Last week, I spend a lot of words writing about late-swap, which you can find here. This week, we have a Tuesday-Wednesday EPL split slate on FanDuel, and also a two-day slate that spans all ten games. The ten-gamer could be an interesting one, as it features a few great games, such as Arsenal – West Ham and Chelsea – Manchester City. Since we’ve been on the topic of late-swap, I wanted to discuss a few players I liked from the Wednesday games that you can target in tournaments. With late swap, you can be more aggressive in targeting player that may not start in the Wednesday games, as you’ll have the chance to swap them out when lineups come out. Let’s look at a few of those options:
Son Heung-Min ($9,300) – Son is only a tournament target because his price is extremely high, but if he starts and leads the line again, there is plenty of upside here. Swansea have allowed the most goals in the league, and despite playing at home, they can’t seem to get set right defensively. Lucasz Fabianski has struggled, leaving them without a last resort stop once the defense fails. Tottenham have shown to be able to score even with the absence of Harry Kane, and they’re gunning to catch Chelsea at the top, so they’ll surely attack from the start in this one. Look for goals to come, and Son to be involved.
Follow the entire Rotoworld Premier League team on Twitter: Neal | Steve | Andrew | Sean | Stag | Ben | Galin | Nik
Alexis Sanchez ($12,500) – Sanchez is the most expensive player on the slate and I feel like that will keep him relatively low owned despite the incredible matchup and home field advantage. Teams at home tend to average about 30% more fantasy-producing attacking statistics, and Sanchez already averages an insane 31.7 FanDuel points per game. West Ham allow 14.7 shots per match when away from home, a solid number that should allow Sanchez to thrive. His ceiling is likely the highest on the slate.
Manolo Gabbiadini ($8,200) – Our first truly questionable option. Gabbiadini missed the weekend match against Bournemouth and is considered questionable for Wednesday’s clash with Crystal Palace. Palace have played very well as of late, improving on defense, but the sample size is small. There is more evidence to suggest they’re not very good in the back while Gabbiadini has been fantastic. He has exploited numerous defenses and absolutely crushed during the month of March. His ceiling is over 50 fantasy points, and at the price and ownership he will see on a ten game slate, he makes for a fantastic tournament target. The good news is, if he doesn’t start, you can pivot to a number of other options, such as:
- Theo Walcott - scored against Manchester City and should earn a start. Plays Wednesday so is swap-able.
- Shane Long – Long should start as long if Gabbiadini sits. Long is not a great target, but would be a starting striker with goal upside, and will come at extremely low ownership.
- M’Baye Niang – Solid matchup for a solid player and about $900 cheaper, so you can upgrade another spot if you decide to go this route.
Philippe Coutinho ($9,500) – Coutinho absolutely crushed Everton in his last match out, scoring a goal and adding an assist. He continuous to shoot from distance, which gives him a great ceiling through a combination of shots on goal, goals, and assists. Liverpool get to play Bournemouth at home, which is a fantastic matchup. Bournemouth are somehow in 11th place but don’t be fooled, they’ve allowed 54 goals on the season, tied with West Ham for third most in the league. They also allow the fifth most shots per game when traveling at 15.8, and Coutinho will have a field day shooting from distance.
Manuel Lanzini ($6,700) – Despite the tough matchup, Lanzini can be used here. He has played well over the past few weeks, putting up at least 13 fantasy points in each of his last six matches, and his passing and chance creation give him a floor that is useful in any format. Arsenal, on the other hand, are an overrated defensive team that is missing its goalkeeper in Petr Cech. We all know Ospina is mistake-prone, so use the opportunity to roster a low owned Manuel Lanzini. If he doesn’t start, you can look at James Ward-Prowse or Joe Allen.
Follow the entire Rotoworld Premier League team on Twitter: Neal | Steve | Andrew | Sean | Stag | Ben | Galin | Nik
Gary Cahill ($6,000) – Cahill contributes through passes, tackles, interceptions, and clearances. The passes stay consistent for the most part, but he’ll have a lot more opportunities for defensive statistics in a game where Chelsea are not attacking the entire match. Against Manchester City, there should be numerous more of these opportunities, despite them not being there the last time these teams met. There is certainly risk here, but there is also upside in tournaments.
Patrick van Aanholt ($5,600) – van Aanholt missed out on Saturday’s match against Chelsea but will have had an extra four days to recover and make the game against Southampton. He is someone who contributes across all categories, and the price is good for what he brings to the table. You get the chance to roster a great fantasy defender at a reasonable price and very low ownership here. Great tournament target.
Good luck this week everyone. Please remember to check starting lineups on Wednesday if you play the two day slate!
