MyFPL is a series where I will go through my thought process before every FPL Gameweek in the 2017/2018 season.
Current Overall Points: 1,960
Current Overall Ranking: 18,027?
Last Gameweek Points: 26
David de Gea
WBA (H), BOU (A)
The host with the most chance of a clean sheet against bottom-dwelling West Bromwich Albion. On top of that, he gets a mid-week visit to Vitality Stadium against Bournemouth. I expect at least one clean sheet from DDG this DGW and wouldn’t be surprised if he got 2.
WBA only have 8 goals in 16 away matches this season and while they won’t force de Gea to make many saves, if any, a clean sheet is to be expected. Bournemouth are a high-scoring team at home, but only have 4 goals against the top 6 at Vitality, 2 against Arsenal. It’s not inconceivable that de Gea saves a couple of the shots Peter Cech let past him and gets a clean sheet.
Besides that, David de Gea is a must have in FPL to end the season. He has 2 double gameweeks left and only a home game against Arsenal left against the top 6. The same team he registered 14 saves against last time around. Most FPL managers have him already, so if you don’t you’re gonna pay when compared to your competition when FPL ends.
Marcos Alonso
SOU (A) BUR(A)
“He just has to get some points this time!” This is what all Alonso owners must feel over the last few weeks. The attacking wingback has blanked every gameweek since GW25, with Chelsea conceding an unusual amount of goals lately.
Offensively, Alonso has gotten close oh so many times, but lady luck hasn’t been on his side. Especially in Chelsea’s loss against Tottenham, the Spaniard came agonizingly close at several occasions and even had a goal (correctly) disallowed. Despite not getting on the score sheet lately, Alonso is dangerous every game and also came close to winning the game against West Ham last time.
The trend has got to end and this time, we mean it! At the very least, he’ll have 2 decent clean sheet chances against Southampton and Burnley. Alonso has started in every game he has been fit to play, so I don’t worry about him missing games either. He might get taken off for rest against Burnley, but that might increase his clean sheet chances as Burnley often score late. Against Southampton who went 3 games without scoring before notching 2 against a weakened Arsenal side, he might get another.
Alexis Sanchez
WBA (H), BOU (A)
If you read what I wrote about David de Gea, I don’t have to remind you of his matches, but this might be the week where having Alexis as a differential really pays off.
£11.5 is a whole lot of cash and not a lot of people have it. If you do or have saved up an extra transfer, then freeing up funds for a punt on Alexis might be very much worth it. After struggling for a few weeks as a Red Devil, Alexis has come alive the last 2 matches, notching 3 assist to go along with a goal. Both him and Man Utd have looked a lot better lately.
He seems to have finally found his role and with likely wins for Man Utd in their double gameweek, it will be Alexis and my final pick on this list doing the most damage.
Riyad Mahrez
BUR (A) SOU (H)
Jamie Vardy seems to be the best Leicester option at the moment, but I’m backing Riyad Mahrez to get back on track with some stellar performances against Burnley and Southampton. Burnley’s way of defending is not that well suited for Vardy, but it might be for Mahrez. Burnley will sit back tight and you need a bit of X-factor to break them down, that’s where Mahrez comes in.
He’s due for some points and if he doesn’t get it at Turf Moor, he has a good chance against Southampton. They have only 1 clean sheet in the last 11 games and have conceded 3 goals in each of their last 3 matches. Vardy rarely scores more than one, but Mahrez might be involved in every goal Leicester get. The extra bonus and clean sheet points Mahrez might conjure up also works in his favor, as well as the extra point for goals.
Romelu Lukaku
WBA (H), BOU (A)
My final pick, 3rd Man Utd player and my own personal captain for this gameweek. West Ham isn’t the only team Lukaku scores against all the time, as he has punished former club WBA with 5 goals and 3 assists in his 8 appearances against them. He scored in the opposite fixture this year and that was before West Brom turned into the hapless bunch they are now.
That isn’t even Lukaku’s best matchup this gameweek, as he has a tally of 7 goals in 6 against Bournemouth. That includes 4 in last season’s game, that time for Everton, but he’ll get even more chances as a red devil. Lukaku ended a goal drought against Bournemouth earlier this season as well, scoring the 1-0 winner in that game.
Some will go with Kane, but scoring against Man City is a tall order, despite how many goals they have conceded lately. Kane is also just back from injury and hasn’t scored any FPL goals since his return. It might be a bold claim, but I don’t think he’ll score much this double gameweek either. Lukaku is a better bet for me, if you already want to use your triple captain chip. I’ve thought about doing it too.
Some cheap but good options:
Chilwell – Cheap clean sheet potential with possibility of an assist or some bonus points as well.
Masuaku – Only a single gameweek, but dirt cheap and offensively minded.
Arnautovic – Again, single gameweek, but against his former Stoke. Arnie is on fire lately.
Willian – Unlucky not to score last time. Has started 5 matches in a row.
Pogba – Cheaper than Alexis, but Pogba is the definition of inconsistent.
Barnes – Scores at will lately. Burnley can score against anyone.
Follow @TheVideoScope