It seems like a long while since I did my last fantasy preview but it really is great to see the Premier League back and ready for action. Here are my tips as we head into week thirteen.
13
Buy: Sergio Aguero – Forward, Manchester City, 13.0
Aguero returned to training today and is expected to at least be in the squad that faces Liverpool on Saturday. He still sits tied for second among Premier League scorers on six goals, despite having missed the last month. He has contributed to a goal (goal or assist) once every 83 minutes since joining Manchester City which leads all players over that time.
10
Buy: Kevin de Bruyne – Midfielder, Manchester City, 10.7
The Belgian has averaged just four points over his last five but is still a must own/start as long as there is any doubt that David Silva will get the start. Even once Silva is back I think the City attack is prolific enough to retain the value of both attacking midfielders with Raheem Sterling likely the one to face a diminished role.
Sell: Daniel Sturridge – Forward, Liverpool, 10.1
Some got very excited about Sturridge reporting for training, but at 10.1 I am definitely not jumping back in yet. If he can stay healthy and fit well into manager Jurgen Klopp’s system he could be a great pick for the second half of the season, but for now he is too much of a gamble for that price.
9
Buy: David Silva – Midfielder, Manchester City, 9.9
Silva, like teammate Sergio Aguero, returned to training on Thursday but is unlikely to get the start against Liverpool on Sunday. The fact that a player like Silva is available for less than 10.0 is insane as he will easily be a top ten midfielder from here on out. His six assists are still second best in the league despite having missed seven of the last eight matches due to injury.
8
Buy: Christian Eriksen – Midfielder, Tottenham, 8.4
Eriksen sits top tenin both assists (4) and chances created (28) despite getting off to a slow start due to injury and Harry Kane’s early struggles. Kane has now found form an has Dele Alli and Eric Dier behind him which should allow him to get back to his preferred role and position sitting behind the striker and delivering incisive passes in the final third. The West Ham’defense is not enough to scare me off the great Dane this week.
Sell: Raheem Sterling – Midfielder, Manchester City, 8.9
As I mentioned earlier, I think the return of David Silva may well negatively impact the influence of Sterling on the Manchester City attack. He has failed to register a goal or assist in six of his last seven games with Bournemouth the only exception and I doubt that will improve much now. Nathaniel Clyne has been a disappointing fantasy option but is a solid defender in real life.
7
Buy: Dusan Tadic – Midfielder, Southampton, 7.1
Tadic has proven himself a valuable fantasy commodity this season averaging 5.7 points per match and continues to lead the league in successful crosses. With the loss of Payet people may be looking for a similar ‘set and forget’ kind of player and Tadic is exactly that. The Stoke defence is not what it once was and if Southampton score it is more than likely that Tadic is involved.
Sell: Heung-Min Son – Forward, Tottenham 7.8
He will be getting the start this week, but there is honestly not much value here long term especially considering he is listed as a forward despite playing out on the wing. His playing time will be in question when Nacer Chadli returns in early December and 7.8 is just too much to play for a gamble.
6
Buy: Mame Biram Diouf – Forward, Stoke, 6.3
Stoke have sorely missed Diouf having scored just two league goals in the past month. He should step back into the starting squad this week and, with Arnautovic, Bojan, and Shaqiri in support, Diouf should have plenty of chances to get back on the score sheet in his return. Southampton have been excellent in defense of late, but with Van Dijk struggling a bit for fitness Stoke may well find a way through this week.
Sell: Ross Barkley – Midfielder, Everton, 6.8
He has had three points or fewer in nine of eleven games this season so why on earth is he owned in 21.4% of teams? Seriously. Someone please explain that to me.
5
Buy: Ki Sung-Yueng – Forward, Sunderland, 5.1
After being strangely absent from manager Garry Monk’s team at the beginning of the season, Ki has forced his way into Swansea’s plans having now started in five of their last six matches and created at least one chance in each of those matches. Bournemouth looks a tasty matchup and if Ki can find anything near his 2014/15 form, 5.1 will be a very good deal indeed.
Sell: Cheikou Kouyate, Midfielder, Norwich, 5.1
There is no denying that he got off to a great start this season, but since MW4 he has scored more than three points just once! That does not make for an excellent midfielder. The Tottenham defense still sits fourth best in the league with just ten goals conceded and I doubt very much that Kouyate will be the one to bulge the net.
4
Buy: Christian Fuchs – Defender, Leicester, 4.7
Sure his numbers are not that great, but he has only started four matches this season and looks to have finally established himself in the Leicester starting eleven. While you should not expect many clean sheets from this defense (just one this season), he is their best dead ball taker and gets forward enough to offset goals conceded.
Sell: Jesse Lingard – Midfielder, Manchester United, 4.5
Yes, he had a terrific match against West Bromwich Albion but I severely doubt he will get enough playing time to do much from a fantasy standpoint. There are too many good and affordable midfielders out there for you to take a punt based off of one good performance.
TEB Fantasy Football League Table after MW12 (top 25 of 257)
| # | Team | Manager | GW | TOT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1 | fifty-fifty | Ramchandra Ram | 52 | 689 |
 |
2 | Cabaye-Bye-Bye | Matthew Freeman | 49 | 680 |
 |
3 | E Pluribus Anus | Rory Jackson | 43 | 674 |
|
4 | khabarmantra | Asif Naim | 65 | 650 |
|
5 | Money Cabaye Success | Matt Jones | 52 | 646 |
|
6 | Best Weston | Asher Weston | 41 | 642 |
|
7 | Oxted Eagles | Julian Chenery | 52 | 642 |
|
8 | Crystal Phallus FC | Simon Dixon | 53 | 641 |
|
9 | Chelsea Dagger | David Gilbert | 43 | 639 |
|
10 | Dynamo Dan Dan | Daniel Bright | 38 | 638 |
|
11 | Wilfried Zahaha | Michael Bellairs | 40 | 635 |
|
12 | The Eagle has landed | gary ward | 53 | 632 |
|
13 | Chamakh My Bitch Up | Ryan Grant | 61 | 629 |
|
14 | Tea and Busquets | Lewis Carter | 69 | 628 |
|
15 | ATL-EAGLES | Glen Haag | 67 | 628 |
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16 | Fortress Selhurst | Shane Sayed | 59 | 627 |
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17 | How The Mighty Rise | Clive Mitchell | 45 | 625 |
|
18 | best of best | Anamika singh | 47 | 620 |
|
19 | MurderOnZidanesFloor | Tom Harding | 53 | 620 |
|
20 | crystanbul | Edmund Brack | 51 | 620 |
|
21 | HXB | Joe Lipski | 50 | 619 |
|
22 | Cabaye’ my lover.. | Greg Ross | 37 | 619 |
|
23 | npl XI | david champion | 55 | 618 |
|
24 | Mané Kurian FC | James Kearney | 41 | 616 |
|
25 | Los Bosteros | David Walsh | 43 | 615 |
