Captains Picks Fantasy Football Gameweek 10 – Fantasy Premier League 2014/15
Hallowe’en is a time when ostensibly sane people wear a Scream mask and carve a stupid face into a large orange cucurbita fruit. The really dedicated step beyond the fantasy and embrace paranormal phenomena, perhaps by ghost hunting or gathering the family around a Ouija board. That being said, I don’t think anyone expected Liverpool to get a clean sheet on Saturday.
Keeping in spirit (gone early there, sorry) with things, this week’s Captain Picks celebrates the spooky season through the medium of word alchemy. Have fun trying to spot all the gory puns, but don’t try it at home. It’s addictive and can be hard to Hallo-ween yourself off.
Speaking of scary looking individuals – a quick word on Diego Costa – clearly if he is fit and plays vs QPR he will be a very popular Captain’s choice this week, maybe even the main one, however, after his recent spell on the sidelines this article looks at the next best options in case Costa is not about this weekend.
Starting (with the commendable intention of building tension) at number 5, let’s crack on and see ‘witch’ 5 captains you should be casting an eye of newt over this week.
5. Sadio Mane (Hull, A)
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[/three_fourth]After only 4 appearances, one of the Premier League’s brightest new stars already has a bewitched St. Mary’s under his spell. With a highly potent midfield partnership brewing with Tadic, and both feeding the ever-improving Pelle to their reciprocal benefit, life is looking good for the South Coast team right now. Recently it’s been looking especially good for Sadio Mane. It’s hard to know what to take from anyone’s role in Saints’ supernatural humiliation of Sunderland but against Stoke he complimented his 2nd goal on the bounce with a 95% pass completion ratio, 14 of which were in the attacking third. 273 minutes of game time is an inadequate sample size, but if the initial steep curve of his improving BPL stock is any evidence that this boy could be the Mane man then he’s very likely tomb make an impact at the KC Stadium this weekend.
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4. Alexis Sanchez (Burnley, H)
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[/three_fourth]Along with Mane and Tadic, Arsenal have arguably the most in-form midfielder right now. The Chilean World Cup star has been haunting defences of late with a series of scintillating performances, most notably against Man City, Spurs, Hull and Sunderland. He hasn’t just been good to watch, he’s racked up the fantasy points too. Saturday’s brace at the Stadium of Light saw the Gunner claim his 5th goal in 7 games. On Saturday alone he had 5 shots and 3 on target. This notoriously hard worker ranked in the top 5 for passes, chances created, take-ons, ball recoveries and even tackles! Wenger brought in Welbeck to add firepower to the team, which he has inadvertently done so, though perhaps by bringing Sanchez to life.
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3. Romelu Lukaku (Swansea, H)
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[/three_fourth]Ask anyone who’s ever captained Lukaku and they’ll likely bemoan, “He scored me 4 points”. The frustrating thing about the Belgian isn’t any lack of talent, but that he shows it when no-one’s looking. The most famous example being on the last day of the 2012/13 season when even those chasing the FPL crown left him racking up a Hawthorns hat-trick on their bench. This season Lukaku’s lived up to his old Trick or Treat routine, but of late has shown signs of consistency with 2 goals in 2 appearances. One would envisage him ghosting into the box and goblin up a few chances against an underwhelming Swansea at Goodison Park this weekend.
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2. Sergio Aguero (Man Utd, H)
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[/three_fourth]Last week he scuppered all but the bravest of us by failing to bury any chances against the Hammers, but to Count on him replicating such a failure too often in the future could be a grave mistake. Much is made of Sergio’s injuries, but he’s completed the full 90 minutes in his last 3 league games. Whether from the bench or from the start, this fella’s ghoul per minute ratio is frightening. Even at home to a defence as generous as Man Utd’s it’s always a slight concern backing a striker in huge games like this. Nevertheless, Sergio has proved in the past to be fixture-proof and with both teams boasting ridiculous attacking riches, in the cauldron of a Manchester derby, it could well be a high-scoring Thriller.
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1. Eden Hazard (QPR, H)
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The finest things in life are often the most easily spoiled. A corked vintage; a scratched Ferrari; a hamstring-prone £32mln Spanish striker. Though Costa may well make the QPR game, captaining him right now is sure to test the nerve of FPL managers. A safer bet therefore may lay with Chelsea’s ever-present midfield wizard. Cesc Fabregas has rightly shared Costa’s headlines so far, with more collaborations than Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes combined. However, those bearing witness to Hazard’s recent performances will pay testimony to his resurgence in form. Despite coming away empty-handed against the Red Devils he was unlucky not to score and was at the core of almost every Chelsea attack. Cesc may still be Fab, but it may soon be time to get ready for some monster point hauls from an enchanted Eden.
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Thanks for reading Captain’s Picks Fantasy Football Gameweek 10. This article was written by Bryan Munich
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Morning all, so after bottling taking Sterling out last night I can no longer replace him for Hazard and still bring in Dawson/Chambers for Moreno so now it is down to Silva…thoughts on that move?
Do I need Chelsea coverage for the QPR game or are my options good enough to risk having none?
Feel like goalkeepers are the area I need to take a look at, especially with Mannone looking to make way but Chelsea could well take priority.
Morning AT, I think Sterling to Fab or Silva to Haz are both good moves. Sterling and Silva are both great players but I think Chelsea are a machine and don’t look like letting up any time soon. I hear you re. the GKs, and I’m in a similar position myself just having DDG (which will want sorting out soon too), but GK points are limited and you’re more likely to get good returns from attacking players so sort them out first and when you’re happy with them then spend a FT on a GK later on.
