GAMEWEEK 24
I want to preface the analysis portion of the article by saying the matches this week do not look very appetizing. Usually there are a couple matches that look like they can provide oodles of fantasy goodness. I do not foresee that being the case this week, on the whole. If things break the right way, maybe we can get a couple surprise games give us something on the goal front. Last week, I liked the possibilities on DK more so than Fanduel. I think it is the reverse.
Chelsea v Arsenal — This is the early match of the day; and, for once, it actually counts for something on Fanduel. With no late swap on FD, I actually like this slate of 3 games to play. The chance that people try to find as much fantasy production in this game since they will know who is starting for sure, intrigues me. There are 2 players I am watching in this match: Eden Hazard and Alexis Sanchez.
Arsenal allows a quarter of shots against them to come from Hazard’s side of the field when they are on the road. Hazard did not record a shot last home match and was granted rest after 71 minutes. If you look at his last 3 home matches, he has 7 shots. He has also been involved in 16 shots. I expect him to find the stat sheet.
On the Arsenal side of things, Sanchez has been fairly quiet. They have played a lot of home matches recently. Where he really shines is on the road. 7 shots and 2 goals in his last 2 road tilts. He is itching to make some noise and I am sure he is pissed after their showing against Watford. That was a huge spot for the Gunners and they failed, dropping further behind Chelsea. Giroud is facing a late fitness test, so we are not sure if he will feature here. This seems like the type of game where the little guy just puts his team on his back. I probably like him either way; but, if Giroud is out, I hope there is room on his back for me, too.
In slack chat, I mentioned how I believe that Fanduel took the criticism of their early pricing structure to heart and tried to go the other way, making it harder to build a roster they way you would like. Not necessarily a bad thing, although winning scores have come way down. Well, this is a week we can take advantage of that. It has been weeks since I have seen a guy priced over 10K on DK, as Alexis Sanchez is this week. On FD, Sanchez is the third highest priced footballer behind Firmino and Diego Costa.
Crystal Palace v Sunderland — I’m putting this game up because there aren’t too many Times when we get to target Crystal Palace. On a slate where scoring appears to be down, we can look to a team that has upside for putting up 3 goals. I am not buying what happened this past weekend. Sunderland’s defense is awful and they are missing their best defender.
If you are a VIP member, you might see my team sheets in the slack chat in the #soccer-talk channel. There you will find all kinds of awesome info like how Sunderland has given up 2.33 big chances in their last 3 away matches. Couple that with the fact that they lose aerial fuel and are missing their starting interior defense and I like Christian Benteke this week.
At home, Palace sends in a boatload of crosses and I bet 90% of them are aimed at him. Ok that’s a gut stat. I can’t back that up. Seems right, though, right? I mean why not aim at him? Let’s not forget that they have their inspiration back in Wilfried Zaha. He will help to control play a bit. He shall be involved quite a bit, overall. Jason Puncheon will likely handle set piece duties and Sunderland tends to foul in dangerous areas.
I used to say defenses under siege were a GPP play but that was before 4 or 5 defenders started scoring on the regular. I am completely off of Sunderland on a slate like this.
Everton v Bournemouth — Every week we see Everton in a good spot like this, Lukaku seems to be the target but we cannot forget about his partner in crime, Ross Barkley. He touches the ball every 1.34 minutes and has a 70% successful pass rate in the final third. That is also complete with 8 key passes in the last couple home matches. Basically, he will be heavily involved. Seamus Coleman makes a solid cash/core play since he moved to more of a midfield position.
Bournemouth is a GPP play at home. On the road, they are more of a GPP punt. They, like many teams don’t answer the call on the road. Everton has been good defensively recently, so I wouldn’t get over-exposed to Bournemouth.
Best of the Rest
Christian Eriksen – I am back on him this week because Boro is pesky defensively and he is the Tottenham playmaker. He should record many crosses and probably a couple of shots as Boro forces shots from further out. He has better upside on DK where shots count for points on their own and don’t have to be on target. He has 6 shots in his last 2 home matches (only 1 on target) and all of them have been from outside the 18 yd box. Tottenham will own possession.
Matt Phillips – In addition to being an enabler, he leads his team in shots in their last 2 home games.
Captain’s Armband
Christian Benteke – In their last 3 away matches, Sunderland has given up 9 goals. Their central defense will be lacking. He has 2 goal upside.
Keepers
My top 2 options are:
Tom Heaton – Burnley turns defensive, so Watford should take many shots.
Joel Robles – Everton plays solid defense at home and better offense. He should get the win and face a few shots in the process.
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Best of luck!