| Rank | Player | Res | Cls | Exa | Slm | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 - |  | 40 | 96 | 72 | 20 | 228.0 |
2 - |  | 33 | 112.5 | 54 | 20 | 219.5 |
3 - | | 35 | 79.5 | 78 | 15 | 207.5 |
4 - |  | 31 | 84 | 69 | 13 | 197.0 |
5 1 |  | 35 | 84 | 48 | 14 | 181.0 |
I suppose the big question this week is whether Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will be back from the African Cup of Nations in time to play for Liverpool. It also has to be remembered that Chelsea and Brighton don’t play and Chelsea don’t play in Gameweeks 25 and 27 either which makes their players particularly unattractive to fantasy managers at the moment. If I had to choose a captain for this week I think Kevin de Bruyne might just be the man to have, but unfortunately he’s not in my squad as it stands.
West Ham players could have a good week against Watford which makes Jarrod Bowen a good option for fantasy managers while Liverpool look like they could do well against Leicester along with City players scoring plenty of points against Brentford.
Tuesday 8 February
Newcastle United v Everton
7.45pm GMT, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle got a badly needed 1-0 win away to Leeds in their last game, but it wasn’t enough to lift them out of the relegation zone. They have only lost one of their last six home games with only Norwich conceding more goals on their own patch. They are unbeaten in three games and a win in this game should move them out of the bottom three.
Allan Saint-Maximin is still the Newcastle player to have for fantasy managers.
Everton lost 1-0 at home to Villa last time out and they’re now only four points above the bottom three. They have only taken two points from their last eight away games with only Burnley taking less points on their travels. They have only taken one point from their last five games and they haven’t kept a clean sheet in nine games, but the appointment of Frank Lampard might be the boost they need to climb the table.
I’m not sure there are any Everton players doing enough at the moment to interest fantasy managers.
This is a very big game for two teams at the wrong end of the table and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
West Ham United v Watford
7.45pm GMT, London Stadium, London
West Ham lost 1-0 away to United in their last game and that defeat saw them drop out of the top four. They have lost two of their last three home games with no other team in the top half of the table conceding more goals at home. They have only taken one point from their last two games, but they have a good run of games coming up which should see them continue to challenge for a top four place.
Jarrod Bowen is the West Ham player to have for fantasy managers while Michail Antonio is a good option too and Said Benrahma should be considered now that he’s back from international duty.
Watford lost 3-0 at home to Norwich and drew 0-0 away to Burnley in the last Gameweek and those results saw them fall into the bottom three. They have only taken two points from their last five away games, but they have taken more points on the road than they have at home. They have only taken two points from their last nine games with only Norwich and Newcastle conceding more goals, but they did keep their first clean sheet of the season in their last game.
Emmanuel Dennis is the Watford player doing the most for fantasy managers, but his disciplinary record can be a big let down.
I think West Ham will keep the pressure up in their quest for a top four finish with three points in this game.
Prediction: 3-0
Burnley v Manchester United
8pm GMT, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley drew 0-0 away to Arsenal and at home to Watford in the last Gameweek and those two draws saw them drop to the foot of the table. They are unbeaten in five home games, but they drew four of them with only Norwich scoring less goals at home and only the top two conceding less. They have only lost three of their last 11 games, but they drew seven of them with only Norwich scoring less goals.
Maxwel Cornet is the Burnley player to watch for fantasy managers while new boy Wout Weghorst could be a possibility too.
United won 1-0 at home to West Ham in their last game and that win moved them above West Ham into the top four. They are unbeaten in their last five away games, but they drew three of them and their next two away games are against teams at the wrong end of the table. They have taken 21 points from their last 10 games and their next five games are all ones they will be expected to win.
With a very good run of games coming up Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford could all do very well for fantasy managers.
I think this will be a close game, but the chances are United will emerge with the three points.
Prediction: 1-2
Wednesday 9 February
Manchester City v Brentford
7.45pm GMT, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City drew 1-1 away to Southampton in their last game to put an end to their run of 12 wins in a row, but they still have a nine point lead at the top of the table. They have won their last six home games with no other team taking more points, scoring more or conceding less goals at home. They have a good run of games coming up and they will hope to extend their lead at the top of the table so they can concentrate on the other trophies they are looking to win this season too.
City’s defenders and keeper are still the best bets for fantasy managers along with Kevin de Bruyne of course.
Brentford lost 2-1 at home to Wolves last time out, but they still have a healthy eight points to spare over the bottom three. They have only taken two points from their last seven away games and they conceded 19 goals in those games with only three other teams conceding more goals on their travels. They have lost their last four games and they conceded 12 goals in those games with only four other teams conceding more goals.
Ivan Toney is the Brentford player most likely to perform for fantasy managers, but maybe not in this game.
