Fantasy Picks of the Week
Only in Newcastle would a striker be rewarded for a European brace with a seat on the bench - behold the power (and arrogance) of the local hero Shearer. Liverpool play ManYoo on Monday in what will, without a doubt, be the most interesting match-up of the weekend given the early struggles of both sides. Fulham travel to West Brom giving Albion a reasonable chance to score at least three goals. Arsenal will attempt to prove that not just anyone can hold them to 1 goal at home by packing in 10 and sometimes 11 men behind the ball when Bolton comes to town. And finally, Pompey will see if they can finally manage to take their goal scoring exploits on the road when they travel to see Blackburn and their new manager Mark Hughes. So with that, here are some line-up thoughts for the week:
Strikers
Henry, Arsenal - Unless he's on his deathbed, he's a must-start.
Van Nistelrooy, ManYoo - At home, starting to round into shape, coming off a brace in the Champions League - oh yeah, and he's priced to move at 1.00. Hard to imagine how this could go wrong, especially if Furgeson plays Christiano Ronaldo from the beginning of the game.
JFH, Boro - Scowlin' Jimmy has been having a nice season now that he doesn't have to fight for playing time at Chelsea. The trip to Everton will probably be more difficult than one might expect, but Boro have to be on a major high after their successful European debut at mid-week. He's expensive, but a good value.
Shearer, Newcastle - Any road game is a tough one, but Southampton probably less so than most this season. Shearer is both a bargain and a good bet to get at least one goal.
(apparently its Old Stand-bys Week for Strikers here at the ol' EPL Blog)
Bargains - See RVN & Shearer above - Imagine getting those two for under 6.00 in the same week - good times.
Midfielders
Robert, Newcastle - Keeping with the "Old Stand-by" theme. He takes free kicks and corners. He crosses the ball a lot. Has a rocket for a shot. And he's playing Southampton. Not a bad deal at 13 and change.
Koumas, WBA - Has been chomping at the bit after missing the first 4 games of the season to suspension. Came out with a strong first game last week. Is playing against Fulham at home this week which can be nothing but a good thing. At 5 and change, both a bargain and a good bet for a lot of points.
Wright-Phillips, ManCiteh - On the theory that they will be up one week and down the next, this should be an up week for Citeh. SWP has been having a nice year and if Citeh score, he'll likely be in the middle of it.
Ljungberg, Arsenal - With Pires looking sluggish the last two weeks or so, look for Wenger to start a healthy Ljungberg on the right and Jose Antonio Reyes on the left with Bergkamp and Henry up front. Assuming this happens, Freddie is a good bet to get his points.
Bargains - See Koumas above, Scholes (he can't stay on this list forever... can he?), Duff (if you have the stomach for it...Jeremy), Izzet (if you're poor, desperate and clinging to the hope that he'll regain his form of last year)
Defenders
Heinze, ManYoo - One of the few Red Devils playing well and as a bonus, he's relatively cheap at 5.00 and change.
Clement, WBA - Almost as many points as Gerrard so far this season and he's playing home to Fulham. Expensive, but likely a good investment.
The Chelsea Defense - Tottenham has been having a tough time scoring, Chelsea has only conceded one goal. Chelsea is at home. Sounds like a clean sheet waiting to happen for Chelsea. Not a lot of offense from any of them so far but its a good bet for 5+ points.
Bargains - See Heinze above, Samuel (at Norwich), Yobo (1.00 and a good bet for some offense)
Keepers
Cech, Chelsea - See the review of the Chelsea Defense above. Good bet for the win and a clean sheet. If he throws in a couple of saves, it will be a happy time for those with the money to buy Mr. Cech.
Schwartzer, Boro - Everton haven't been pouring in the goals so if you're looking for a bargain, Schwartzer might be a good bet for some saves and a win, although a clean sheet on the road would be asking a lot.
Neal,
ReplyDeleteStop using my team as a template for these picks of the week. It's embarrassing!
However, though I have Clement in the team, he's subject to my patented "rash last minute change that never works out." i guess this is a preview of my Monday Morning Manager post, but with Koumas back, and Andy Johnson healthy again, is there room in the Baggies midfield for Clement? And with Koumas taking kicks, is Clement as valueable?
-Jeremy