AM's Week 8 Player Picks
Welcome to Week 8 of my player picks for the Yahoo Fantasy Premier League game. We've been without Premier League football for the best part of two weeks due to a variety of qualifying and friendly internationals across the globe, so I'm surely not alone in feeling extremely excited about the weekend ahead.
Week 7 was an ok one for AM FC, finishing on 98 points, with the only really bad decision being the selection of Leonardo Ulloa over Radamel Falcao (a frustrating swing of 25 points). I'm sitting on 699 points in total at this stage, so more-or-less averaging the "benchmark" of 100 per week. Over many years of playing this game I've found that if you can average 100 points per week over the course of the season it should usually put you in a position to finish towards the top of your private leagues, so despite the fact I'm down in 3rd place in the main league I play with my mates, it's far from a disastrous start.
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Let's look ahead to Week 8 ...
Week 8 Fixtures
Arsenal v Hull City
Burnley v West Ham
Crystal Palace v Chelsea
Everton v Aston Villa
Man City v Tottenham
Newcastle v Leicester City
QPR v Liverpool
Southampton v Sunderland
Stoke v Swansea
West Brom v Man Utd
As you can see there are a lot of close match-ups this weekend which generally makes it a little trickier when deciding which teams to back, but there are a few sides that can offer value.
Southampton at home to Sunderland looks to be the pick of the bunch, with the Saints rightly favourites to continue their good start to the season despite the narrow defeat at Tottenham in Week 7. Manchester City thrashed Spurs 6-0 at the Etihad last season and are likely to have too much for them again, while Liverpool should have Daniel Sturridge back and can get back to winning ways as they travel to bottom side Queens Park Rangers.
West Ham will fancy their chances of building on their own impressive start by beating Burnley at Turf Moor, Arsenal have the attacking quality to beat Hull at the Emirates in what could prove an entertaining affair, and Chelsea are strong enough to pick up another three points from their London derby with Crystal Palace.
Other than this there isn't a whole lot to love. For Manchester United, the usual suspects (Di Maria, Falcao) will be on the list, but an away match at an improving West Brom won't be a walk-over. Everton are tipped to dispatch Aston Villa with ease, but I don't have much faith in the Toffees' defence, and Villa are extremely dangerous on the counter-attack. At best it's a narrow home win for me, but all three outcomes are possible. Stoke v Swansea and Newcastle v Leicester could bring some goals with all four sides going for the three points, but again I don't feel confident in predicting a winner in either match-up.
In summary Southampton, Manchester City, Liverpool, West Ham, Arsenal and Chelsea appear to be the teams to focus on, with Manchester United and possibly Everton also worth a look if you disagree with my assessment above.
With all that in mind, click over to the next page to view my Week 8 player recommendations.
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KEEPERS
Fraser Forster - As mentioned in the fixture run-through I reckon Southampton have the best fixture of the weekend, so naturally that would make Forster the top keeper recommendaion. England's back-up dropped in value after the defeat at Tottenham so he is currently available for the bargain price of £5.58million.
Adrian - There's nothing lucky about West Ham's seventh position in the table after some clever summer business, and Sam Allardyce's men can continue their good start to the season with a win at Burnley. Adrian has been solid in net so far this season and will get an opportunity of a rare away clean sheet.
Thibaut Courtois - This pick is based on Courtois being fit and available after the concussion he received in Week 7, but reports seem to suggest the keeper will be ready to return. If the team news on Friday confirms this then the Belgian remains a good choice as top-of-the-table Chelsea travel to Crystal Palace.
DEFENDERS
Ryan Bertrand - On-loan from Chelsea, Bertrand has been superb for the Saints and can't be far away from an England call-up. Solid in defence and increasingly impressive linking up with Dusan Tadic down the left flank, the fantasy points are flowing and he deserves to be top of the list for the game against the Black Cats.
Rafael - Once upon a time Rafael was one of the most productive defenders in the Yahoo game, and there are signs that form may be returning under Louis van Gaal. The right-back is picking up an array of fantasy points despite the lack of clean sheets for Manchester United, and he can build on recent performances against West Brom.
Gary Cahill - There's no particular reason for Cahill to get the nod over John Terry or Branislav Ivanovic as my pick of the Chelsea defenders, but while watching England against Estonia during the international break I remember thinking "Cahill is due a goal", so call it a hunch. In the likely event that he doesn't score at Selhurst Park he still forms part of the backline that could keep a clean sheet.
Aaron Cresswell - Still cheap, still an excellent choice. Cresswell was one of the players available for £1million at the start of the season and he has proved a valuable asset as a bench back-up, but with a trip to Burnley in Week 8 he should be promoted to your starting XI.
Eliaquim Mangala - I'm going to put the Week 6 calamity down as a freak occurrence, because Mangala has looked excellent in his other three starts since arriving in England in August. The France international will partner Vincent Kompany for the home match against Spurs and remains the cheapest way to get involved in the City defence.
Alberto Moreno - Liverpool's summer recruit has failed to replicate the phenomenal performance he put in at White Hart Lane in Week 3, but there are signs that the Spaniard will become a fine Premier League full-back, appearing solid in defence and capable of supporting the attack. Moreno should get an opportunity to do a lot more of the latter at QPR, which makes him an interesting option.
Hector Bellerin - With Mathieu Debuchy injured and Calum Chambers suspended for Arsenal's home clash with Hull City, 19-year-old Bellerin is likely to slot in at right-back and is available for less than 6million.
Martin Kelly - Despite his consistency, Kelly is still priced at less than £5million, and for a player averaging eight points per game this season that is an absolute steal. The right-back tends to perform well no matter the opponent, and can pick up plenty of defensive points for blocks, tackles and interceptions as Chelsea visit Selhurst Park.
