Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 18

Welcome to Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 18. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Unless, of course, you’re Everton forward Moise Kean who was unceremoniously hooked as temporary manager Duncan Ferguson did the unthinkable of substituting the substitute after just 18 minutes. The shame. Most players would remonstrate with their manager in such situations, thankfully Moise decided he’d at least like to see 2020 and kept his head down.

With Christmas now less than a week away, we can look forward to four gameweeks squeezed into just 13 days. Buckle-up, this is the time to keep your head when all around you people are losing theirs in a drunken, over-fed stupor. If I see any one of you (Gavy I’m looking at you) say you have missed the deadline, you only have yourself to blame. In truth, with rotation, rest and those perfectly-timed festive bans, it may not even matter who you stick in your first 11 either way.

It is, of course, the season of giving, and well – we’re all about that here. So this article is brought to you by not one but two of your favourite (hopefully) writers, as I’m joined by my good friend Swirly for a bumper Christmas edition of tips that will hopefully see you through the festive fixtures and beyond. We do, as always, have a theme – which certainly seemed like a good idea at the time… Read on as I serve up goalkeepers and midfielders, whilst Swirly unwraps the defenders and forwards.

Ahh, Christmas morning, the one day of the year when getting up early seems that little bit easier. You creep downstairs to ‘see if he’s been’ and hope that your good deeds warrant more than a satsuma and a Lynx gift set. A new goalkeeper for your FPL team is the equivalent of a multi-pack of socks; not exciting, but often necessary.

All the keepers I’ve picked this week are perfect stocking fillers; inexpensive but guaranteed (well maybe) to put a smile on your face. First up we have Palace ‘keeper Vicente Guaita  (£5.1m). The Spaniard is the most in-form shot stopper as we head into the festivities, with 35 points in his last five outings – thanks to three clean sheets, eight bonus points and six save points. He also has, as luck would have it, the best fixtures from Gameweek 18 through to 21. Guaita looks like the gift who’ll keep on giving, not at all a Grinch.

If £5.1m feels a little rich so early in the morning then look no further than my next pick. Crack open that bottle of Bucks Fizz, because we have Villa keeper Tom Heaton  (£4.5m). He may have only kept three clean sheets thus far this season, but Villa arguably have the next best fixture run (after Crystal Palace) as their list displays Southampton (H), Norwich (H), Watford (A) and Burnley (A) between now and the new year. Like Guaita, Heaton is a save-point magnet, he’s made 54 saves this season netting 12 extra points. If the Villains can add a few more clean sheets over the festivities, then he could be a real Christmas cracker.

My last pick is a bit like the forgotten gift, you’ve handed out the presents but a lonely package sits without a tag beneath the tree. Who is it for? What is it? Nobody knows. This is how many of you may feel about my final pick Paul Gazzaniga (£4.6m). He’s kept just a solitary clean sheet in his 11 games thus far, which hardly inspires confidence, but you have to hope manager José Mourinho will tighten up what was once a formidable defence. After Chelsea are out of the way, the North Londoners have what could (on paper at least) yield a few clean sheets, with the visit of Brighton and trips to Norwich and Southampton rounding out their festive fixtures.

If you remember the 2008 Royle Family Christmas special, Denise, inspired by Nigella Lawson, decides to cook Christmas dinner for the family and it ends up a disaster. It’s something I’m sure many people can relate to, ending up instead with the finger buffet planned for Boxing Day, as the potatoes resemble coal and the turkey looks like it hasn’t got anywhere near the oven. Both are heading for the bin with a heavy sigh, quicker than you can say ‘chef’. Perhaps it’s a bit unfair to judge as they have had a fair few tough fixtures, but you could liken Aston Villa’s campaign to the dinner-based disappointment, however, there is hope on the horizon as the next four games could well be pivotal to their season and chances of staying in the same league come the summer. Unlike the teams below them in the league, the Midlanders’ goal difference of minus seven actually isn’t so bad as it matches that of Newcastle and Burnley sitting pretty in the mid-table. Therefore, it’s not as crazy as it sounds to recommend the baby-faced Matt Targett, especially as he leads the way amongst his defensive colleagues with the injured Tyrone Mings in terms of assists and goals (two and one, respectively). Southampton and then Norwich come to Villa Park, with a trip to Watford afterwards. In terms of goals scored by the Saints and Canaries, it’s 18 each, the fourth-lowest totals by a team in the league. As for Watford, just nine have been registered – that is the fewest out of all 20 teams by a country mile.

What happens once a year, that you can rely on, splits opinion, doesn’t last very long and often gets missed by a good few? Yes, that’s the Queen’s Speech (it’s at 3pm, Jezza). It also describes one of the favourites at the start of the last season, Benjamin Mendy. That love for him quickly fizzled about a month later and, after a time on the sidelines this season, it looks like the Frenchman could well be back on the scene as his play spurred on the Man City players to win 3-0 at Arsenal, taking a clean sheet at the same time. With Leicester at home, who will want to bounce back from that disappointing 1-1 draw with Norwich, the chance of a clean sheet would theoretically be low. However, the games against Wolves, Sheffield United, Everton, Aston Villa and beyond bring with them promise. Versus the Villains, for example, Man City haven’t conceded a single goal in four matches, so there’s clean sheet potential if not anything else. At £5.5m, he could well be a shrewd investment if he continues to get game time, especially when you consider the six assists he registered last season.

