Kops Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 30

Kops Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 30

With GW29 being a horror show for many, we now have just nine GWs remaining until the season ends. Last week’s scores proved that template teams don’t always work out well, with the likes of Eden Hazard, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Alexis Sanchez and Harry Kane all blanking. So this week, in the absence of a resident Top Tipster, we’ll take a look at some differential names who may just prove worthwhile of a gamble with so few matches left before we welcome the summer sun. Of course, we’re not suggesting you should sell your top stars, but merely making you aware of some alternatives if you feel the need to unshackle the chains and go for broke in the final few gameweeks.

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[/three_fourth]Goalkeepers
Our first port of call is as usual between the sticks and a fair few managers may have some thinking to do this week. With Ben Foster facing the possibility of four weeks out and Costel Pantilimon playing behind a horror show of a defence, it may be time to look for a new keeper. The obvious name is Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois. Priced at 5.9mln and owned by 8.2% of FPL managers, Courtois still just about qualifies under differential status. The fixtures for Chelsea look great as they play Hull, Stoke and QPR in their next three and then they have a double in GW34 a week after entertaining Man Utd at the Bridge. So the fixtures are there, although we should qualify the selection by pointing out that Chelsea have only kept two clean sheets in six. If price puts you off Courtois, or you don’t want one of your Chelsea slots taken up with a keeper, then you have the slightly cheaper option of Fraser Forster. The return to the starting line up of Toby Alderweireld gives Ronald Koeman his first choice back four again and one look at the fixtures won’t scare you – Burnley, Everton, Hull, Stoke, Spurs and Sunderland all present realistic chances of a clean sheet if you fancy doubling up on Saints at the back – it’s certainly a better option than buying one of their strikers!

So two premium choices, now to look at some money-for-money replacements for Foster and Pantilimon. Boaz Myhill is Foster’s deputy at West Brom and at 4mln he could certainly do a job for you with Foster ruled out for the foreseeable future. Four clean sheets in five proves Pulis is having his usual influence and while the Baggies go to the Etihad this Saturday lunchtime, they then have two successive home matches vs QPR and Leicester, when let’s face it, it would be a surprise if they conceded!

Looking through the other candidates, there are no real obvious standout bargains. Tim Krul is the cheapest guaranteed starter, but his 4.4mln price is offset by an unattractive fixture list and a lack of fit and available defenders. So it appears the message is go dirt cheap with Myhill, pay up for more likely returns or accept that a cheaper option (Heaton, Krul, Pantilimon etc) will not get you many clean sheets but could ramp up the save points.

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[/three_fourth]Defenders
The options in defence are a bit more appealing and certainly more varied. The inform man remains Branislav Ivanovic. Another assist in GW29 means the Serb has not contributed at least a goal, assist or clean sheet in fourteen of the last seventeen gameweeks – and people quibble about paying 7.5mln for him! We have covered the Chelsea fixtures under Courtois above, the difference with Ivanovic is of course the attacking points that the defender has so impressively delivered this season. With Chelsea fighting for just the league now, there is very little chance of Ivanovic being rested and as Jose seeks to wrap up the title sooner rather than later. So your stubborness or budget prevents you paying that much for a defender – fair enough, who else is there then?

Danny Rose again makes an appearance here despite Spurs lack of clean sheets. However, fixtures vs Leicester, Burnley, Villa and Newcastle should present some realistic chances of a clean sheet, while Rose’s licence to overlap on the left wing has seen him score twice and assist four times this season, causing his manager to describe him as the best left back in the league.

Toby Alderweireld returned to the Saints line up vs Chelsea and although a clean sheet didn’t materialise, Koeman’s decision to play the Belgian shows his standing in the maanger’s thoughts. Priced at just 4.7mln, he is by far the cheapest way into the Saints defence and offers a great opportunity to double up if you already own the more expensive Bertrand, Clyne, Fonte or Forster.

Only Sunderland and QPR have accrued less points than West Ham since Christmas, though on closer inspection, the Hammers have faced the likes of Arsenal (twice), Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd and Spurs in that time. Their fixtures ease somewhat now and aside from a trip to the Etihad in GW33 they play Sunderland, Leicester, Stoke, QPR and Burnley over the next few weeks. Aaron Cresswell is the premium man here at 5.6mln – his one goal and four assists do not do justice to his attacking talent and he has been somewhat disadvantaged by not having Andy Carroll to aim at for much of the season. The cheaper alternative is Carl Jenksinson, who plays on the right side. At just 5mln, he is more budget friendly than Cresswell and two assists shows he is also capable of an attacking return and it is well known that Big Sam is keen to bring Jenkinson to the club full time.

Swansea’s Kyle Naughton is no stranger to this article and at 4.3mln it’s easy to see why. A regular starter for the Swans since his move from North London in January, Naughton has already produced a clean sheet and a goal – ok, not great, but also not bad for 4.3mln and check out the next few fixtures for the Swans – Villa, Hull, Everton, Leicester, Newcastle and Stoke. He is definitely one to consider in our opinion.

