Week 6 Barn-Door Bonanza
What a week we have coming up; if only the guys who put together the fixtures had squeezed in Newcastle vs Sunderland we would have the holy triumvirate. I love all local derbies when they come around however I’ll be honest that I’m more than a little concerned as a Spurs fan this week. There’s two things you have to remember about local derbies as a fantasy manager though; there will be goals and there will be fouls. Of course, the fact that Arsenal, Spurs, Everton and Liverpool face off against each other and that they face Chelsea, Southampton, Man United and West Bromwich Albion next week respectively means that only Liverpool make a showing in this week’s list.
West Ham
At the start of the season I would have chewed my fingers off to stop them selecting a West Ham player but as they should be lifted by beating Liverpool and as they’re playing QPR at home, they make them a good place to start this week’s choices.
Downing – I challenge any reader to find a high cost player who has played 5 games and only failed to achieve his value once. He’s going straight into my team
Noble – Not quite as consistent as Downing but there will be plenty of chances for him to improve on his assist, goal and SOT’s
Leicester
Ulloa – I find Ulloa a quandary, he’s obviously excellent and he has a record that’s equally so – 16, 1, 13, 15, 20. At less than £10m he’s also a bargain, it’s just trying to figure out how you can fit him in when the majority of managers have Costa, Falcao, Sanchez etc. I’m beginning to get seriously tempted and playing Palace before they play Burnley will only give him time for his price to rise.
De Laet – In a similar vein to my West Ham comment above, I would have looked at you like you were mad if you suggested Leicester’s defence to me before. Even now we’re seeing them concede goals however, if De Laet can score 9 points when Leicester ship 3 goals to Manchester United then that’s good enough for me.
Sunderland
Van Aanholt – Another quandary. There are loads of managers out there that fully understand that a defender who averages 10 points a week but costs just 8m is fantasy gold. Where I get confused is that less than 6% of managers own him. Whilst his average against good teams (3.5 against Manchester United and Spurs) is far worse than against lesser opponents (13.66 against West Brom, QPR and Burnley) I think that games against Swansea this week and Stoke next should give him a good chance to shine.
Larsson – He’s consistent although not spectacular (albeit that he’s managed some great performances in previous seasons). He’s still somehow managed to have a higher average than his cost although I don’t see that being the case going forward.
Rodwell – Many still have him for a ridiculous price but let’s be honest, he’s still never failed to score more than his current price of 3.44m. If you have a space or you’re looking for an expensive purchase he’s a great filler.
Liverpool
Sterling – I know, I know, over a third of managers already have him but what about the rest? With a bit of luck this week’s game against Everton might bring his price down but I’m not convinced. Merseyside derbies are usually high scoring affairs and with a game against West Brom next week you may want to grab him before his price gets even higher.
Man City
Mangala – I said it last week and I’m saying it again this week, he’s a brilliantly cheap way of getting into the City defence. Less than 2% of managers hold him currently but don’t expect that to stay that way.
Swansea
Siggy – As a Spurs fan I love Siggy and I wish that he could have had a more active role back at the lane. It appears though that Swansea bring out the best in him and playing at home to Newcastle could make him a great purchase for week 7.
Fabianski – So he’s had a couple of bad weeks scoring -3 and 1 respectively, however that was against tough opposition. You have to remember that he averaged 12.33 before that and surely his price can’t stay less than 5m? If you like his chances against Newcastle or simply want to grab yourself a playing keeper for your bench, he’s worth considering.
Dyer – It’s fair to say that he can’t really handle it against the big boys and scored pretty badly against United, Chelsea and Southampton. He excelled though against Burnley and West Brom and I think Newcastle are far more in that vein.
That’s it for me, I’ll see you next week.
