We’re whizzing through the gameweeks now, with just nine fixtures left before the 2017/18 Premier League season comes to an end.
The title race has been a mere formality for a few months now, but Manchester City cemented their place at the summit with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea on Super Sunday. Perhaps the most exciting fixture during GW29 took place on Monday, when Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United roared back from 2-0 down to beat Crystal Palace 3-2.
In Fantasy Premier League terms, the GW average was just 46, with Tottenham Hotspur’s Heung-Min Son top scoring with 16 points, rewarding his 11.1% ownership.
Anyway, let’s get started with our picks for GW30…
Three players to buy
Trent Alexander-Arnold – Liverpool - £4.3million
Trent Alexander-Arnold has shown me enough over the last four games to warrant an inclusion. I love cheap defenders who play for a top-six club, because they’re an excellent chance at clean-sheet points, and £4.3million is just brilliant value.
Sure, the young right-back will drift in and out of the team, but when he doesn’t play, your first substitute will come on in his place so no harm will be done. He scored 9 points last time out against Newcastle, and following Liverpool’s trip to Old Trafford this weekend, I like the look of the Red Men’s fixtures.
Bernardo Silva – Manchester City - £7.4million
Manchester City’s other ‘Silva’ has really come into his own over the last few weeks. He’s shown a big-game pedigree, scoring goals against both Arsenal and Manchester City, and that has understandably seen his price rise slightly.
However, he’s still only £7.4million, owned by just 1.5% of players! That is the stuff of dreams for me, and I’ve already placed him in my team. Take a look at Manchester City’s upcoming fixtures and no doubt you’ll do the same.
Glenn Murray – Brighton - £5.8million
Five goals over the last five GWs speaks for itself. Murray is in excellent form at present, helping Brighton propel up the Premier League table rather nicely. I absolutely love his £5.8million price-tag, but what’s even better is his 4.6% ownership.
After a slow start to his season, Murray has made the starting-job his own and it’s highly unlikely that he’ll be stuck back on the bench anytime soon. As a third-choice striker or your first substitute option, this feels like great value.
Three players to sell
Harry Maguire – Leicester city - £5.5million
Not long ago, England fans were talking about potentially calling Maguire up for the World Cup. It’s fair to say that talk has stopped as Leicester haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last five Premier League outings.
Defenders are always hit and miss options in FPL, hence why I like to go for the cheaper options and spend big-bucks on my attackers. £5.5million is just way too much for a man that cannot buy a defensive shutout. I’m surprised that 13% of players have stuck with the former Hull City man…
Theo Walcott – Everton - £7.2million
It feels as though Theo Walcott’s honeymoon period is now over, after failing to score or assist in any of his last four games for Everton. I’ve always found that the ex-Arsenal man has been a streaky FPL player, and he does tend to go through long dry spells.
The £7.2million is a fairly chunky amount of cash to play with; heck, Bernardo Silva costs just £0.2million more and I certainly know where I’d rather put my money.
Jamie Vardy – Leicester City - £8.7million
The Englishman has drawn two blanks during his last two outings against AFC Bournemouth and Stoke City. His £8.7million doesn’t represent good value considering how inconsistent he is, particularly when there are far better options in and around his price-range.
If you’ve been following these posts, you’ll know just how much I hate high ownership. Vardy is in 18% of teams and that’s just too large for my liking. Bin him off and go with someone else.
As usual, good luck in you’re leagues. Don’t forget now is the time to consider playing your wildcard, bench boost and triple captain if you still have them. You may as well try take advantage, as they’ll only go to waste if you don’t.
