| Rank | Player | Res | Cls | Exa | Slm | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |  | 6 | 27 | 9 | 5 | 47.0 |
2 1 |  | 8 | 27 | 6 | 5 | 46.0 |
3 |  | 4 | 19.5 | 18 | 4 | 45.5 |
4 - |  | 10 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 41.0 |
5 - | | 5 | 21 | 12 | 3 | 41.0 |
My suggestion of Cristiano Ronaldo as captain for fantasy managers last week turned out to be quite good and my cut price choices of Shane Duffy and Demarai Gray both returned points too. This week’s choice of captain isn’t quite so easy, but Mohamed Salah might just be the best option with any of the City players who get a game worth considering too. Both Fernando Marcal and Conor Gallagher could be the cut price players to own over the next few weeks although Marcal’s fixtures look a lot better.
Friday September 17
Newcastle United v Leeds United
8pm BST, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle lost 4-1 away to United last week and they’re only one point off the foot of the table. Their only point so far came at home, but no other team has conceded more goals on their own patch. They only play one of last season’s top four in their next 12 games, but no other team has conceded more goals already.
With Callum Wilson more than likely injured it looks like Allan Saint-Maximin is the best of the Newcastle players for fantasy managers at the moment.
Leeds lost 3-0 at home to Liverpool last week and they’re only one place above the bottom three without a win in their first four games. They have only taken one point from their two away games and only Arsenal have conceded more goals away from home. This is the first of a run of six games where they will except to put some points on the board.
Patrick Bamford and Raphinha could do very well for fantasy managers over those next six games.
I think this will be a close game, but the chances are Leeds will win by a single goal.
Prediction: 1-2
Saturday September 18
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brentford
12.30pm BST, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves got their first points of the season with a 2-0 win away to Watford last week and they will be looking to build on that win in this game. They’re one of two teams without a point at home and they’re the only team who haven’t scored at home. They have a very good run of 10 games coming up where they can do very well if they can manage to score a few more goals.
With their upcoming games the Wolves keeper and defenders all look like they could do very well for fantasy managers with Fernando Marcal and Romain Saiss probably the best options.
Brentford lost 1-0 at home to Brighton last week to put an end to their unbeaten start to the season. They have drawn both of their away games so far and they will fancy their chances of getting something from this game too. They have only scored one goal in their last three games, but only Chelsea, Liverpool and City have conceded less goals.
Brentford’s defenders and keeper are looking good for fantasy managers at the moment, but their upcoming fixtures don’t look too good.
I don’t think we’ll see too many goals in this game, but the chances are Wolves will take the three points.
Prediction: 1-0
Burnley v Arsenal
3pm BST, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley lost 3-1 away to Everton last week and that defeat saw them drop into the bottom three with only one point from their first four games. Their only point so far came at home and they will have to improve on their home record of last season if they’re going to stay away from the wrong end of the table. They only play two of last season’s top four in their next 14 games and that should give them an opportunity to climb the table.
Chris Wood is the only Burnley player worth considering for fantasy managers.
Arsenal got their first points and first goal of the season last week with a 1-0 win at home to Norwich. No other team has taken less points or conceded more goals away from home. Only Newcastle have conceded more goals and no other team has scored less, but it’s still early days.
Kieran Tierney could be the Arsenal player to watch for fantasy managers in the next few weeks.
I think this is going to be another very close game with Arsenal winning by one goal.
Prediction: 1-2
Liverpool v Crystal Palace
3pm BST, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool won 3-0 away to Leeds last week to go level with three other teams on 10 points from their first four games. A bad run of home results last season saw them drop off the pace, but the signs are their home results will be a lot better this season. No other team has conceded less goals so far and that defensive record could be crucial going forward.
Mohamed Salah is still the pick of the Liverpool players for fantasy managers followed closely by Trent Alexander-Arnold, but all of their defenders and keeper are good choices along with Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota.
Palace got their first win of the season last week with a very good 3-0 victory against Spurs. Their next three away games are very tough and they have already conceded five goals in their two games on the road. Despite a tough run of games coming up they showed against Spurs last week that they might just have something about them this season.
Conor Gallagher has done very well so far for fantasy managers while Wilfried Zaha is always worth considering too.
I can’t see anything other than a Liverpool victory in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
Manchester City v Southampton
3pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City won 1-0 away to Leicester last week and they’re only a point off the top of the table going into this game. They haven’t conceded a goal at home yet and no other team has scored more goals on their own ground. No other team has scored more or conceded less goals so far and they could score quite a few goals in this game too.
As always it’s difficult to know what players will play for City, but Ruben Diaz, Joao Cancelo and Ederson all look like they will play the majority of games and they can do very well for fantasy managers.
