Tips Gameweek 24 FPL Fantasy Premier League

Tips Gameweek 24 FPL Fantasy Premier League

The joys of midweek football means that we are only catching our breath from GW23 when we have to start planning for GW24, throw transfer deadline day into the mix and it is a recipe for a potential disaster. Due to the short turn around period between game-weeks we have decided for one week only to take a different path with our weekly tips and we have decided to focus on clubs outside the top 7 which actually doesn’t include Manchester United, although we would like to point out that both Mata and RvP would have been discussed should we have taken our normal path. Anyway, enough of the waffle, below we have outlined a number of the lesser lights who we feel could serve you well over the coming weeks.

Goalkeepers

In FPL terms and in reality Artur Boruc was one of the stars of the early part of this season as he picked up six clean sheets from his first nine games. However, since GW9 he has only picked up a solitary clean sheet, admittedly he did sit out seven games with a hand injury. Despite this we are quietly confident that Boruc will pick up a number of clean sheets over the coming weeks as six of their next seven games are against teams currently in the bottom half of the table and at just £4.7m the Pole could prove to be great value. It’s also worth noting that Victor Wanyama available again and his partnership with Morgan Schneiderlin in front of the back four should further solidify the Saints.

Cardiff have not kept a clean sheet in their past seven games and have conceded 18 goals in that period, but despite that we are this week tipping David Marshall. When you consider that they travelled to face Liverpool, Arsenal and both Manchester clubs in the past seven games their recent defensive record is hardly surprising. The Bluebirds have put those tough fixtures behind them and are now set to embark on a run of much more straightforward fixtures from which we envisage they will pick up a number of clean sheets. With new manager Ole Solskjaer still seemingly undecided on his best back four, Marshall would appear to be the cheapest guaranteed route into the Cardiff defence and could prove good value at £4.7m. Finally, it should be noted that the Scot has picked up at least one save bonus point on 17 occasions this season.

We’re not quite sure what Jussi Jaaskelainen has done to upset Sam Allardyce but he has certainly done something and this has allowed Spaniard Adrian to usurp the gloves at Upton Park. He has certainly impressed of late picking up two clean sheets in his last three games including a superb performance against Chelsea on Wednesday night which saw him pick up three bonus points. The Hammers are well and truly in a relegation battle and if they are to survive, we suspect they will do it on the back of a solid defence which will see Adrian pick up a number of clean sheets over the coming weeks and at just £4.3m he could prove excellent value for money.

Defenders

As we have outlined above, Southampton have a run of fixtures coming up from which we expect they will pick up a number of clean sheets and should you decide that Boruc is not for you we would suggest you consider one of their defenders, with both Jose Fonte and Luke Shaw being excellent options. Fonte has featured in all but two league games this season and in the process he has scored twice, picked up eight clean sheets as well as eleven bonus points. Despite concerns over his injury record, Shaw has only missed three games this season and has picked up two assists, seven clean sheets and five bonus points. At £5.1m Fonte is £0.3m more expensive than Shaw, however we’d slightly favour the Portuguese centre back as a result of his goal threat.

As we have alluded to above, in terms of fixtures Cardiff have had a tough time of it of late, however their next four fixtures are considerably easier as they welcome Norwich, Villa &

Hull while they travel to near neighbours Swansea. Take a look at their defensive options in the FPL and it would appear as though there are a number of bargains, however the problem is that Solskjaer is yet to settle on his first choice back four with the only guaranteed starter being Steven Caulker and as a result it is he who we are tipping. Granted, Caulker is the most expensive option but he has started every game this season, scoring twice & picking up 12 bonus points and in the process he has accumulated over 20 points more than the next best.

Should you feel Jaaskelainen may regain the gloves at West Ham and therefore the acquisition of Adrian is too risky you might want to consider one of their back four. However this could also cause you some problems, because due to injuries Big Sam has had to chop and change his defence on a regular basis this season and as a result it’s difficult to know what his first choice back four is. However our tip is James Collins who has started each of the last two games and is priced at just £4.1m meaning that he is ideally priced to be your 4^th or 5^th defender and given their upcoming fixtures he could potentially provide you with a clean sheet if called upon.

Finally, before we move onto the midfielders, two defenders who warrant some attention are Swansea’s Chico Flores and Norwich’s Martin Olsson. Swansea have been rather leaky at the back this season conceding 33 goals and only keeping six clean sheets. However last time out against Fulham they held firm and have a number of fixtures coming up from which they could quite possibly pick up a number of clean sheets. In Flores they have a defender who knows where the goal is and he has already chipped in with two goals & an assist this season and at just £4.9m he could prove value for money over the coming weeks. Norwich’s form has been rather poor of late but this can hardly be blamed on their defence as they have only conceded seven in their last eight games, keeping clean sheets in each of their last two. They host City & Spurs in game-weeks 25 &27, but aside from these fixtures we would expect them to pick up a number of clean sheets and at just £4.2m Olsson will allow you to splash the cash elsewhere.