MIDFIELDERS
Dusan Tadic - After a great start to his Southampton career Tadic had a poor game against Spurs in Week 7, but the midfielder can get back on track at home to Sunderland. Playing as a left sided forward, the Serbian attacker is creating chances, taking set pieces, hitting plenty of shots on target and is the pick of the midfield options for Week 8.
Angel Di Maria - Fast becoming as important to Manchester United as Diego Costa is to Chelsea, Di Maria is scoring and creating goals, and must be in fantasy team this weekend, and for all future weeks provided he stays fit.
Raheem Sterling - How ridiculous was the whole "Tiredgate" debacle? The pathetic stories that make the headlines during international week never cease to amaze me, and Sterling will be mightily relieved that he can put it all behind him with a big performance against QPR.
Cesc Fabregas - Leading the assist charts with seven in seven games, more than any other player in Europe, Fabregas has been the heartbeat of Chelsea's early charge and the understanding the midfielder has built with Costa in such a short space of time is stunning. I can't really see a way of leaving him out of my fantasy team at the moment.
Stewart Downing - The winger was superb again against QPR, grabbing the assist for West Ham's opener by whipping in an un-defendable corner, but unfortunately assists for own goals don't translate in to fantasy points in the Yahoo game, so it left him looking a little short. I expect no such trouble against Burnley this weekend with plenty of point scoring opportunities available.
David Silva - The talented midfielder isn't always the most prolific fantasy points scorer because he's often the man who "assists the assister", but he was fully involved in City's win over Aston Villa in Week 7. Constantly asking for the ball, Silva continuously found pockets of space, played probing balls and gave the Villa defence the run-around. A couple of shots on target boosted his returns to 13 points, and in this form he's back on the radar as a fantasy option.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - It's rare to see "The Ox" recommended in this column, but this has nothing to do with his ability. The Arsenal midfielder is rarely guaranteed game-time, but with Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Tomas Rosicky, Mikael Arteta and Theo Walcott out injured he's a certainty to start against Hull, and he'll be desperate to make the most of the opportunity. With Oxlade-Chamberlain this usually means plenty of incisive running, crossing and shooting, and he's available at a bargain price.
Gylfi Sigurdsson - Two more assists against Newcastle has Sigurdsson back on track after a couple of quiet weeks, and he continues to revel in the role behind Wilfried Bony. Stoke away can be a difficult match-up but the Icelandic star is fresh from two goals against the Netherlands during the international break and can carry that form back in to the Premier League.
Victor Moses - It was no coincidence that Stoke completely lost their way against Sunderland in Week 7 once Moses was subbed off injured after just 25 minutes, losing all attacking imputus. The winger still had time to grab the assist for Peter Crouch's goal and has confirmed to the press that he'll be fit to face Swansea after a two week break, so he should be back in your thoughts given his recent fantasy production.
Sadio Mané - If you're picking a Southampton midfielder it should be Tadic, but some fantasy managers may fancy doubling up, and if so you can also consider Mane. Playing on the opposite to flank to Tadic and pushing inside in the same way to support Pelle, he already looks like a quality player, getting in to dangrous positions and really should've scored an equaliser against Spurs.
STRIKERS
Diego Costa - I no longer need to explain why.
Sergio Aguero - When fit and on form, Aguero is probably my favourite players to watch in the Premier League. His pace, balance and strength combined with his explosive finishing make him incredibly difficult to keep quiet and the Argentine is back to his best with five goal already this season. Spurs beware.
Graziano Pelle - One of the best forward options for the week with Southampton hosting Sunderland. Steve has gone in to more detail in this week's Bargain Hunter column.
Radamel Falcao - As mentioned in the introduction, my decision to go with Ulloa over Falcao in Week 7 proved costly with the Colombian striker grabbing the winning goal against Everton. In truth he should've had more than one goal considering the number of chances he had, so I expect to see better finishing from a world-class player against West Brom.
Danny Welbeck - It's a close call between Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez, but I'm edging towards Welbeck because of his position as the focal point of the Arsenal attack. Hull have been conceding too many goals, they will be missing their first choice goalkeeper due to injury and the England man can trouble Michael Dawson with his pace.
Daniel Sturridge - Badly missed by Liverpool over the past six week, Sturridge will be desperate to get up and running quickly against a QPR side who are in a right mess at the moment. The only concern would be whether the striker will be able to last the full 90 minutes after a long-spell on the side-lines.
Steven Naismith - The only Everton representative on the list, Naismith is in superb form. The forward bagged another goal for Scotland in midweek to add to his four in the league for the Toffees, and he looks like the man most likely to cause Aston Villa problems.
Diafra Sakho - The West Ham man has adapted to life in the Premier League extremely quickly with three goals in five games already and he can add to that total as his side make the trip to Burnley's Turf Moor.
Gabby Agbonlahor - The wildcard pick. Everton have one of the leakiest defences in Europe right now and Agbonlahor can exploit Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka with his pace on the counter-attack.
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So those are the players I'm considering for my Week 8 Yahoo team. Check back here on Rotoworld on Friday for all the team and injury news as we gather our information from the manager press conferences taking place across England.
My team page currently looks like this:
XI: Forster, Kelly, Cresswell, Bertrand, Fabregas, Tadic, Sterling, Di Maria, Pelle, Costa, Aguero
Subs: Sigurdsson, Moore, McNair, Courtois
I'm happy with it, but selecting four Southampton players may be a case of "too many eggs in one basket", so if I can find the extra funds to bring in Falcao or Welbeck for Pelle then I'll probably make the required trades. An easy way to do this would be to downgrade Aguero, but this might not be sensible given the fact I fear he could grab a couple of goals against my Spurs. What to do?
How's your team looking?
