GW33 Goalkeeper options
All of us see Wayne Hennessey (4.3) as an excellent option due to his integral role in a Crystal Palace defence that has kept three clean sheets in as many home matches and last saw their goal line breached at Selhurst Park back in Gameweek 24.
Stoke City custodian Lee Grant (4.4) is another with strong support, ahead of Hull City’s visit to the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday. Despite conceding twice at home against Liverpool in Gameweek 32, the Potters have been resilient on familiar turf, where they have six shut-outs – a tally only bettered by Chelsea, Everton and Spurs. The Tigers, meanwhile, are among the most travel sick sides in recent weeks, scoring just twice in their last six away matches and a mere eight times on the road this season. But keep in mind that there’s some doubt in mind Grant will start as Jack Butland completed 90 minutes for Stoke’s reserves midweek in his injury comeback.
If you’re worried about picking Lee Grant instead, you can choose West Ham’s Darren Randolph (4.4), who drops by the Stadium of Light to visit the Premier League’s most out of form attacking unit. David Moyes’ troops last scored in Gameweek 24, making the 1.8 %-owned Irishman a strong candidate despite his solitary vote and West Ham’s concession of 13 goals over their last six.
Joel Robles (4.7) should also be consdiered to Everton’s aforementioned strong defensive home form, which is unlikely to be troubled by a Burnley side that has scored just nine times away from Turf Moor.
GW33 Defender options
Spurs’ Ben Davies (4.9) is part of the Premier League’s best home defence with 10 shut-outs – a record that will be put to the test when Bournemouth visit on the back of scoring nine goals in their last six. But with four shots and six chances created for team-mates in his last five starts, the 3%-owned Welshman offers the added security of attacking potential to further justify his inclusion.
As already mentioned, Stoke have a solid prospect of a clean sheet when Hull visit, with the 8.6%-owned Pieters offering further routes to points, earning bonus points five times this season.
Goal threat is Alonso’s strength, having scored five times, including his sensational free kick against Bournemouth in his last run-out. He visits a Manchester United side that has struggled for goals at Old Trafford – over their last six home games, Jose Mourinho’s troops have failed to score on two occasions and only registered more than a single goal once, back in Gameweek 25 against Watford.
There’s the potential for disagreement should we back an Everton defender over Robles for their home tie with Burnley. I’m backing the in-form Phil Jagielka (4.7), who has two goals and an assist in his last pair of matches and looks to be taking over from the injured Seamus Coleman as the Toffees backline’s most potent threat. The FPL transfer market agrees with me, with 52,000+ bringing him in since Saturday.
But with four shots and six chances created for team-mates in his last five starts, the 3%-owned Welshman offers the added security of attacking potential to further justify his inclusion.
As already mentioned, Stoke have a solid prospect of a clean sheet when Hull visit, with the 8.6%-owned Pieters offering further routes to points, earning bonus points five times this season.
Goal threat is Alonso’s strength, having scored five times, including his sensational free kick against Bournemouth in his last run-out. He visits a Manchester United side that has struggled for goals at Old Trafford – over their last six home games, Jose Mourinho’s troops have failed to score on two occasions and only registered more than a single goal once, back in Gameweek 25 against Watford.
There’s the potential for disagreement should we back an Everton defender over Robles for their home tie with Burnley, with each of us picking a different player. I’m backing the in-form Phil Jagielka (4.7), who has two goals and an assist in his last pair of matches and looks to be taking over from the injured Seamus Coleman as the Toffees backline’s most potent threat. The FPL transfer market agrees with me, with 52,000+ bringing him in since Saturday.
Another put forward for consideration is Arsenal’s right back Hector Bellerin (6.5), who travels to Teeside to take on a Middlesbrough attack that has scored just 12 times in front of their own fans, an unwelcome Premier League record this season.
Mamadou Sakho (4.8) gets a mention due to Palace’s strong recent defensive form and him earning maximum bonus returns in two of his last five run-outs.