Midfielders

Having picked up two England caps this season it can certainly be described as a breakthrough season for 25 year old Adam Lallana. Take a look at his stats in the lower divisions for the club and it’s hardly surprising that with six goals and six assists he is quickly becoming the clubs talisman. It should be noted that the English international is currently in good form having picked up three goals, three assists & seven bonus points in his last seven games and with Southampton having a number of extremely tempting fixtures over the coming game-weeks we feel that Lallana will continue to be one of their star performers. Should you feel that Lallana at £7.6m is slightly too expensive for your taste, you could consider his midfield colleague Steven Davis who is priced at £4.7m. The Northern Irish international has started the clubs last 13 league games and has scored once and picked up four assists to date. If you are on the hunt for a cheap midfielder well then Davis could be the man for you and it’s worth noting that he features in just 0.3% of teams.

Sunderland sit 8^th in the current form table with three wins and four draws from their last eight games. During this period they have scored ten goals of which Adam Johnson has scored five in the last three games, while he has also chipped in with two assists. It would appear that the 26 year old is finally starting to live up to the potential that saw Manchester City take him from Middlesbrough back in 2010 and given his current form he would appear to a solid investment at just £6.7m. Sunderland face a derby against Newcastle this weekend before playing Hull, Man City & Arsenal so they clearly don’t have the easiest of fixtures, but given their form as well as his own, we believe that Johnson warrants serious consideration.

A few weeks back we tipped Jason Puncheon and were left with egg on our faces as in his very next game he went and took ‘that penalty’ – he must have read David Moyes’ article! He has bounced back admirably since then and has scored the solitary goal in the clubs last two games, picking up six bonus points in the process. Admittedly, Palace have a number of extremely difficult fixtures coming up but at just £4.9m Puncheon could very well be the 5^th midfielder you’re looking for, whether or not he’s still the designated penalty taker, only time will tell.

A couple of other midfielders who we feel warrant a mention are West Brom’s James Morrison and Steve Sidwell of Fulham. West Brom are most certainly embroiled in the relegation battle, but that’s hardly surprising given the fact that they’ve only won one of their last eight games and unfortunately for them their fixtures don’t get any easier as two of their next three games are against Liverpool and Chelsea. However, given new manager Pepe Mel’s desire to play football we feel that Morrison will be instructed to push forward and with the Scottish international having picked up three assists in his last two games, the signs are positive. Just like West Brom, Fulham’s recent form has been very poor and their impending fixtures are rather tough! Alarmingly for Fulham, Sidwell is the clubs top scorer with five league goals to date, but this is quite positive news for FPL managers as it certainly demonstrates that he knows where the goal is. Admittedly picking either of these players can only be seen as a punt but you have to save money somewhere and with a number of strikers currently in form maybe your midfield is the place to do it.

Forwards

When Christian Benteke scored four goals in his first four games most of us assumed that he had picked up from where he left off last season. However as a result of injuries and a loss of form he then went 16 game-weeks without finding the back of the net, but three goals in his last three games would suggest that slowly but surely he is starting to recapture the form that saw him plunder 19 goals last season. Villa travel to Merseyside this weekend to face an Everton side minus Coleman & Distin and then face games vs West Ham & Cardiff, both of whom are currently struggling. Villa will have gained a certain amount of confidence following Wednesday night’s derby win over West Brom, so they should provide Benteke with the opportunities over the coming weeks and as he currently features in just 9.5% of teams he represents somewhat of a differential.

Swansea have hardly been scoring freely of late, in fact they have only scored five times in their last eight games, three of which were scored by Wilfried Bony. However, when you take a look at who they have faced over the past weeks their lack of goals is hardly surprising. It is also worth noting that over recent weeks Swansea have had to deal with injuries to key midfielders but with the majority of these now available for selection the supply line to Bony should improve. Over the coming weeks they face a number of teams who are also embroiled in the rather large relegation dog fight and with Bony recently showing glimpses of form we imagine that he will be among the goals and just like Benteke he represents a differential featuring in just 5.1% of teams.

As we have already alluded to a number of times Southampton really do have an attractive fixture list over the coming weeks making Jay Rodriguez a very tempting option at just £6.3m. Just like his club mate Lallana, Rodriguez has also picked up his first English cap this season, largely due to his consistency with the Saints. With nine goals, he is the clubs leading scorer and has also chipped in with three assists and with a goal & an assist in his last two games he is in good touch as Southampton embark on this run of fixtures. At £6.3m he is ideally priced if you’re looking for a cheap 3^rd striker who you will play every week.

Unfortunately, aside from these three there are slim pickings when assessing the forwards from the clubs outside of the current top seven. However two strikers who we feel could spark into life over the coming weeks are Hull’s Shane Long and West Ham’s Andy Carroll. Scoring goals has been an issue for Hull this season, they’ve only managed to hit the back of the net on 22 occasions and Steve Bruce will undoubtedly be hoping that new recruit Shane Long is the answer to their problems. We believe that if the Irish international is given a good run in the side that he will score the goals that will see the Tigers to safety and at just £5.6m he’s possibly cheap enough to use as a bench player should you choose to field five in midfield. Just like West Brom, West Ham have also struggled for goals this term and they will certainly be hopeful that the return of Carroll will be the spark that they need. With three of their next four games at home we wouldn’t be at all surprised if Carroll, who must be nearly fit enough the play the full 90 minutes, registers a number of goals over the coming weeks.

This article was written by Kop Warrior.

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