Craig Dawson is the cheapest route into the Baggies defence – as we now appear to have more transparency on Pulis’ first choice backline, Dawson is a sold selection at 4.5mln and was also unlucky not to win a penalty in the win over Stoke and is regularly involved in set pieces at the attacking end – his two goals so far this season will likely be improved upon before the end of the season as will the tally of clean sheets.

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[/three_fourth]Midfielders
Midfielders are a huge talking point on the boards right now and primarily due to the fact that the most expensive of these, Alexis Sanchez, is owned by some 30% of managers and has of late failed to deliver the outstanding returns that we saw from him during the first part of the season. Just one goal and no assists in his last six matches has understandably made many of those 30% begin to feel that having the best part of 11mln used up on Sanchez is not proving value for money right now. The brave or stupid will sell him – the conservatives will keep him – how either decision works out only time will tell, but if you are considering getting rid of the Chilean then the opportunities are endless.

Eden Hazard and David Silva are the premium midfielders who instantly come to mind, but whilst we would recommend both, they are already very popular and let’s face it, you don’t need to be told of their qualities as they both feature in most Tips articles you will read – and with every good reason.
The Liverpool trio of Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson, who Kop tipped last week, should certainly be on your watchlist. Liverpool face United and then Arsenal in the next two gameweeks and could then face a blank GW33, so on the surface you may not feel the need to invest quite yet. I’d argue otherwise in that Liverpool will also get themselves up for a match vs United while the fixture vs Arsenal is more likely to bring goals than a 0-0. Throw into the equation that a blank in GW33 will mean a DGW at some point and a tasty run of fixtures up until the end of the season, we would happily recommend one of the trio – Sterling is the most owned, Coutinho is slightly cheaper, the least owned and has begun to show he is ready to fulfil his potential, while Henderson is by far the cheapest at 6.4mln and has scored an impressive (for his price) five goals and eight assists this season. Hendo is also the form man, with three goals in his last three. Much will depend on firstly, how different you want to be and secondly budgetary limitations.

Sanchez’s midfield team mates are always worth a mention and clearly come at a big discount. Santi Cazorla was afforded a rest in GW29, but still came off the bench to create the third goal – he is also still on penalties, some set pieces and seems the solid choice. The two interesting and differential choices are Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott. Ozil, as we know, can flit in and out of games, generally out, and then appear out of nowhere with a goal or assist – his recent returns of two goals and five assists in his last seven league matches certainly show more consistency. Walcott remains an enigma – struggling to get a game after proving his fitness for weeks, he starts vs West Ham, fails to convert a one-on-one in the first five minutes, misses two other great chances to score and contributed nothing. But what the game did serve to remind us was the chances that Walcott gets due to his pace – before his injury he was termed by some as “fantasy gold” and it would only take the winger to put away one or two of these chances in future weeks for the label to return. Both Ozil and Walcott will likely produce and frustrate before the end of the season, but both continue to play for a team that likes to play attacking football and make chances – some Arsenal midfield cover would appear to remain almost essential and if you do consider selling Alexis then one of Cazorla, Ozil or Walcott would seem sensible choices. Remember Arsenal have a blank GW33 due to the Cup semi finals.

Arsenal’s North London rivals were outplayed, outclassed and comfortably beaten at Old Trafford in GW29. Amazing we know and what the next few weeks will only tell us is if this was United finally finding some form or Spurs running out of steam after a hectic period that has seen them lose the Capital One Cup and exit the Europa League. A good rest and a look at the fixtures should be enough for Mauricio Pochettino to galvanise his troops – the next three versus Leicester, Burnley and Villa should see some positive attacking returns and look like the kind of matches that could see Christian Eriksen get on another run of scoring and assisting. The Dane hasn’t scored in six and disappointed many in the recent DGW, but history tells us he is a streaky scorer and then goes quiet for a period. The cheaper alternative is of course Nacer Chadli , who has re-established himself as a starter – Eriksen is owned by 25% of managers, Chadli by just 11%, so there is your differential right away and an extra 2mln in your pocket to upgrade elsewhere.

QPR’s Matty Phillips is another who appears again in Tips. A 4.6mln midfielder will never bring you consistent returns, but if you need someone to fill in if an injury occurs in your team then you could do worse than the QPR winger. His goal of the season contender at Palace last week emphasised his ability that has seen him crucial for QPR as they fight relegation and caretaker manager Chris Ramsey is showing faith in him. One thing Rangers won’t stop doing is attacking and aside from Charlie Austin, Phillips is the only real viable option from Rangers that you should consider.

