Captain Picks Fantasy Football Game-week 11 – Fantasy Premier League 2015/16
Time.
Some things seem to take an interminably long time to come to fruition: the Chilcot inquiry; Rooney’s next goal, or the end of a Manchester derby. Then there are things that happen routinely: Mourinho getting fined; Leeds Utd changing manager, or Artur Boruc scooping the ball into the path of a smirking opponent. Time, whether frozen or in fast-forward, is a precious commod…..
Oh sod it. Did you see that FIFA presidential candidate’s name, Gianni Infantino? Hahahahaha. Oh my days. Sorry, couldn’t hold that in any longer.
This week’s fixtures, in complete contrast to last week’s famine of choice, provide FPL managers with an embarrassment of riches to plunder. Free-falling Bournemouth go to rivals Southampton; Spurs host new basement tenants Aston Villa; Man City sharpen their knives for some more lambs/canaries to slaughter, and then there’s Everton salivating at the prospect of visitors Sunderland.
But only 5 players will make the cut, and time waits for no-one, so here goes.
5. Dimitri Payet (Away vs Watford)
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[/three_fourth]A close call for 5th spot this week, with Ross Barkley looking to continue his fine season at home to the Black Cats; and though one would still expect the Toffees to win, Big Sam’s victory in the Wear-Tyne derby showed it’s probably not the shoe-in most pegged it as a few weeks ago; and so Dimitri Payet edges it. Not that FPL’s top point scorer should have to ‘edge it’ anywhere. The French international has either scored or assisted (though curiously never both) in each of his last 6 games. The Hammers are the second-best attacking unit in the league and with 4 wins and a draw, have the best away record. Only in their 3-0 victory at Anfield did Payet fail to register any notable FPL contribution on their travels. Watford have shown themselves to be the hardest to break down of the promoted clubs, chalking up 3 of their 4 clean sheets at Vicarage Road. However, they haven’t been facing West Ham every week, and they haven’t been facing Dimitri Payet.
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4. Jamie Vardy (Away vs West Brom)
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[/three_fourth]Things must seem pretty surreal for the former Stocksbridge Park Steels hitman right now. An international debut in June; leading the Premier League scoring charts in October; netting in 7 consecutive games. It’s literally Roy of the Rovers stuff, and all at the wrong end of his 20’s. The next thing you know, Claudio Ranieri will be fielding an offer from Real Madrid. Imagine! Well, before he joins Cristiano and Gareth at the Bernabeu, our Roy Race incarnate has a trip to the Hawthorns to focus on. When a striker looks at his team’s schedule for the season, he usually pinpoints Tony Pulis’ club and writes that fixture off. But this is Jamie Vardy, with more shots on target than anyone this season. More chances created. More goals. West Brom will need all 8 of their centre-backs fit if they’re to keep the Sheffield-born sharpshooter from continuing his pursuit of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s 10 game record. The Tinkerman may keep us all guessing about his Mahrez selections, but Vardy has missed only 9 minutes all season, and that was on the opening day.
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3. Graziano Pelle (Home vs Bournemouth)
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[/three_fourth]In 1687, Isaac Newton formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation. With 2 consecutive 5-1 defeats and 13 goals conceded in their last 4 away games, he can hardly have envisaged that over 3 centuries after his discovery AFC Bournemouth would be obliterating it with their own physics-defying freefall. Yet to find a clean sheet away from Dean Court, the Cherries will surely still be sore from their recent maulings. Saints fans will be delighted at the timing of this, the first meeting between the South-Coast clubs since 2011 in League One and Ronald Koeman will happily settle for a repeat of the 3-1 victory that day. With Sadio Mane fortuitously able to serve his suspension midweek in the League Cup, Graziano will have his main foil right by his side. The two have turned in some fantastic performances this campaign, with Pelle scoring 5 goals and grabbing 5 assists owing no small debt to his Senegalese colleague. Southampton have racked up double-digit goals over their last 4 home games, and with Bournemouth conceding the same amount in 8 days, the Italian’s 2 game drought should surely come to an end when Eddie Howe’s beleaguered troops traipse into town.
