Let's preview Gameweek 11 - analyzing (1) the best "Real life" premier league fixture, (2) the most fantasy friendly EPL matchup, and (3) Fantasy Premier League "studs" and "duds."I. Liverpool @ Tottenham: Can 'Arry Redknapp's man management style really turn Tottenham's season around? In the U.S., sports analysts would call Redknapp a "player's coach," but regardless of his style or substance, the 61-year old former West Ham midfielder has decent talent to work with in London, and a mid-table finish for Spurs is not out of the question.
Top of the Premier League Liverpool (yes, you read that correctly) travel to White Hart Lane on the back of a tight 1-0 midweek win over Redknapp's former team, Portsmouth, and will be wise not to underestimate their rejuvenated opponents.
Let's take a look at the fantasy implications. Liverpool's form players Kuyt & Gerrard look the best bets to exploit Tottenham's shaky defense, while value play Daniel Agger (5.9MM) should be restored to the first team after veteran Sami Hyypia featured in blog nemesis Benitez's plans midweek.
While Tottenham offer very intriguing long-term selections (Modric, Bentley, and Bent are all priced in the 7MM range and with the exception of Modric, have proved themselves capable fantasy premier league performers over the years), Liverpool's organization at the back should be too much for even the most offensive of lineups.
Prediction: Liverpool 2 -1
II. Hull @ Manchester United: A no-brainer, really, if you watched the United - West Ham match midweek. While Chelsea should be able to start a new "home winning streak" against Roy Keane's Sunderland and blog favorite Lampard and company will surely score against the Black Cats, United really look to be rounding into form.
They are not firing at all cylinders just yet, but you just get the feeling that sooner or later United will pull out another 4-0 or 5-0 scoreline. Hull visit Old Trafford with their confidence shaken, whilst the world's best player Cristiano Ronaldo is just getting his confidence back.
It will be a long day for the Tigers. Look for Rooney to return to the scoresheet after a rest/cameo appearance midweek, and Ronaldo to continue pursuing his 25-goal target.
It would take a very daring (foolish?) manager to place the captain's armband on someone other than Ronaldo, at home, with renewed confidence, and playing a promoted side.
Prediction: Manchester United 4 - 0
III. I'd like to focus this gameweek's "studs" and "duds" discussion around strikers, but first, let's take a look at a quick "value" stud and blog favorite: Chelsea's Alex (5.6MM).
We recommend that Kompany (5.7MM) owners take a very close look in the fantasy mirror and go with the 4-week Brazilian rental (who should provide 2-4 clean sheets in that span) rather than the out-of-position Belgian star, (who may pick up 2-4 yellow cards in that span). The Kompany experiment was a nice one, but unless managers believe he can really put in a goal or assist every 4-5 games, he's not worth it. City are too inconsistent. He's a dud. Pick up Alex, he's a stud. You've been well warned.
Now let's take a look at some interesting midrange value "Stud" strikers, of which there are aplenty. Alves (7.1MM) is a blog favorite as is former Maccabi Haifa superstar Yakubu (7.8MM) - proven Premier League scorers with favorable fixtures who usually score goals in hot streaks. Those managers priced out of Carew, Defoe, and Agbonlahor could keep a close eye on Alves as well as Fulham's Andrew Johnson (6.8MM) and Sunderland's Jones (6.9MM) as well as the previously mentioned Bellamy (6.5MM). Managers could do much worse.
Which brings me to our "dud," sort of.
Suddenly, Egyptian stud Zaki (7.1MM) has some serious competition in the 7MM range. Proven scorers like Andrew Johnson and Craig Bellamy are cheaper, and Wigan are struggling. Was the Zamalek man just in-form for two months? Or can he keep up the pace throughout the season? He leaves managers frustrated (2 goals at Liverpool wasted on many fantasy managers' benches) followed up by two blanks in a row against Aston Villa and Fulham...
Is it the cold weather, Amr? Whatever it is, it must slightly worry Zaki owners. While we at Never Captain Nicky Butt do NOT recommend dropping him, managers should seriously lower expectations. He scored 22 in 54 in the Egyptian league, an excellent return, but he won't hit 20 Premier League goals. Wigan's upcoming fixtures look kind, so keep the muscular front-man as your bargain striker, but please just give the Captain's Armband to C-Ron.
Now, you are free to discuss.
Good luck to all this weekend.
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10 comments:
I want to know how it's possible to have Ronaldo, A. Young, Arteta, Ireland and Lampard as a midfield? It just seems so impossible!
Hello,
we will see the game between Liverpool and Spurs, cause now Spurs without the horrible Juande is another team.
Regards,
http://saqueneutral.blogspot.com/
(a blog about sport in English and Español)
verbal,
I've been trying to get that same midfield, possibly with Bentley in place of Ireland, but I've realized it's near impossible to do. Even if you do pull it off, the rest of the team will be filled with 4.0's, and with not very many reliable bargain defenders, I don't really think it's even worth it.
this is my team
cech
bosingwa agger traore
ronaldo young ireland SWP
defoe zaki robinho
with 0.2 in the bank
any suggestions?
"Pick up Alex, he's a stud. You've been well warned"
Great advice Ibra, I did exactly that! Along with C Ron (C), Lampard, Bosingwa, Berbatov and Zaki im on for a bumper week!!
I was also pleased to see Van Persie benched then sent off, a few of my league rivals have him as their main striker!
How did everyone else get on?
Verbal & TD Ocho -
It's very possible to have that midfield. That's my midfield.
My keeper is Van Der Sar and my defenders are very cheap but have all risen in price since I purchased them - A Traore, Garrido, Paintsil, Figueroa, and Alex.
I sold Bosingwa last week after buying him at 6.0 pre-season. I think his price will max out at 7.0, so I took the 0.4 profit and went back to Alex who I employed earlier in the year...
Up front I run Carew and Zaki, with Bendtner recently replacing C Cole after his red card / profit increase...
It's a solid team with $1M in the bank to upgrade Ireland to Modric or Bentley next week and I have scored ~ 640 points or so thus far.
Biggest day of the year for me, 73 with still A. and L. Young and Joe Hart to go tomorrow. I felt silly picking Alex back up only a week after dropping him, but I'm very glad that I did. I'm also keeping the faith with Zaki. Until there's another striker at 6.5 that looks like they have any chance of being consistently as good, he's a permanent fixture in my lineup. I'd like to get Bentley in, but I'd have to drop Arteta or A. Young to do so, so I'm not sure if it's worth it. I might still take my profits on Arteta and use that to upgrade at striker, but Arteta takes penalties and Bentley doesn't, so I'm hesitant there. Probably depends on whether my second striker(Alves) continues to do ok or not.
Well, it's official - this ain't gonna be my season. Picked up Villanueva, who becomes the FOURTH player to get benched the week I added him! He looked (or looks) like a permanent fixture, and probably was only rested after the midweek games, having returned from injury not so long ago. But it's still annoying.
But since I also brought in Lampard (having lost patience with SWP & Fabregas) the damage was minimal. And with Cesc & SWP both having dropped in value now, I managed to avoid that loss as well. Not a total writeoff then, I suppose.
silent Jay -
don't lose faith yet...
There is still 70% of the year left!
For every Villanueva Benching, there will be an Alex (or Bentley in the future?) down the road...
- Ibra
Thanks, Ibra. But I can read the signs - players benched, wrong captain in 5 of the first 6 weeks (until CRon), big points left on the bench almost every week...
I'll still do OK, but I doubt that I'll manage to defend my league title. I've been at this long enough to know how it goes. Not that I'll stop trying or anything. If someone wants my title, they'll still have to earn it!
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