Injuries and Suspensions: Week 3

Premier League team news - ESPN Soccernet:

There are a fair number of interesting line-up machinations related to injuries, suspensions, and transfers.  For all of the fantasy implications for this weekend, here is everything you need to know:


Aston Villa: Looks like Gabby and Heskey are very likely to be healthy for the match against Wolves. For anyone who kept Gabby at his previous price, nice job - he might be worth keeping for a second weekend in a row. The other interesting note is that there is a wing defender spot available with Luke Young heading to QPR. The team news indicates that there will be competition between Chris Herd and Eric Lichaj - I've seen Lichaj play a bunch in Gold Cup matches and think highly of him. It may be too early to dive in but worth monitoring this spot for Villa as there may be value to be had from whoever takes over the spot.

Wigan: They will be missing both first choice CBs which definitely takes some of the luster off of Al-Habsi and the defenders. I still expect 3 points from Wigan but I think we're more likely to see 2-1 or 3-2 than a clean sheet at this point.

Chelsea: Looks like the new kids (Mata, Romeu, and Lakaku) will be riding the bench at least until after the international break. Luiz is also missing so Alex should continue with Bosingwa seemingly preferred to Ivanovic in AVB's line-up. No word I could find on Torres vs. Drogba or who will start in the wider attacking spots.

Bolton: They're missing a bunch of defenders and who knows what will happen with the Arsenal/Cahill negotiations between now and the weekend. Makes me even more optimistic about Liverpool's attacking chances (and I was already pretty optimistic).

NUFC: Barton appears to be getting the Modric/"not in the right mental place to play" treatment which leads one to wonder when Joey Barton is EVER in the right mental frame of mind to play but that's a different story. In this case it likely means a start for Obertan and more kicks for RTay and Cabaye.

Fulham: Zamora and JAR are questionable although you probably shouldn't have been too excited about either player on the road. The good news is that assuming he doesn't play, Riise's price should stay low for Fulham's next match (home vs. Rovers in two weeks). Both Riise and Senderos look very attractive for that match-up based on what we've seen so far.  [Update] If you're up for a really cheap option and don't mind picking up an away defender then Briggs is a great potential pick-up.

Spurs: Looks like Modric will feature unless there is a dramatic turn of transfer market fortunes over the next few days. K2 can't make his debut since he is on loan from Spurs' opponent Manchester City. I'm assuming no one is likely to buy many Spurs players for this match-up so I won't go into details about the secondary players.

City: de Jong is out with a foot problem so there's a spot open in midfield and it will be very interesting to see who it goes to. You figure Barry will continue in his (fairly deep) role. The big question will be whether Yaya drops back a bit to take up some of de Jong's responsibilities, Mancini adopts a more attacking posture to fit his personnel, or something else entirely. Now that he's arrived, I have no idea where Nasri might fit into the picture since Silva/Kun/Dzeko have been very effective as an attacking trio and Nasri doesn't seem a natural fit replacing the role that Barry has been playing. Does that mean he's a really expensive super utility player? Will Silva and Kun be rotated more frequently? Lots of questions here.

Arsenal: Looks like Koscielny and Vermaelen are likely to be fit to attempt to stem the tide of United's attack. The problem is that the midfield engine room (Song, Frimpong, and Wilshere) won't be there to protect the back four and hold possession in the manner we've become accustomed to with Arsenal. To make matters worse, it appears that Gibbs will remain out meaning Sagna will continue to play out of position on the left and Jenkinson will have to contend with one of United's speedy (and skilled) wingers. Not good news for fantasy managers hoping to get anything out of Arsenal defenders.

United: The only news of note is that Rio Ferdinand may be fit to return to the line-up. This probably pushes Evans back to the bench leaving a back four of Smalling, Rio, Jones, and Evra. Not a huge fantasy implication unless you had Evans at a reasonably cheap price.

With the weather likely to be pretty ugly here on the East Coast of the US (hurricane season has begun and looks to be starting off with a bang), I will be around for Live Chatting for sure on Saturday and on Sunday as well if weather permits (we may or may not have electricity/satellite TV/internet depending on the severity of the storms/winds). See you for sure on Saturday and I'll keep you updated on Sunday - would be fun to have an extra chat for United/Arsenal.