm GMT, Old Trafford, Manchester
United came from behind yet again to win 3-1 away to West Ham last week and they’re only five points off the top of the table with a game in hand on the leaders. They got their first home win of the season in their last home game against West Brom and only four other teams have conceded more goals at home. They have won their last three games, but their midweek exit from the Champions League could affect them for this game.
Bruno Fernandes remains a must have for fantasy managers while Marcus Rashford is a pretty good bet too.
City won 2-0 at home to Fulham last week and they’re only a point behind United going into this game with a game in hand on the leaders too. They have only won once in their last four away games and unusually for them they have only scored six goals in their five away games so far. They haven’t reached their usual free scoring heights yet, but they have a chance to do so in the four games after this one.
Kevin de Bruyne is making himself a must have for fantasy managers again while the return of Sergio Aguero has to be considered too and City’s defenders have done well recently.
I think this will be another touch and go game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the spoils shared.
Prediction: 1-1
Everton v Chelsea
8pm GMT, Goodison Park, Liverpool
Everton drew 1-1 away to Burnley last week and they’re still only three points off the top five despite a poor run of results recently. They have only taken one point from their last three home games, but only two other teams have scored more goals on their own ground and only four other teams have conceded more. They have only won once in their last seven games and they haven’t kept a clean sheet in 10 games with only three other teams conceding more goals.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the go to Everton player for fantasy managers as he has continued to impress despite their recent results.
Chelsea came from behind to win 3-1 at home to Leeds last week and they’re only two points behind Spurs at the top of the table. They’re one of three teams unbeaten away from home with only Villa and Spurs conceding less goals on their travels. They’re unbeaten in nine games with only Liverpool scoring more goals and only Spurs conceding less.
Chelsea’s defenders and keeper have all done very well recently for fantasy managers while Timo Werner has impressed too.
I think Chelsea will put more pressure on Everton by taking the three points in this game.
Prediction: 1-3
Sunday December 13
Southampton v Sheffield United
12pm GMT, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
Southampton won 2-1 away to Brighton last week to move back up to fifth in the table. They had won three in a row at home before losing to United a couple of weeks ago. They have taken 20 points from their last nine games and they kept clean sheets in four of those games.
Danny Ings is back from injury and he has to be a real option for fantasy managers along with Che Adams, James Ward-Prowse and possibly Jannik Vestergaard.
United lost 2-1 at home to Leicester last week and they’re firmly rooted to the foot of the table with only one point to show from 11 games. They’re the only team without a point away from home and no other team has scored less goals on the road. It’s still early enough in the season, but they need to improve their results very soon or their season will be over.
I can’t see any United players to recommend to fantasy managers.
I think Southampton should have too much for United and should win by a couple of goals.
Prediction: 2-0
Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur
2.15pm GMT, Selhurst Park, London
Palace won 5-1 away to 10 man West Brom last week and they’re only one point off the top half of the table. They have won as many games as they have lost at home and only Wolves have conceded less goals at home. They had lost their previous two games before beating West Brom with the absence of Wilfried Zaha in those games a contributing factor.
Zaha showed on his return last week that he has to be a serious consideration for fantasy managers this season.
Spurs won 2-0 at home to Arsenal last week to stay on top of the table ahead of Liverpool on goal difference. They have won four of their five away games with only Villa conceding less goals on their travels and only United and Leicester scoring more. They’re unbeaten in 10 games with no other team conceding less goals and only Liverpool and Chelsea scoring more.
Both Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son are in exceptional form for fantasy managers at the moment and it’s very difficult to ignore them.
I think this will be a very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Fulham v Liverpool
4.30pm GMT, Craven Cottage, London
Fulham lost 2-0 away to City last week, buy they’re still a point above the bottom three. They have lost four of their five home games with only Sheffield United taking less points at home and only West Brom conceding more goals on their own patch. They have taken six points from their last five games, but they will do very well to get anything out of this game.
Ademola Lookman is the only Fulham player fantasy managers might even consider, buy they’re probably best avoided.
Liverpool won 4-0 at home to Wolves last week and they’re still only behind Spurs at the top of the table on goal difference. They haven’t won in their last four away games with only Burnley conceding more goals on the road. They are unbeaten in seven games though and they have scored in every game so far with no other team scoring more goals.
Mohamed Salah is still the best of the Liverpool players for fantasy managers with Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold all doing very well too.
I can’t see anything other than a comfortable Liverpool win in this game.
Prediction: 0-3
Arsenal v Burnley
7.15pm GMT, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal lost 2-0 away to Spurs last week and they’re now closer to the relegation zone than the top four. They have lost their last three home games and only three other teams have scored less goals at home. They have only taken four points and scored two goals from their last seven games and they need to turn things around quickly.
Hector Bellerin and Gabriel Magalhaes are the Arsenal players who have performed well for fantasy managers so far.
Burnley drew 1-1 at home to Everton last week, but it wasn’t enough to move them out of the relegation zone. They’re one of three teams without an away win and no other team has conceded more or scored less goals on their travels. They have only lost once in their last four games, but they have failed to score in five of their last seven with no other team scoring less goals.
I can’t see any Burnley players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment despite the recent upturn in their form.
I think Arsenal will get a much needed win in this game, but they won’t have it all their own way.
Prediction: 3-1
Leicester City v Brighton And Hove Albion
7.15pm GMT, King Power Stadium, Leicester
Leicester won 2-1 away to Sheffield United last week to stay in the top four and they’re only three points off the top of the table. They have lost three of their last four home games and they have taken a lot more points on the road. They’re one of two teams without a draw so far which is why they’re in the top four despite four defeats in their 11 games.
Jamie Vardy is still the Leicester player most likely to make a difference for fantasy managers.
Brighton lost 2-1 at home to Southampton last week and they’re only two places and four points above the bottom three. They’re one of two teams without a home win and no other team has drawn more games on their own ground. They have only won once in their last nine games, buy they play two of the teams below them after this game.
I’m not sure there are any Brighton players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Brighton will give Leicester plenty of problems and might just take a point from this game.
Prediction: 1-1
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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