I can’t see anything other than a comfortable City victory in this game.
Prediction: 4-0
Norwich City v Crystal Palace
7.45pm GMT, Carrow Road, Norwich
Norwich won 3-0 away to Watford in their last game and that win was enough to move them out of the relegation zone for the first time this season. They won their last home game after losing the previous three without scoring and no other team has scored less goals at home. They won their last two games after losing the previous six without scoring and no other team has scored less or conceded more goals.
Despite their recent improvement I still can’t see any Norwich players who might make a difference for fantasy managers.
Palace lost 3-1 at home to Liverpool in their last game, but they’re still only two points off the top half of the table. They have only taken two points from their last five away games and only three other teams have taken less points on the road. They have only won two of their last 11 games and only three other teams have drawn more games.
Conor Gallagher continues to be the Palace player to have for fantasy managers while Michael Olise and Odsonne Edouard are possibilities too.
I think Palace should be good enough to take the three points in this game.
Prediction: 0-2
Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton
7.45pm GMT, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs lost 2-0 away to Chelsea in their last game and that defeat saw them drop to seventh place in the table. They have taken 13 points from their last five home games and they kept clean sheets in three of those games. They had taken 20 points from eight games before losing to Chelsea and they only play two teams from the top half of the table in their next six games.
Harry Kane seems to be in form again for fantasy managers while Heung-Min Son is back from injury and is worth a shout too.
Southampton drew 1-1 at home to City in their last game and they’re still only one point off the top half of the table. They have lost four of their last six away games with only Norwich conceding more goals on the road. They have only lost one of their last six games, but they haven’t kept a clean sheet in 11 games.
James Ward-Prowse is the Southampton player doing the business for fantasy managers at the moment while Armando Broja is a possibility too if he’s fit to play.
I think Southampton will make a game of it, but the chances are Spurs will win.
Prediction: 2-1
Aston Villa v Leeds United
8pm GMT, Villa Park, Birmingham
Villa won 1-0 away to Everton in their last game and they’re only outside the top half of the table on goal difference. They have only won two of their last seven home games, but they have a favourable run of home games coming up starting with this one. Four of their next five games are against teams below them in the table and those games give them a very good chance of moving into the top half of the table.
With a good run of games coming up Ollie Watkins, John McGinn, Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia could all be of interest to fantasy managers.
Leeds lost 1-0 at home to Newcastle in their last game when a win would have given them a lot of breathing space at the wrong end of the table. They won their last away game at West Ham, but they have conceded 12 goals in their last three away games with only Norwich and Southampton conceding more goals on the road. They had won two games in a row for the first time this season before losing to Newcastle, but they could do with something from their next two games before their fixtures get a lot trickier.
Raphinha is the Leeds player to have for fantasy managers at the moment as long as he’s passed fit to play.
I think Villa should just have enough about them for a narrow victory in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Thursday 10 February
Liverpool v Leicester City
7.45pm GMT, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool won 3-1 away to Palace in their last game and they’re now nine points behind City at the top of the table, but they do have a game in hand. They have won their last five home games and they scored 15 goals in those games with only City taking more points at home and no other team conceding less goals on their own ground. They have won their last two games after failing to win the previous three and no other team has scored more goals.
If Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are back from international duty they’re great choices for fantasy managers with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Diogo Jota good choices too.
Leicester drew 1-1 at home to Brighton in their last game and that point was enough to keep them in the top half of the table on goal difference. They haven’t won in their last four away games and they conceded 11 goals in those games with only three other teams conceding more goals on their travels. They play four of the teams above them in their next five games and no other team in the top half of the table has conceded more goals.
James Maddison is the in form Leicester player for fantasy managers at the moment while Patson Daka looks like a pretty good option too.
Even if Salah and Mane aren’t back in time I still think Liverpool will win this game.
Prediction: 3-1
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal
7.45pm GMT, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves won 2-1 away to Brentford in their last game and they’re now only four points off the top four. They have only lost one of their last seven home games and only the top two have conceded less goals at home, but only Norwich have scored less goals on their own ground. They have taken 13 points from their last five games and they have only conceded four goals in their last 10 games.
The Wolves defenders and keeper have all done very well recently and they’re looking pretty good for fantasy managers.
Arsenal drew 0-0 at home to Burnley in their last game when a win would have taken them into the top four. They won their last two away games after losing the previous three and they scored nine goals in those two wins. They have only taken one point from their last two games after winning the previous four and they don’t play any of the teams above them in their next nine games.
Arsenal have a good run of games coming up, but they don’t play in two of the next three weeks after this one which makes it difficult to choose their players for fantasy managers.
This looks like it’s going to be a very close game and the chances are the spoils will be shared.
Prediction: 1-1
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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