The Bargain Hunter - Week 18
"Dashing through the snow, on a one-horse o....."
(record scratch)
Happy Holidays fantasy footy fanatics! I am here to cut the Christmas carols off for a sec and interrupt your Christmas Eve so that I can play Santa Claus and offer up a few more bargains to place under the tree - just be sure not to open until Friday. These picks will not bring you joy until then.
A quick recap of last week's hunting -- Robert Green did as much as one can expect from a budget keeper (or a QPR keeper period) and gave you six points, Alex Bruce got the start but only returned you two points, Andy Carroll justified his inclusion with a healthy 14 points, but the result that sort of leaves a coal in my stocking was James Ward-Prowse's 3 point return. In the Yahoo game, a shot that the opposing team gets a touch on which results in an own goal does not reward an assist for the shot taker. You don't even get a shot on target in that scenario. So even though Ward-Prowse was rewarded in other formats with an assist, the Yahoo gods were not kind. I still think he was a good choice, it was just an unlucky outcome for fantasy purposes. Keep his name in your head though, because this kid has 10m+ type of game to him, meaning he is vastly under priced and will come good in plus matchups for the Saints.
If fantasy Premier League has its own Santa Claus, then by this time next week we are going to find out who has been naughty and who has been nice, because some major stars who cost major money and are perfectly fit will miss one of the next three matches. Odds are, if you have someone who doesn't start this week (Week 18) when you thought that they would, chances are they are playing that middle round on Sunday/Monday. The key is, in the Yahoo game anyway, to prepare yourself for selling a star or two that you have made a good profit on up until now if the chance of them resting one of these matches is high. Eden Hazard, a premium midfielder with a lofty price tag, is a perfect example of this. He came out of Monday night's match with a knock, putting his availability for Friday into question as of this writing. Jose Mourinho has already suggested that the knock is not serious, but as expensive as he is, it would be a disaster to roll with him in a week where he doesn't start or even feature. Angel Di Maria is another example. While it makes perfect sense for him to get the start this gameweek, with a week since his last match where he was introduced as a substitute coming off his injury, it is because of that injury and that he is only recently back fit which makes one think Louis van Gaal will not risk starting him twice in 48 hours, so to see Di Maria beginning Week 19 on the bench should come as no surprise. Prepare!
But let us not focus all our energy on what could go wrong over the holidays, let's open our bargain presents for Week 18:
Follow the RotoWorld_PL team on Twitter: Galin | Jeremy | Neal | Nik | Steve | Ben | Rob | Aaron
Goalkeeper
Tim Howard (Everton) The Toffees have kept just three clean sheets as we near the halfway point of the season and while a commodity like Leighton Baines can still justify his price nearly every week without the benefit of a clean sheet, the same cannot be said for Howard, who would probably throw his own laptop out the window if he were to check and see that he sits on just nine points for the entire season in the Yahoo game. NINE. Of course clean sheets do not tell the entire story -- win vs loss factor, saves, and yellow cards all have played a part in his statistical horror show. Howard is not THIS bad. He is on pace to finish the season on 20 points which is just silly. Everton have had a reputation for being slow starters. Though last season they looked to buck that trend, the curse of slow starting appears to have returned to Goodison Park. The result of this -- a goalkeeper, who at times last season was the #1 scoring keeper in the game, is available for just 4.75m. The Toffees host Stoke on Boxing Day. While the Potters have shown us an attacking ability rarely seen from them this season, it comes as no surprise that their best scoring comes at the Britannia. Howard could be the bargain keeper for the season's second half that Thibault Courtois has been in the first. I'm not calling for Courtois owners to drop the Chelsea man, but perhaps you might be as crazy as I am to make Howard your backup. Normally, I wouldn't have that kind of cash to use for a backup keeper, but once I barndoored Silva in after his Saturday brace, the extra cash that remained which I intended to use to turn Silva into Di Maria later in the week can go toward Howard and just roll with the hot-handed Silva. Even if I do eventually cave in before the deadline and flop Silva for Di Maria and make my backup keeper a 1m option again, you can bet I will have Howard in my side in the near future at or near this fantastic price.