Southampton drew 0-0 at home to West Ham last week and they’re still without a win in their first four games. They conceded a lot of goals away from home last season and they need to improve their away form this season if they’re going to retain their Premier League status. They play away to Chelsea in two weeks and it could be a tough time for them.
I’m not sure there are any Southampton players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
I think City should win this game by at least three goals if not more.
Prediction: 4-0
Norwich City v Watford
3pm BST, Carrow Road, Norwich
Norwich are the only team without a point so far after losing 1-0 away to Arsenal last week. Only Wolves have scored less goals at home and only Newcastle have conceded more. No other team has scored less goals and only Newcastle have conceded more, but they only play one of last season’s top six in their next 10 games.
With a good run of games Teemu Pukki might just do well for fantasy managers, but it’s probably best to avoid Norwich players.
Watford lost 2-0 at home to Wolves last week and they have now lost three games in a row since winning their opening game. They failed to score in their first two away games, but they will think they can get something from this game. If they’re going to have a chance of staying up this is the sort of game Watford need to win.
Ismailia Sarr is probably the Watford player most likely to impress for fantasy managers.
This isn’t an easy game to call between the top two teams in the Championship last season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end all square.
Prediction: 1-1
Aston Villa v Everton
5.30pm BST, Villa Park, Birmingham
Villa played well away to Chelsea despite losing 3-0 last week and they play another unbeaten team in this game. They have taken four points from two home games they would have been expected to win and their next three home games won’t be so easy. They have only won once so far and their next three games could prove very tough for them.
Danny Ings is the Villa player to have for fantasy managers, but they have three very tough games in a row.
Everton won 3-1 at home to Burnley last week to join three other teams on 10 points at the top of the table. They have taken four points from two away games and they will feel they have every chance of taking another three points in this game. Only the two Manchester clubs have scored more goals as they have started life under Rafa Benitez very well.
With Dominic Calvert-Lewin injured it looks like Demarai Gray, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andros Townsend are the Everton players to watch for fantasy managers.
I think this will be another close game and the chances are the spoils will be shared.
Prediction: 2-2
Sunday September 19
Brighton And Hove Albion v Leicester City
2pm BST, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton left it late away to Brentford last week, but their 1-0 win was their third win in their four games. Their only defeat so far came at home to Everton and their next three home games will be far from easy. With a tough run of games coming up things could get difficult for them, but they have proved very difficult to beat under Graham Potter.
Shane Duffy has been the Brighton player to have so far for fantasy managers, but Lewis Dunk is probably a better long term bet.
Leicester lost 1-0 at home to City last week and they have lost two of their last three games and conceded six goals in the process. They had a very good away record last season and they have a very good run of away games coming up. They only play two of last season’s top four in their next 15 games which could see them returning a lot of points.
Jamie Vardy is still the Leicester player to have for fantasy managers as Kelechi Iheanacho continues to warm the bench.
I think this is a very tough game to call, but it will most likely end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
West Ham United v Manchester United
2pm BST, London Stadium, London
West Ham drew 0-0 away to Southampton last week and they’re still unbeaten with eight points from their first four games. Only the two Manchester teams have scored more goals at home so far, but their resolve will be severely tested in this game. They have a reasonably good run of games after this one and they will hope to keep pace at the top of the table.
With Michail Antonio suspended Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals and Aaron Cresswell are the West Ham players who can do well for fantasy managers.
United celebrated the return of Cristiano Ronaldo with a 4-1 win at home to Newcastle last week to move to the top of the table. They have only scored once in each of their away games so far, but their very impressive unbeaten away run stretches back to before last season. No other team has scored more goals so far, but they have a very tough run of games coming up until the end of November which could determine whether they can really challenge for title.
Cristiano Ronaldo has already made himself a must have for fantasy managers while Paul Pogba, Mason Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes all look like very good options too.
This is another tough game to call, but the chances are United will win narrowly.
Prediction: 1-2
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea
4.30pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs were knocked off the top of the table when they lost 3-0 away to Palace last week. They have won both of their home games 1-0 so far, but Chelsea will make things very difficult for them in this game. They have done very well to get nine points from their first four games as they have only scored three goals and they need to score more goals.
Quite a few of the best options for fantasy managers in the Spurs team are injured, but Harry Kane isn’t and surely he has to get going soon.
Chelsea won 3-0 at home to Villa last week and they’re only off the top of the table on goals scored. The only points they have dropped were in their draw away to Liverpool and this will be another very tough away game. They play at home to City next week in what could be an insight into where the league title will go.
Chelsea’s defenders and keeper are all looking like very good choices for fantasy managers while Romelu Lukaku is quickly becoming a must have too.
I think Chelsea will be too strong for Spurs and should win a low scoring game.
Prediction: 0-1
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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