Weekly Picks: The Bargain Hunter – Week 32
It’s tough to describe the exact feeling of coming out of an international break. I remember when I was a kid and learned all the class material over the course of months, only to forget it all during the Thanksgiving or Christmas break. That’s kind of how I feel now in regards to my fantasy team.
All the momentum and fantasy savvy that we could have built up during the last few months since the previous international break has mostly vanished. But there is some good news, a silver lining in all of this: There are no more interruptions until the end of the season.
From now until we crown a champion on May 15, there will be nonstop Premier League action and we will even be treated with a couple of double gameweeks here and there. Now that’s something that to get excited about. At last, we have the finish line in sight.
Without much more delay, here are the bargains for Week 32. 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 – Jakob Haugaard (Stoke City)
If you are like me, you’re currently scrambling to find a replacement for Jack Butland, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury over the weekend while starting for England. Butland is Fantasy Premier League.com’s leading point-getter and he leaves some big gloves to fill. It looks as though Haugaard will be the man to take his place, although Shay Given is also approaching full fitness after missing the last few months with a knee injury. But Haugaard has been Butland’s backup since Week 11 and even started the club’s two FA Cup games. In FPL.com, Haugaard is valued at just £4.4, although with Stoke’s upcoming schedule there are better options in this specific setup. However, the Danish international’s real value lies in draft leagues, where Fantrax says he is taken in just 6.3 percent of league. But that figure has risen by five percentage points in the last few days, so claim him off the waiver wire now if you need a keeper or a backup off the bench.
DEF – Jon Flanagan (Liverpool)
I’m all about this pick at the moment. Not just because of Flanagan’s story (two years out with injuries) but also because there is massive potential in adding him. Jurgen Klopp believes in him so much he named the academy product as captain for the Week 31 match after dropping Jordan Henderson to the bench. With a minor injury to Alberto Moreno, Flanagan has started the last three matches and recorded a clean sheet. While a clean sheet against Spurs this week is unlikely, the club’s remaining fixtures are promising. After the next two fixtures against Spurs and Stoke, Liverpool won’t face a team in the current top nine of the table and have two double-gameweeks before the end of the season. Flanagan would be a great pick in just about any league format, although let’s make him a short-term buy until we see if he is preferred over a healthy Moreno.
DEF – Marcos Rojo (Manchester United)
Now that we are into the final stretch of the season, defensive points cannot be more critical. While goals and assists often seem to dry up from the top sides as they get more conservative, clean sheets are always there for the taking. And Rojo has played a major role for United since his return from injury. The Argentine international has recorded two clean sheets in the last four matches and will be a central figure for an injury-plagued defense, especially with Daley Blind shaking off an injury. Rojo is definitely a long-term buy in any format—Fantrax says he is available in half of all draft leagues while Rojo’s asking price is just £5.0 in FPL.com. My only concern for this week is the long haul back from Argentina, but he seems too important to the United defense to be omitted unless he is injured or extremely jet-lagged.
MID – Alex Iwobi (Arsenal)
Now here’s a risky pick. Before I explain, Iwobi would not be a very smart pick in limited transfer leagues like FPL.com. However, the Nigerian winger is a great low-risk, high-reward pick for daily fantasy like DraftKings and draft leagues, where Fantrax says he is available on the waiver wire in nearly 75 percent of leagues, which is a good marker of his availability in any draft league. Arsene Wenger trusted him enough to start him against Barcelona in Champions League and also rewarded him with his first Premier League start against Everton in Week 31, where he scored one of the club’s two goals. That should be enough to earn him another start, which surprisingly places Theo Walcott and/or Olivier Giroud on the bench, but let’s keep Iwobi as a one-week buy for now with potential for so much more if he stays in form.
FWD – Jermain Defoe (Sunderland)
When the times become tough, rely on the guys who have been through it all before. That seems to be Sunderland’s plan of action to avoid relegation this season—the Black Cats currently sit two points from leaving the bottom three. Defoe has been immense for Sunderland in the last three matches, contributing to three of the club’s four goals (two goals, one assist) to earn three points by way of three draws. The former Toronto FC man has scored in each of the last two matches and seems to be in great form at the moment with 12 goals on the year. It may be tough to find Defoe in your draft league, although there is a 1-in-3 chance according to Fantrax, but the striker would be an excellent, cheap, long-term option in limited transfer setups like FPL.com, where he is available at just £5.1. Bargains don’t get much better than that.