Other Option for Goalkeeper
Julian Speroni (3.52m, home to Southampton)
Defender
Sebastian Coates (Sunderland) Don't look now, but Sunderland have kept things clean in three of their last five, and they have not conceded more than one single goal in a match in their last eight, with one exception against a Manchester City side that featured a healthy Sergio Aguero. That's right, I will say it again: The Black Cats defense is in form. Despite having injury issues at the fullback position which has forced players who are normally center backs to deputize out wide, Sunderland have been able to succeed, and Coates, who got a start last week would appear nailed on for the weekend seeing as they are flying high after their fourth straight Tyne-Wear win with a cleanie at St. James' Park. Coates is on loan from Liverpool who has been waiting for his chance and that chance is now. At 5.37m, coming off a double digit fantasy haul, and hosting a Hull City attack that have mustered just one solitary goal in their last five matches...what more can you ask for?
Other Options for Defense
Mamadou Sakho (4.99m, away to Burnley) Kyle Walker (6.03m, away to Leicester)
Follow the RotoWorld_PL team on Twitter: Galin | Jeremy | Neal | Nik | Steve | Ben | Rob | Aaron
Midfielder
James Milner (Manchester City) When the word on the street heading into last week's deadline was that due to the rash of injuries to Manchester City's strikers, it may be James Milner who is tapped to lead the line for the league defending champs. This sent a shockwave through the fantasy community and the collective drool that resulted from picturing a budget priced midfielder leading the line for an attacking side as prolific as City's probably could have filled up an Olympic-sized swimming pool. OK, I apologize for the visual, but let's be honest, it is no more so than egg nog, and you probably have some of that within arm's reach this very moment. Anyway so what happened? Milner started, led the line...and got 6 points. If anyone needs an example of the word "meh", which is probably still not recognized by any reputable dictionary, this result was it. So what? Six points? Joe Ledley gets six in his sleep. Well, I believe in the old adage, "If at first you don't succeed, I will give you one more chance." City are still a fitness mess at forward, and all signs points to Milner playing the furthest forward, on paper anyway, again this Friday as the Sky Blues travel to face West Brom. Yes, Silva and Toure are still the standard City midfielders you want, but Milner is cheap, appears nailed on for now, and his position high up the pitch should aid in topping his score of six last week. For 7.33m, there is plenty of upside.
Other Options for Midfield
Ryan Mason (6.59m, away to Leicester) Moussa Sissoko (6.83m, away to Manchester United)
Forward
Falcao (Manchester United) Making it in to the Bargain realm only just, due to his 9.26m price tag verging on too expensive for my hunting needs, Falcao is a solid third forward option for your fantasy XI this Friday as the red hot Red Devils host Newcastle United, who took a hit to their morale after coming off a loss at home to their biggest rival last weekend. The Magpie defense did well for themselves to be fair, no one was sent off in a match notorious for such events and they kept Sunderland out for 89 minutes and change until finally conceding. This is a whole other ballgame though. Now they are to travel, face the hottest club in the league, and they still have that inexperience between the sticks in Jak Alnwick. It could be a field day for Falcao. There is an element of risk with three fixtures in close proximity and the threat of rest and rotation, but Falcao has had so little pitch time up until now and he is hitting form, so I would expect if anything, Louis van Gaal may use him off the bench in that middle fixture on Sunday and start him both Boxing Day and New Year's Day. We are talking about one of the most polished finishers in the world here people, and he costs less to own in Yahoo than Jonathan Walters. I want to maintain the holiday spirit and not end my column with an unnecessary jab at Walters, but, so be it. I have a Bad Santa side to me too.
Other Option for Forward
Steven Fletcher (6.02m, home to Hull City)
Follow the RotoWorld_PL team on Twitter: Galin | Jeremy | Neal | Nik | Steve | Ben | Rob | Aaron
