Kops Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 12

Kops Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 12

With all the international fixtures over and done with for 2014 we can now sit back, relax and enjoy an unbroken run of FPL fixtures until the 3rd round of the FA Cup in January. This international break could eventually prove to have been quite disastrous from an FPL point of view as at the time of writing Leighton Baines, Angel Di Maria, Dusan Tadic and Danny Welbeck are all yellow flagged due to injuries picked up on international duty, while Cesc Fabregas is also on a yellow flag. Obviously now is a time to remain calm and keep a cool head, although this is easier said than done while all around you panic. However as a result of this panic I suspect many managers will be taking a points hit this weekend but if you can refrain from such panic and hold your transfers until after Fridays press conferences you could be well placed to jump up the rankings. Anyway with all this panic in the air we have endeavoured to outline a number of players whom we feel can deliver over the coming weeks.

Goalkeepers

[three_fourth padding=”0 20px 0 0″]

[/three_fourth]More often than not the best place to start is the most obvious and therefore our first tip this week is none other than Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois. Their next six fixtures are on paper a thing of beauty, in fact their fixtures through to the end of the year are quite enticing! As we have noted a number of times in recent weeks, they have the league’s joint 2nd best defence but unfortunately this hasn’t translated into clean sheets as they’ve only managed three. However, it is worth noting that they have already faced Everton, City, Arsenal, United & Liverpool, so perhaps we shouldn’t be overly concerned that they have only managed three clean sheets. Instead we should focus on the fact that despite facing the five teams I have listed, they have only conceded 11 goals to date. With clean sheets having proved rather difficult over the opening 11 game-weeks perhaps now is the time to put your money on Chelsea’s fixtures?

With Swansea travelling to The Etihad this weekend many will perhaps over look Lukasz Fabianski, but I feel he warrants some consideration, particularly if you are on a wildcard. Just like Chelsea the Swans have conceded 11 goals to date, however in the process Fabianski has managed to keep five clean sheets, a figure only better by Fraser Forster. Following the trip to Manchester, Swansea have some great fixtures and face the likes of Palace, QPR, Hull & Villa before Christmas. Despite their defensive form, neither Fabianski nor any of his defensive colleagues have proved popular and therefore the Pole could prove a decent differential as he currently features in just 5.8% of teams. For those of you who are currently contemplating the sale of the aforementioned Fraser Forster, Fabianksi could prove a more than capable replacement.

Three keepers all priced at £4.6m and below, whom I believe warrant a mention this week are Newcastle’s Tim Krul, QPR’s Rob Green and Brad Guzan of Aston Villa. Newcastle have been in superb form of late and this has seen Krul claim three clean sheets in his last four games, while he has only conceded four in his last six games. The Geordies have quite a mixed bag of fixtures between now and 2015 but given their current form I feel Krul should not be ignored. The inclusion of Green may seem rather strange, especially when you consider he only has two clean sheets to his name and the fact that QPR have the worst defence in the league! There has however been one or two signs of an improvement of late, in GW9 they kept their 2nd clean sheet of the season and despite conceding two against City and Chelsea in their subsequent games they did make life tough for the two title protagonists and they have a relatively easy run of games between now and the end of the year. Guzan had a great start to the season as he picked up three clean sheets in his first four games, unfortunately he has only managed one since GW4, but perhaps quite significantly that came last time out against West Ham. Their form of late has undoubtedly been quite poor but they some decent fixtures on the horizon and if they can recapture their early season form Guzan could prove a decent bet. For those of you on a wildcard it’s worth noting that Guzan and Green rotate reasonably well up until the January wildcard!

[divider_1px]

Defenders

[three_fourth padding=”0 20px 0 0″]

[/three_fourth]Sooner or later Chelsea are going to start keeping clean sheets on a consistent basis and given their upcoming fixtures it will surely be sooner rather than later! Ok, so working on the premise that clean sheets are around the corner it follows suit that a Chelsea defender is going to be a desirable commodity over the coming weeks. But, which one? I’m going to nail my colours to the mast here and proclaim that Cesar Azpilicueta is the one to purchase, but don’t worry I’ll probably change my mind next week. Why Azpi? It’s pretty simple really, he’s the cheapest! Ivanovic was a point’s machine in the opening three gameweeks, but has failed to pick up any attacking returns since and presently I’m not sure if he’s worth £7.2m. JT hasn’t managed any attacking returns nor any bonus points to date, while Gary Cahill has just a goal and a bonus point to his name. Azpi has shown more attacking intent than last season and has claimed an assist as well as five bonus points and I feel that he potentially represents excellent value for money at just £6.0m.