We’re going to finish with two names who have featured heavily during the season, but have gone quiet of late – namely Gylfi Sigurdsson and Stewart Downing. Siggy of course started the season on fire, scoring at Old Trafford, assisting for fun and his price rocketed from 6mln to 7mln. But since the New Year, injuries and suspension have blighted his contributions, which has seen the Swansea playmaker drop in price. Now available at 6.5mln, Siggy scored in the defeat at Spurs in GW28, was heavily involved and creative in the first half vs Liverpool on Monday and faces a decent run of fixtures now as we have seen with Naughton above. Downing has shown slightly more consistency, but like Siggy has gone quiet of late, not helped by injuries to Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho and a pretty tough fixture list. Just one goal and two assists this year suggests Downing and Siggy partied too hard on New Year’s Eve, but West Ham’s games now take a turn for the better and it would be no shock for Downing to start scoring FPL points again – he is available at the same price as Siggy and their only real tough looking fixture is City at the Etihad in GW33. It’s Sunderland at the Boleyn this week for Downing – the opportunities will be endless!

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[/three_fourth]Forwards
We’ll start the strikers with someone who has provoked love, lust, hate, denial and frustration in the last few weeks. No, it’s not your Mrs, it’s Olivier Giroud. The French striker delivered again in GW29, which made those who stuck by him very happy as the likes of Aguero and Kane did nothing. Some of us still haven’t forgiven the idiot for getting himself sent off at home to QPR on Boxing Day. Some of us were still laughing at his six missed chances in the home loss to Monaco. Yet some stood by him and boy were they rewarded. It’s often said that one should not worry if a striker is missing chances, rather you should if he is not getting chances and this is so true. Yes, Giroud will miss his fair share, but with the likes of Alexis, Cazorla, Ozil, Walcott and Ramsey creating for him, chances will come his way and at 8.4mln he is exceptional value.

Well it took long enough, but now Wayne Rooney is playing up front for United, he again comes into our minds as a fantasy option. His record over the years is undeniable, but it’s been a strange season for the Reds – wins have been gained rather than deserved and it’s been disjointed at best. Sunday’s win over Spurs was like the good old days and whether this continues remains to be seen, but if United can take their GW29 form into the final stretch of the season, then our middleweight friend can once again light up your fantasy team and prove a decent differential to the likes of Costa or Sturridge.

Two names who are beginning to re-emerge on our fantasy radars are Christian Benteke and Romelu Lukaku. What Paul Lambert must be thinking I dread to think, but Benteke has scored three and assisted one under the stewardship of Tim Sherwood. Clearly this has more to do with Sherwood than anyone else, but if he can inspire Benteke to reproduce the form we have seen from him in the last couple of seasons then Villa will reach safety without too much trouble. Until earlier this week Villa’s forthcoming fixtures hardly inspired confidence but a double gameweek in GW31 has suddenly changed that, although that is closely followed by a blank in GW33. With a price tag of 7.4mln and with form and momentum on his side, he is more than capable of becoming an end of season differential. Lukaku brought his Europa League into the Premier League vs Newcastle, scoring one and assisting one, which may just be the jolt that he and Everton need to finish their season well. A relatively straightforward run of fixtures including matches vs Sunderland, Villa, Burnley and QPR should provide Lukaku the opportunity to score a few more goals before the season is out.

Diego Costa is back! His goal vs Southampton was his first league goal since mid-January, which will have pleased his many managers. An ownership of nearly 40% will undoubtedly rise over the next few weeks with Chelsea’s fixture list including including home matches vs Stoke, Palace and Sunderland and trips to Hull, QPR and Leicester – not forgetting the DGW in GW34. Despite a quiet few weeks, Costa is the highest scorer in the Premier League this season and expect Chelsea to now go all out for the title over the next few weeks. Loic Remy and Didier Drogba will get a few minutes off the bench but Costa should start every game now and with those attractive fixtures, he should see plenty of chances. One word of caution is that the striker is only two yellow cards away from a two match ban – for now he is safe.

We have deliberately not talked about Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane – you have heard enough about those two lately. Despite blanking in GW29, both could of scored – Kane had a late shot saved by David de Gea’s legs while Kun had three great chances to score, could also have had an assist if David Silva had controled the ball when through on goal and should have had a late penalty when Pablo Zabaleta was brought down in the area. So, we would obviously continue to recommend them for your teams – Kun we all know what he can do, while Kane has been a revelation this season and his price makes him almost undroppable – unless you are going different, in which case, we hope we have provided some interesting options for you.

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WooFBet – FF247 GW30 Competition
This weeks exclusive FF247 comp is live now over at WooFBet.com

There’s a slight twist on this weeks competition as it is a ‘Low Budget’ one which tests your fantasy skills to the limit as you have only £80m to spend on your squad.

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PASSWORD for GW30
The password for this weeks comp is BENTEKE

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Thanks for reading Kops Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 30. This article was written by Cookie

Follow @SteveCook9

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