Kops Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 31

Kops Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 31

The cricket is over, so it’s time to once more concentrate on FPL! With only eight gameweeks remaining we really are nearing squeaky bum time. Some will enjoy this time as they sit atop of their leagues laughing at those below them, while for the rest of us we will spend this time trying everything to catch those above us. The good news is that there will be no further breaks due to the FA Cup or international fixtures. With double gameweeks scheduled for GW’s 31, 34 and 37 as well as a blank for a number of teams in GW33, it is going to be of the upmost importance to plan every move you make over the coming weeks. This however will hopefully spice things up a little and force managers to think a little outside the box in the search for the ultimate differential. So whether you’re looking to close out your league or make up ground we have below detailed a number of players who we believe can lead you to the Holy Grail over the coming weeks.

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[/three_fourth]Goalkeepers
It’s not very often that goalkeepers are at the top of a fantasy managers shopping list but with Fraser Forster and Ben Foster set to miss the remainder of the season, many managers are on the hunt for a suitable replacement. We’ll start with the most obvious replacements and of course they are Kelvin Davis who is likely to replace Forster at Southampton and Boaz Myhill who will replace Foster at West Brom. Davis got his first taste of league action this season when he climbed off the bench in GW30 to replace the stricken Forster and duly kept a clean sheet and picked up a save bonus point. Myhill replaced Foster from the bench back in GW29 and started against City in GW30, and while he conceded three against the reigning champions, it should be noted that he picked three save bonus points. Take a look at both sides remaining fixtures and you will see that in the very short-term that West Brom have the easier fixtures but over the remainder of the season the Saints certainly edge it, and despite the Pulis effect, Southampton clearly have the better defence. So for me, Davis is clearly the better option of the two and he is clearly the cheapest route into the league’s best defence. However, if you’re planning towards future double gameweeks money may be an issue and if this is the case Myhill might be the man for you as he’s £0.4m cheaper than Davis at £4.0m.

Having conceded 37 goals to date West Ham boast the league’s 7th best defence, unfortunately they’ve only managed to keep seven clean sheets. They’ve kept just two clean sheets in their last eight games, although in this period they have faced the likes of Liverpool, United, Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal. As a result their entire defence represents a differential with Aaron Cresswell proving the most popular at just 4.9%. Take a look at their remaining fixtures and you will notice that aside from a trip to Manchester in GW33 the highest placed team they face is Stoke, so if they can apply themselves professionally over the remainder of the season they can surely hit double figures for clean sheets before the season draws to a conclusion. Therefore if you’re trying to make up some ground and are looking for a differential you could take a gamble on Adrian who currently features in just 1.7% of teams.

Swansea currently lie in 8th place in the league and are set for their highest finish since being promoted to the PL back in 2012, and this is largely thanks to a defence that have conceded just 38 goals, keeping 11 clean sheets. The signing of Lukasz Fabianski on a free transfer last summer has turned out to be quite an astute move on the part of Garry Monk and the Pole has been between the sticks for each of the 11 clean sheets. Swansea’s upcoming fixtures scream clean sheets, four of their next five are against Hull, Leicester, Newcastle and Stoke who between them have scored just 23 goals in their last six games. Fabianski is currently the 3rd highest scorer in FPL and after these five games I wouldn’t bet against him being the highest scorer.

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[/three_fourth]Defenders
Defensively, Chelsea are the 2nd best team in the league with just 25 goals conceded and an impressive 13 clean sheets to their name. They have however been a little shoddy at the back of late, conceding five in their last six and keeping just two clean sheets in the process. This hasn’t been an issue for those of you who were lucky/smart enough to own Branislav Ivanovic who has scored twice and claimed an assist during those six games. With 147 points to his name the Serb is the highest scoring defender in FPL, in fact he’s the 5th highest scoring player overall. With Chelsea’s DGW looming on the horizon I suspect the vast majority of managers will be aiming to have three Chelsea players in their squad and on current form you ideally want Ivanovic to be one of those three. His value has crept up to £7.6m over recent weeks meaning he’s now £0.8m more expensive than the next most expensive Chelsea defender, John Terry. Should the Serb be a little expensive for your taste the next best option is probably the aforementioned John Terry as Azpi and Luis are likely to rotate, as are Cahill and Zouma.

Not only do Southampton have the league’s best defence, they’ve also got a pretty decent run of fixtures so it makes sense to have at least one of their defenders in your squad for the run in. Aside from the 2012-13 season Ryan Bertrand didn’t really get a look in at Chelsea, but given his performances this season with Southampton Chelsea could well rue the day they let him go. Defensively he’s solid while he also impresses when getting forward as is highlighted by his two goals and three assists to date. If money isn’t an issue he would certainly be my choice from the Saints defence, he’s currently £5.8m, but for those of you who are struggling to make ends meet Toby Alderweireld is certainly the man for you as he’s currently available for just £4.8m. He’s not as attacking as Bertrand and Clyne, and he doesn’t accumulate bonus points like Jose Fonte but at £4.8m he offers excellent value for money. For those of you who need to gamble over the remainder of the season it’s worth noting that you can get triple Southampton defensive coverage (Davis, Bertrand and Alderweireld) for just £15.0m!!

