Sport360°’s fantasy football tips: Top five picks and stars to avoid (week 2)

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  • Sensational Sigurdsson: The Icelandic midfielder has hit the ground running after his return to Wales.

    Website: www.fantasy.premierleague.com

    After a number of sleepless nights pondering my options, my final eleven enjoyed a flourishing opening week in fantasy football. I scored 74 points- thanks to having Wayne Rooney as captain- not very daring but effective- Aaron Ramsey, Raheem Sterling and Gylfi Sigurdsson in midfield and the big man Diego Costa up front.

    After the first week it’s intriguing to see who the manager’s first choice eleven is for each club and who is taking set-pieces/corners/penalties after the summer arrivals. Every successful fantasy football manager knows this information is crucial.

    This week I have picked five players that I’m confident will have a high-scoring couple of weeks due to appealing fixtures or individual form.

    I have also suggested four players to avoid for the next two weeks and purchase back in the future when they have an easier set of matches. A couple of these players have a soaring selection percentage so choosing a less popular replacement could be invaluable.

    Five picks:

    1. MF- Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea) 9.1m

    Fabregas looked unbelievable in Chelsea’s opening win against Burnley. He may be playing a bit deeper than his previous role at Barcelona and Arsenal but he is still creating chances at will. He takes most of the set-pieces too. Chelsea have some difficult matches but he will still consistently score highly with assists and goals. In addition, he is guaranteed to start which can’t be said about many of the other Chelsea stars. If you don’t already have the Spaniard, purchase him before his price inflates.

    2. MF Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea) 6.2m

    Sigurdsson was instrumental against Manchester United in the opener. He constantly made bursting runs into the box and tested the keeper at any opportunity. With Swansea playing Burnley and West Brom at home in succession, he should continue his inspirational form. He is a bargain at 6.2m, although you could have got him for 6.0m last week.

    3. F- Robin Van Persie (Man Utd) 12.5m

    Huge news- RVP is returning to the Manchester United fold this weekend. He has currently only been chosen by 3% of fantasy managers and under Louis van Gaal, he is surely going to be the main man. Expect him to start firing in Man U’s next two games against Sunderland and Burnley.

    4. MF- James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) 5.0m

    Although Southampton lost last week to Liverpool, Ward-Prowse ran the show for the Saints. He takes all the set-pieces and with the amount of whip he can generate, he is sure to score points. For 5m, he is well underpriced. Southampton don’t have to play any of the top sides in the next four weeks so he will be a great addition to your fantasy team.

    5. F- Wilfried Bony (Swansea) 8.5m

    Swansea fans will be delighted they kept hold of Bony this summer after a massive amount of interest from others- notably Tottenham Hotspur. The Ivorian beast will be licking his lips at the prospect of facing Burnley and then West Brom at home. I expect him to bang in some goals in these fixtures.

    Four to avoid:

    1. F- Romelu Lukaku (Everton) 9.0m

    He is expensive at 9.0m and has been in unimpressive form since he went to Brazil in the summer. His next two matches are against Arsenal and then former side Chelsea. He could haunt his ex-side but I just feel there are better options for the money, like Bony for instance.

    2. DF- Phil Jagielka (Everton) 5.5m

    I’m confident that ‘Jags’ (and obviously all the other Everton defenders/keeper) will not get a clean sheet in the next two weeks. This is nothing against the centre-half but he isn’t even dangerous going forward from set-pieces either. A similar ploy is needed to Lukaku- buy him back at a later date if he’s already in your squad.

    3. DF- Dejan Lovren (Liverpool) 5.5m

    Liverpool are playing Man City away this week then Spurs away next. These are tricky fixtures so avoid any of their defenders or Mignolet. He is selected by more than a third of fantasy football managers so finding an alternative would be a wise choice.

    4. MF- Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) 9.0m

    Stevie G looked off the pace in Liverpool’s opener and for 9.0m he is overpriced. He is on penalty duty but now they don’t have Luis Suarez, they won’t win as many spot-kicks. Jordan Henderson is the box-to-box midfielder that may be worth considering instead of the Liverpool captain. 

    Both Merseyside teams have difficult fixtures which means they could be worth selling now but then buying them again at the turn of the season when they have an easier run of games. 

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