Bargain Shopping



So, if I want Bellamy for the weekend - which I do - that leaves me 6.03 for a fourth middie or defender.  Who to choose?  And of course, the caveat here is that whomever I pick will be wrong.  The candidates after the jump.

  • De Jong or Kompany - Citeh host Burnley.  Kompany performed better last week but with Toure likely to return to the defense, De Jong seems like the more likely starter.  And he hasn't been too bad, last week's penalty not-withstanding.  He's dirt cheap.  If I went with him I could even move to K2.  But De Jong is a holding midfielder and thus has a limited fantasy ceiling.  It's Sidwell all over again.  And look how that turned out for me last week.
  • Rodwell - Everton @ West Ham.  See De Jong, above.  A do-no-harm pick.
  • Brown or Yebda - Pompey @ Rovers.  I like Pompey, but not these two.  I don't like Brown and won't pick him.  Yebda is interesting, but comes in and out of matches.  I'm not sure I'm ready to back anyone from Pompey other than O'Hara (whom I'm selling to move Tevez to Bellamy) or KPB on the road.
  • Henderson - Sunderland @ Spurs.  Henderson is catching my eye here.  A winger redeployed to central midfield in the wake of Cattermole's injury.  He's been doing okay and looks a more attacking option than your De Jong or Rodwell.  Don't love Sunderland on the road, especially with Spurs looking to bounce back from the derby loss, but I'm not going to rule Henderson out.
  • Emerton or Nelsen - Rovers host Pompey.  Rovers have been halfway decent at home, and Pompey are lousy on the road.  Well, everywhere, but you get the idea.  Emerton is listed as a defender but has been playing at right mid, so that's an immediate draw.  However he's been booked in his last two matches, albeit against the Premier League's top two teams.  My one other concern with Emerton - and he's the incumbent in the spot - is whether or not he starts.  I wonder if Big Sam restores MGP to the line-up on the left, and moves Diouf back to the right.  Would that move Emerton back to the bench?  Something I'll be looking at as the team news and predictions start coming out over the next day or so.  Nelsen is a sure starter, but a less sexy pick.  Lower ceiling, but maybe the way to go if he has a higher floor.
  • Kyrgiakos - Depleted Liverpool against a goal-shy Birmingham.  He might be in line for a clean sheet.  I will be looking at Agger and Skrtel's availability come the team news.
Anyone else that should be on my radar?

22 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:01 PM

    seems like most players you can buy for 6 have very limited upside (especially the defensive mids, as you mention). so it might be worth a gamble on aquilani. he is very unlikely likely to start, but maybe he will get 20+ useful minutes as a sub -- especially if liverpool are needing a 2nd half goal against a stubborn birmingham defense.

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  2. Anonymous12:02 PM

    one question.. is defoe available this week?

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  3. Defoe is available, as far as I know.

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  4. I was hoping Aquilani would get some minutes but nope. Not sure if I will pick him up now for Monday's match. Hmm.

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  5. Why not Babel? Rafa surely can't start Voronin again. Then again, I haven't been able to predict anything he's done all season.

    Stay away from Kyrgiakos. He is awful.

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  6. cuellar is back from suspension and he costs 6.03

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  7. I don't know if I can go back to the Villa well any time soon. The wounds are too fresh.

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  8. Aquilani was on the bench against Lyon, I was thinking since he didn't get in the match then, he has a better chance of time against B'Ham?

    how about Givet?

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  9. anyone else interested in Hines?

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  10. Anonymous1:19 PM

    How about Hendry Thomas?

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  11. Anonymous1:39 PM

    any cheap hull city midfielder to replace geovanni?

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  12. Aquilani will start I ma sure - he is fit - it's just the flu now (or was!!)

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  13. Anonymous2:38 PM

    I would rather risk Aquilani than the ones listed

    Need some advice guys,

    Defoe/Etherington

    or

    Bellamy/Dunn

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  14. Sauce2:51 PM

    Out of this price bracket, but does anyone ever look at Taylor for Bolton as a good middie? I am torn this week between him and a number of others - Arshavin for one, BFAR for another....Thoughts?

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  15. I'm on Bellamy/Dunn. Take that as you will.

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  16. with Corluka possibly out injured, maybe Hutton is a good bargain home to Sunderland?

    curious if Bent/Campbell get fired up against their former club

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  17. Jeremy - Not sure why you'd list Krygiakos. See the commentary from yesterday's game.

    "SUICIDAL BACK HEADER FROM KYRGIAKOS TO PLAY LISANDRO IN BUT A GREAT SAVE FROM REINA! He was alert to the danger and saved the Greek, who is almost comically out of his depth at this level."

    Birmingham ain't Lyon but it sounds like he must suck.

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  18. Anonymous3:55 PM

    Jeremy & Neal - You guys are great at giving advice on players to choose and who to not. Would there be a reason for me to make changes to my below squad?
    Given--
    Vermaelen/Heitinga/Gibbs
    MTay/Dunn/Fletcher/A.Reid/Huddlestone
    Drogba/Eduardo
    Switched Tevez to Eduardo and Kyrgiakos to Gibbs, I feel that with Arsenal's mean attack he'll get to run down the flank and get at least a couple of SOT's. I'd greatly appreciate some feedback.

    --@Sauce - MTay is a great investment this weekend and every weekend, as long as he plays that is...always returns more than his worth (He's a keeper, Well, he's a midfielder, but you know what I mean smart aleck!). Sorry Jeremy, had to quote you on that one. Thanks for the laughs! Best regards, (Honduran - Saul).

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  19. Ha! I've never read myself being quoted before. Weird.

    I would look at THud and Fletcher and see if there weren't other options. Say from the list above.

    Or, with Bridge a doubt, does Sylvinho come into the reckoning?

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  20. Anonymous4:10 PM

    Palacios? He's cheap, and home to Sunderland he can return his value. Though I'm also thinking about taking Rodwell instead.
    An advice?

    SF

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  21. Anonymous6:30 PM

    Palacios attracts too many yellow cards. Take Rodwell instead.

    JT8

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  22. Anonymous7:59 AM

    Was thinking of bring in Gibbs for Asley cole and since Jones is suspended, bring in Van Perrise with the money left over or would Adeboyer be a better bet for this week? Anyone any tips

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