Arsenal are looking particularly strong in pursuit of a Champions League place and with a pretty kind run-in, their squad could provide plenty of value in the final few weeks of the season.
Gameweek 33 review
So much for our prediction that managers would be hitting close to and maybe even in excess of 100 points this week then, wha?
It may have been a double gameweek for many teams but scoring in the fantasy stakes was quite low this week, with the average score a measly 54 points and nobody in the top five in the J-League managing to break the 80-point barrier.
In the end it was John Terry, making a first appearance in the Dream Team in a long time, who topped the individual scoring charts with 21 points thanks to two goals at Fulham, finishing a full three points ahead of Everton defender Sylvain Distin, who kept two clean sheets, provided an assist and earned three bonus points for an 18-point haul overall.
Four teams accounted for ten players in the Dream team this week, with Terry’s Chelsea teammate David Luiz (14) and Distin’s teammates Tim Howard (13) and Darron Gibson (12) also featuring, while Manchester United had three representatives in Phil Jones (12), Michael Carrick (13) and Robin van Persie (16).
Arsenal pair Mikel Arteta (13) and Olivier Giroud (13) are also due a mention, while the odd man out is Stephane Sessegnon of Sunderland, who scored 13 points after a goal and an assist in a man of the match display against Newcastle in the Tyne-Wear derby.
The J-League
As mentioned above, scoring was pretty disappointing considering the number of teams in action this week and the top dogs in the J-League were affected as much as anyone else.
Mickey Hanrahan managed to close the gap between his Shawn Michaels Babes side in second and Darren McCann’s Dazzleros in first, although Darren won’t be unduly worried for now as he still holds a healthy 40-point lead.
Martin Hanway’s Marty’s Muppets remained in third only a few points further back, while Terry2 O’Connor – that your real name Terry? – was the only mover in the top five, leapfrogging above Neill McNicholas’ 123 into fourth, with Neill’s outfit just about managing to hang on in fifth place.
J-League Top 5:
- Dazzleros – Darren McCann: 2,046 points
- Shawn Michaels Babes – Mickey Hanrahan: 2,006 points
- Marty’s Muppets – Martin Hanway: 2,001 points
- Terry2 – Terry2 O’Connor: 1,984 points
- 123 – Neill McNicholas: 1,981 points
Gunners blazing to a strong finish
The Arsenal of recent years are not a team you would set your watch to by any stretch of the imagination, but as the race for the Champions League places becomes more interesting the closer we get to the end of the season, the more the Gunners look as if they’ll be in the premier European competition for the umpteenth time in a row.
Calls for the head of Arsene Wenger began to grow particularly loud around the turn of the year, but they haven’t been heard as much lately as the Gunners have embarked on a run that has seen them pick up 26 points from 11 league games since the middle of January, a run that the title-winning Arsenal sides would have been proud of.
Their chances of maintaining that run towards the end of the season are increased by the fact that their run-in is fairly kind compared to the other challengers for the Champions League places.
As such, there should be plenty of points at stake in Fantasy Football terms, considering that they have been scoring quite frequently of late and have conceded more than one goal in a game only once since a 2-2 draw with Liverpool at the end of January.
So where is the value to be had? To be frank about it, there aren’t many options as far as the goalkeeper and defence are concerned. The only consistent regular in the defence is Bacary Sagna, who hasn’t registered a single goal or assist all season, while Arsene Wenger has rotated between his equally inconsistent and dodgy Polish goalkeepers, Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski.
Further forward, however, there are multiple options with which to spend your available funds.
Everyone knows about what Santi Cazorla (£10.2 million) has to offer at this stage, but Mikel Arteta (£7.7 million) is cheaper, nearly always plays 90 minutes when available and has two goals in his last four games. He also picks up bonus points on a regular basis and is the Gunners’ designated penalty taker and is definitely worth a shot if you have eight million quid to spare.
Theo Walcott (£8.8 million) is gradually edging back to full fitness and his status as a midfielder rather than a forward means he has reaped great reward for the 11 goals he has scored this season to go with his 13 assists, one behind league leaders Juan Mata and Eden Hazard.
His return will likely mean fewer opportunities for Gervinho (£7.1 million), who had belatedly began to prove his worth with two goals and three assists in a productive three-game spell, but Olivier Giroud (£7.8 million) is a far safer bet, having played 90 minutes in all but one of the last ten games, a period in which he has scored three goals and provided three assists.
JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks:
Top Dollar: Carlos Tevez (£8.7 million). Spurs away is no easy game but the way City and Tevez have been playing in recent games, you wouldn’t rule out another big display from the Argentinean at White Hart Lane.
Mid-Range: Stephane Sessegnon (£6.9 million). If the Black Cats do stay up, Sessegnon is going to have a major role to play and after 13 points in a man of the match display against Newcastle, he should be buzzing for the meeting with Everton on Saturday.
Bargain Basement: Gaston Ramirez (£5.2 million). Southampton players are providing brilliant value for money and with five goals and four assists already this season, Ramirez is a bargain at just over five million quid.
Irish Pick: Darron Gibson (£4.7 million). Grabbed his first goal of the season against QPR and although he could have seen red against Arsenal, he, like Seamus Coleman, looks to be in very good nick at the moment.
Captain’s Pick: Robin van Persie (£13.7 million). Back amongst the goals and looking a lot happier than he did during his lean spell, he could make life miserable for Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Monday night.
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