GW33 Midfielder options
With Spurs and Everton featuring so heavily, I didn’t want to seem biased and so have therefore picked Philippe Coutinho as my first pick. Costing £8.4m, the Brazilian surprised a lot of fantasy managers when he came on at half time and scored that goal against Stoke. Flu? Cold? Well, Klopp wasn’t having any of that for any longer than the first half – not with the amount of injuries bringing down the team. So, that was eight points, which followed seven against Bournemouth and 13 against Everton – it’s fair to say he’s enjoying some good form. The Brazilian has scored nine so far this season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him score a good few more between now and the end of Gameweek 38, as the Reds try and push for Europe. His next opponent? West Brom, who seem to have surprisingly called it a day the past two games, having beaten Arsenal and drawn at Old Trafford. After that? Crystal Palace at home. Not bad.
So, Liverpool score goals. Lots of them, in fact – they’re top of the charts when it comes to the ball finding the back of the net, with 68 so far this Premier League campaign (actual league leaders Chelsea are second with 65). Coutinho also benefits from the fact that he is joined in midfield by the likes of Firmino, who – bar his absence against Burnley – has found a good bit of form since Arsenal came to Anfield in Gameweek 27.
Next in line is Heung-Min Son. As many of you know, Harry Kane ran on to the pitch and almost immediately made an impact in the Watford match. While Kane was injured it was of course Son who deputised for him and it was widely assumed that once Kane returned Son would be back on the bench. However, against Watford Spurs went to four at the back and should they continue with this they can accommodate Son, Alli, Eriksen & Kane in a mouthwatering quartet. This guy’s form is fantastic, having scored 19 points at home to Watford, seven away at Swansea and six away at Burnley. Or four goals and one assist, if you prefer. This week, he will be facing Bournemouth who have conceded 59 times so far this season – only Hull and Swansea have let in more.
Of course, Son benefits from some excellent colleagues like Dele Alli (53 points in the last six games), Christian Eriksen (44 points in the last six games) and now Kane. If they’re not bagging in the points themselves, they’re providing the assists. Seriously, if you still don’t have at least one of those players, get that sorted! Such great form, coupled with the fact Spurs have great fixtures in Gameweeks 34, 36 and 38 (and an extra fixture that needs to be fitted into the schedule), means that Son is a great player to have in your team – especially considering how cheap he is at a mere £7.1m.
Next in line is Wilfried Zaha, the Crystal Palace midfielder who has really found some form under Sam Allardyce. His barnstormer of a game against Arsenal, where he got two assists and three bonus points, followed on from 11 points in their win at Chelsea and eight points in the match at The Hawthorns. This gameweek, Leicester arrive at Selhurst Park who lost their first game under Craig Shakespeare after six straight wins. Admittedly there were quite a few changes in the team for their trip to Goodison Park, but four goals conceded showed that there is potential for Zaha to also punish them. Also consider Andros Townsend who is also £5.8m and has enjoyed two assists and a goal in his last two games. Of course, with such good results against the likes of Arsenal and – most surprisingly – Chelsea, you shouldn’t be put off by Crystal Palace’s next two fixtures. What’s more, the trip to Liverpool and home game against Tottenham are actually a double gameweek.
My next recommendation is Eden Hazard. I remember that, earlier in the season, it was very much the dilemma of who to have in your team between him and Alexis Sanchez – unless you did manage to fit both in, of course – however it’s fair to say that Hazard is the premier choice now. He has the highest form behind Son, Alli and Eriksen (which just shows how essential having at least one of them is at the moment, but I digress), having enjoyed ten points away at Bournemouth and 13 when he scored both of Chelsea’s goals in their 2-1 win over Man City. Chelsea have some challenging fixtures coming up now, as they go to Old Trafford this week and Goodison Park in Gameweek 35, however this guy is fixture proof and is the main man for the team at the moment.
