Fantasy Premier League Strategist

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Here’s the dirtsheet for Gameweek 17.

 

I think I learned a season-long lesson last week.

“Always captain Suarez”

Opponent? Doesn’t matter.

Home or away? Doesn’t matter.

Liverpool missing key players? Doesn’t matter.

I would go as far as to say that Suarez is the single most reliable captain since Cristiano Ronaldo took it upon himself to single-handedly destroy teams on a regular basis. Last weeks 5-0 hammering of Spurs at White Hart Lane sums it all up. Two goals and three assists for a Liverpool side away from home and without Steven Gerrard is the sign of a player who simply must be in your side. The first goal in particular was a thing of beauty, and there will be many more to come from now until May.

Thankfully, a Liverpool home tie vs Cardiff City puts the captaincy dilemma to bed. He is leading most captaincy polls by a laughable margin – that’s one less topic for me to focus on in this weeks Dirtsheet. I’m not even going to list a differential captain this week. There is a time and a place for a cheeky punt – this week is not one of them. If you have Suarez, captain him. If you still do not have Suarez, buy him.

It’s a 3-4-3 this week as I focus on the myriad of choices in the middle of the park.

Here’s the dirtsheet for Gameweek 17.

THE DIRTSHEET: GAMEWEEK 17

The Eleven – (3-4-3)

Simon Mignolet (LIV)
Opponent – Cardiff City (H)
A clean sheet against Spurs will certainly boost the confidence of the Liverpool back line ahead of the visit of the Bluebirds. I think Cardiff pose a great threat from dead ball situations, but I feel the strength of the Liverpool defense will hold solid.

Seamus Coleman (EVE)
Opponent – Swansea (A)
Seamus Coleman seems to be in the right place in the right time far too often in recent weeks, and despite my belief that Jagielka will outscore Coleman 9 times out of 10 when Everton keep a clean sheet, it’s hard not to select the Irishman. Swansea have had an up-and-down season so far but Everton have been simply electric in recent weeks.

Joel Ward (CPL)
Opponent – Newcastle United (H)
The Magpies players seem out of sorts, none more so than Loic Remy. Ward has been the standout Palace defender for me in recent weeks and a clean sheet and an assist in his last two games backed up his Dirtsheet selection two weeks ago.

Patrice Evra (MUN)
Opponent – West Ham United (H)
A goal and a clean sheet in the Carling Cup quarter-final against Stoke puts the Frenchman in good stead before a potentially prosperous home tie against West Ham. I have a feeling that David Moyes might field his strongest defense just in case United struggle without Rooney and van Persie. Evra is a good bet for a clean sheet against a Hammers side with just a single point from their last 4 games.

Jordan Henderson (LIV)
Opponent – Cardiff City (H)
After coming very close to the Dirtsheet last week, I’m going to opt for the young Englishman for the tie against Cardiff after his 13-point haul. In the absence of Steven Gerrard, Henderson has certainly taken his chance to impress and I back him to continue in similar fashion on Saturday.

Theo Walcott (ARS)
Opponent – Chelsea (H)
Walcott returned from injury to score two against a solid City defense last week. Although I do see Chelsea parking the bus against a frightening Arsenal offensive unit, Walcott will certainly start and could be the knife that cuts through Terry and co. I can see the Gunners winning this one.

Kevin Mirallas (EVE)
Opponent – Swansea (A)
With an injury to Gerard Duelofeu now confirmed, Mirallas knows he has about 6 weeks to cement his starting place prior to the return of the mercurial Catalan. He is showing all the signs of the player that many managers decided to include way back in gameweek 1, and after scoring a goal from the bench last week, I think he could take his chance against an unpredictable Swansea.

Yaya Toure (MCI)
Opponent – Fulham (A)
With Aguero out for up to 8 weeks, Yaya will now be City’s penalty taker – Aguero owners will know this having seen two penalties go City’s way AFTER he departed the game! David Silva is a slightly cheaper option, but a Silva/Negredo 4-5-1 partnership is somewhat untested. Yaya’s form shows no sign of faltering, with 3 goals and 2 assists in his last 5. If you have either midfielder for the weekend, I think you have a good chance of attacking points.

Danny Welbeck (MUN)
Opponent – West Ham United (H)
I *almost* went with Ashley Young for the dirtsheet given his performance in the Carling Cup and the fact that David Moyes might look to start him after a very positive display, but I’m opting for Danny Welbeck as he offers more security in terms of his start. Wayne Rooney is a major doubt at the time of writing and Danny Welbeck will probably lead the line against West Ham. With the proper support from the wings, Welbeck could easily get a goal against West Ham, especially if Tom Cleverly takes the field – both players always seem to bring the best out of each other.

Luis Suarez (LIV)
Opponent – Cardiff City (H)
When I was a kid, I used love playing soccer with my friends. I once scored 3 goals in a game. Luiz Suarez can do that every week. Pick him. Don’t pick me. I’ll only disappoint you with just an assist and a bonus point.

Alvaro Negredo (MCI)
Opponent – Fulham (A)
Regardless of whether Pellegrini opts to continue with 4-4-2 (opting for Dzeko) or change to 4-5-1 (with Silva tucked in behind the striker), Negredo will start at the weekend. Aguero casts a very large shadow, but it’s important to say that Negredo has scored 3 goals and an assist in his last 4 games, including two games where he was only given 60 minutes. He will relish the opportunity to be City’s main man in attack, and Fulham’s shaky back line could well be very giving as we approach Christmas.

The Captain – Luis Suarez (LIV) – Just please captain Suarez. Thanks. best regards, Your Own Sanity.

The Clean Sheets
I’m looking to Manchester City, Manchester United, Crystal Palace, Liverpool and and Everton to return clean sheets.

The Unusual Suspects
Defender: Phil Bardsley (SUN)
Midfielder: Ashley Young (MUN)
Striker: Marouane Chamakh (CPL)
Captain: Luis Suarez (LIV) – that’s right, he’s the Chuck Norris of FPL, just captain him.

And that’s a wrap! It’s quick, it’s informative and it’s helpful. It’s the Dirtsheet, and it’s here every Friday! Please follow us on Twitter and share! Every follower counts!