There are two teams with a double gameweek this week, but is it worth your while splashing out on Sunderland or Reading players?
Gameweek 15 review
Had it been known before Saturday that there would be seven goals shared between Man United and Reading in the first half alone, most people would probably have felt vindicated in picking Robin van Persie as captain for the week.
Instead, after one legitimate goal, another one that really should have been allowed and one of the worst misses you’ll see all season, RVP had to be content with six points while Wayne Rooney stole his thunder by scoring ten more than his more prolific colleague.
Rooney’s two goals, one assist and three bonus points helped him to a 16-point haul for the week as he finished as joint top scorer alongside the ultra-reliable Michu, who banged in another brace at the Emirates.
Apart from those two, the Dream Team is dominated by Norwich, Spurs and Liverpool players, although unfortunately for all managers who had Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan could only muster a single point after a yellow card which rules him out of action this weekend.
Daniel Agger (15) and Glen Johnson (11) were Liverpool’s star performers on the day, while Norwich’s stock continued with the rise with the inclusion of three players, Sebastian Bassong (9), Bradley Johnson (10) and would-be Irish international Anthony Pilkington (10).
Jermain Defoe’s second brace in three matches helped him to 12 points and he was joined in the Dream team by club colleague Sandro (10), Stoke ‘keeper Asmir Begovic (9) and resurgent Newcastle striker Demba Ba with 13 points.
J-League
He’s gone on record to express his concern about his precarious lead for a few weeks now and Barry McCabe’s Breffni Blues were finally dethroned at the top of the J-League this week after a storming performance from Derek Dickenson’s Haven’t Got a Kalou, who scored 23 points more this week to take a three point lead at the summit.
The gap between the top two and the rest also closed rather significantly, with only eight points separating Breffni Blues from Darren McCann’s Dazzleros in third place. Mick Lacey’s Onion Men are a point further back in fourth, while obviously not wanting to be too close to a team bound to put anyone to tears, Michael Brophy’s Athletic Bilbrophy are ten points further back in fifth place.
Barry was gracious enough to congratulate Derek on his elevation to the number one spot, but we’re sure his competitive spirit will come to the fore once again as he tries to regain top spot before Christmas.
Just keep it fair lads, ‘tis the season and all of that.
J-League Top 5:
- Haven’t Got a Kalou – Derek Dickenson: 902 points
- Breffni Blues – Barry McCabe: 899 points
- Dazzleros – Darren McCann: 891 points
- Onion Men – Mick Lacey: 890 points
- Athletic Bilbrophy – Michael Brophy: 880 points
Double gameweek but does anyone care?
If managers could pick any two teams not to have a double gameweek then Sunderland and Reading would no doubt be at the top of the list or very close. Both teams are in the bottom four, only QPR and Aston Villa have scored less goals than Sunderland and only Wigan have conceded more than Reading, so the signs are ominous.
As well as that, the only stand out player amongst both sides, Steven Fletcher, isn’t even guaranteed to play this weekend because of a dodgy ankle. Great!
Still, if you have a couple of free transfers to play with and feel that you might as well use them on teams that have two games, there are a few options to consider.
As far as Sunderland are concerned, while they may not be free-scoring they can be fairly miserly at times and if you can ignore his comical error against Shane Long a couple of weeks back, not many keepers have scored more points than Simon Mignolet, who is pretty affordable at £5.1 million.
Further up the field, Stephane Sessegnon (£7.5 million) was a Fantasy Football favourite last season and he has shown signs of returning to his old self with two goals, an assist and a handful of bonus points in recent weeks.
If Fletcher doesn’t play, Sunderland strikers are best avoided because none of the rest of them have scored over ten points, so with that in mind another midfielder, Craig Gardner, might be worth a punt at only £4.9 million after two goals in his last three games.
As for Reading, none of their players have quite hit the heights in the Fantasy Football stakes as yet, but although they might concede a hatful at the back, Nicky Shorey (£4.1 million) has also delivered at the other end with four assists so far.
Speaking of assists, only Eden Hazard, Carlos Tevez, Bryan Ruiz and Wayne Rooney have registered more than Jobi McAnuff (£5.1 million), who has six, while for a squad player, you could do worse than Adam Le Fondre (£4.9 million), who has three goals in his last four games.
On a final point, my colleague Sean Nolan has been having some creaks in his knees in anticipation of a cold snap that is meant to hit the north of England this weekend, so maybe leave it until as late as possible to make any changes in the event that any games fall victim to the weather.
JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks:
Top Dollar: Wayne Rooney (£11.8 million). In the absence of some big hitters this weekend, we’re going for Rooney, who has history of doing the business in big games and is back amongst the goals after a double at Reading last weekend.
Mid-Range: Jermain Defoe (£8.3 million). Defoe tends to be something of a streaky player, but he’s in the middle of a hot one with four goals, six bonus points and 27 points in his last three outings.
Bargain Basement: Asmir Begovic (£5.4 million). Out on his own as the top-scoring midfielder after seven clean sheets in 15 games for a no-nonsense Stoke side.
Irish Pick: James McClean (£5.8 million). He could do with a return to form to be honest, but he was given the start against Norwich and he’s got two games to pick up some points this weekend.
Captain’s Pick: Michu (£7.8 million). Fast becoming a must have in everyone’s Fantasy team, the Spaniard will be looking to build on the four goals, five bonus points and 36 points he has totalled in his last four games alone.
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