Another for the gamblers amongst is Everton’s Seamus Coleman. After such a great season last time out Everton have bounced back to reality this season and while they have pulled themselves clear of the relegation battle they are a long way from being mathematically safe. Having won their last two games they appear to have found some form at the right time of the season and the fact that they no longer have the Europa League to worry about they can now concentrate on the league. Like Everton, Coleman has failed to reach last season’s heights but he has still managed three goals & four assists, and with a goal and an assist last time out against QPR he is also showing signs of hitting form as we near the seasons end. At £6.8m he’s not cheap but he does represent a differential as he currently features in just 4.9% of teams. Everton have a number of reasonably straightforward fixtures remaining and if they can build upon their recent form Coleman could very well prove to be a gamble worth taking.

As usual we’ll finish our defensive round up with a look at a number of cheaper options and this week’s offerings are Leicester’s Jeffrey Schlupp, West Ham’s Carl Jenkinson, Swansea’s Kyle Naughton and West Brom’s Jolean Lescott. Leicester are bottom of the table seven points adrift of safety, they’ve the 2nd worst defence in the league and they’ve taken just two points from their last six games! So why include a Leicester defender? Just for giggles really! Being serious for a moment, their remaining fixtures are relatively easy (for most teams) and they’ve got a double gameweek coming up, although one game in the double is against Chelsea. If you are brave enough to bring in a Leicester defender Schlupp would appear to be the best option thanks to three goals and an assist to date. Aaron Cresswell is probably the best pick from the Hammers defence but at £5.6m he’s a little expensive for this section and to be honest Jenkinson is borderline at £5.0m. However with the cheaper options either injured or not guaranteed their place we’re left with Jenkinson. He’s had a solid if unspectacular season at Upton Park but as we have indicated above they have a decent run in and therefore Jenkinson could be a good bet for a few clean sheets. If you’re looking for a cheap defender who’s guaranteed his place and has the possibility of picking up a couple of clean sheets over the coming weeks well then Naughton is your man. Finally, if you haven’t yet invested in the Baggies defence do it now or don’t do it at all. They could conceivably pick up clean sheets in each of their next three games, but then things get rather more difficult. With Dawson suspended this week Lescott is our tip to bag the clean sheet points.

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[/three_fourth]Midfielders
Given their current form it’s hard to believe that Cesc Fabgregas was seen as a more desirable option than Eden Hazard earlier in the season. This was thanks in no small part to Fabregas’ unending supply of assists, while Hazard had a relatively slow start to the season and this prompted many suggest that there would be little to separate the two come the end of the season. How wrong we were! The Belgian has become extremely consistent and has delivered at the very least an assist in 10 of the last 15 games. Chelsea have lacked a little fluidity of late and have scored just nine in their last six games but now that they’re out of Europe I’m sure we’ll see the best of them in their remaining nine games and Hazard is likely to play a starring role. It will take a brave or stupid manager who will go without Hazard for Chelsea’s double.

As you’ll see below we haven’t included a certain Sergio Aguero this week, watch him score a hat-trick this week! City’s form of late hasn’t been great, they’ve lost two of their last four. However, scoring goals hasn’t been an issue (unless your name is Sergio!), they’ve scored 15 in their last six games with David Silva scoring four and claiming two assists in this period. Despite Chelsea’s best efforts, City’s title is slowly slipping away from their grasp and you feel that if they’re to have any chance of retaining it that they need to move into top gear now. Should you feel they’re capable of this this and you don’t already own Silva I would suggest you do something about that as he will be central to any resurgence.

Next up are two David Moyes signings both of whom have played their part in recent weeks as United have eventually hit top form, of course I’m talking about Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini. I’ve seen some talk of avoiding United players because of some tough fixtures, well Spurs and Liverpool were supposed to be tough fixtures and they disposed of both with relative ease, so ignore their fixtures and just concentrate on their form which has seen them win four on the bounce. With seven goals Mata is United’s 3rd highest goalscorer although his days appeared numbered as he played just a total of 40 minutes between gameweeks 23 and 28. He has however started the last two games on the right-hand side in a 4-3-3 system and with United turning in their two most impressive performances of the season he’s unlikely to be dropped. Fellaini isn’t a United player. At least that’s what their fans kept telling us last season and in the early parts of this season, however slowly but surely they are beginning to accept him for what he is! United have started playing to Fellaini strengths rather than trying to make him into something he isn’t and should this continue I fancy we’ll see him in more and more fantasy team over the coming weeks. Both players represent excellent differentials with Mata featuring in 6.6% of teams and Fellaini in just 0.9%. Mata’s price has dropped from £9.0m to £8.3m, but it’s Fellaini who has the potential to be an absolute bargain as he’s priced at just £6.3m. Fellaini really is one of those players who could allow you to make significant inroads into any deficit you currently face.

