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Fantasy Football Captain Picks Gameweek 24

By FF247 on 293 Comments
Fantasy Football Captain Picks Gameweek 24

Fantasy Football Captain Picks Gameweek 24 2017/18

Welcome to Fantasy Football Captain Picks Gameweek 24. To be honest; I couldn’t wait for GW22 to end. The Christmas fixtures started so well, green arrows in GW19 and 20, but quickly followed by two reds in 21 and 22 resulting in ending up pretty much back where I started. Don’t get me wrong, that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it (honest) but usually the pain of a bad game-week is over in a matter of days. GW22 was like an episode of Downton Abbey, tedious, something I don’t want to watch and overly drawn-out. The FA Cup was a welcome break, which is saying something as prior to last week, Newcastle had failed to reach the fourth round since 2012! If all of the above sounds a little ‘woe is me’ it’s not meant to, but sometimes we all need a break.

I went into GW23 feeling refreshed and optimistic, and what a cracker it was too. If this weekend’s games taught me one thing about the Premier League, it’s that the gulf in class between the top teams and those languishing at the foot of the table is vast, gargantuan in fact. On Saturday I made my pilgrimage to St. James’ Park, it was a dire affair, no need to bore you with the details. In stark contrast, the match between Liverpool and Man City was master-class in attacking football (defending? not so much). The final score doesn’t do justice to just how good Liverpool were, they raced into a 4-1 lead in slick style, it was joyous for FPL managers who had kept the faith in Salah and Firmino, if only Bobby hadn’t threw away his shirt and with it any hopes of getting any bonus points!

If you’re the indecisive type then this game-week is not for you. It feels like one of those weeks where people will be jumping between potential captains right up till the deadline, I often find these are the most exciting, but can also be the most frustrating! Lets dive in!

Sergio Aguero (Newcastle, Home)

My allegiance to Newcastle holds no influence over my FPL team. Maybe if I’d been playing 20 years ago it would be a different story. I’m so desensitized to the mediocrity of my hometown club that they (sadly) rarely factor into my FPL strategising. If ever there was a game that epitomizes this, then it was Newcastle’s last league game at the Etihad. Back in the 2015/16 season, City beat Newcastle 6-1, Sergio Aguero scored 5 goals in just 20 minutes. When he scored his 5th, I actually smiled, safe in the knowledge that Aguero was my FPL captain; 50 points in the bag, my heart is made of stone.

We all know what Aguero is capable of, in seasons past often considered essential; a go-to captain choice. The injury to Gabriel Jesus has brought Aguero back into our thinking. Despite limited minutes his scoring record is right up there; 13 goals in just 1421 minutes, that’s a goal every 109 minutes, Only Kane, Salah and Austin can better that this season.

Newcastle have actually (unbelievably) picked up wins in our last two away games. We won away to Stoke (0-1) following the 2-3 victory against the Hammers, but I’m under no illusion that we will continue the trend at the Etihad. If Aguero is not in your team for this one, you may want to hide behind your sofa, that’s where I’ll be regardless, feel free to join me.

Mo Salah (Swansea, Away)

There’s no question that Liverpool are worse off without Philippe Coutinho. The question for FPL managers however, is whether the loss of Coutinho will see a regression in the output of 18 goal Mo Salah. So I had a quick look at the stats; Salah has played 8 games without Coutinho, scoring 67 points, that’s an average of 8.4 points per match. Salah’s score in the 14 games Coutinho did play? 112 points, averaging 8 points per match. After watching their 4-3 win over Man City, I have a feeling they’ll be just fine.

Swansea once again find themselves in mid-season relegation trouble and currently sit bottom of the league. Ex-manager Paul Clement was sacked just before Christmas, the third December in a row that they’ve disposed of their manager. They’ve only kept 3 clean sheets at home this season – against Huddersfield, Bournemouth and fellow strugglers West Brom, not the best form to face a Liverpool side that has scored 29 of their 54 goals on the road this season.

My GW18 Captain article suggested we ‘always stick with Salah’, hardly radical thinking. Unfortunately I’m incapable of following my own advice; I’ve only captained Salah once. Had I simply done as suggested, I’d be 78 points better off….just outside the top 500, ouch.

