No rest for the wicked as I pen this article during the Thanksgiving getaway which you have probably seen reported on the news. So without further ado, here are my tips for your teams going into the next round of fixtures. Happy Thanksgiving!
BUY
Harry Kane – Forward, Tottenham Hotspur, 10.8
Seems a tough match-up on paper but for anyone still thinking that Kane only scores against dross… Kane has scored four goals in five matches against Chelsea and 17 goals in 16 derby matches overall. He actually has more goals this year than he did at this point last season… and last season he went on to win the golden boot! Kane is an absolute stud and for me is almost match-up proof.
Christian Benteke – Forward, Crystal Palace, 7.5
This should be a ‘get right’ game for the big Belgian. Palace currently lead the league in crosses and Benteke is second in the league in aerial duels won… so something has to give soon. This should be a great match-up for him against Swansea who perennially struggle against set pieces and headed goals.
Gylfi Sigurdsson – Midfielder, Swansea City, 7.2
Don’t look now, but Sigurdsson is starting to turn it on for Swansea. He has two goals and assists in his last five matches and most of the difficult fixtures are in the rearview mirror. In fact, Swansea face just two top ten defences in 2016. Every season in which Sigurdsson has played 2000+ minutes he has contributed towards 15 or more goals and it looks like he could be in line for a rapid return to the mean.
Matt Phillips – Midfielder, West Bromwich Albion, 5.1
I nailed this call last week and I’m doubling down this week! The goal was a pleasant surprise against Burnley, but the assist is really what you are looking for from Matty P. He leads West Brom in key passes, assists, and successful take ons and, with Chadli and Rondon plenty of those passes will turn into goals. Crazy mid season prediction: Phillips finishes with 12+ assists this season. Also he’s low priced and even less owned. Also, this week he faces Hull’s league worst defence.
Loris Karius – Goalkeeper, Liverpool, 4.9
He has been steady, at least compared to Mignolet, since winning the number one jersey at Liverpool. In fact only Thibaut Courtois has more wins in goal than Karius since his debut. The schedule is about to get very kind as they will not see a top ten attack until New Year’s Eve! At 1.3% owned he is, at the very least, an intriguing differential play.
SELL
Riyad Mahrez – Midfielder, Leicester City, 9.0
Mahrez has been the main recipient of all that regression everyone expected from Leicester. He’s not even top fifty in key passes this season and guess how many passes he’s completed to Jamie Vardy in the Premier League this season? One. Literally just once. Think he’s way too big a gamble at this price especially against Boro’s defence who have been the third best over the last five matches.
Charlie Austin – Forward, Southampton, 6.6
My patience is starting to wear thin with Austin. Southampton continue to plummet through the attack rankings currently falling to 15th in the league. The match-up against Everton and their top ten defence does not instill a great deal of confidence in me. This could end up being more of a sit than a sell as the match-ups get pretty friendly pretty quickly, but I’m strongly considering upshifting from him to Rondon or Defoe.
Joe Allen – Midfielder, StokeCity, 5.1
For starters, he’s suspended this week so at least remove him from your starting line-up. I am concerned about his long term role and what impact that will have on his fantasy value. As Bojan and Shaqiri are both fit and returning to the starting eleven, the natural move would be to push Joe Allen back to central midfield, thereby removing the scoring chances of which Allen was making such efficient use.
Adam Smith – Defender, Bournemouth, 4.8
As I said last week, I would have been off Smith even if he had not been suspended and these coming matches are exactly why. I honestly do not believe you can start Smith against Arsenal or Liverpool for fear of getting negative points. You can upshift or downshift from him, just be sure he isn’t starting for you this weekend.
Tom Heaton – Goalkeeper, Burnley, 4.8
That West Brom loss hurt a lot and really showed just how much of a liability the Burnley defence is in front of him. Yes, he gets loads of saves, but Burnley have only managed one clean sheet in the last five and are averaging two goals conceded per game over that same period. This week against Manchester City? Forget about it.
TEB FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE (Top Ten)
| Rank | Team & Manager | Round Score | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1  |
ROD’S ROCKETS – john bridge | 41 | 692 |
2  |
Soper’s No Hopers – Mike Soper | 45 | 663 |
| 3 |
himanshu_utd – HIMANSHU SAJWAN | 42 | 663 |
| 4 |
Dynamo Dan Dan – Daniel Bright | 58 | 655 |
5  |
Glen’s Eagles – Glen Samuel | 20 | 647 |
| 6 |
King’s Army – Edward King | 38 | 640 |
| 7 |
waddon_massive – Steve Larden | 44 | 636 |
| 8 |
Pepsi Guardicola – Craig Perry | 48 | 633 |
| 9 |
Dep’s Destroyers – Derren Depledge | 45 | 632 |
| 10 |
shanecallahan – Shane Callahan | 78 | 626 |
