Let’s enjoy that England has not gone forward with their daylight savings time yet, so we have an extra hour to wake up and prepare. Which is good because I could use the sleep. We have a solid 6 game slate for our viewing pleasure.
Meat and Potatoes
These 3 games I am gonna highlight for you seem to provide the most chances for fantasy goodness.
West Ham v Leicester City
West Ham does not defend well and neither does the road version of Leicester. Leicester is even starting to find their footing a bit when it comes to their offensive game so I want both sides of this one. For West Ham, I am looking in the direction of Andy Carroll. Leicester usually loses the aerial duels and that is what he excels at. If Carroll is knocking them down, then we know Manuel Lanzini is setting him up.
I am scared Jamie Vardy is gonna suck me into taking him this week. He is starting to play better, but I don’t think I can pay his price for someone as inconsistent as he. I will likely have some exposure to whoever plays up top alongside Vardy, though. In West Ham’s last 3 home games, they have given up a combined 8 goals. The only sexy name on the Leicester team is Riyad Mahrez and you can bet he will have decent ownership on saturday. I don’t hate him but he has been pretty quiet post-AFCON. I would think someone has to score, but Leicester is having trouble scoring on the road. This could mean a solid game for a facilitator like Marc Albrighton, especially on a site like Draftkings where crosses add to a player’s floor.
Everton v Hull
Hull doesn’t do a lot of things well and that doesn’t bode well for them going into a place where the home side loves to put up goals. I wouldn’t be surprised if Everton jumps on them early and often. I might look at someone like Andrea Ranocchia on Fanduel. He will have a lot of chances for interceptions and clearances. He is my favorite play from the hull side. You can use Yakupovic in GPPs if you want but I am sure I will like other keepers better when we get to them. Everton really could get wild in this one.
It starts with Romelu Lukaku. After him, it’s Romelu Lukaku. He is just that on fire right now. You can fire him up in your cash game. The rest of the lineup gets played around with a bit. If Kevin Mirallas plays, he can get some set piece action. Ross Barkley has 2 assists in his last 2 games, but his price is creeping up. You will have decisions to make. Seamus Coleman looks to be in a good spot, too. Everton should get the lion’s share of the possession so he should have many opportunities to get forward in the attack.
Bournemouth v Swansea
This is the hammer. This is also the game of the week, in my opinion. Neither team defends particularly well and both need the points. I smell goals; and the great thing about the late game is the public’s aversion to attack the game. Don’t fear the late games. On DK, you have the late swap but on Fanduel just do it.
Gylfie Sigurdsson commands so much of his team’s possession that I couldn’t fault you for thinking of him. He is pretty expensive though. If you are going the lukaku route, it could be tough to take them both. Instead, I wonder if I can interest you in the likes of Fernando Llorente. Bournemouth tends to lose aerial battles and they let the offense get in close. He could be a cheaper option on a slate with Costa and Lukaku. He also has 38% goal scoring odds.
The defenders for swansea are solid options and a cheap way to get some exposure. Alfie Mawson is a solid choice. For you FD folks, he should do it all. For you DK heads, I am expecting he will get off a shot or two and he has goal upside on set pieces. We need to see if that pans out but he is cheap if he starts. I will take the shot. Kyle Naughton should be healthy and ready to go.
In their last 5 away matches, swansea has conceded 2, 3, 2, 2, 2 goals. Bournemouth scores goals at home. I want me some bournemouth. Josh King is the guy who people will probably gravitate towards and I can’t find a reason to stray from him. Even if he doesn’t score his position on the field leaves him open to rack up shots and peripheral stats. While Swansea is not typically an aggressive team, Bournemouth’s style of play tends to draw fouls. Ryan Fraser is taking set pieces for Bournemouth, last I checked. I am going to mention Benik Afobe, too. Swansea has been burned by forwards and he will be lower owned than Josh King.
Between the Sticks
Here are my top 3 goalkeeper options for the slate.
- Huerelho Gomes – Crystal Palace has been shooting a ton and putting a lot of ball on frame lately. They don’t score much, though. They have 12 shots on target over the last 2 home ties and have only 1 goal to show for it.
- Jordan Pickford – Burnley fights hard on the road and refuses to be shutout. There is save potential for Pickford in a matchup that could rule the roost in terms of total shots attempted.
- Wayne Hennessey – Reason 1: Palace should give up a few shots and he is no slouch. Reason 2: I’ve drank a lot of hennessy over the past week.
I guess a bonus keeper would be Tom Heaton because he rocks, but beware because sunderland doesn’t put a lot of balls on frame.
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Best of luck and if you are still celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, sláinte!