Weekly Picks: The Bargain Hunter-Week 20
Welcome to 2016, where some of our fantasy teams will hope to start anew while others are looking for more of the same. After my picks in Week 19 though, I think I probably belong to the first category.
Defensively, Week 18 and Week 19 were Jekyll and Hyde for my picks. It started off fairly well with Hugo Lloris and Adam Smith recording clean sheets, but everything turned in Week 19. Along with Alan Hutton, there were no clean sheets among the three.
Meanwhile, I remain utterly perplexed about Tony Pulis’ cold shoulder turned toward Saido Berahino. I understand Pulis trying to teach a young, unruly star a lesson in the formality of the game.
But eight weeks of not starting him looks a bit stubborn, especially when your team has not scored more than two goals in any game this season. Then when he doesn’t start after Salomon Rondon and James McClean are suspended, it just looks like mismanagement.
But I think you’ll find this week’s picks more generous, and hopefully more reasonable
Well, without much more delay, here are the bargains for Week 20. I’m welcoming all suggestions and debates on Twitter (@gastelumEPL) and hopefully I can include your thoughts here in this column.
One Week Buys (OWB) – When a regular is suspended for a match, ineligible to face his parent club as a loanee, or his fill-in looks to deputize for only a week while the regular nurses a minor injury, this is where to find some replacements. They should only be looked at when you really need help at a position that week alone, and not looked at as long term plays. Best for salary cap leagues with unlimited transactions.
Short-term Buys (STB) – When a regular faces a multi-game suspension, an injury layoff lasting 2-5 weeks, international commitment, etc., this is where you look for players that can offer more beyond one week but do have a limited shelf life in most cases. Worth using a waiver claim or spending a bit more of your free agent budget (FAAB) than the One Week Buys. Can be useful in Fantasy Premier League format as long as you are comfortable with possibly needing to transfer them out in a few weeks.
Long-term Buys (LTB) – When a regular is either facing a month or more out or has lost his spot seemingly to someone better, these are the players that emerge as potential long-term investments and are therefore the most valuable of the group and worth paying up. Great for any format, but especially valuable in the FPL.com game.
BARGAINS:
GK – Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City)
Despite Leicester City’s amazing run in the first couple months of the season, the club’s defense has been surprisingly lackluster with just a few clean sheets spread sporadically throughout the year. But the Foxes’ recent results have been a lot more promising with only four goals conceded in their last seven matches. Schmeichel has recorded three clean sheets in that time, including a 0-0 draw with Manchester City on Tuesday (a matchup no one expected to end goalless). Priced at £4.5 in FPL.com and available in nearly half of Fantrax leagues, Schmeichel is a good short-term buy with favorable upcoming fixtures.
DEF – Neil Taylor (Swansea City)
After struggling to close teams out under Garry Monk, an Alan Curtis-led Swansea City has recorded more clean sheets in the last three games than Monk did in his 15. Although the Swans have only scored once in the last three, they haven’t given up a goal. Taylor, along with Ashley Williams, has been right at the center of an ever-changing back-line and the left-back has yet to miss a minute of Premier League action. He’s available in half of all Fantrax draft leagues and would be a good short-term buy for any league format with goal-shy Manchester United, Watford and Sunderland.
DEF – Ryan Bennett (Norwich City)
Bennett is the bargain of all bargains in defense; there are only five defenders cheaper than him in FPL.com and none get stable playing time. The Norwich City defender is versatile, deployed at both right-back and center-half, and has started nine of the last 10 games. You can get Bennett in virtually every league format (he’s owned in just 2.5 percent of Fantrax leagues). I think Bennett could end up being a long-term buy that should usually stay on the bench unless a really favorable fixture pops up—these next three games could bode well.
MID – Erik Lamela (Spurs)
Lamela looks like a great pick considering Tottenham’s upcoming schedule and an injury to Mousa Dembele, which will rule the midfielder out for a few weeks. Lamela has turned into a reliable starter on the wing and has logged three goals and three assists this season. With Everton, Leicester City and Sunderland up next (and more favorable fixtures down the line), Lamela will be relied upon to take the goalscoring load off Harry Kane. He’s available for £6.8 in FPL.com, which is a bit steep unless you use him as a weekly starter but should not be considered more than a short-term option.
FWD – Rudy Gestede (Aston Villa)
Gestede is a great one-week buy for Week 20 after Jordan Ayew picked up his fifth yellow card of the season to incur a one-match ban. Ayew has been Remi Garde’s golden boot, but Gestede has seen more than 1,000 minutes in Premier League action. With three goals, Gestede is basically a shoe-in to start against Sunderland this weekend. And I really like this pick with Sunderland’s defensive injuries (John O’Shea and Sebastian Coates doubtful, Younes Kaboul out). He might not be a great pick in leagues like FPL.com with limited transfers, but I really like Gestede in weekly-pick leagues like DraftKings.
FPL SELL OF THE WEEK:
Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace)
I’ve never been a big fan of Cabaye as a fantasy pick (with the lone exception being his stellar half-season at Newcastle before joining PSG). At Crystal Palace, he has a much more central role considering the long list of Palace wingers and attackers. Sure he has five goals, but three of them have come off penalty kicks. Every once in a while Cabaye will have a big, double-digit-point week, but he is too inconsistent to keep around, since Marko Arnautovic and Gerard Deulofeu are cheaper options with more attacking tendencies. And considering Cabaye will miss this weekend after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season, I’d transfer him out right away.
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