New Options
Anthony Martial has found form in recent weeks as Manchester United have surged up the table. The Frenchman has provided four assists and scored two goals in their past three games and looks good value.
Martial’s United teammate Scott McTominay grabbed a double last round with Paul Pogba rotated, but actually injured his groin late in the game so beware of him.
Aston Villa’s Anwar El Ghazi put his name up in lights with two goals last weekend, but one of those was from the penalty spot, taking the spotkick ahead of Jack Grealish, so that’s worth noting.
Chelsea defenders have done well this season by not conceding many goals but when Brazil international Thiago Silva starts scoring, he looms large. He nailed a header from a corner in midweek and thus scored well, with the Blues keeping a clean sheet.
Previous week lessons
Liverpool’s seven-goal thrashing of Crystal Palace last weekend ushered in a return to form for a number of players, but especially full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson who many have been patiently waiting for. Now their prices will start to skyrocket, so get on ASAP.
James Maddison has started to find form for Leicester City and another decent score last weekend suggested this may be a permanent thing. He was a very handy Fantasy player last season and he looms as an option again.
And, of course, Bruno Fernandes’ quality is no secret nor a lesson needing to be re-learned. But he reminded us with a monster score last round. If you don’t him, find a way to get him. It’s also no surprise he managed his big score against Leeds United, whose cavalier style if offering up points.
Who to captain?
There’s a bit to navigate on the captaincy front this weekend, but Leicester and Manchester United’s opening match-up offers a dilemma, with prime options Jamie Vardy and Bruno Fernandes potentially going to cancel each other out. The latter seems a wise vice-captain option.
Kevin De Bruyne looks like the best choice for captaincy, with Manchester City playing at home to Newcastle on Saturday night. He’s been upping his scores lately and seems to be central to any City goals.
Mohamed Salah is the other choice with Liverpool playing host to struggling West Bromwich who are offering up points. Fresh from a fine impact in a 25-minute cameo off the bench, the Egyptian looks a shrewd option.
Injury front
As the schedule becomes more hectic, the injuries become more frequent so there’s a long list of fitness tests, including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Danny Ings, Gareth Bale and Richarlison.
Manchester City pair Gabriel Jesus and Kyle Walker have both tested positive to COVID-19 so will miss out, while Everton will have wait for another two games to get James Rodriguez back as he battles a calf complaint.
Chelsea seem to have lost full-backs Ben Chilwell (ankle) and Reece James (knee) until the New Year with injuries too.