Tips Gameweek 17 FPL Fantasy Premier League

So the festive schedule is well and truly upon us and we are all set to embark on a trip that will take us through four game-weeks in just twelve days! In an ideal world you could just sit back and enjoy the ride, but with injuries and rotations to deal with we’re afraid that this is not going to be possible. With the likes of Zabaleta and Aguero already picking up injuries, many fantasy managers already have a headache! Here at FF247 we have put on our Christmas party hats to help you out and below we have outlined a number of players whom we feel can perform over the festive period.

Goalkeepers

Having only conceded a miserly five goals during his last eight games, three of which came in the Merseyside derby, Tim Howard is first up this week. When David Moyes left Goodison Park to be replaced by Roberto Martinez many assumed that Everton would become somewhat shaky at the back but this has certainly not been the case, as Howard already has eight clean sheets compared to ten for the whole of last season – in fact only Jussi Jaaskelainen has kept as many clean sheets in the Premiership to date. Take a quick look at Everton’s fixture list over the festive period and you will notice that the teams they face over the period have not been scoring freely of late. So as a result of Everton’s defensive form together with the calibre of their opposition we’re quietly confident that Howard will pick up a minimum of two clean sheets from the four games.

Despite conceding six goals at the Etihad last Saturday next up is Arsenal’s Wojciech Szczesny. Both Szczesny and the Arsenal defence in general should not judged on last week’s defeat as they won’t be the only team to take a battering at the Etihad this season and it should be noted that in the seven games prior to the City game that Szczesny had kept five clean sheets. Following the visit of Chelsea this weekend they face three games which they will be confident of winning, two of which are against West Ham and Cardiff who between them have only scored nine goals in their last eight games. We would also like to highlight at this stage that Arsenal’s fixture list into 2014 is relatively easy, so for those of you who plan to keep your January wildcard until the end of the month, Szczesny could just be the man for you.

Over the past two decades Manchester United have tended to do well over the Christmas and New Year period, whether that was as a result of a certain Scot we’re not sure, but we’re tipping their Spanish keeper David de Gea to have a solid festive period. From a defensive point of view United haven’t exactly set the world alight, they have conceded 19 goals & only kept four clean sheets to date. However, Everton & Southampton who have the meanest defences in the league have both conceded 15 goals which puts United’s tally into a little more perspective. With United facing a number of goal-shy teams over the holidays we believe that de Gea might be a solid option.

For those of you on the hunt for a cheap keeper to tide you over until early January we have two suggestions for you and they are Norwich’s John Ruddy & Crystal Palace’s Julian Speroni. Ruddy has picked up two clean sheets in his last four games and United aside, Norwich have quite an easy festive fixture list and at just £4.9m we feel that Ruddy warrants consideration if you’re trying to free up some cash. The Tony Pulis effect is already being felt at Selhurst Park as they have gone from being near certainties for relegation to possibilities for relegation. Speroni has kept four clean sheets in his last six games, something which would have been inconceivable in the early part of the season and at just £4.5m we feel that the Argentine could prove to be excellent value for money over the coming weeks and months.

Defenders

At the beginning of each season there are always a number of players who are identified as potential fantasy prospects. Seamus Coleman was one such prospect this season as many speculated that he might play as a wing back and while Martinez has not yet played with wing backs, Coleman has excelled at right back, in fact right now he’s possibly the best right back in the league. He is currently the highest scoring defender in this seasons FPL, while only three midfielders and three forwards have bettered his score. As a result of two goals and two clean sheets in his last four games his price has soared to £6.2m, but given his current form we believe that he still represents excellent value for money and given Everton’s upcoming fixtures he is likely to pick up a couple more clean sheets at the very least.

We’re pretty sure that Arsenal will be quite eager to bounce back following last week’s hammering at the hands of Manchester City and given their fixtures over the Christmas period they will be quietly confident of doing so. With six clean sheets do date the Arsenal defence has been a source of fantasy points and we feel that they are a good bet for a number of clean sheets over the next four games. Our tip from their defence is the German international Per Mertesacker who has an eye for goal as he demonstrated with his side’s third goal against City. Mertesacker demonstrated his commitment to Arsenal when he remonstrated with his compatriot Mesut Ozil at the final whistle for not applauding the travelling fans.

As we have highlighted above, Manchester United have only kept four clean sheets to date and as a result of this there is now potentially some value to be found in their defence. As a result of his not featuring at the beginning of the season we have seen Jonny Evans’ price drop to just £5.0m. However he has started nine of the clubs last eleven league games which would suggest he has nailed down one of the centre back spots, for now at least. Rafael has endured a tough season with injury restricting him to just six appearances thus far, he has however featured in the last three, starting the last two. The Brazilian enjoys getting forward from right back, a fact supported by the three goals and five assists he picked up last season. We fancy United for a couple of clean sheets over the coming weeks and at just £5.0m Evans could prove great value, although if you have an extra £0.9m to spare, well then the attacking exploits of Rafael might be of interest to you.