Sticking with the differentials and we’ve another two mid-priced options for you, Southampton’s Sadio Mane and Everton’s Aaron Lennon. The Saints have struggled in front of goal of late with just with just four goals in their last six, although Mane has caught the eye with some impressive displays which have seen him score one and create another in his last three. With Southampton having a pretty decent run in and with Mane currently the fulcrum of their attacking play I suspect he’ll remain amongst the fantasy points and with an ownership of just 2.9% and a price tag of £6.7m he could be one for those looking to climb the rankings. Just as Everton begin to show glimpses of form so too does Lennon and he’s chipped in with a goal and an assist in his last two games. There’s no denying that Lennon will be a gamble but with an ownership of just 0.6% he might just be a gamble worth taking, particularly with Everton having some reasonable run of fixtures through to GW38.

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[/three_fourth]Forwards
Let’s just get Harry Kane out of the way! Yes we know you already have him, well 49.8% of you do, we’re not quite sure what the rest of you are doing, but we suspect whatever you’re doing you’re not doing very well unless your objective is to fail. With 19 goals and six assists already to his credit he is a “shoe in” for young player of the year and if there were FPL awards at the end of the season he’d certainly get my vote. With just three wins in their last six games Spurs’ pursuit of Champions League football has faltered, although scoring goals hasn’t been an issue, they’ve found the back of the net on 13 occasions during this period with Kane accounting for seven of them. Spurs have a number of eminently winnable fixtures left and with Kane in red hot form I wouldn’t bet against him toping the goal scoring charts. Kane will not assist you in your quest to make up ground but at £6.4m you have to have him.

On current form there is only one other forward who can rival Kane and that’s Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman has six in his last five to bring his total for the season to 13, a number which would surely be much higher had he not missed nine games through injury. Obviously Arsenal have a blank in GW33 and have a tricky fixture this weekend as they host Liverpool which makes drafting the Giroud into your team rather difficult, especially if you already have some Goonies or players from Villa, QPR or Sunderland as you could find it difficult to field 11 players in GW33. However given his current form I felt he needed to be included this week.
If anyone is going to stop Harry Kane finishing as top scorer it is likely to be Diego Costa who is currently tied with him on 19 goals. The Brazilian hasn’t been what you would call explosive, he’s only scored more than one on three occasions but he has been bloody consistent, he’s failed to score on just seven occasions. Given this consistency and Chelsea’s remaining fixtures it’s pretty safe to assume that Costa should manage a minimum of five goals over his remaining nine games and in all honesty I’d expect more. Obviously he did limp off early last time out against Burnley meaning he was forced to withdraw from the Spanish squad, so check in with us on Friday afternoon when we bring you news from the Chelsea press conference, but if I were a betting man I’d put my money on him starting this weekend.

With QPR and Villa both having a double this week some of you will surely be looking for some coverage from at least one if not both of them and the best options are certainly QPR’s Charlie Austin and Villa’s Christian Benteke. QPR’s recent form is terrible, they’ve managed just one win in their last six and they’ve managed just one win away from home all season. Unfortunately both of their games are away from Loftus Road. Charlie Austin has been accused of not scoring enough goals away from home, 10 of his 15 have come at home although it’s worth noting that three of his last four have come on his travels, so there’s light at the end of the tunnel. While Austin has performed over the course of the season Benteke has only just remembered that he’s a footballer, picking up three goals and an assist in his last three. Villa have shown some decent form since ‘the gilet’ took charge, winning two of the five games he’s been in charge for, believe me that’s an improvement! With one of their games being at home to QPR that automatically means Villa have the easier double and therefore I’d go for Benteke over Austin. Should you bring either of them into your side don’t forget that both teams have a blank in GW33. Actually, with three goals in his last three games Gabby Agbonlahor also deserves a shout and at £5.3m he’s a cheap option for the double.

We’ll finish up this week with two cheaper options and they are West Ham’s Diafra Sakho and Leicester’s Jamie Vardy. Sakho had a great start to the season, scoring in five consecutive games between gameweeks 5 and 9. Unfortunately a combination of injury and Andy Carroll meant he hasn’t managed to reach those heights again, he’s only managed another four goals although two of those have come in his last five. The Hammers have a number of easy fixtures before the season end and if they choose not to the hit the beaches of Marbella early then Sakho is a good bet for a few goals. Ok so Vardy is the equivalent of a Hail Mary pass, but he has managed nine assists as well as two goals to date, and he is only £4.5m and he does have an imminent double gameweek. Have I convinced you?!

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Thanks for reading Kops Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 31. This article was written by Kop Warrior

Follow @KenLyons79

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