CC, great point. Just feel like taking out a rested Sterling against Newcastle would be suicide and knowing Silva he’ll probably erupt fantasy points in years as soon as I take him out. You’re right though and I do have Aguero as City coverage. Silva it is?
Well you’ve already missed the Sterling to Haz window because I assume you fancy Sterling’s chances against Newcastle as you mentioned, so probably go with your gut on that one. Having Aguero doesn’t actually lessen Silva’s appeal in my opinion, but nevertheless I do think both Chelsea mids are preferable to him. You got a nice haul from him last GW so could well be an idea to quit while you’re ahead so to speak.. and then cry when he delivers this GW haha. I haven’t been happy with Ivanovic since I got him – just two CSs and a red card in six GWs, but I can’t bring myself to let him go as I fear he’ll turn it on immediately afterwards so again I get you. Up to you in the end, but yeah Silva to Haz would be my move.
Well I do need Chelsea coverage, just put off by the fact that Pellegrini could play the the team he fielded in the second half against West Ham and then Silva would become very appealing!
thanks, wait ,see and go with guts, thanks
Great article Bryan a very spooky tale I thk Costa even if he dos start could be a bad choice like the look of Sanchez but will he continue his good run & Hazhard a good call but dont have him
is Sterling a good vice and Diego Costa captian
Stewy Costa might be a risk as not match fit but could work good shout with Sterling he has to do something @ some point have you got Hazard
no i don’t have Hazard
I think there are a few better options than Sterling Stewy. As for Costa captain, well that is a risk for you to decide. I’m unsure as to whether or not to transfer him back in at the moment. If we get reports of him being fully fit again then I’ll strongly consider it and also captaining him, but not sure otherwise. It’s obviously great having a VC to fall back on, but the scenario where he plays for 15-30 mins and gets 1 point is a real possibility just now so that would be a wasted captain.. tricky one.
I’m not conviced by Sterling lately so i would say no.
what about Fábregas
I wouldn’t captain Fab as I would only want to captain an out and out attacking player. If you link your team we can see just who you have, barring transfers anyway, so you don’t need to go through player by player. Do you not have any of the guys in the captains article? Or you just don’t fancy them?
i think Cesc is a good shout this week.
for VC i meant if you don’t have Sanchez/ Haz etc.
here you go, captain and trades plaese
Ok mate, sorry for being contradictory but I would probably go with Fab out of that bunch unless we get good reports of Costa during the week.
I hope you got Austin’s points last GW! Re. your team, I’d look at losing Kolarov as his minutes are horrible and he’s taking up a lot of funds that could be diverted elsewhere, besides you already have Hart and doubling up on City defence is not a good idea. Having both Austin and Naismith up front is too lightweight for my liking, so see if you can upgrade one of them to the likes of Welbeck or Pelle, though bear in mind the latter’s fixtures finally take a turn for the worse soon.
thanks so have i got my formation right because i am a but worried and who is another good defender with 7.6 in bank to get rid of Kolarov
I know it was directed at Calvin but don’t use 7,6 to buy another expensive defender (you already have Baines). Downgrade and use the money generated to upgrade Naismith.
so who is a good alright cheap player to put on the bench
Hutton, Moore, and if you were to go a little bit more expensive Dawson/Chambers
4-4-2 is not the way to go; you want either 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 depending on how you balance your attacking players. Considering you already have Williams, Clyne and Baines as three mid-premium defenders I would downgrade Kolarov to a really cheap one (that still plays, such as Duff or Wilson for example) and use the extra funds to beef up your attack. I’d be looking to change Austin or Naismith as a priority, though eventually both probably, and after that then Schneiderlin. This can be done over the course of a few GWs though so no need to go hit crazy.
CC – Excellent advice IMO
Why thank you my good man
Agree in general but I’d for Chambers.
Who would you captain out of this team
Thinking Sanchez
Yeah Sanchez for me mate. How big is your mouse pointer btw?! Compensating? 😉
Do you think it is worth -8 to do those trades?
Can you answer this AT
What transfers have you made?
Sterling – Sanchez
Chadli – Boyd
Hutton – Baines
I’ve got the link above
Sterling could hurt you but someone good had to make way and Sanchez is looking good, nice transfers though! Unsure about an 8 point hit for it! Can’t you do it in stages?
It’s hard to say without seeing who you are shipping! Baines and Sanchez are both good moves though, with Boyd as a presumed enabler.
Sterling – Sanchez
Chadli – Boyd
Hutton – Baines
Yep good moves. By my reckoning though, you could do one of either the Sanchez or Baines moves already right? As Chadli to Boyd would give you a maximum of 2m, so you must have about 2m in the bank already to fund the other move? If so then I’d consider one this GW and then the other two with a hit next GW, though I imagine Sanchez and Baines are both steadily rising so if you know you will eventually want both then there are certainly worse 8 point hits that you could take.
Is it to risky to play this.
I’ll only have a -4
Lloris
Clyne, Bertrand, Wisdom
Fabregas, Sanchez, Sigurdsson, Di Maria
Costa, Austin, Pelle
Heaton, Duff, Boyd, Hutton
I’ll will then get Baines next week when he’s versing Sunderland
I would have said it was less risky. You would need Baines to get either a goal or an assist/CS + Bonus points to make the extra hit worth it. Swansea are likely to score so I wouldn’t bring Baines in for another hit.
Thanks AT and Calvin Clyne
Will confirm that and tell you what I got next week
Hutton is in the team above. Is it Bertrand you’re taking out?
Haha Calvin