| Rank | Player | Res | Cls | Exa | Slm | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 - |  | 48 | 153 | 93 | 31 | 325.0 |
2 - |  | 57 | 136.5 | 84 | 26 | 303.5 |
3 - | | 49 | 112.5 | 102 | 20 | 283.5 |
4 - |  | 51 | 127.5 | 69 | 24 | 271.5 |
5 - |  | 49 | 118.5 | 84 | 18 | 269.5 |
From a fantasy standpoint I did quite well last week thanks mainly to my captain choice of Heung-Min Son and this week’s choice of captain could be very important too with seven teams playing twice and three teams not playing at all. I think I’ll probably opt for James Maddison considering the form he’s in and the games Leicester have, but it could be a risk as they have European football to contend with too.
Saturday April 16
Tottenham Hotspur v Brighton And Hove Albion
12.30pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs won 4-0 away to Villa last week to strengthen their grip on fourth place and make themselves favourites to finish there. They have won their last three home games and they scored 13 goals in those games with only the top two winning more games on their own ground. They have won six of their last seven games and they scored 25 goals in those games with only the three teams above them scoring more goals.
Heung-Min Son, Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski are all in fantastic form for fantasy managers at the moment.
Brighton won 2-1 away to Arsenal last week and they’re now only outside the top half of the table on goal difference. They won their last away game after losing the previous two and they have only lost three of their 15 away games with no other team drawing more games on the road. Their win against Arsenal was their first win in eight games with only Norwich and Burnley scoring less goals and no other team drawing more games.
With two games this week Leandro Trossard could be of interest to fantasy managers, but Brighton have two very tough games.
I think Brighton will make a game of it, but the Spurs firepower should see them take the three points.
Prediction: 3-1
Manchester United v Norwich City
3pm BST, Old Trafford, Manchester
United lost 1-0 away to Everton last week and they’re looking less likely to finish in the top four with each passing game. They are unbeaten in six home games, but they have drawn three of them and they have failed to win half of their home games so far. They have only won once in their last five games and they face two of the teams above them in their next two games after this one.
With two games this week Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo should be the United players to peak the interest of fantasy managers.
Norwich won 2-0 at home to Burnley last week, but they’re still seven points from safety with only seven games left to play. They have only taken one point from their last four away games with only Everton taking less points on their travels and no other team scoring less goals away from home. They have taken four points and conceded no goals in their last two games after losing the previous six and no other team has taken less points or scored less goals.
It’s difficult to recommend Norwich players to fantasy managers, but Teemu Pukki has done quite well recently.
I think United will get a much needed win in this game with a few goals to spare.
Prediction: 3-0
Southampton v Arsenal
3pm BST, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
Southampton lost 6-0 at home to Chelsea last week and that defeat saw them drop to 14th place. They have lost their last three home games and they conceded 10 goals in those games with no other team drawing more games on their own patch. They have only taken one point from their last five games after only losing one of the previous 10 and they need to turn things around quickly to keep their hopes of finishing in the top half of the table alive.
With two games this week James Ward-Prowse and Che Adams could do well for fantasy managers despite Southampton’s recent poor results.
Arsenal lost 2-1 at home to Brighton last week and that defeat put a huge dent in their top four ambitions. They lost their last away game after winning the previous five and nothing less than a win will do them in this game. They have lost three of their last four games and they only scored two goals in those games.
Bukayo Saka is the Arsenal player most likely to perform for fantasy managers in their two games this week.
I think Arsenal will get back to winning ways in what will probably be a very tight game.
Prediction: 1-2
Watford v Brentford
3pm BST, Vicarage Road, Watford
Watford lost 3-0 at home to Leeds last week and they’re now six points from safety with only seven games left to play. They have lost their last nine home games with no other team taking less points or conceding more goals on their own ground. They have lost five of their last seven games and they failed to score in four of those games with only Leeds and Norwich conceding more goals.
I’m not sure there are any Watford players doing enough to interest fantasy managers at the moment.
Brentford won 2-0 at home to West Ham last week and they’re now only one point off the top half of the table. They have won two of their last three away games and they scored eight goals in those three games. They have won four of their last five games and they scored 12 goals in those games, but they have two tough games in a row after this one.
Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo are both doing very well for fantasy managers in recent games and they don’t cost too much either.
I think Brentford will continue their impressive run by taking another three points in this game.
Prediction: 1-3
Sunday April 17
Newcastle United v Leicester
2.15pm BST, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle won 1-0 at home to Wolves last week and they’re now only three points off the top half of the table. They have won their last four home games, but their four remaining home games are all against teams in the top half of the table. They had lost three games in a row before beating Wolves and only three other teams have conceded more goals.
With two games this week Joe Willock and Allan Saint-Maximin could be the Newcastle players to watch for fantasy managers.
Leicester won 2-1 at home to Palace last week to continue their good run of results and stay in the top half of the table. They have only won once in their last nine away games with only three other teams taking less points on the road. They have taken 13 points from their last six games, but they have a very congested schedule for the rest of the season.
Leicester have two games this week also which could make James Maddison and Harvey Barnes very good choices for fantasy managers.
I think this will be a close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
West Ham United v Burnley
2.15pm BST, London Stadium, London
West Ham lost 2-0 away to Brentford last week and they’re now six points off the top four and they have played an extra game too. They have taken 13 points from their last five home games with only three other teams scoring more goals on their own ground. They have to play three of the teams above them in their last five games and their minds could be elsewhere with their progress to the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Jarrod Bowen is still the West Ham player who can make the biggest impact for fantasy managers.
