With the transfer window open again, a double gameweek to come and plenty of players heading for the African Cup of Nations, it’s a good thing there’s an extra wildcard to use in January.
The games continue to come thick and fast over the Christmas period and as a result, this preview accounts for Gameweek 19 (Deadline 30 January) and Gameweek 20 (Deadline 2 January), where there will be quite a lot of factors to take into consideration before settling on the make-up of your team.
First of all, there’s the January transfer window. The big clubs often steer clear of the mid-season window in an attempt to avoid unsettling their squad but last season was different with the likes of Luis Suarez and eh, Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll (how did those last two fare out?) all moving clubs for big bucks in the first month of the year.
With their injury crisis, Manchester United may be tempted to spend and you can never rule out City entering the transfer market, so this window could well be just as barmy as last year’s, which was capped off by an absolute manic deadline day and a sensational performance by the incomparable Jim White on Sky Sports News.
Although it shouldn’t affect gameweeks 19 or 20, if you’re making transfers, be wary of the fact that plenty of players will be heading for the African Cup of Nations in the next fortnight or so. The tournament doesn’t get underway until 21 January, but players will be called into training camps from early January onwards.
Newcastle’s Demba Ba, the Toure brothers from Manchester City, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou from Chelsea and Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh from Arsenal are amongst the players that will be absent and with the final not until 12 February, Chelsea and Manchester City will both be hoping that the Ivory Coast fail to live up to their favourites tag.
Finally, Tottenham’s clash with Everton that was called off during the London riots has been re-fixed for 11 January, meaning that both sides will have two games in Gameweek 20. As a result, Gareth Bale should be a shoo-in for most Fantasy managers, while team-mates Emmanuel Adebayor and Everton’s Leighton Baines will also be popular choices.
As mentioned in last week’s piece, the wildcard comes into play from Gameweek 20 and runs until Gameweek 23, so if you haven’t used your wildcard already, be sure to do so between those gameweeks. I should stress that you don’t have to use the extra wildcard, but even if you’re only making a couple of changes, it’ll save you a few points.
JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks (Gameweeks 19 and 20):
Top Dollar: Wayne Rooney (£12.0 million). Our Rooney recommendation backfired on Stephen’s Day, but now that he’s rested and refreshed, we fancy him to contribute to a United side in stunning form against Blackburn and Newcastle.
Mid-Range: Antonio Valencia (£7.9 million). Quiet until recently, Valencia has sprung to life with 39 points, including six assists, in his last four games.
Bargain Basement: Phil Jagielka (£5.4 million). Leighton Baines is a bit too pricey for the bargain basement category, but Jagielka isn’t a bad alternative. Everton also have two games in Gameweek 20 and the England international may well add to the two goals he’s already netted this season.
Irish Pick: Paddy Kenny (£4.4 million). The rotund ex-Irish ‘keeper rarely gets a mention in these pages, but deserves acclaim for an assist in QPR’s last game against Swansea, while he also regularly gets bonuses for the number of saves he makes.
Captain’s Pick: Gareth Bale (£9.0 million). With the form he’s in, games against Swansea, West Brom and Everton should provide the ideal opportunity to pick up some handy points. With two games in Gameweek 20, he is almost a must for the captain’s armband.
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