Whether you have your Christmas dinner before or after the Queen’s speech, one thing you can be sure of, when you have loads of people around, is that you miscalculated the number of chairs to get everyone round that pasting table with a fancy paper cloth over it. Before you know it, you’re in the shed trying to root out the chair that is stuck behind the lawnmower, jet washer, wheelbarrow and that exercise bike you just keep meaning to get on to (maybe in the new year). You bring it back in and the person who is still standing in the corner greets you with a smile but then a horrified expression as you both realise there’s no space for that chair. Diego Rico is very much one of those players you could regard in the FPL equivalent, as the trio of defenders is often favoured by managers and you realise you’ve already got three there whilst he sits on your bench. The Spaniard sits on your bench and picks up six points away at Chelsea and nine when on the road to Crystal Palace. Typical. As Liverpool miss Gameweek 18, there is possibly space for him to come into your starting XI and the home tie against Burnley could well get you some points. It’s potentially tough the following week against Arsenal, but then there’s a run of nice fixtures until February.

Another thing you can depend on for Christmas dinner is that there’s an uninvited or unexpected guest, leading to the aforementioned great chair shortage. Martin Kelly could fit that bill from an FPL perspective as you find yourself playing him for these great Crystal Palace fixtures, much to your surprise as much as anyone else’s. Now costing £4.4m, his price is only going one way which, you could argue, does take away the novelty. However, games against Newcastle, West Ham, Southampton and Norwich make up the favourable ties between now and New Year’s Day, any clean sheets added to the six he has already picked up in just 954 minutes of play could be your reward for inclusion in your starting XI.

Finally, you settle down in front of the TV, as you’re full of dinner, slightly tipsy, content knowing the kids are happy with their (non-battery-operated) toys and still laughing to yourself about chairgate and how someone had to sit on their own in the kitchen. “Ooh, great – a fantastic line up of TV”, you then think to yourself, as you settle down in your comfy armchair with that paper crown still standing proudly on the top of your head. Then those eyes feel heavy and you nod off. Such sleepiness could be similar to Spurs’ defence this season as they have just two clean sheets so far, joint worse out of all teams with Man United, Arsenal, Norwich and Southampton. Perhaps not the team to recommend a defender from, you could say, but Serge Aurier carries with him an attacking threat, having picked up four assists in just 994 minutes of play. Looking ahead, it’s a tricky tie against Chelsea this weekend; however Brighton, Norwich and Southampton bring with them opportunities for Mourinho’s men to shore up the defence and carry on looking up the table since The Special One’s appointment.

The highlight of Christmas day for anyone over 12 years old is, of course, the Christmas dinner. On any other day, three types of potato, two kinds of meat and 17 vegetable variations would seem overkill but, on December 25th, it’s standard fair. What’s more, someone will inevitably drink too much and make an idiot of themselves, which brings us on nicely to our first midfield pick. Perhaps I’m being unfair, actually, gone are the days that Villa midfielder Jack Grealish (£6.1m) was better known for lying drunk on the pavement. He’s finally looking like the player many hoped he would one day become, even if he has to have that hairstyle. If you look past his penalty miss in Gameweek 17, he has four attacking returns – two goals and two assists – in the last five fixtures. As I’ve already touched on previously (see Tom Heaton above), Villa have the type of fixtures that are like pigs in blankets; a bit tasty.

The problem with Christmas dinner (if you could even call it a problem) is that once you’ve cleaned your plate there’s the small matter of pudding, but there’s always room for pudding right? Well, my next pick Mo Salah (£12.2m) is no pudding, but making room for him in your team is no less difficult. Cast aside by the masses in favour of teammate Sadio Mané, the Egyptian has seen his ownership drop to just 21.9%, but back to back scores of 13 and 16 have him firmly back on the radar. The blank this coming gameweek was not even enough to deter over 40,000 managers bringing him in – forward planning or were they just a bit vacant?! Probably the latter. Whilst the official site shows his fixtures as three reds and three greys in the next six, home games against Wolves, Sheffield United and Manchester United could yield more rank-denting scores before the new year is upon us.

