Chief's #FPL Team - Gameweek 33

Latest Rank: 

79k (5k rise) 

Transfers*:

Baines & Lennon IN /

Van Aanholt & Cazorla OUT

- 4 HIT

***WILDCARD STILL AT HAND***

Bank Balance:

£0.8M 
 

*Everton have been fantastic of late, including Baines and Lennon. They'll be looking to secure a solid finish to the season following a not so good start.

Notes: 

Last GW I avoided a sixth successive red arrow and saw a temporary reverse to my recent FPL decline. It's just a shame I captained Kane, brought in Berahino for a -4 and sold Guzan who unexpectedly  kept a CS at White Hart Lane. Looking at GW33, I didn't have to take another hit. But I didn't fancy fielding Jack Cork and Ben Mee. With a WC available for #DGW34 I could have bought anyone as a one-off purchase. Baines is showing some glints of his old form of late, which is why I bought him. I didn't want to buy another Evertonian, but I couldn't look past Lennon - he has 2 goals in his last 3 games and ownership of less than 1%. Sure, I could have bought Bolasie, Cambiasso or go random and choose Cabella. The fact of the matter is that Burnley are dire when playing on the road and Everton are on form - this fixture should hopefully have some goals in it. As for my captain, it came down to Silva or Aguero, I chose the latter.

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Have you made your picks yet?

Bantasy Football: Courting Crystal Palace

Three reasons I'm in a pickle this week:

1. I've got a really good Michael Jackson joke but it's been so long - it's no longer funny. 

2. I've got a cracking Peaches Geldof one but it's too soon.

3. I've talked about all the best teams from which to procure GW34 players already (Man City, Everton etc.) and I don't want you to get bored of me. 

I ain't gonna tap out tho...

Crystal Phallus Palace

Once upon a time there was a silly little team with a silly old name, a supremely silly kit and an even sillier manager. This silly little team had accrued a paltry 3 points from ten Premier League games - and they were destined for the nether-nether land of the Championship - according to all the big bad football pundits that ever there were.

But one day the silly little team won a football game, and another, and then another - until eventually they were toppling the mighty Chelsea, beating teams (alright, Cardiff) 3-0 away from home and slowly but surely climbing away from the clutches of the drop zone.

Also - Double Gameweek.

If the end of Palace's season is half as good as the ending of this book, boy we're in for a treat 

Defence is the best form of defence

Let's forget about strikers for a moment because, well, Palace don't really have any - but also you already have SAS and either Dzeko or Lukaku so why would I waste my breath?

Cheap Ds are where it's at - and although The Eagles have Everton, City and Liverpool still to come, their players are SO SO cheap - and we all know rotation is the name of the game anyway.

This week it's Villa (currently about as predictable as any weather forecast ever) at home, and Everton away. The former should provide a clean sheet - Palace have three in their last four. Much of their recent success has been predicated upon their ability to shut out teams like Chelsea but perhaps their greatest defensive achievement this season was conceding just one at the Etihad (seriously - who does that!?)


Joel Ward (4.4m)

I was shocked when I saw this guy's ownership - 8.8%! I've had him all season and he's been phenomenal. He's played all but two games. 10 clean sheets, 8 Bonus Points and best of all - Palace are relatively predictable - Apart from the Chelsea result which was an obvious bonus, they got their shutouts against Cardiff x2, Sunderland, Hull x2, Stoke, Villa, Everton and West Brom. Rarely do you expect 4 defensive points and get dissappointed. No goals yet but Ward is a full back so the law of averages dictates he'll score one day.

Damien Delaney (4.4m)

Fantasy-wise, this lad's a carbon copy of Ward. 10 clean sheets, played all but two games, and has a decent rack of BPs (12). For some reason his ownership is a skull-scratching 1%. Snap him up, boys and girls. This one's a kipper.

Fish jokes: Not as good as cheese jokes but pretty gouda

Adrian Mariappa (3.9m)

He's missed two long spells this season but holds the record for the longest consecutive playing streak in Watford's history, has started the last four and cost £2.5m in real life sterling last summer so you'd expect him to see out the season with 90 minutes in each game. He got 10 pts against Cardiff last weekend for his assist and 2 BPs and scored a towering header against Fulham back in October. If you're pressed for cash, he's your man.


Jason Puncheon (4.9m)

Ever since THAT penalty miss, the man has been on fire.

This alone is worth the price of admission if you haven't seen it 

Since that dreaded Spurs game, Puncheon raked in 11 points for two straight weeks and he bagged 16 against Cardiff from a brace and all the BPs - there's even talk of him going to the World Cup.  

Did you look at his price? Good. How many players cost that little and can pack that kind of a punch? One.

In good Kompany*

I had Ward and Puncheon on the bench this week which made me feel bad - really bad. Until I saw that The Silva Surfers (top team in FPL standings) did too. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good I suppose. Man I wish I'd been stupid enough to captain De Guzman last week.

*This section does not pertain to one Vincent Kompany, nor Cystal Palace if I'm honest. I just had to get it off my chesticles. 


For more Bantasy Football, go to: bantasyfootball.blogspot.co.uk or follow @BantasyFootball

#CalledIt Differential Pick - GW33

As you might remember (if you have read my article last week), I spent a good part of the double gameweek 31 in London (click here to read more about it) and while I was there I also got a chance to visit The White Hart Lane to enjoy my first ever Premier League match with the home side going against the visiting Southampton. 

Enjoying the pre-game ceremony we joked with @FantasyYIRMA about (finally) offloading the "Great-Danish-hype-proven-bust" Christian Eriksen and how he is sure to make us regret it now. Well, our smiles turned to disbelief when he went on to score two goals, assist one and collecting all three bonus points in his all-star 18 FPL points performance. It was clear to me then and there that I will once again (I know, some people never learn) be getting him in my team. 

He is down to 6.5m and owned by only 4% of managers at the moment of writing. He has great fixtures coming (SUN, wba, FUL), is on form and has been the cornerstone of Tottenham's attack lately. Admittedly, you never know what Tim Sherwood ultimately decides to do - benching his best player to try something new, leaving him out of the squad because he prefers Danish biscuits to English shortbread cookies with his 5 o'clock tea or will simply play him as a center-back. I have no clue and I will just pray to god that this is the "Sane Tim Week". Because, if he plays alongside the big man Adebayor, he is sure to do some damage, if nothing else at least an assist or two. #CalledIt pick for GW33, Christian Eriksen.