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Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from this office league
How’s your 2019 going? Still going strong in dry January? Still going to the gym? Don’t worry, there’s no judgement here. If you’ve already given up on your unrealistic new year’s resolution, you’ve still got Fantasy Premier League football to give your life some purpose.
Here are our five tips for the upcoming gameweek.
1. Glenn Murray – Brighton, £6.3
He often appears in this column, Glenn Murray. But he does so for a reason. The 35-year-old is still consistently scoring for Brighton and is likely to add another to his tally this weekend as Brighton come up against Liverpool. Now, Liverpool are obviously the superior side, but with their defensive crisis, Jurgen Klopp may have to deploy Fabinho as an auxiliary centre-back alongside Virgil Van Dijk. As we saw in Liverpool’s FA Cup tie against Wolves, Fabinho is not very comfortable in that position.
2. Tom Heaton – Burnley, £4.6
Joe Hart is Burnley’s highest point scorer this season – which says more about Burnley’s decline than him – but he has recently lost his starting place between the sticks to Tom Heaton. In their past two matches, against West Ham and Huddersfield, Heaton has started both, and Burnley have won both. Assuming he starts again, he looks like a savvy purchase, given his cheap price tag and the fact that only 0.3% of managers have him in their sides.
3. Dwight McNeil- Burnley, £4.4
You probably haven’t even heard of McNeil, but the Burnley youngster has made an impact for Sean Dyche’s team in their past two fixtures, starting both and picking up a goal and an assist. He carries the added bonus of being extremely cheap and featuring in only 0.3% of teams. The Clarets take on Fulham this weekend, and should be able to get a result given the Cottagers’ woes this season.
4. David Luiz – Chelsea, £5.9
Three of Chelsea’s highest point scorers in fantasy football this season are defenders: Marcos Alonso, Antonio Rüdiger and David Luiz. Their top scorer is obviously Eden Hazard. I’m not sure whether that says more about the lack of quality in Chelsea’s front line or the sublime quality of their defenders, but regardless, Luiz is undoubtedly having a good season. The Brazilian has racked up 97 points this season and only costs £5.9, a smidgeon cheaper than his defensive partner. Against Newcastle, at home, he should have no trouble keeping a clean sheet.
5. Paul Pogba – Manchester United, £8.4m
Yes, I’m including Paul Pogba again, because he’s really good. Manchester United have spent all week preparing for their game against Tottenham at a warm weather training camp in Dubai and appear to be having the time of their lives. Spurs, meanwhile, continue to overcome obstacles and remain within the top three, for which Pochettino deserves a lot of credit, but they might struggle on Sunday. This new look Manchester United are perfectly poised to exploit Spurs’ ultra attacking midfield diamond. Harry Winks will be holding the midfield on his own, and for all his qualities, he faces a tough challenge in keeping Pogba quiet.
