Fantasy Football, eh?
Weekends. Great aren’t they? Free from the shackles of the working week, you can let your hair down, put your feet up, and enjoy some unadulterated Barclays or, as it’s officially known, the Premier League.
It also means it’s time to tweak your fantasy team, so here are my weekly tips.
1. Kieran Trippier – Spurs, £6.3m
Trippier’s mistake might have led to Manchester City’s goal on Monday night but Tottenham’s crossing machine should get more joy at Molineux this weekend. He costs a hefty £6.3m, but the ‘Bury Beckham’ is the joint third highest scoring defender in the FPL rankings – a worthy investment if you ask me.
2. Aymeric Laporte – Manchester City, £5.8m
Not as likely to rack up the assists as Trippier, but much more likely to be on the winning side, Aymeric Laporte is your man if you’re looking for consistency. Having climbed above Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi in City’s pecking order, the Frenchman has broken the record for the longest run of Premier League games unbeaten since arriving in England: 19 matches and counting.
3. Felipe Anderson – West Ham, £6.8m
West Ham will be looking for Anderson to carry them up the table after Andriy Yarmolenko was ruled out for the rest of the season with an injury to his Achilles tendon. The Brazilian has been in decent form of late, and may see this as an opportunity to establish himself as the main man at the Olympic Stadium. The Hammers have begun to find a bit of form recently and, with only 2.4% of FPL coaches selecting Anderson in their teams, he could be a bargain addition ahead of a home game against Burnley.
4. Gerard Deulofeu – Watford, £5.4m
Deulofeu hasn’t had much of a look in so far this season at Watford, with coach Javi Gracia preferring to play Will Hughes and Roberto Pereyra in the wide midfield positions. But in the absence of Troy Deeney and Andre Gray last week, he made the bold call to play with Deulofeu in a central role, partnered by Isaac Success up front. And it worked – Deulofeu scored a stunning solo goal vs Huddersfield and should keep his place in the team for the Hornets’ game against struggling Newcastle.
5. Álvaro Morata – Chelsea, £8.7m
Hear me out. With Olivier Giroud recovering from a knock, Morata may be given the nod by Maurizio Sarri to lead the line for the third consecutive game. Morata was finally back among the goals last weekend with a lovely toe poke finish against Burnley, which will have done wonders for his confidence. Also, Crystal Palace seem to have a weird record of helping players and teams break their curses. Haven’t scored in a year? Get yourself on the teamsheet at Selhurst Park. Haven’t won away all season? Palace give away wins away like there’s no tomorrow.
Based on nothing more than these hunches, I think Morata may rack up a few points on Sunday.