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2. Harry Kane (Home vs Aston Villa)
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[/three_fourth]When you don’t return to a place for a long time, it can seem so alien. New people and new decor. Freshly tarmacked roads. Perhaps that jazz club you used to frequent has been converted into a cytology training centre; or the serene park you and Betty from the IT college used to feed pigeons at has been annihilated to make way for a sewage treatment plant. It can feel like everyone’s moved on. But Harry Kane is finally back where he belongs, on the hallowed turf of Captain Picks, where he permanently resided last season. Though falling short of the 4-goal heroics of Aguero and Wijnaldum, last week’s hat-trick propelled him past the likes of Gomis and Giroud in the FPL standings. More importantly, it could well breathe life into what had been a pedestrian season on a personal level. If Kane does fancy a crack at joining the aforementioned quartet club, he may not get a much better opportunity than against Aston Villa. Bottom of the table; Sherwood sacked; Stan Collymore relieved of matchday programme duties (writing, not selling), the Villans are in utter turmoil. Welcome back Harold; make yourself feel at home. Don’t mind the smell, that’s just Betty.
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1. Kevin de Bruyne (Home vs Norwich)
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[/three_fourth]In the absence of some injury-prone Argentinian bloke, de Bruyne has become the new FPL pin-up. He’d be mine too were my wall not already covered with Smash Hit magazine cuttings of Kevin Kilcline and Carlton Palmer. The Citizens may still not be quite at their prolific best, but with 12 points from 5 games, they boast the best home record in the division. It’s easy to forget that the young Belgian only started in GW5, such has been his smooth transition to the Premier League. 3 goals and 3 assists to date have helped fill any voids left by illustrious absentees, Messrs Aguero and Silva. City’s Etihad demolition jobs on Newcastle (6-1) then Bournemouth (5-1) show how ruthless they are at home to struggling outfits. Such a struggling outfit arrives on Saturday. Norwich are the kind of team Tony Pulis must wake up sweating about. No clean sheets all season and still smarting from a humiliating thrashing at crisis club Newcastle, the Canaries are the antithesis of everything the Baggies boss stands for. All of this naturally adds up to another miserable away day for Alex Neil’s green and yellow army, and a Kevin de Bruyne masterclass.
Triple Captain Chip
Just a quick word on the new feature this season. It pretty much does what it says on the tin and trebles your points for your captain on whichever game-week you choose to deploy it. We shall touch on this as and when we feel the opportunity presents itself to use it effectively but this in all likelihood is one to save for when we encounter double game-weeks later on in the season.
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Thanks for reading Captain Picks Fantasy Football Game-week 11. This article was written by Bryan Munich
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Fixture Tracker
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Hey guys, how’s it going? Finally have a minute to sit down and catch up on some FPL news- hopefully catch most of the Cup matches tonight, too if I’m lucky! Thank you to Rebekah, NIN, Init, and Bryan for all the great articles this week- even more crucial for me to keep up with everything going on when I can’t be online as often as usual.
Thinking about burning my FT on a defender this week, most likely van Dijk if he gets through tonight without any problems. Been neglecting my defense to put out other fires and I’m sick of praying I’ll be able to field 3 defenders each weekend. Hope everyone is having a good week so far, enjoy the matches tonight fellas.
Evening Red. Yeah, you could do with a steadier defender in there for sure. Van Dijk or Bellerin look the best shouts to me.
Hey NIN, thanks for the reassurance. Was thinking about an Arsenal guy possibly but Van Dijk has looked like scoring some offensive points and Arsenal have been banged up a little with injuries lately so who knows how that will affect them. Thanks again to you and Init for the Fixtures article this week, jam packed with useful information as usual! :beer:
Yeah he has looked good so far. He came through tonight’s game okay too so you’re safe to purchase him now :thumbup:
Cheers mate, much appreciated and i’m glad to hear the articles are going down well.
Oi oi!! – how are we all?
I still haven’t decided on who to bring in for Costa!
It’s between Kane and Bony – who would you go for?
Kane
Lukaku, Martial or Kane. As I said below Eriksen is better but eh Kane would do I guess. Martial best choice though, van gaal will play him up front and he will be sick. Thats hoping Van Gaal loses his faith in Rooney that is, but with the media attention he will be pressured so he will, eventually. I dont rate Bony, dont mistake him for being good just because the team behind him is.
