In this week’s insider, we look at the form of the three highest scoring strikers in the league (Fantasy Football points, not goals) and which two offer the most value from now until the season’s end.
For a very, very brief moment, we considered titling this piece ‘Is it time to drop Robin van Persie?’ before launching into a variety of reasons about why it may be prudent to ditch the flying Dutchman in light of Arsenal’s season suddenly going into freefall in recent weeks.
To do that, however, would be to ignore the unbelievable contribution he had made so far this season and to conveniently overlook the 23 points he scored after his hat-trick against Blackburn three weeks ago. As shaky and devoid of confidence as Arsenal have looked of late, RVP has nearly always managed to rise above the mediocrity that has affected his teammates and will more than likely continue to do so until the end of this season, which may well be his last in an Arsenal jersey.
So while the thought of getting rid of Van Persie may be sacrilege to some, it might be pondered over by others. Apart from the Blackburn game, his totals have been modest enough since the turn of the year and although he is ahead of Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero by 41 and 44 points respectively, his nearest challengers will have a bigger impact on the destination of the Premier League title.
If you can afford all three, great, but that would mean an outlay of nearly £40 million on one fifth or your squad and that the rest of your team would be, in a word, sh*t. Having two of the terrific trio in your side is a more realistic scenario and both Rooney and Aguero make pressing cases for inclusion at the moment.
Rooney, as has often been documented, is a spurter and amasses large point totals in a burst of five or six games before disappearing into the wilderness for a while. Thankfully for those who have picked him and for Man United fans, he’s in one of those spurts at the moment with four goals and five bonus points in his last two games.
The fact that those goals came in games against Chelsea and Liverpool show that the big games don’t affect him and United have to play both City and Spurs before the season’s out.
Aguero is more consistent, even if he doesn’t achieve the big totals in single games that the likes of Rooney, Van Persie or Gareth Bale rack up from time to time. The little Argentine might not finish games with any degree of regularity, but he’s missed only one game all season and barring a little niggle or Mancini’s need to indulge Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko or, God forbid, Carlos Tevez, he’s guaranteed to start. He’s also in magnificent form, having scored in both legs against Porto in the Europa League and grabbed 11 points in his last home outing against Fulham.
Choosing between the three strikers is certainly a toughie, but with games running out fast, it could be the difference between winning your mini-league or giving a crate of beer to your brother, as my poor old colleague Emmet Purcell had to do this Christmas just past after losing a bet.
P.S. All managers should bear in mind that there will be no players from Liverpool or Everton involved this weekend, although there haven’t been many players from either side exactly racking up the points in recent weeks, so there may not be too many managers affected.
JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks:
Top Dollar: Wayne Rooney (£13.2 million). Should be recovered from the horrors of a sore throat by the time United play Norwich on Sunday afternoon, when he will seek to add to the four goals he’s scored in his last two games.
Mid-Range: Juan Mata (£9.6 million). A pricey mid-range choice maybe, but Chelsea are at home to Bolton this weekend and if they don’t win it, Villas-Boas will be out the door. There’s a lot of uncertainty around the Blues at the moment, but whenever they do something good, the little Spaniard is invariably at the heart of it.
Bargain Basement: Danny Graham (£5.0 million). He was guilty of one of the most smug and stupid-looking celebrations after a goal against Norwich lately, but that was his third goal in two games, so he’s bang in form at the moment.
Irish Pick: Keith Andrews (£4.5 million). We can’t go for James McClean every week, so we’re opting for a man with whom he’ll be in direct opposition this weekend. In one game for the Baggies, Keith Andrews has already managed ten points, if he keeps up that average, he’s a shoo-in for any fantasy team. No pressure then Keith.
Captain’s Pick: Sergio Aguero (£11.2 million). The little Argentine was magnificent against Porto in midweek and bad and all as Porto’s defence were on Wednesday night, they’re not as bad as the Blackburn rearguard, who conceded seven when last on their travels.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