At the time of writing the general consensus is that Leighton Baines will sit out this week’s visit of West Ham due the injury sustained on international duty. As a result of this injury Seamus Coleman has become a slightly more interesting prospect. The Irish international obviously doesn’t have any set pieces in his locker, but he is equally as marauding as Baines and in my opinion he offers a greater goal threat from open play. If as expected Baines is ruled out, this may afford Coleman the opportunity to push forward even more as Baines’ replacement is unlikely to get forward on the opposite side. Coleman has been in excellent form of late with a goal, an assist, two clean sheets & six bonus points in his last four games. Despite the Toffees having a mixed bag of fixtures over the coming weeks I still suspect Coleman will remain amongst the fantasy points.

Prior to the season kicking off there was a significant amount of interest shown in Newcastle’s Dutch international Daryl Janmaat thanks largely to the ten goals he had scored in his previous four seasons in the Eredivisie. Despite some early season promise Janmaat failed to justify his £5.0m price tag as Newcastle floundered in the relegation zone. The Geordies have managed to turn things around of late, sitting fourth in the form table and have claimed three clean sheets in their last four games, while Janmaat turned in a man of the match display last time out against West Brom with two assists and three bonus points. Newcastle have some easy fixtures coupled with some difficult matches over the coming weeks, but given their current form Janmaat could prove to be a shrewd investment. Should the Newcastle defence interest you but you are put off by Janmaat’s price tag then you might want to consider Paul Dummett who has become a regular and at just £4.1m he is £1.0m cheaper than Janmaat.

Finally, three other defenders whom I feel deserve some consideration this week are West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell, Burnley’s Kieran Trippier and QPR’s Yun Suk-Young. West Ham have only managed two clean sheets to date but these have both come in their last six games and in this period they have only conceded six times. Following their trip to Goodison Park this weekend they have a number of tempting fixtures and with Cresswell having picked up a couple of assists in recent weeks he could turn out to be a canny acquisition. Trippier is a bit of a long shot! Much was expected of him as a result of the number of assists he claimed in last season’s Championship, unfortunately he picked up only his first assist of the season in GW11. Burnley showed earlier in the season that they can be quite resilient and with some decent fixtures over the coming weeks Trippier could pick up his fair share of clean sheets. Yun is again included because of his £3.9m price tag and given QPR’s upcoming fixtures he could turn out to be great value for money.

[divider_1px]

Midfielders

[three_fourth padding=”0 20px 0 0″]

[/three_fourth]Alexis Sanchez! If Arsenal could replicate the Chilean 10 times they’d probably win the league, but sadly for Gooners they don’t and this means they’ll once more in all likelihood finish 4th! The Chilean international appears to be the complete player, he can beat his man, he can spot a pass, he can finish and perhaps most impressively his work rate is second to none. His form of late has been nothing short of scintillating with six goals & an assist as well as 12 (yes 12!) bonus points in his last four games for Arsenal, while he also scored in each of Chile’s friendlies during the most recent international break. In recent weeks Wenger has started Sanchez quite high up the pitch in a central position, although with Theo Walcott close to a return many have suggested that this will see Sanchez play from a deeper position. However I don’t see this as being an issue as given his current form he is capable of influencing a game from anywhere on the pitch. With Danny Welbeck a doubt for the weekend this might see Sanchez start as the lone front man but it may also prompt Wenger to start the aforementioned Theo Walcott. The English international has been afforded ten minutes off the bench in each of Arsenal’s last two games and with another two week’s training under his belt he is surely pushing for a start…the bandwagon is just around the corner!

With Cesc Fabregas a doubt for the weekend we turn our intentions towards his midfield colleagues Eden Hazard and Oscar. There’s no denying that Fabregas has been one of the stars of the season thus far. Hazard on the other hand has not seen some excellent displays turned into fantasy points, however despite this he only sits seven points behind the Spaniard. It has been said of Hazard in the past that he likes to bully smaller teams and given Chelsea’s upcoming fixtures he’ll have plenty of opportunities to do just that over the coming weeks. With the likes of Ivanovic, Fabregas & Costa grabbing the majority of the headlines down at the Bridge, Oscar continues to fly under the radar. Jose would appear to have more faith in Oscar of late and this has seen the Brazilian start the last six games, scoring three times in this period. Given his current form and Chelsea’s upcoming fixtures he represents superb value for money at just £8.4m while he’s also a fantastic differential as he currently features in just 4.8% of teams.