Bony is a solid striker, Luke. He was banging them in for Swansea and would do for City but for not being first choice.
Yea, its just been a while. For a player like Bony, moving to a big club is a bad thing. All he can ever do is live up to expectations or not meet them. At least at club like Swansea he can be so much more. Moved to City to sit on the bench and pick up the pay cheque.
Always helps Luke! And both things are a factor. Would you even consider Bony this week if he had Swansea behind him? No. You’d consider whomever was the main striker with Man City behind him. Against Norwich. At home. And that’s Bony.
If you think LVG picks his teams via press pressure you know nothing about him.
he will cave in, besides it obvious that rooney is shit. He just doesn’t want to lose face, but bad results +the british media and he will soon change his tune
Bony, for me. Kane did well last time out and has a great fixture this weekend but after that there are a few hard games. He might still score in some of those but i’d rather make a more long term investment. To be honest, Lukaku is my shout.
But for one week you would go for bony and Kane?
Bony isn’t a one week pick as he’s good until Aguero returns. For one week only it’s Kane and Kane only, for me.
Bony for the next 2 games then switch to Lukaku if you can’t afford Aguero. Kane has got tough fixtures coming up after Villa
How about both
If you can afford them then go for it if you have got the tfrs.It looks like Costa could be fit though.
I am swapping Igahlo for Bony and will have Vardy and Pelle alongside and switch Bony for Lukaku when/if Aguero comes back.
Think I will be doing the usual -4 this week
why is everyone scrambling for kane? Do you guys actually watch the games, Kane did nothing special. Just Begovic was fcking terrible and could have even made soldado look good. He just played how he has been playing all along just he was able to finish this time. Dont get me wrong, he will be scoring goals especially with their fixtures but he isnt a must have, Eriksen is the better choice. Lamela isnt though, dont do that…
Best strikers to have is Vardy, Martial and Lukaku in the coming fxitures, for sure. Ditching Pelle is shit but if you have Mane its ok
boruc not begovic, my bad
Very true Luke. Boruc was awful.
People want him for captain against Villa. Bit short sighted though as their fixtures get tough after that game.
yea, but Villa can only get better, in theory.
That game is either going to be 4-0 to spurs or a 0-0 draw… Depends if their interim manager has made a mark on the team, which I doubt he has.
luke
“why is everyone scrambling for kane?”
“Dont get me wrong, he will be scoring goals especially with their fixtures”
Kind of answered your own question there. I don’t think everyone is scrambling for him. He is one of a number of decent options for this week and beyond. I particularly think he may be worth a transfer as he has some good fixtures between now and as far as GW25. I’m not saying I’ll go that far with him but it looks good especially as I am looking for a striker and one off the back off a hat trick with Aston Villa next ticks a few boxes for me regardless of how he was ‘helped’ to score them.
Looks like Theo is out for the next 2 GWs.
Giroud is in the mix now along with Kane, Bony and Lukaku
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34663242
Evening horse
The Arsenal strike position is a complete mind-bender. I’m happy enough with Sanchez I reckon. Bad news on the injury though but 2 weeks isn’t too long.
Hi GP. I was thinking exactly the same.
Maybe the diagnosis will change on Friday.
I just wish Arsenal would stick with either Theo or Giroud 😉
Ozil looks very tempting though.
When Arsenal’s fixtures turn rosy I would like to triple up on them.
Sanchez Bellerin and Ozil
Hey all,
Am thinking of bringing in a replacement for Coloccini and also some Everton cover with their fixtures being great.
1) Should I bring in Coleman, or should I bring in someone from Southampton since their defence is sturdier (though fixtures are slightly less favourable than the Ev)
2) Take a hit (LT investment over the next 7-8 games) to bring Barkley to Ayew? I don’t have space for Lukaku in my team!
New
I would do Targett to van Dijk and leave it at that. Not convinced by Everton defensively now Jagielka is out.
Any Gomis owners considering keeping him for GW 12 and 13 (NOR/BOU)?
Nope. Binned him last night for Lukaku. Six blanks in a row = Bye-bye.
Meloncat
I’m keeping Ayew because he looks good for some points in those games. Gomis doesn’t look like scoring these days and I think he’s had his chances in your team now.