Fantasy Premier League Pundit Picks: Gameweek 11

(L-R) DeAndre Yedlin, Heung-Min Son and Jamie Vardy (Photos: Facebook/AFP)


Never ceasing to entertain, the Premier League is a double-edged sword for any football fan.

You’ll be enjoying the rollercoaster ride but before you know it, thrill will be long gone by the time you realise your beloved team has suffered a shock upset at the hands of a small fry.

Don’t miss: Manchester United’s resurgence, other talking points from Gameweek 10

And for those intrepid souls who brave the world of Fantasy Premier League (FPL), the English top-flight’s unpredictability makes it a nightmare when it comes to deciding who to spend all your hard-earned virtual money on.

To ease those selection dilemmas, The Statesman has got you covered with a precise article on the players that are ripping it up on the field and are must-haves for Gameweek 11.

The indicators are:

Teams in BOLD are top 4 contenders.

Prices marked in Green indicates a rise in Base Price.
Prices marked in Red indicates fall in Base Price.

Goalkeeper

Jonas Lossl

Team: Huddersfield Town
Fixtures: West Brom (H), Bournemouth (A), Man City (A), Arsenal (A) and Everton (A)
Price: 4.6
Score: 48
Ownership: 8.5%

Why yes: Barring an anomaly against Spurs, the Terriers have been quite tidy at the back, especially at home. Their next two opponents, West Brom and Bournemouth, aren’t exactly banging in the goals at the moment. Lossl is one of the few keepers to have registered an assist and has saved an penalty, if you needed more reasons.

Why no: Huddersfield defenders are a good bet as well. David Wagner’s men aren’t on the best of runs at the moment.

Lossl has saved a penalty and provided an assist this season already! (Photo: Facebook)

 

Defenders

Danny Rose

Team: Tottenham Hotspur
Fixtures: Crystal Palace (H), Arsenal (A), West Brom (H), Leicester (A) and Watford (A)
Price: 6.4
Score: 0
Ownership: 0.2%

Why yes: Rose has successfully mounted a comeback from a knee injury which kept him out of action for a while and the pacy fullback is set to start against bottom-ranked Palace after being rested in mid-week (UEFA Champions League). Ben Davies is due some rest and while it isn’t certain whether Rose will start or not, the wing-back could prove to be a massive differential in the coming weeks.

Why no: Rose starting isn’t certain and he’s extremely expensive. Other Spurs teammates are arguably better (and cheaper) options, especially considering the lengthy injury lay-off he’s had.

His haircut may be dodgy, but his game certainly isn’t! (Photo: Tottenham Hotspur F.C./Facebook)

 

DeAndre Yedlin

Team: Newcastle United
Fixtures: Bournemouth (H), Man United (A), Watford (H), West Brom (A) and Chelsea (A)
Price: 4.4
Score: 16
Ownership: 0.6%

Why yes: Still only 24, Yedlin is developing into a proper fullback capable of dealing with the rigours of the Premier League. Rafa Benitez’s defence-first approach is great for FPL managers as the Magpies are sure to rack up plenty of clean sheets over the course of the season. Goal-shy Bournemouth come visiting and will be hard-pressed to find a way past the hosts’ back-line.

Why no: Newcastle may be stingy at the back, but they aren’t scoring goals regularly and that puts a lot of pressure on their defence. For all his pace, Yedlin’s offensive contributions aren’t worth writing home about.

 

The former Spurs man is proving his critics wrong with a series of confident displays for Newcastle! (Photo: Facebook)

Midfielders

Heung Min-Son

Team: Tottenham Hotspur
Fixtures: Crystal Palace (H), Arsenal (A), West Brom (H), Leicester (A) and Watford (A)
Price: 7.9
Score: 23
Ownership: 1.3%

Why yes: Son’s been in fine form of late and the Korean winger often plays as second striker behind Harry Kane. Hardworking, fast and technically proficient, the 25-year-old could prove to be a massive differential in the weeks to come as everyone else flocks to buy the likes of Christian Eriksen.

Why no: He may be cheaper alternative to Eriksen and Alli, but those two are confirmed starters while Son isn’t. If you already have Harry Kane (forward) in your team, then picking Son as well would be a big punt.

Son (R) was quiet against United last week, but don’t bet on him shooting a blank against Crystal Palace! (Photo: AFP)

 

Abdoulaye Doucoure

Team: Watford
Fixtures: Everton (A), West Ham (H), Newcastle (A), Man United (H) and Spurs (H)
Price: 5.4
Score: 49
Ownership: 17.7%

Why yes: The fuss is all about Richarlison at the moment, but his French teammate has actually outscored him this season with four goals to his name. Against a hapless Everton side, Watford will look to bounce back from their disappointing result against Stoke last week and Doucoure will be leading the charge from midfield. Next three fixtures look good on paper at least.

Why no: Richarlison may be more expensive but the Brazilian plays a much more advanced role than Doucoure and is a marginally better differential as well. And while the Toffees may be struggling at the moment, don’t expect them to give up without a fight, especially at home.

The French midfielder has a habit of running into the opposition box at the right time! (Photo: Facebook)

 

Forwards

Jamie Vardy

Team: Leicester City
Fixtures: Stoke (A), Man City (H), West Ham (A), Spurs (H) and Burnley (H)
Price: 8.6
Score: 50
Ownership: 15.0%

Why yes: Leicester may be in a state of flux, but their star forward has been scoring goals regularly. Against a leaky Stoke defence, expect the sinewy Englishman to be a busy man. Claude Puel’s reign as Leicester manager has shown signs of promise and the Foxes can only go upwards from here.

Why no: Stoke are wildly unpredictable and Vardy’s teammates —Riyad Mahrez and Demarai Gray (both midfield) —are worth a dekho as well.

Vardy’s got six league goals to his name already! (Photo: AFP)

 

Tammy Abraham

Team: Swansea City
Fixtures: Brighton (H), Burnley (A), Bournemouth (H), Chelsea (A) and Stoke (A)
Price: 5.9
Score: 46
Ownership: 14.8%

Why yes: Chelsea’s on-loan youngster has been going great guns at Swansea and is a real bargain. The Swans next three fixtures look pretty decent and now’s the time if you want to swoop in on for the lanky striker. An excellent third choice forward if nothing else.

Why no: Paul Clement’s men have lost five of their last six games and they will almost certainly be fighting a relegation battle this year. They aren’t exactly free-scoring either.

Abraham’s aerial presence is superb, but his link-up play is extremely underrated! (Photo: Facebook)

 

PS: The Gameweek deadline is 11.30 am GMT/5 pm IST.