Have you used your winter wildcard yet? If not, this weekend is your last chance…
Gameweek 24 review
There’s a reason that Leighton Baines is out on his own as both the most expensive and the highest scoring defender in Fantasy Football and he proved it against with a brace of goals and three bonus points for a 17-point haul, the highest individual tally this week.
Not far behind Baines was the similarly consistent Juan Mata (14), while Wayne Rooney’s 27th brace in the Premier League helped him to 13 points in Man United’s rather fortunate win over Southampton at Old Trafford.
Wigan’s James McArthur also returned 13 points after his goal against Stoke, one point more than Jordan Henderson, who capitalised on one of the many bouts of comical Arsenal defending to find the net at the Emirates.
Olivier Giroud and super-sub Adam Le Fondre both scored 11 points, Yohann Cabaye earned ten points after his brilliant effort against Aston Villa, while John O’Shea (7) featured alongside Sunderland team-mate Titus Bramble and in-form QPR netminder Julio Cesar at the back.
J-League
Normality has been restored in the J-League, or at least it has as far as Barry McCabe is concerned as his Breffni Blues side, who have dominated the table for the vast majority of the season, returned to the top after a few weeks slumming it with the challengers in the chasing pack.
The heady heights of top spot obviously proved too much for James Shannon’s Jagerbombers, who fell out of the top five altogether with a paltry 27 points, while Andy Twomey’s Athtrasna held firm in second spot ahead of traditional J-League heavyweights Martin Hanway’s Marty’s Muppets in third, Neil McNicholas’ 123 in fourth and Darren McCann’s Dazzleros in fifth place.
J-League Top 5:
- Breffni Blues – Barry McCabe: 1,502 points
- Athtrasna – Andy Twomey: 1,492 points
- Marty’s Muppets – Martin Hanway: 1,487 points
- 123 – Neil McNicholas: 1,478 points
- Dazzleros – Darren McCann: 1,470 points
Have you used your winter wildcard yet?
Most managers have probably panicked and used it already, but for managers who (a) didn’t know it existed (b) completely forgot about it or (c) tactically decided to wait until the very last moment to wield it, this gameweek is the last in which managers can use the special winter wildcard, which allows for unlimited transfers without any points deductions.
The temptation to use it during either of the two double gameweeks earlier this month would have been too much for many managers to resist, but there are benefits for those who haven’t used it yet.
It will be beneficial for those who might want to reintroduce players who were on duty at the African Cup of Nations, which comes to an end next weekend, while the most obvious advantage to be gained is that will enable managers to select players who made moves during the final days of the January transfer window.
Danny Graham (£5.4 million), for example, looks likely to see a lot more game time at Sunderland than he did at Swansea and although he hasn’t been registered in Fantasy Football at the time of writing, new Norwich recruit Luciano Becchio could be a steal if he can maintain the form he showed with Leeds in the Championship.
Lewis Holtby (£7.5 million) arrives at Spurs on foot of some rave reviews from the Bundesliga, while Matthieu Debuchy (£5.0 million) and Moussa Sissoko (£6.0 million) have impressed in their brief time at Newcastle so far, no doubt helped by the distinctly Gallic atmosphere that has developed on Tyneside in recent weeks.
Just don’t go picking Peter Odemwingie whatever you do. We can’t see him getting his game at West Brom for some time…
JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks:
Top Dollar: Juan Mata (£10.1 million). Despite Chelsea’s struggles recently, Mata is now the highest scoring midfielder in the league by 18 points after two goals, four assists and 39 points in the last four games.
Mid-Range: Olivier Giroud (£7.9 million). Came in for a lot of criticism at the start of his Arsenal career, but it has quietened down of late after three goals in his last two games in the league and five in his last six. A home tie against a struggling Stoke side is a recipe for a good return this weekend.
Bargain Basement: Adam Le Fondre (£4.7 million). The Reading man has scored five goals in 72 minutes in his last three league appearances, which works out at around a goal every 13 minutes, a damn impressive ratio indeed. An excellent option as a third striker if you’re looking for value in your squad.
Irish Pick: Mark Bunn (£4.1 million). He’s not Irish technically, but he wants a shot with the Boys in Green and is a decent option as a cheap ‘keeper at the moment having played the last 11 games for Norwich.
Captain’s Pick: Wayne Rooney (£11.8 million). One of the cardinal rules of Fantasy Football is to pick Wayne Rooney when he’s in the middle of a goalscoring spurt and discounting his cameo from the bench against Spurs lately, he has netted seven in his last five league games and was also on target against this weekend’s opponents, Fulham, in the FA Cup last Saturday.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