Harry Kane (Southampton, Away)

I’ve embraced Twitter over the past few months. Whilst I don’t do a whole lot of ‘Tweeting’, I have found it to be another excellent source in my quest to fill every waking minute of my day with FPL (I really should get out more, maybe move closer to Silvers!) Prior to GW19, twitter was awash with people keen to ditch Harry Kane. A disappointing 3 points in GW17 and 18 in addition to a blank game-week on the horizon, it was a brave move that could have paid off. Back to back hat-tricks followed, the #Kanexiters duly punished. Then came the double game-week; Harry got sick, then got better, starting the game-week on the bench, he came on, did nothing and finished with 3 points. Particularly painful if you used your Triple-Captain chip. Last game-week Harry was back doing what he does best, goals 19 and 20 of the season, 26 points for those who kept the faith.

This week the opposition are a Southampton side who sit joint bottom of the form table; 3 defeats in their last 6. They haven’t won a home game since November, conceding 8 goals in their 4 home games since. Harry likes to score his goals in multiples, he scored a hat-trick in Spurs last away game, that was against a Burnley team with far better defensive credentials than the team he faces this week. In the corresponding fixture last season, Tottenham won 1-4; Harry scored one and sent a penalty kick over the bar. Which Harry will turn up this week? Who knows, but the fear is real, Hat-trick Harry can turn up in any given game week.

Marko Arnautovic (Bournemouth, Home)

Owned by just 9%, Arnautovic is still something of a differential. Were it not for his double game-week back in GW22 that number would probably be even lower. Arnautovic struggled to establish himself at the London Stadium following his £24m move from Stoke in the summer, failing to score in his first 13 outings for the Hammers. The arrival of David Moyes has seen a change in fortunes for the Austrian, 6 goals and 3 assists in his last 8 appearances. In West Ham’s 1-4 win at Huddersfield, Arnautovic was unplayable; a goal, 2 assists and maximum bonus, finishing with 16 points. He’s now scored 52 points in his last 5 games, level with Mo Salah.

Bournemouth will be full of confidence following their 2-1 victory over Arsenal, a result that lifted them 4 points above the relegation places. However, the Cherries away form suggests they may struggle this week. In their 11 away games this season, they’ve let in 18 goals and failed to keep a clean sheet since November. If Arnautovic plays as he did against the Terriers, he could easily grab another double-digit score. I almost ditched big Arnie last week, thankfully a wise man (Uncle Init) advised against it, if only I had stuck the armband on him, hindsight is a wonderful thing…. although I may just do that this week, good luck kids.

Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Captain Picks Gameweek 24

This article was written by Rosco.


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Gameweek Tracker GW24-29

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293 Comments

  1. 37
    Smash10 says:
    January 17, 2018 at 11:04 pm

    Evening guys. Just thought I’d provide an update on my condition. Sorry to those that are not completely interested. As a lot of you know I have been in hospital. I have testicular cancer. I had surgery againtoday and should at least finally be going home tomorrow.

  2. 38
    AT says:
    January 17, 2018 at 11:38 pm

    Given so many are on tonight, could I get some opinions?

    Thinking Vert and Jones out for Shaw and Walker.

    2FT, nothing in the bank (uses it all exactly)

    • 38.1
      inittowinit says:
      January 17, 2018 at 11:42 pm

      You can keep posting it but I’m still not convinced it’s a great idea smile

      • …
        AT says:
        January 17, 2018 at 11:51 pm

        :sad-face:

        What would the ‘wise man’ do?

        • …
          inittowinit says:
          January 18, 2018 at 12:10 am

          I think you are forcing something which you really don’t need to simply to use the FT, or not lose one at least. Keeping Vert this week makes sense given the fixture now but probably getting Stones makes more sense longer term so perhaps that’s the way to go for now. But only do the one.

        • …
          AT says:
          January 18, 2018 at 12:18 am

          Yeah, that’s fair. If Stones hadn’t been making mistakes recently I wouldn’t be trying to make multiple transfers. Perhaps this is the way to go. Cheers all!

    • 38.2
      Smash10 says:
      January 17, 2018 at 11:44 pm

      Not for me. Shaw has done alright. But Young had been playing really well there so would not be surprised to see him come back in now he’s back from ban. But yeah think you need a replacement for Vertonghen

      • …
        AT says:
        January 17, 2018 at 11:48 pm

        Hmmm…I know what you mean. I could get Stones I guess. Or downgrade Daniels to a non-starter (but not right keen on doing that)

        • …
          Den Perry Did It says:
          January 17, 2018 at 11:50 pm

          Stones is a good option and a Pep favourite. His last three performances since returning from injury though have to be a concern as Mangala looked far better/more assured.

