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An intense Christmas period is just around the corner and fantasy football managers will be preparing their team for the inevitable squad rotations during the festive fixtures.
Not only that, a January transfer window beckons and managers yet to use their wildcards will be looking to the coming months with added interest, knowing their teams could be in for a complete overhaul or a few tweaks aimed at displacing their boss in the work league.
Here are five picks for this week (Gameweek 13).
ST – Rickie Lambert (Liverpool) – 6.9m
On the back of his first two goals in as many matches for his boyhood club, Lambert could be the man to fire Liverpool back into some much needed good form. His side host Stoke this weekend, a team turned over by Burnley at home last time out. With Leicester and Sunderland to follow for Brendan Rodgers’ team and Mario Balotelli struggling for form, Lambert is in a great position to rejuvenate last season’s Premier League runners-up.
MF – Nathan Dyer (Swansea) – 5.6m
Despite their huge win over Liverpool last weekend, it is hard to back Crystal Palace away at Swansea. The visitors have just one victory outside Selhurst Park, while the Swans have won four out of six at the Liberty Stadium so far this season. Dyer’s pace and trickery make him a real threat to the Palace back four. Wayne Routledge and Gylfi Sigurdsson would equally do the job but both are marginally more expensive.
ST – Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) – 5.2m
At just a nudge over 5million, Agbonlahor is a snip. That may have been questionable during Villa’s recent slump but a defiant point against Southampton, courtesy of an Agbonlahor goal, combined with a trip to second-bottom Burnley makes the England forward an attractive prospect.
DF – Calum Chambers (Arsenal) – 4.9m
Arsenal looked superb against Dortmund in the Champions League this week and you would imagine that Chambers and his fellow Gunners defenders will be confident of keeping West Brom at bay. Playing from the right hand side, Chambers will be given ample opportunity to effect the game in the other half. At 4.9m you are hardly breaking the bank as well.
MF – Niko Kranjcar (QPR) 4.7m
QPR are going to get a third win of the season at some point, right? Well if they are to then the Croatian will be the man to drive them forward in a creative capacity. The injury to fellow former Spurs man Sandro should mean Kranjcar starts against Leicester, a team that QPR are more than capable of beating…
Notable injuries/bans:
MF – Jack Wilshere (Arsenal) is ruled out “for a ‘while” by Arsene Wenger on 25/11 with an ankle injury.
MF – Victor Moses (Stoke) is ruled out for up to eight weeks.
DF – Richard Dunne (QPR) is serving a one match ban after picking up his sixth booking of the season against Newcastle.
DF – Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) is out with a calf injury. He's expected back on December 6.
Dream Team: If you fancy using your wildcard…
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