Bournemouth don’t have a particularly great fixture this gameweek. In fact, you could say it’s probably one of the most difficult fixtures, with Spurs’ dangerous form at the moment. However, do still consider Joshua King. Since the 2-2 draw against Watford back in Gameweek 22, this guy has only scored less than four points in only three games, with the 6-3 loss at Everton and 3-2 win over West Ham the biggest points hauls with 13 and 18 points respectively. Add to that the fact nine points were earned away at Manchester United, seven at Liverpool and nine at home to Chelsea, this guy isn’t afraid to take on the big boys. After the game at White Hart Lane, King and the rest of the Bournemouth squad welcome Middlesbrough, Stoke and Burnley to the Vitality Stadium, with travel to Sunderland also on the cards. Certainly not bad fixtures.
A good one-week punt could be Manuel Lanzini (£6.4m). I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t think I would be including him before I did my research, however this guy is up against a Sunderland squad that is feeling sorry for itself at the moment. You wouldn’t put it past him to either assist or find the back of the net to start to ease the worries of West Ham fans as they see their team close to the relegation spots.
GW33 Forward options
My first pick has actually been really difficult. Kane or Lukaku? Well, it was tough but my premier choice is Harry Kane. When he went off injured, we all feared the worst – that’s his season gone. Well, after missing just three games, the number 10 managed to play 30 minutes against Watford and, instantly, you could see he was fired up. Sure he didn’t score, but he could easily have and, no doubt starting against Bournemouth this weekend for his first full match, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back to his best. At £11.3m at the time of writing, I would buy him up as soon as possible because the player’s price will only go one direction – up. Already, 47,000 people have signed him up. As previously mentioned, Spurs have some great fixtures up – their match against Arsenal could be very interesting given the contrasting fortunes of the two teams.
It’ll come as no surprise that my next pick is Romelu Lukaku. I noticed a good few people sold the striker the last two gameweeks, however the match against Leicester really showed what he is capable of. The last six games have seen 51 points for Lukaku owners and Burnley coming to town could also be lucrative – 11 goals have been scored in Everton’s last three home matches. Quite an incredible stat. If you’re reading this and thinking smugly that you do have him in your team, you’re not short of company, he’s in a whopping 45.5 per cent of teams – the highest percentage of any forward.
Another forward you should consider is the shy and retiring Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Since his return, he has managed two goals and an assist and so you wouldn’t be surprised to see him manage something against Chelsea, as tricky as the fixture will be for the Red Devils. That said, the Londoners haven’t kept a clean sheet since Gameweek 22 when they beat Hull 2-0 (quite the disappointment to owners of the Chelsea defence) and so Zlatan may just find the back of the net once more. After this, Manchester United enjoy a double gameweek away at Burnley and Manchester City, making the Swedish player a good triple captain candidate.
With Kane costing £11.3m, Lukaku setting you back £10.4m and a high £11.4m pricetag for Zlatan, I thought I would finish with a forward who isn’t too expensive. I would recommend Christian Benteke at £7.1m. Unfortunately, he was a bit of a let-down when it came to the Arsenal game – the midfield pretty much stole the show leaving him to his standard two points for showing up. Two goals and an assist in the two matches before that have, however, put the Belgian on the radar of a good few fantasy managers. Before the Chelsea game, in fact, he hadn’t reached double figures since Gameweek 14 when they beat Southampton 3-0. Being at home against Leicester, you wouldn’t put it past him to get on the scoresheet once again. If nothing does happen in that game, though, just remember that Crystal Palace have a double gameweek next up.
GW33 Captain options
Who do we think are the best captain choices for this upcoming gameweek? I feel there are a few good choices
Lukaku – Everton face Burnley at home. Burnley are terrible away from home, Lukaku is in great form and a majority of Everton goals go through him
Kane – Kane is back! Tottenham are in superb form and scoring for fun while Bournemouth have been shaky at the back for a long time now. I have a feeling Kane will be pick up where he left off before his injury.
Aguero – Always captain Aguero has been the motto in past seasons, he has 10 in 10 and doesn’t look like he’s stopping anytime soon
Hazard – In great form, is turning performances into points FPL wise, is the epicentre of the Chelsea attack and looked extremely dangerous against Utd both times they’ve faced this season already
Sanchez – Those who are keeping him could benefit from a big haul next week. Boro are in terrible form, Arsenal will want to prove themselves after their terrible loss last night and Sanchez has had great away days in the past
Credit – Swirly & Jonty