Looking ahead to Fantasy Football Gameweek 36, @FantasyYIRMA has frisked the fixtures to try and make sense of where the points are going to come from in this week's games.
IMPORTANT: THERE IS A FRIDAY NIGHT GAME - FPL DEADLINE IS FRIDAY AT 7PM
OK FOLKS, please be standing for the following Fantasy football rally cry...
This is the part of the season that separates Men from Boys, wheat from chaff, sheep from goats real cheese from processed slices.
As mentioned in previews 32, 33, 34 and 35 NOW is our time to shine.
Now is our chance to stock up on teams with "double gameweekers" and make that final surge in your fantasy mini -league where your mate Bill/Dave/Ben/Tracey have been looking down on you goading you, mocking you for your epically shit performance such is their patronising approach.
WELL NO MORE!!!
"This my friends, is the phoenix from the ashes final push for your FPL team and I for one intend to go out on a fucking swansong. " - @FantasyYIRMA, May 5th 2017.
Actually, just checked the fixtures it's still Arsenal and Southampton with a double gameweek this week. There's a slight danger that Southampton players may already be eyeing up a banana boat excursion on an all-inclusive week out in Magaluf but the reality is that Arsenal looked like utter dog shit last week as they rolled over at Spurs.
Here's the dilemma. In years gone by there was always a straight forward striker pick for Arsenal. I would have had Thierry Henry in a double gameweek fantasy team without a second thought -we all would. Now with Giroud and Welbeck as the only recognised FPL strikers options it's impossible to say who Wenger will play up top given that Sanchez and Walcott are listed as midfielders.
So whilst I am still an advocate of ensuring DGW coverage - the Arsenal forward line is too unpredictable for minutes played. Gabbiadini feels like a decent shout if you are adamant that 2 games in one week are a necessity up top.
Let's keep in mind GW37 also. This will be an absolute cluster in terms of trying to work out who plays and who doesn't so the forward pick this week should be...
- Someone with something to play for.
- Someone with a double gameweek in 37.
- Arsenal, Southampton, Man United, Man City, Chelsea, Spurs,Leicester, Sunderland, Watford and West Brom ALL PLAY TWICE.
Spurs play on Friday night which throws up the genuinely interesting predicament for Chelsea. Should Spurs win Chelsea will have them sniffing right at their arse, lose and they can take one massive step towards the League when they face Middlesbrough at the Bridge - regardless - they have incentive.
With this in mind I'm going for their fiery, volatile, Lou Ferrigno look-a-like man-child front man that is Diego Costa. The transfer rumours linking Costa to China don't seem to be going away and in fairness for £650,000 per week I can see 650,000 reasons about why the move would appeal to him. Costa feels like the man for the big occasion and I'm backing him to score past Boro this week.
Costa is one of those love to hate players because he is such a tit at times but you know if you had a 5 aside game - you'd want him in your team simply so that you didn't have to mark the ballbag. If when he does leave for pastures new I will be sorry to see my favourite hated player go!
Nicklas Bendtner would have cleared up in this preview had he still been in the Premier League..So there's that!!
In midfield if you already have Alexis Sanchez great, if you don't Arsenal's form as mentioned before raises questions on a player who would have previously been a nailed on captaincy pick.
I'm going to go out on a limb here this week. Nathan Redmond was in my GW1 team. A strong pre-season and an advanced playing position had me convinced that this could be a big year for the Southampton man. Since then he's had an ok season. He's capable of a points haul for sure with 5 or more gameweeks where he's scored 9pts+ in a single gameweek.
All of this is against a backdrop of putting blonde highlights in his hair and going out in public so you have to say that while his judgement may not be all there he's certainly got bottle.
In addition Redmond is an enabler pick at 5.9m leaving you with some additional cash to play with elsewhere. If he can resist the allure of the aforementioned Magaluf trip you could be onto a winner.
I was a Guest Host this week on the Award Winning Fantasy Football Podcast The Gaffer Tapes and I spoke about Nathan Redmond here also (in addition to a load of other nonsense) - You can listen here.
And you should already have Josh King in your squad! So there's that!!
Finally in defence Gareth McAuley aka the world's greatest defender/man/lover is playing away at Burnley so clearly he's an option particularly given that WBA have a double in 37.
However, I was called into ODDSbible towers last week and asked about my "worrying obsession" with Gareth. I responded that this was actually fairly mild in comparison to my 13-year unrequited love affair with Mathieu Flamini and if they tried to stop me writing about him then they could shove their weekly heavily stat based preview up their arse and I would transfer over to writing for the SPORTbible page instead.
If you are bringing someone in defence - again play the odds and rope in someone with something to play for and a 37 double. Jack Stephens (Southampton) and Rob Holding (Arsenal) offer cheap ways into your squad if they can retain their spots. Gary Cahill a seems to be having a stand-off with Phil Jagielka to see who can score more this season and with Cahill having the incentive he's always gonna be a set piece threat and clean sheet potential against Boro.
And he's got TWO games in 37...I think I've made my point.. So there's that!!
Written by Ryan @FantasyYIRMA
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