Christmas is all about family but, as the saying goes, you can’t choose your family. That’s unfortunate for some as, for every favourite Aunt, there’s an Uncle Knobhead just waiting to ruin the day at every opportunity. The Christmas Day argument can occur at any time, “You’ve drunk too much”, “Why did you buy me that?”, “You’ve ruined Christmas!” – and that’s just in my house! However, the only disagreement we want to get into here is which Spurs midfielder you should unwrap this festive season. If money is no object then the obvious one is, probably, Heung-Min Son (£10.1m) with six attacking returns (two goals and four assists) in his last five, whilst the reinvigorated Dele Alli (£8.7m) has actually scored one more point over the same period (39 to 40). If you’re cash-poor, you could always turn your attention to Lucas Moura (£7.0m). He may not have played as many minutes as the aforementioned duo, or indeed scored as many points, though the 26 points he has scored – in the same period – is still a decent return. By comparison, James Maddison has just one more point over those fixtures.

The gifts have been opened, the dinner has been demolished and Uncle Knobhead has passed out on the sofa. It can mean only one thing – board games. Let’s face it though, board games are the last resort. So this year, when those around you look to you for entertainment, why not show them a Kevin De Bruyne  showreel instead? In the hours that followed Manchester City’s 0-3 victory at the Emirates, Twitter was awash with stories of woe as those who had moved him on lamented their folly. His 19 points rescued many a gameweek, mine included. It once more illustrated that the Belgian is the epitome of a ‘season keeper’, so don’t leave Kevin home alone. After all, a Kevin is for life, not just for Christmas.

Christmas specials and, in particular, re-runs of Only Fools and Horses are another key thing about Christmas – in the UK at least. This tip is more Harry than Gary, if you remember the Strangers on the Shore episode of Christmas 2002, as Wolves’ fan favourite Harry Kane makes an appearance on your screen. The striker has been more Mrs Brown’s Boys than Gavin and Stacey in terms of quality this season, however, the games coming up provide the opportunity for him to be that unmissable festive special. Against Chelsea, the £10.9m player could well be like that expensive surprise present, and reward you as he has previously scored six and assisted two in 12 meetings. After that, it’s Brighton at home, followed by Norwich and Southampton, which bring with them plenty of opportunities for a repeat of the antics against Burnley and Aston Villa.

Talking of presents, we all manage to get that one we open in anticipation, perhaps thinking it’s something else, only to find it’s a random ‘handmade’ plate, something hastily bought from George at Asda in a rush or, worse still, a rival football club’s shirt (but that was just Uncle Knobhead’s version of banter). “Jesus Christ”, you think to yourself as you peel back the wrapping paper to reveal the monstrosity it really is, as your relative looks at your face expectedly. “Great, thank you for that”, you say trying your best to look and sound believable. Well, it may also be the celebration of the birth of Jesus, but Christmas could instead see you exclaim his name in a positive way if you go for the Man City forward. Gabriel Jesus is still dependable when it comes to minutes, thanks to colleague Aguero being injured – no doubt able to put his feet up as he relaxes in his sky blue onesie. It’s now four straight games that the Brazilian has played over 60 minutes (amassing 22 points in the process) and, bar Leicester this current gameweek, there are some nice fixtures for him to look forward to over the festive period. Wolves, Sheffield United and Everton are the games for Pep’s men to try and make ground on Liverpool. Of those, the Toffees are the team he has been the most prolific against in his entire career to date, having bagged five in only four meetings. Do of course beware that Kun is back in light training but with Jesus benched in midweek and no sign of the latter you should be good to keep the faith for a while longer.

Whilst we are on the subject of naff presents, I bet you were there as a kid when you’d get the most amazing toy and then read those dreaded three words: “Batteries not included”. So close, but no cigar! Well, don’t let that be you in an FPL sense, as Marcus Rashford’s price is slowly climbing week-on-week, thanks to his excellent form. Since Gameweek 11, he has risen £0.6m – and that’s just at the time of writing as the price rise alert buzzes on my phone. So, why should you buy him now, before he gets even more expensive? Well, that blank against a resurgent Everton was actually the first time he had registered fewer than five points in a single game week since, well, you’ve guessed it – Gameweek 11. In those six fixtures, the 22-year-old has amassed an impressive 45 points, thanks in part to five goals and two assists. Looking ahead, he has Watford away this weekend, followed by a visit from Newcastle and then trips to Burnley and Arsenal. Against the Hornets, he has scored three in four, whilst there are memories of the one goal and two assists in four meetings with the Magpies. Sean Dyche’s men have so far kept him out in three fixtures, but Arsenal have let the striker score twice and set up two others in the five times he has faced them.

That’s your lot folks. It’s been another fantastic year here at FF247.

Rosco: I’d like to say a special thanks to each and every one of you for making this site what it is. I’d also like to say a special thanks to all the other contributors for all the hard work they do on-site and behind the scenes. I would also, of course, like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and let’s hope it’s more green than red for you all! “It’s a goodnight from me…”

Swirly: I’m on writing duty one more time before the big day, however I’d like to echo what my good Geordie friend said and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. We all crave those green arrows, but don’t let it ruin your time over the festive period if your sleigh does hit turbulence and you get some red arrows! Also, a big shout out to all the site team, contributors and message board posters. “And a goodnight from him!”

Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 18. This article was written by Rosco and Swirly.

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