What a wonderful world fantasy land is!
After two weeks, it is of course Tottenham defender Eric Dier who leads the way in the European Football Weekly podcast’s Fantasy League with 44 points. Just as I had predicted, of course! This is the beauty of the game, is it not? Finding out more about players you probably had known little or nothing about.
To check out our league, CLICK HERE. The league ID is 10067 and the password is m0d2xng.
The opportunity to find more diamonds in the rough remains, so let us take a look at this week’s juicy matchups: Swansea vs. West Brom, Man City vs. Stoke, Leicester vs. Arsenal and Newcastle vs. Crystal Palace. As always there are players to keep an eye on in the other matchups, but these are the games that offer up a high probability of picking up a lot of points.
There will be goals between Liverpool and Tottenham, while Manchester United is going to win at some point, and away to Burnley this Saturday may be the one. However, I’d prefer to wait while United work out their many kinks.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the names you should consider for your starting XI this week.
European Football Weekly: Sportsnet 590 The FAN’s Dan Riccio, Derrick Brandao and Thomas Michalakos take an in-depth look at the beautiful game on the European Football Weekly podcast. For more details and to listen to past shows, CLICK HERE
GOALKEEPERS
Tim Krul – Newcastle (6.2M): This seems like a no-brainer to me. Newcastle is a better team than they’ve showed and Krul looks primed for a second consecutive clean sheet in Week 3 versus Crystal Palace.
Lukasz Fabianski – Swansea (6.65M): The former Arsenal backup has 23 points through two weeks.
Joe Hart – Manchester City (11.87M): This is for the non-gambling types. Hart is a safe bet for a clean sheet against Stoke, but always be mindful that the big clubs give up few shots on target at home. He likely won’t have to make many saves which could hurt his value this week if he does allow one by him.
Looking long-term – Fraser Forster (5.54M): If you picked up the England International last week then you weren’t disappointed with his 11 point haul. If you can squeeze him on your bench, his upcoming schedule is quite favourable with four of six matches at St. Mary’s. (vs. Newcastle, QPR, Sunderland and Stoke)
DEFENDERS
Paul Dummett – Newcastle (7.36): Averaging seven points through the first two weeks, Dummett seems a good bet to impress even if the Magpies fail to get a clean sheet at home this week.
Neil Taylor – Swansea (4.75M): The Swans left back remains a steal at this price.
Calum Chambers – Arsenal (5.5M): Called up for his first stint with England, the young defender is the lone Arsenal man at the back with a value price. He may not be a lock to start though, so there is some risk involved here.
Vincent Kompany – Manchester City (9.58M): The Etihad is nearly a lock for a win with the defending champs, and Stoke rarely goes for it away from the Britannia.
Aaron Cresswell – West Ham (2.48M): He is looking like a defender who will give you points even without a clean sheet. That is absolutely invaluable, especially at his price.
Rio Ferdinand – QPR (7.54M): The gamble play of the week! Rio has fared well (fantasy-wise) in the early going. Steven Caulker has been priced out of the market at over 13M so if you fancy QPR for a clean sheet at home to Sunderland, Rio is the man I’d take. If nothing else, it should make your weekend footy watching a little bit more interesting.
Honorable mentions: Martin Kelly (Crystal Palace), Alan Hutton (Aston Villa)
MIDFIELDERS
Erik Lamela – Tottenham (5.25M): Still a bargain at under 6M, if you got him at his 2.77M starting price, you may never take him off your squad. Few players in the league have a ceiling as high as the young Argentine’s.
Remy Cabella – Newcastle (14.91M): I’m feeling a little lucky this week, and I am anticipating a strong performance from Newcastle (I might be crazy). Cabella was more impressive in Week 1 than he was in Week 2, but he’s certainly shown flashes in his first two Premier League games. I think he opens his account this week against Crystal Palace.
Cheikhou Kouyate – West Ham (7.47M): The Hammers showed a lot more in midfield last week than I can remember in recent memory. A lot of the thanks for that should go to this young Senegalese international. Kouyate is quite the presence in the midfield and will consistently pick up points for tackles won and interceptions.
Tom Ince – Hull City (5.47M): Aston Villa could be without Ron Vlaar and Aly Cissokho in defence, and I’m not sure many people have faith in Paul Lambert’s managing ability following a League Cup loss at home to Leyton Orient. Plus, Tom Ince is pretty good.
Joey Barton – QPR (6.69M): Well, Joey Barton is back in the Premier League and guess what? He’s pulled off two quality fantasy weeks! Nine points, then 11—you could do worse for the price.
Dusan Tadic – Southampton (6.53M): The 25-year-old has been a bright spot for Southampton thus far. Although the team hasn’t had success in terms of results, they have played well and Tadic has been the creative force. The Serbian had 12 points last week without a goal or an assist. He could be a consistent source of points throughout the year, despite matchups.
Obvious plays: David Silva (Man City), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Player to avoid – Angel Di Maria – Manchester United (11.85M): Much like Alexis Sanchez with Arsenal earlier, I have a feeling Manchester United’s record signing may not hit the ground running and his price could take a nice dip. Be cautious before putting him in your lineup.
FORWARDS
Stevan Jovetic – Manchester City (9.78M): His performance against Liverpool this past week is reason enough.
Alexis Sanchez – Arsenal (4.71M): The Chilean opened his account in North London with a goal against Besiktas to send Arsenal through to the Champions League group stage for a 17th straight season. He’ll never be cheaper.
Wilfried Bony – Swansea (12.59M): Although he has yet to score, Bony hasn’t been a wasteland for fantasy owners. Keep rolling him out there as a goal is likely coming soon.
Player to watch: Eduardo Vargas – QPR (6.37M): I may never promote this many QPR players in one column again. I’m hopeful Vargas gets an opportunity. The Chilean international is on loan from Napoli and will look to make his mark on the Premier League. He’s a great talent waiting to break out on the big stage.
Player to avoid – Mario Balotelli – Liverpool (11.58M): Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says Balotelli will play this weekend against Spurs. However, he didn’t say the Italian international would start. Super Mario is a supremely talented player without consistency. Last year with Milan, he largely only scored against the lower tabled sides. I don’t see this being any different at the moment.
MY STARTING XI FOR WEEK 3: Krul; Taylor, Kompany, Cresswell; D. Silva, Cabella, Ramsey, Lamela; Bony, Jovetic, Costa
Bench: Rodwell, Dier, M. Kelly, Beeney
At the end of this weekly column, my co-hosts on European Football Weekly will off their tips.
Derrick Brandao: Gylfi Sigurdsson – Swansea (9.55M)
Thomas Michalakos: Siem De Jong – Newcastle (5.06M)
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