I’m not sure why, but Gylfi Sigurdsson hasn’t featured in this article for quite some time! He was never going to continue amassing points in the manner he did in the opening three gameweeks (a goal, four assists & five bonus points). Despite a number of barren gameweeks he has kept the points ticking over and he is currently the 3rd highest scoring midfielder with 63 points and is excellent value for money at just £6.7m. In recent weeks he was shipped out by some 90k managers, he then gave us all a timely reminder of his capabilities with a stunning free kick against Arsenal in GW11. Following this weekend’s game against City Swansea have some great fixtures and I strongly suspect that Siggy will continue to keep the points ticking over. Having failed to start a game prior to GW9, Jefferson Montero has now started the last three games, picking up two assists. He turned in a superb display against Arsenal and as many have said, he ‘undressed’ Callum Chambers time & time again at right back. If you’re in the market for a differential then Montero could be the very man as he features in just 0.2% of teams.

The mid-priced midfielders continue to deliver great value, chief amongst them being Stewart Downing and Nacer Chadli. Downing has been a revelation this season thanks largely to a move to a more central role that has seen him play at the tip of a midfield diamond. He has two goals as well as four assists to his name and with the Hammers set to embark on a great run of fixtures Downing could prove to be a bargain at just £6.0m. There has been some speculation that the return of Andy Carroll may see Downing revert to a wide role, but is Big Sam daft enough to change a winning formula? Only time will tell. With three losses from their last six games Spurs’ season of abject mediocrity continues unabated. Luckily for us fantasy managers Chadli continues to rise above this mediocrity and he now has six goals and an assist to his credit, making him the games 5th highest scorer. Spurs have a mixed bag of fixtures over the coming weeks and are clearly out of form but I’m happy to tip Chadli to continue to turn up in the right place at the right time.

For those of you on the hunt for a cheap 5th midfielder you might want to consider Newcastle’s Sammy Ameobi. The youngster has featured in each of Newcastle’s last three games, scoring against Spurs in GW9. With fellow midfielders Rolando Aarons and Gabriel Obertan both injured young Ameobi could be set for an extended run in the side.

[divider_1px]

Forwards

[three_fourth padding=”0 20px 0 0″]

[/three_fourth]A question frequently asked in recent weeks is, can you afford to have both Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero in your team? The question I prefer to ask is, can you afford not to have them both in your team? Granted the two of them combined will take up nearly 25% of your budget but you get what you pay for and both Costa and Aguero were born to score goals. Costa, just like his Chelsea team, is incredibly consistent and only on two occasions this season has he failed to find the back of the net. As I’ve already mentioned numerous times above Chelsea have some have an extremely enticing fixture list over the coming weeks and it would be a brave manager to go into these games without Costa. While City continue to flounder in their attempts to retain their title, the same cannot be said for Aguero who continues to go from strength to strength, not literally though as we all know he could breakdown at any moment! If City are to have any hope of retaining their title they need the Argentine to remain fit as he has now scored 12 goals out of a team total of 22. As I’ve said in recent weeks City are likely to hit form at some stage and when this happens Aguero could very well explode. Finally, if any of you still doubt the merits of having both Costa & Aguero in your teams let me put it like this – I’m quite confident that both will comfortably break the 20 goal barrier this season. I’m not sure we can say the same for anyone else!

Wayne Rooney has failed to sparkle for United following his return from suspension and LvG will certainly be hoping that his goals for England will spark his captain back into form. United are clearly out of sorts and are struggling to field 11 players, but in such circumstances which team would you choose to play, yeah I’d pick Arsenal as well! Following the trip to Arsenal this weekend, United have on paper a decent run of fixtures and if Rooney can translate his international form into some semblance of domestic form he could be one to watch and with his ownership just under 14% he actually represents a small differential.

For those of you who decided that it’s nearly time to ditch your Southampton players and are therefore looking for potential replacements for Graziano Pelle you could do worse than give Wilfried Bony some consideration. Following this weekend’s game against City, Swansea have some tasty fixtures and with the Ivorian showing some decent form of late he could, just like Rooney, be one to keep an eye on. As a result of some poor early season form his price has dropped to £8.2m and he represents a superb differential as he currently features in just £4.3% of teams.

Take a quick look at the next six fixtures and you will see that both West Ham and QPR have some excellent fixtures and this surely makes both Diafra Sakho and Charlie Austin extremely enticing prospects. Both are in superb form with Sakho having scored five in his last six and Austin four in his last three. With both priced under £6.0m they are both excellent candidates to be your 3rd striker, leaving you money to invest elsewhere. With Sakho featuring in 8.5% of teams and Austin in just 2.9% they are, given their current form, outstanding differentials.

Three goals in his last three games and priced at just £4.9m! Surely this is too good to be true? Well it’s not, as this is just what Newcastle’s Ayoze Perez has managed. Should you be inclined to play 3-5-2, on current form Perez is the makeweight forward to own and hey given his current form you could even throw him into a 3-4-3.

Thanks for reading Kops Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 12. This article was written by Kop Warrior

Follow @KenLyons79

Fantasy Football Podcast GW12