Having just taken a look at a number of defenders in the premium price bracket it is time to turn our attentions to the opposite end of the scale and we would like to highlight a number of defenders all priced at £4.5m or less, who we feel could serve you well over the holiday period. First up is Crystal Palace’s Joel Ward who is priced at just £4.0m. Over the last eight games Palace actually have the second best defence in the league, conceding just seven goals in that period. Ward is ideally priced to sit on your bench and given Palace’s recent solidity at the back he could quite easily deliver when called upon. Next up is Newcastle’s Mike Williamson who comes in at £4.4m and has picked up three clean sheets in his last seven games. Aside from a game at home to Arsenal in GW19 Newcastle have three fixtures from which they will hope to garner a couple of clean sheets.

Our final two defensive tips of 2014 are really for the gamblers out there, you know who we’re talking about! They are Sunderland’s Phil Bardsley and Fulham’s John Arne Riise. Despite the fact that they will sit at the foot of the table over Christmas, Sunderland will likely take a lot of confidence from their defeat of Chelsea in the quarter final of the League Cup. One look at their fixtures over the holidays would suggest that Santa has been rather kind to Sunderland and with Bardsley’s eye for goal we fancy him to be among the points over the coming games. Riise fell out of favour with Martin Jol but has started Rene Meulensteen’s first three games in charge. Following the visit of City this weekend Fulham have a number of games from which they will need to pick up some points and they could very well pick up the odd clean sheet in the process. Riise was always good value for the odd screamer during his time at Liverpool and if he manages to find his old boots, he could well be good value at £4.5m

Midfielders

Having missed the last five league games David Silva slotted seamlessly back into City’s midfield for last weekend’s destruction of Arsenal and in the process scored and picked up two bonus points. Silva has featured in eight league games this season and has delivered either a goal or an assist in six of those games, so there can be no denying the Spaniards class and having missed those recent games through injury he should be well rested ahead of the busy festive period. It has also been suggested that in the absence of Kun Aguero that Pellegrini could very well push Silva further forward in support of a lone striker. We can’t move on without once more tipping Yaya Toure who has been in stunning form this season and has picked up three goals and two assists in his last five games. With Aguero out injured for the next month or two it looks like Yaya will be the team’s first choice penalty taker which makes him even more appealing.

There were not many positives for Arsene Wenger to take from last weekend’s defeat to City, but one was Theo Walcott’s first start since GW4. Walcott didn’t disappoint his manager nor the fans as he scored twice. His goal scoring return will have pleased his gaffer as Olivier Giroud has not scored in his last three games. Currently featuring in just 4.3% of teams, Walcott represents an excellent differential over the festive period and with Arsenal having a great run of fixtures following this weekend’s visit of Chelsea, we reckon that Walcott could prove great value for money at £9.1m. Aaron Ramsey now features in a staggering 62.5% of teams and to be honest we don’t see this figure dropping any time soon, simply because we don’t believe there are any better options in his price bracket.

The general consensus seems to be that Chelsea have been playing poorly of late, however they have won four and drawn one of their last six, so while they may not be setting the world alight they’re not doing too badly. One player who has shone for them of late is Eden Hazard, with the Belgian scoring three and picking up five assists in his last six games. Chelsea possess a glittering array of midfield talent and it is Hazard who Mourinho has placed his faith in, with Ramires being the only midfielder to see more game time than Hazard. Chelsea have a mixed bag of fixtures over the holidays but we have seen nothing to suggest that Hazard will not deliver a number of presents to those of you who have him in your squads!

A couple of mid-priced midfielders who we feel warrant your consideration are Yohan Cabaye and Kevin Mirallas. Cabaye sat out Newcastle’s tie with Southampton last weekend as a result of picking up five yellow cards, but in the six games prior to that he scored one & picked up three assists, as well as six bonus points. The French international is unlikely to ever get you a big score but he has proved consistent and at just £6.5m you can’t ask for much more. With on-loan youngster Gerard Deulofeu set for a spell on the side lines, it would appear as though Mirallas is set for an extended run in the side. The Belgian may not have lived up to the pre-season hype, but he has still managed three goals and four assists and with Everton having a relatively easy run of fixtures he is certainly a decent option for those of you who want exposure to the Everton midfield.

