Captains Picks Fantasy Football Gameweek 15

Captains Picks Fantasy Football Gameweek 15 – Fantasy Premier League 2014/15

And welcome to GW15. Here are our Captains Picks…

Spoiler alert. There’s no Diego Costa* in this top 5. There’s a good reason for this. Yes, if your team doesn’t have him then you’re taking a huge risk. But his complete lack of assists this season and recent dearth of bonus points mean that his returns have become rather one dimensional. He hasn’t amassed above 7 points since GW4. Furthermore, in all 4 of his games back from his latest injury he failed to make it to the final whistle. One wonders how many extra chances the tireless Hazard, Fabregas and Oscar may have gifted him against the flagging defences of QPR, Liverpool, West Brom and Sunderland in the dying embers of a game. Sure, Chelsea have a front-man to rival Axl Rose and Freddie Mercury, but fixture-proof captain material? The jury’s out. Something worth discussing further in these hallowed forums, but enough of Mr. Costa. Let us turn instead to who IS in the top 5.

*or Joey Barton

We often find inspiration in the wise words of others. Maybe it’s been a tough slog for you in recent weeks; perhaps you’re wondering where the next great game-week is coming from. Second guessing yourself too much? Chill out man. According to those geezers at FantasyFootballFix, 37.5% of squads are inactive. So even for those teetering on the precipice of the FPL abyss, an inspired captaincy can suddenly make a team’s prospects look a whole lot brighter. Before this week’s top 5, run a bath, put on some meditative monk chants, and immerse yourself shoulder high in the following wisdom.

“Darkness may reign in a cave for thousands of years, but bring in the light, and the darkness vanishes as though it had never been.” (Paramahansa Yogananda – Yoga guru.)

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.” (Richard Feynmam, Nobel Laureate.)

“Sometimes you need the rub of the green.” (Sean Dyche, after Burnley’s draw with Newcastle.)

5. Christian Benteke (vs Leicester, H)
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[/three_fourth]After a long spell on the sidelines, followed by a red card on the touchline, Benteke has been discernible by his absence. To say Villa miss him is like remarking that air is necessary for breathing, or that Roy Keane has ‘a bit of a temper’. In his first game back at Palace he ticked all the important boxes for a returnee; he looked fit, he completed 90 minutes, and as a bonus he scored from Villa’s only clear chance. Now this recommendation wasn’t taken lightly, but in Leicester he faces opponents with the 2nd worst defensive record in the PL; a team with 2 points in 9 games. The Foxes are a bruised collective wallowing at the nadir of their season. Besides, the festive season is looming, so why not captain a Christian?

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4. Raheem Sterling (vs Sunderland, H)
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[/three_fourth]As the 2014/15 season unfurled, Liverpool’s starlet was the toast of FPL. By GW8 his price had surged to 9.0m. By then however, it was clear that last year’s momentum had gone and the post-Suarez toil, the inertia, was affecting all the players, including young Raheem. Even the most ardent Kopite will begrudgingly concede that despite their team’s underwhelming campaign Sterling has consistently been their main threat. Let’s not delude ourselves that we’ve seen the best of Sterling this season, but the increasing responsibilities on this 19 year-old must weigh oppressively upon him. Respite beckons though. The good ship Anfield has slowly started steering its ailing ferry to safer waters and is, whisper it, climbing the table. Unencumbered by the negativity that had recently been burdening the likes of Henderson, Gerrard and Sterling himself, the English teenager (yours now for only 8.4m) seems primed to forge his way back into the affections of FPL managers. Last nights cheeky assist helped.

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3. Charlie Austin (vs Burnley, H)
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[/three_fourth]The second QPR player to feature in Captains Tips in consecutive weeks? “Oh, behave!” Well, this fella’s gone from an Austin Allegro to Austin Powers. Visitors Burnley will fancy taking the 3 points as much as QPR will, but home advantage should be key to the striker’s output. 5 of Austin’s 7 goals have come at Loftus Road, boding well for him to near double figures for the season come Saturday. With 45 points in his last 7 games he’s got assists in his locker too (sorry, that wasn’t a dig, Diego.). He was largely anonymous at Swansea, but one only need go back to the previous week’s 10 points in the 3-2 win against Leicester to see what the Austin maestro can do at home to another struggling team.

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2. Christian Eriksen (vs Crystal Palace, H)
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[/three_fourth]The festive season is looming, so why not captain a Chr…. (Editor – “Bry, you’ve done that gag”)

Of late, Christian Eriksen has arguably found his best form since arriving at White Hart Lane. Win, lose or draw, Eriksen still finds a way to contribute; which is a good job, because Spurs’ inconsistency has been a key reason why only he and Chadli have stood out so far. Whether the continued rise in this canny midfielder’s performance levels will likewise inculcate some consistency into his teammates remains to be seen. Either way, it doesn’t seem to be affecting his productivity. The visit of Palace will prove a stern physical test, but with 1 solitary win in 8 games, and without a clean sheet since GW6, Warnock’s team aren’t the defensive unit they were under Pulis. Don’t be surprised if this Dane brings home the bacon.

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1. Sergio Aguero (vs Everton, H)
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[/three_fourth]90.8%. This bloke features in 90.8% of all teams in the global top 1000. The other 92 teams must be still holding out for that first Emmanuel Riviere goal. Get out your hot water bottles guys, it’s gonna be a long winter for you.

For those of us that do have the ubiquitous Argentinian Argentine, the dilemma often seems to be whether to captain him or Costa. But for reasons outlined at the outset, Aguero offers… more. Despite failing to get on the scoresheet at St. Mary’s last Sunday, he conjured 2 assists and was wrongly denied a spot-kick. Perhaps more ominously, Man City are finally looking capable of challenging Chelsea. The Citizens followed their defeat of the mighty Bayern Munich by sweeping aside Koeman’s in-form Saints with portentous ease. Aguero is the leading FPL points scorer and tonight’s 2 goals, assist and inevitable 3 bonus will enhance that status, and now, only now, are Man City hitting their stride. A formidable thought.

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Thanks for reading Captain’s Picks Fantasy Football Gameweek 15. This article was written by Bryan Munich

Follow @bry_cooper

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