Fantasy Football may not be the highest of your priorities over the Christmas, but here are a few things to consider so you’re not completely left behind.
Premier League footballers must be the only people happy at the way Christmas falls this year. Because it’s on Sunday, plenty of working folk have been denied the couple of handy days off in the lead up to the big day and partygoers will rue the absence of a weekend between Christmas and New Year and the lack of an all too convenient excuse to hit the town once again.
Across the water, however, clubs are preparing for what, in this reporter’s all too brief memory anyway, isn’t the most exhaustive programme compared to the standards of other years. Bar a few fixtures changed to fit into television schedules, it’s pretty much Monday, Saturday, Tuesday for every club and although that’s hectic enough, it’s par for the course for anyone who has had European commitments over the years.
I’m not going to sit here and pretend that Fantasy Football is going to be up there on the top of the priority list over the next couple of weeks, but here are a few things to consider over the Christmas break. Between now and the first weekend of January, there are three gameweeks taking place and the dates you have to worry about in terms of transfer deadlines are 26 December, 30 December and 2 January.
There is only one double gameweek to speak of and that is the one starting 2 January where Tottenham and Everton will play a fixture that was called off during the London riots back in August. Bear in mind that from January 2, you will be able to utilise the special wildcard that comes into play during the January transfer window and lasts until Gameweek 23 on 4 February.
Rotation
Although it’s not the most gruelling period compared to years gone by, don’t think that the top managers won’t be afraid to mix it up a little in terms of team selection; there’s also the FA Cup to come in early January. As far as the really top players are concerned, we would wager that Sergio Aguero and Robin van Persie will be given some time off; David Silva and Emmanuel Adebayor might be given the chance to put the feet up as well.
With that in mind, it is worth considering the claim of a few Manchester United players. The Red Devils are back in form and are far less likely to be subject to rotation considering the injury crisis that has engulfed the camp.
Wayne Rooney (£12.0 million) is back to close to his best with four goals in his last three games, Nani (£10.3 million) has three goals and three assists in the same period while for a couple of left-field selections, Antonio Valencia (£7.8 million) has claimed five assists in the last three and Jonny Evans (£4.5 million) is nearly a shoo-in to start because of injuries to Rio Ferdinand, Phil Jones and Nemanja Vidic.
Their fixture list includes games against Wigan, Blackburn and Newcastle so you should remember that a Manchester United player is not just for Christmas; it’s for the next month or so at least.
I’ll be back with some more advice next week if you can postpone the festive celebrations for five minutes or so to have a read, but until then, have a brilliant Fantasy Football Christmas and just remember those deadlines!
JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks
Top Dollar: Nani (£10.3 million). The Portuguese is now the highest scoring midfielder in the league again after a mighty 43-point haul in his last four games.
Mid Range: Demba Ba (£7.5 million). Since Newcastle nosedived in recent weeks, we had nearly written Ba off, but he has scored five goals and 34 points in the last five games, none of which the Magpies have won.
Bargain Basement: Kieran Richardson (£5.8 million). A Black Cat revival under Martin O’Neill was almost inevitable and Richardson has been at the forefront of it with a goal and two assists in the last four games.
Irish Pick: Wes Hoolahan (£5.0 million). A return to form has seen the ex-Shels man return a goal and an assist in his last three games, even though repeating either of those feats against Spurs will be a tough task.
Captain’s Pick: Wayne Rooney (£12.0 million). Home against Wigan on Stephen’s Day sounds like a bit of a banker to us, and Rooney has traditionally gone to town against the Latics in the past.
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