Over these final few weeks of the season I’ll be sharing a
few bite size insights into the all-important run-in that will hopefully give
you something to think about as you aim to boost your team up the overall
rankings or make a late dash for the title in your mini-league. It’s designed
to just start the conversation on the topics and give you a few extra things to
think about as you plan your moves. So, here we go!
RVP
This might seem like a wacky place to start but van Persie
produced some impressive stats last weekend. He may have missed a penalty (with
van Gaal confirming he’ll be off spot-kick duty from now on) and notched
himself ‘nil pois’ in the process but
a closer look at the stats shows he was a threat throughout. He made it through
the full 90 minutes, had 14 touches inside the penalty box (2nd only to Vardy
over the GW), 10 attempts on goal (2 more than 2nd place Sanchez), 6
shots inside the box (1st), at least 2 more shots on target than
anyone else all weekend whilst also creating more chances for his team mates
than any other striker in the game.
His price tag is hefty and he hasn’t lived up to it. United
are struggling to score goals. He’s only just returning from injury. However,
with stats like these there is an awful lot of potential for the last few
gameweeks; if RVP can reproduce the threat he showed last week then he’ll
surely grab some goals before the season is over.
Relegation Battle
I believe in miracles. However, let’s just assume QPR and
Burnley are down. On the contrary, the third relegation spot is still very much
anyone’s guess. Just 2 points separate Sunderland in 18th and Aston
Villa in 14th. All 5 teams have it all to play for; these guys can’t
afford to be on their summer holidays already (unlike a certain Chelsea
midfielder) and will be putting everything they have into ensuring their team
beats the drop. That alone should make all 5 teams worth considering for the
final weeks of the season. Add to that the fact that all but Sunderland have 2 home
fixtures out of 3, whilst the Black Cats have a double gameweek in GW37, and we’ll
see that there’s plenty of potential remaining in these teams that can’t afford
to lose. Here’s a player to consider from each one:
Aston Villa: Christian
Benteke – 73 points, 10 goals and only 2 blanks since the beginning of March
says all you need to know.
Newcastle: Papiss
Cisse – Newcastle are in free fall after 8 straight defeats but 11-goal Cisse
is now back in contention after serving his 7 game suspension.
Leicester: Jamie Vardy
– He’s been in terrific form and is the heartbeat of all Leicester do going
forward.
Hull: Ahmed Elmohamady
– 2 assists in as many games against tough opposition shows he can bring in some
points as the season draws to a close.
Sunderland: Connor
Wickham – With 2 goals in his last 3 games we could see him hit the sort of
form that kept Sunderland up this time last year.
Jamie Vardy
Just a quick note on Vardy’s potential for the last few
games. If we exclude the ‘anomaly’ game from early in the season where Leicester
beat Man United 5-3 and Vardy picked up a goal, 4 assists and 21 fpl points
then his home returns have actually been very disappointing, even recently.
That United game is the only home match Vardy has scored in all season whilst
he’s picked up 3 goals on the road since GW30. On top of that he also only has
3 assists on home turf compared to 4 whilst away. This may be indicative of
Leicester’s playing style but with 2 home games out of 3 remaining don’t be
surprised if Vardy doesn’t produce what we might hope he does.
Harry Kane
Kane has been fantasy football gold-dust so far this season.
His low starting price combined with his incredible points returns have led to
a massive 91.2% ownership within live squads. However, with just 1 goal and 1
assist in his last 5 games, 2 away fixtures to come and Pochettino seemingly
wanting to avoid the Europa League it could be time to roll the dice with the
young England striker. It’s dangerous because if he does well you could lose a
lot of ground overall but he’s never going to help you catch anyone or make big
leaps in the overall rankings simply because of his high ownership (unless you
have the courage to captain him!). Alternatives to the Spurs star would be the
aforementioned Benteke (if you can raise the funds), Cisse or Vardy. Otherwise,
you can take a punt on Austin rescuing QPR or a Sunderland striker with the extra fixture.
Differential Captain
Picks
Everyone will captain Aguero this week. If you’re looking to
climb the rankings by going against the grain and selecting a different captain here are a few options.
Christian Benteke – He’s
got form on his side and is coming up against a West Ham side with nothing to
play for.
Alexis Sanchez – 4
goals in his last 3 appearances for the Gunners makes him a prime MNF captain
option.
Phil Jagielka – 2 goals
in his last 5 matches and 6 clean sheets from the last 7 home games means he is
producing at both ends of the pitch, especially whilst at Goodison Park. Has
every chance of making double figures against a feeble Sunderland side.
"Taking no risks is the riskiest thing of all. So, in order to avoid risks, I will take risks" (Juan Manuel Lillo)
