Better late than never, right?
Week 31 was shaping up to be a massive disappointment for me. With about 15 minutes left in the Wednesday night matches, I was sitting on a stinker of a score. Tuesday night was pretty much the same situation. But, for whatever reason, the fantasy gods were in the mood to write a Hollywood script as Zlatan Ibrahimovic delivered at the end Manchester United’s match on Tuesday, followed by a flurry of points late Wednesday, courtesy of Dele Alli, Heung-min Son, Maya Yoshida and Josh King. The late heroics provided me a much-needed green arrow, breaking even over the last two rounds after a miserable Week 30.
Now, we encounter our third deadline in eight days, as this very busy week comes to a head. Like the midweek round, this edition of the column will be streamlined. I have less time than usual to deliver you the info and you have less time than usual to digest it. Plus, there are solid columns from the rest of the Rotoworld staff to enjoy before tomorrow’s deadline.
Right, so here are my picks, with brief analysis, unless when a pick has a clear need for further explanation...
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TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
So now it is time to look at the players to think about ahead of Week 4. As a reminder, there are four categories of players which I feel are worth mentioning week to week when making decisions about transfers....
1) Players to buy
2) Players to sell
3) Players to hold onto
4) Players to avoid buying
I will also include later in the section, my top choices for the captain’s armband. While I will consider every player from A to Z, it is pretty hard to look past the A (Aguero) or the Z (Zlatan).
Right, so let’s dive in...
GOALKEEPERS
*Just as a reminder, keepers should always be the last position to think about using transfers for, unless there is an urgent need. So, when you see who I have listed here, bear in mind that my keeper advice does not carry as much weight as the outfield positions.
Player to buy: Victor Valdes/David de Gea - I’d have felt better about Valdes before Boro shipped four goals to Hull, but if you want a double gameweek GK for Round 34, I would opt from these two. The choice comes down to your wallet.
Player to sell: Thibaut Coutois - Now eight straight without a cleanie for a defense that used to dominate earlier this season. Too expensive for me.
Player to hold: Hugo Lloris - Missed midweek with an illness. His status for the weekend is unclear at this time, but I would assume he will recover and start. Even if he misses one more game though, he’s worth putting up with turning to your #2 keeper.
Player to avoid: Damian Martinez - Nice play in salary cap or draft leagues if you are in keeper trouble, but Martinez’s clean sheet does not mean he has passed David Opsina in the pecking order.
DEFENDERS
Player to buy: Eric Bailly - Antonio Valencia owners were shorted with the full-back being rested midweek. That should at least make him a fine weapon for owners this coming weekend though. I think for those wanting to pay less for United defensive coverage can safely turn to Bailly now though. Barring injury, Bailly looks nailed on for the run-in.
Player to sell: Charlie Daniels - Cherries have a knack for exceeding expectations but with Chelsea and Tottenham the next two opponents, I cannot see much production coming from Daniels or any other AFCB defenders.
Player to hold: Leighton Baines - Just one haul above 2 points over the last five weeks but Toffees play next two at home.
Player to avoid: Gabriel - Nice eight point haul midweek and Arsenal have some fixtures with potential, but Gabriel will likely return to a bench role as he was merely deputizing for Laurent Koscielny.
MIDFIELDERS
Player to buy: Dele Alli - At this point, he’s essential, and Spurs have some very tasty matchups on deck.
Player to sell: Raheem Sterling - Playing time has been erratic lately. You can cope with that for a budget option, but not Sterling.
Player to hold: Gyfli Sigurdsson - Three straight quiet games for Gyfli but hey, he’s Gylfi. Stick with him, the Swans play some vulnerable defenses.
Player to avoid: Andros Townsend - To be fair, he is not a terrible pick. I just see way more production on a dependable basis from teammate Wilfried Zaha for the same price.
FORWARDS
Player to buy: Divock Origi - Assuming you already have a place reserved for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his upcoming DGW, I like what Origi has to offer for the next several weeks.
Player to sell: Troy Deeney - Despite delivering midweek, I would sell him based on tough fixtures and the fact that he is suffering from fatigue.
Player to hold: Romelu Lukaku - Two games without a goal. That only means he’s due.
Player to avoid: Abel Hernandez - Huge haul midweek, but Hernandez, along with the Hull attack, are not typically as lethal as they looked against Middlesbrough. Just a bit more cash gets you Origi.
TOP CAPTAIN CHOICES
1) Sergio Aguero
2) Dele Alli
3) http://www.nbcsports.com/edge/player/BPL/2089/Zlatan-IbrahimovicZlatan Ibrahimovic
4) Eden Hazard
5) Alexis Sanchez
That’s it from me this week folks. Please, bear in mind much can change between the publishing of this column and the FPL deadline Saturday. Remember, some injuries are not revealed until just before the deadline. Always try to refrain from executing your transfers for as long as possible to avoid wasting it on a player who turns out to have had a problem in training. That said, if you only have just enough money for the player you are looking to bring in and that player is at risk of rising in price, then sometimes you need to take a calculated risk and hope the fantasy gods will be kind to you.
Good luck, and may your arrows be green.