For those of you looking for a cheap midfielder for over the holidays we have two names for you, Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling & Norwich’s Nathan Redmond. When Sterling made the breakthrough last season he automatically became England’s saviour and he was fast tracked into the senior English side. However, things have not gone according to plan for the youngster this season and there was even talk of him going on loan. Nevertheless, with injuries to both Sturridge & Gerrard, Sterling has grabbed his chance with two goals and an assist in his last three games. With Luis Suarez in sensational form he will create chances for others so a punt on Sterling might just work out. With three assists in his last five matches Redmond is starting to show the form which prompted Norwich to buy him from Birmingham. Norwich have some relatively fixtures over the Christmas period and we believe Redmond will continue with his fine form.

Forwards

If there is currently one ‘must have’ player in the FPL, that is surely your favourite Uruguayan, Luis Suarez! His recent stats are quite simply unbelievable…in his last three games he has scored seven and picked up six assists. From an FPL perspective he has scored 16 goals this season which is more than nine clubs have scored! He currently features in 46.5% of teams and to be honest, despite his price tag (£13.0m), given his form over the season we’re a little surprised that this figure is not higher. With back to back trips to Chelsea & City over Christmas, Liverpool’s fixtures don’t appear to be very tempting but with the form that Suarez is currently in we’re not sure if any defence is capable of shackling him. In short, Luis Suarez is the present that just keeps giving and giving!!

Kun Aguero’s calf injury has certainly thrown a spanner in the works for many fantasy managers. For those fantasy managers who were proud owners of the Argentine, maybe this is an opportunity to change things up, not only in your forward line but also the rest of your squad. We will now take a look at some obvious and not so obvious replacements for Aguero. Obviously for those of you who did not have Aguero in your squads these recommendations may also interest you as you look to spice things up.

The obvious candidates are Alvaro Negredo and Wayne Rooney (we realise Rooney may have an injury, however Moyes has said he could face West Ham at the weekend. Our advice to you is to monitor what Moyes says closely over the coming days). Negredo has largely played second fiddle to Aguero this season, but has still managed seven goals and three assists. With Aguero now out of the picture for the foreseeable future, Negredo will likely become Pellegrini’s main man up top and with the likes of Silva, Yaya & Nasri in such fine form behind him he will surely be provided with plenty of opportunities to boost his tally. Currently he is £2.8m cheaper than Aguero and this saving will allow to make improvements elsewhere. Rooney hasn’t had any really big scoring weeks this season but with eight goals and eight assists to date he has been quite consistent. At £11.3m he is not going to save you as much as Negredo but with Robin van Persie currently out of the equation Rooney will be on the vast majority of set pieces which makes any player a more attractive proposition.

Romelu Lukaku also warrants serious consideration, particularly when you consider Everton’s upcoming fixtures. The Belgian hasn’t managed to get amongst the goals of late but has chipped in with an assist in each of his last three games to keep the points ticking over. Despite having a number of difficult fixtures of late Everton currently sit third in the form table having won four and drawn four of their last eight, scoring 15 goals in the process. So with Everton clearly in form and with a relatively easy festive schedule, we’re confidently tipping Lukaku to be back amongst the goals sooner rather than later.

A number of somewhat cheaper strikers have been performing well of late and as a result we feel they warrant some attention. They are Norwich’s Gary Hooper (£6.1m), Newcastle’s Yoan Gouffran (£6.4m) and Southampton’s Jay Rodriguez (£6.0m). Hooper took his time to settle in following his move south of the border but with four goals in his last six games he has certainly settled in. As we have alluded to, Norwich will be confident of picking up some points over Christmas and if that happens we’re confident that Hooper will be among the goals. Gouffran continues to fly under the radar despite four goals in his last seven games. We should point out that all of these have been scored at St. James Park, but hey it doesn’t really matter where he scores them. Newcastle don’t have the worst fixtures over the holidays and with two of them at home, Gouffran could very well be amongst the goals yet again. Southampton’s form has taken a dip of late, in fact they’ve only won two of their last eight games. However throughout these eight games Rodriguez has performed well and has scored six times. They have a number of tough fixtures over the coming weeks but with Rodriguez displaying the type of form which could book him a ticket to Brazil he could be great value at just £6.0m.

Finally, some fantasy managers have recently mentioned the possibility of moving to a 3-5-2 system. Obviously to do this you need a cheap striker who is playing regularly whom you can have on your bench every week. Currently we feel that there are two players who fit perfectly into this category and they are Stoke’s Peter Crouch (£5.5m) and Marouane Chamakh (£4.8m) of Crystal Palace. Crouch has started each of Stoke’s last eight matches and in that period he has scored twice and picked up three assists. Chamakh has started the last three for Palace, scoring in each of those and picking up six bonus points.

This article was written by Kop Warrior.