No frills this week so let us get straight into my tips for fantasy team owners going into the tenth week of the Premier League season.
13
Sell: Sergio Aguero – Forward, Manchester City, 13.1
His price continues to fall so be sure to drop him before you lose more of your budget.
11
Buy: Alexis Sanchez – Midfielder, Arsenal, 11.2
The Arsenal man continues to perform excellently with 46 points in just his past three matches! If you somehow have not bought in already, do so now as his price is only going to rise and you will want him in your team weeks 13-16 when he plays West Brom, Norwich, Sunderland, and Aston Villa.
Sell: N/A
10
Buy: Wayne Rooney – Forward, Manchester United, 10.2
This may surprise you but Rooney, despite scoring less per match, is actually hitting the target more often than last season. Statistically speaking those numbers should work and I would imagine it starts happening soon. I am definitely not saying he will score this week, especially against rivals Manchester City, but the schedule for United after this one is quite favourable.
Sell: Daniel Sturridge – Forward, Manchester City, 10.4
Not only is he dealing with injuries, again, but now Christian Benteke is back and threatening his spot as well. He has been dispossessed 14 times in his three starts this season which saps away many chances that are being created for him. I am not buying in until he can put 2-3 good matches together.
9
Buy: Harry Kane – Forward, Tottenham 9.2
This is a bit of a gamble, but the closer he gets to 9.0 the more it may be worth it. Considering what Manchester City just did to Bournemouth you have to imagine Tottenham should be able to sneak a few goals through the gaps in that defense. Heung-Min Son appears to be closer to his return than originally anticipated which should significantly lighten his workload.
Sell: N/A
8
Buy: Mesut Ozil – Midfielder, Arsenal, 8.4
I am probably too late on this one due to what could possibly be described as a Tottenham bias. With that out of the way, Ozil has notched five assists and 25 chances created in his last five matches. I was originally worried about the strikers not being able to finishes the chances he creates but with Walcott and Giroud both in scoring form that seems to be a non-issue.
Sell: Yaya Toure – Midfielder, Manchester City, 8.6
Since Kevin De Bruyne found his form, Toure has been creating fewer chances and getting forward less often, which is not going to improve with the impending return of David Silva from injury. He will likely end the season as a top twenty midfielder, but you probably expect a better return than that at 8.6.
7
Buy: Bafetimbi Gomis, Forward, Swansea, 7.1
I know he has not scored since MW4, but with Ayew and Montero continuing to send in great crosses it is only a matter of time before Gomis starts putting them in the net again. He has only managed one shot on target in his last three matches which is well below his average (two per match). Aston Villa should not be able to contain this attack.
Sell: Gylfi Sigurdsson – Midfielder, Swansea, 7.3
I am a big fan of his but he has struggled all season with just one goal and one assist. I have written before about that pace that Swansea have foregoing the midfield passing for which Sigurdsson is so well known and now he is not even starting every week. For me, the cost is just too high.
6
Buy: Georginio Wijnaldum – Midfielder, Newcastle, 6.9
You are not buying him to score four goals a week, but it does (super small sample size) look like Newcastle are starting to turn things around and Wijnaldum will be in the middle of most of their attacking play. He has a higher pass completion percentage and take on percentages than fantasy darling Dimitri Payet despite being £1.3 cheaper.
Sell: Yohan Cabaye – Midfielder, Crystal Palace, 6.4
Yes, Leicester are conceding 1.9 goals per match, but Cabaye has been a bit too dependent on penalties which have accounted for 42% of his fantasy points over the past three weeks. Unfortunately, defensive statistics do not count in the official game as he currently leads the Premier League in both interceptions (33) and tackles won (33).
(Note from editor – Are you mad? Palace and Leicester lead the league in goals from set pieces (6) and so makes the Frenchman a threat in this particular match up)
5
Buy: Dieumerci Mbokani – Forward, Norwich, 5.7
He has scored two goals in his last two matches and had shown the dynamic combination of pace and strength that could lead to a very successful campaign for the ex-Dynamo Kyiv star. With the high amount of chances and crosses being set up by Redmond, Hoolahan, Brady, and Howson Mbokani should give Mbokani plenty of opportunities to score.
Sell: Bacary Sagna, Defender, Manchester City, 5.4
After a very hot start it seems that the Manchester City defense seems to be regressing to the mean having gone a month without a clean sheet. Now Sagna has to contend with Pablo Zabaleta for a starting spot in what is frankly just an above average defense. Manchester United have been in excellent form so I would not count on a clean sheet in this one. (Buy Danny Rose!)
4
Buy: Jonny Howson – Midfielder, Norwich, 4.9
Jonny Howson is a sneaky play at 4.9 (0.1% owned) considering he has played 805 of a possible 810 minutes and is creating 1.4 chances per match and you would think those chances have a better chance of finding the back of the net with Mbokani playing up front.
Sell: Arouna Kone – Forward, Everton, 4.9
He started the season well but has quickly fallen off the pace due to being part of a timeshare with Gerard Deulofeu, Aaron Lennon, and Kevin Mirallas. Unfortunately, it is hard to own him unless injuries happen ahead of him on the team sheet.
TEB Fantasy Football League Table after MW9 (top 25 of 257)
| # | Team | Manager | GW | TOT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabaye-Bye-Bye | Matthew Freeman | 74 | 525 | |
| 2 | E Pluribus Anus | Rory Jackson | 64 | 525 | |
| 3 | fifty-fifty | Ramchandra Ram | 54 | 514 | |
| 4 | Money Cabaye Success | Matt Jones | 69 | 510 | |
| 5 | Best Weston | Asher Weston | 84 | 499 | |
| 6 | Wilfried Zahaha | Michael Bellairs | 81 | 490 | |
| 7 | Chelsea Dagger | David Gilbert | 59 | 489 | |
| 8 | Dynamo Dan Dan | Daniel Bright | 52 | 486 | |
| 9 | Crystal Phallus FC | Simon Dixon | 86 | 482 | |
| 10 | khabarmantra | Asif Naim | 54 | 478 | |
| 11 | Cabaye’ my lover.. | Greg Ross | 73 | 478 | |
| 12 | Aaaaaaaal Super Al | Mark Bonnici | 60 | 474 | |
| 13 | Mighty Eagles | Alex Sherer | 63 | 473 | |
| 14 | Stompasaurus Bum’B’s | Kev Davis | 78 | 472 | |
| 15 | Prairie Wind | Graeme Wiseman | 52 | 472 | |
| 15 | MurderOnZidanesFloor | Tom Harding | 70 | 472 | |
| 17 | Irish eagles | tony quinn | 71 | 471 | |
| 18 | How The Mighty Rise | Clive Mitchell | 63 | 471 | |
| 19 | Oxted Eagles | Julian Chenery | 65 | 471 | |
| 20 | South London’s No. 1 | Josh Rufus | 58 | 470 | |
| 21 | Los Bosteros | David Walsh | 55 | 469 | |
| 22 | Usual Suspects | Tony Saunders | 90 | 469 | |
| 23 | Reg’s 11 | Joe Leggett | 79 | 465 | |
| 23 | HXB | Joe Lipski | 64 | 465 | |
| 25 | 2 GIRLS 1 SCHLUPP | Paul Drew | 70 | 464 | |
| 25 | SexDrugs&CarltonCole | Chris Hopkins | 84 | 464 |