Burnley lost 2-0 away to Norwich last week and they’re now four points adrift of seventeenth place with games running out. No other team has won less games away from home with only Norwich scoring less goals on their travels. They have lost five of their last six games and they failed to score in each of those defeats with only Norwich scoring less goals.
Even with two games this week I can’t see any Burnley players who might make a difference for fantasy managers.
I don’t think there will be too much between these two teams, but the chances are West Ham will win.
Prediction: 2-1
Tuesday April 19
Liverpool v Manchester United
8pm BST, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool twice came from behind to draw 2-2 away to City last week and they’re still just one point behind them at the top of the table. They have won their last 10 home games and they scored 29 goals in those games with no other team conceding less goals on their own patch. They had won 10 games in a row before drawing with City and no other team has scored more goals with only City conceding less.
It’s difficult not to recommend Mohamed Salah to fantasy managers, but his form has slipped recently while all of Liverpool’s defenders and keeper are still great choices along with Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.
United play their second game of the week and a trip to Liverpool is a much tougher task than a home game against Norwich. They have lost their last two away games and they conceded five goals in those games and this is the first of two away games against teams above them in the table. Their top four hopes are very slim, but they have to be careful or they could end up with no European football at all next season.
As I said already both Bruno and Ronaldo could be of interest to fantasy managers, but they will do well to get anything from this game.
I think Liverpool should be too good for United and should win by at least a couple of goals.
Prediction: 3-1
Wednesday April 20
Chelsea v Arsenal
7.45pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea won 6-0 away to Southampton last week to strengthen their grip on fourth place, but they won’t catch either of the teams above them. They have only won three of their last nine home games, but they drew five of them and only the top two have conceded less goals at home. They have won six of their last seven games and they kept clean sheets in five of those games with only the two teams above them scoring more and conceding less goals.
Mason Mount and Kai Havertz are the attacking players in the Chelsea team who can do well for fantasy managers while all of their defenders and keeper look like good choices too.
Arsenal play their second away game of the week and they probably need to win them both to keep pace in the fight for a top four finish. They have conceded more goals than they have scored away from home and they have struggled defensively recently. With United and West Ham to come after this game they have reached a crucial stage of their season and it looks like it could go either way at the moment.
With two games this week Bukayo Saka could do well for fantasy managers, but given their recent form it’s difficult to recommend any Arsenal players.
I think Chelsea will be too strong for a weakened Arsenal team and should win by a few goals.
Prediction: 3-0
Everton v Leicester City
7.45pm BST, Goodison Park, Liverpool
Everton won 1-0 at home to United last week to give themselves some breathing space at the wrong end of the table. They have won their last two home games without conceding a goal and it’s only their home form which is keeping them out of the bottom three. They have lost six of their last eight games, but they have at least managed to score in each of their last four games after failing to score in the previous four.
Richarlison has done well recently for fantasy managers, but it’s a risk to pick Everton players considering their recent form.
Leicester play their second away game of the week and they have the chance to close in on eighth place if they can win both games. Despite their poor away form they will still fancy their chances against two teams who are well below them in the table. Their biggest issue could be their upcoming European semi-finals and whether they will need to rest players for those games.
As long as Maddison and Barnes play both games this week they could do very well for fantasy managers.
I think Leicester should have enough to win narrowly and increase the pressure on Everton.
Prediction: 1-2
Newcastle United v Crystal Palace
7.45pm BST, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle play their second home game of the week and they could move into the top half of the table if they do well in those two games. With their recent home form they definitely have a chance to do just that, but it could depend on how Palace get on in their FA Cup semi-final at the weekend.
The Newcastle players I mentioned above are good options and particularly considering their two games this week are both at home.
Palace lost 2-1 away to Leicester last week, but they managed to stay in the top half of the table on goal difference. Their season defining game is against Chelsea in the FA Cup at the weekend and I think that might have a big influence on their performance in this game.
Wilfried Zaha, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Conor Gallagher could all do well for fantasy managers in this game.
I think this will be a close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end all square.
Prediction: 2-2
Manchester City v Brighton And Hove Albion
8pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City drew 2-2 at home to Liverpool last week and that was enough to maintain their slight lead at the top of the table. They have only won once in their last three home games, but no other team has scored more goals on their own ground. They need to win this game to stay on top of the table, but like a few other teams their fixtures are really piling up at the moment.
Kevin de Bruyne is the attacking City player to have at the moment while all of their defenders and keeper are very good choices too.
Brighton play their second away game of the week and this one looks even tougher than their trip to Spurs. They will have taken some confidence from their win against Arsenal and they might well get a result against Spurs, but City are a different prospect.
As I said already Brighton players don’t look too attractive to fantasy managers this week despite having two games because of their opponents in those games.
I think City will get the win they need to stay on top of the table.
Prediction: 3-1
Thursday April 21
Burnley v Southampton
7.45pm BST, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley play their second game of the week and this is probably the one where they have the best chance of winning. They won their last home game after losing the previous three and they failed to score in those three defeats with only Brighton and Norwich scoring less goals at home. If they’re going to make up ground in their bid to beat the drop they probably need to win this game.
I have recommended Burnley players on previous occasions this season and it never worked out so I’ll resist the temptation this time.
Southampton play their second game of the week too and they will feel they have a better chance of getting something from this game. They haven’t won in their last three away games with only two other teams conceding more goals on their travels. If they can get something from their game with Arsenal they will probably feel this game could be there for the taking.
If they can find their form again Ward-Prowse and Adams could both have a very good week for fantasy managers.
I think this will be a close game with Southampton more than likely taking the three points.
Prediction: 1-2
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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