        • …
          inittowinit says:
          January 18, 2018 at 12:25 am

          Den, I hate to disagree with someone on 2 points in 1 night as it looks like I’m picking on them and I’m really not but I have to disagree with that Mangala point strongly smile He’s looked like a complete disaster every time I’ve seen him. That gaffe vs West Ham just about summed him up. Wasn’t so much a mistake as just a fundamental all round summary of his lack of both awareness and strength.

          And I think Pep agreed!

          Although I appreciate you could say the exact same for Stones on the Firmino goal at the weekend!

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGMPZXRLWnI

        • …
          Den Perry Did It says:
          January 18, 2018 at 1:42 am

          All good init, its a game of opinions and you can second guess me as many times as you like.

          I think Walcott is a good signing for Everton, it’s just unusual a player starts for a new team this early without more match practice. Big Sam didn’t waste any time in starting Tosun though at Wembley. You’d know Everton better than me and I hope he does start and do well, I have always liked him as Gooner myself. His confidence looks very low in the games I’ve watched and that is evident in his lack of directness/willingness to carry the ball.

          I think Stones will keep his place as I mentioned somewhere below. Making an individual mistake can happen but I hate to see a centre back look so physically weak as he did in his mistake against Liverpool. To be honest, looking now at his minutes played, I thought Mangala had played more. I see City going in for Maguire in the summer, I think he would do very well there and gives them a bit more physicality at the back.

    • 38.3
      Den Perry Did It says:
      January 17, 2018 at 11:48 pm

      I would keep hold of Jones, he’s good for BP and is nailed assuming fit. I would never feel comfortable owning Shaw with Mourinho in charge.

      Perhaps just use one move this week to see what the next one throws up.

      • …
        AT says:
        January 17, 2018 at 11:52 pm

        Cheers Den. Issue is I’m not too sue what to do with the one transfer! Not sure I want Danilo or Stones (only ones in range) due to what you have said above.

        • …
          Den Perry Did It says:
          January 18, 2018 at 12:02 am

          I think it’s a tough one to give advice on and it might be more of a stepping stone move this week. You need to determine how you want your team to look like in a few weeks. My gut says Stones keeps his place but I feel like he deserves to get dropped.

        • …
          Red Robbo says:
          January 18, 2018 at 12:13 am

          I’d be surprised to see Stones dropped – he makes a few mistakes but I think Pep has that factored in. Stones is the go-to guy for City playing out of defence as he’s a good passer.

          Well, a good passer apart from those occasions he completely and utterly fucks it up and throws away City’s CS that is! laugh

        • …
          AT says:
          January 18, 2018 at 12:16 am

          Hahaha, that’s my worry!

        • …
          Smash10 says:
          January 18, 2018 at 5:36 am

          Stones, VVD or I’d be tempted to double up on United with Smalling

  3. 39
    ALSED FC says:
    January 18, 2018 at 12:22 am

    Hi Smash I am sorry to hear your news I know from experience what it feels like to get that news. You have had surgery now and things hopefully will now sort themselves out, it takes time but I am sure with a positive attitude you will soon be feeling better. It is difficult for the people around you to also come to terms with, but I am sure you will find the the strength and all will be well.
    Keep in touch with this site even if it is only reading from time to time it works wonders for me.
    Keep your chin up and stay positive pal.
    Alan

  4. 40
    ALSED FC says:
    January 18, 2018 at 12:44 am

    Hi guys guys yes still around still takes so long to post you have moved on to other subjects while I am getting my head in gear. Currently going to hospital for follow ups having recently had Radiotherapy on my leg but yes still still here

    Alan

  5. 41
    HL [Dr. Hannibal Lecter] says:
    January 18, 2018 at 1:03 am

    I’m trying to talk myself out of activating my WC !
    The fact that I’m missing nearly a mil(£) to get the team I want is the only thing stopping me from not pushing the button!
    Have I gone mad or is it just lack of sleep time lately smile ?

  6. 42
    Smash10 says:
    January 18, 2018 at 5:52 am

    Does anyone know if D Silva has been I this country. I think I want to bring him in. Can’t stretch the 0.4 for Sane unfortunately

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