In the last issue of 2 In 2 Out I told YOU to bring in Dame N’Doye, and what a shout it was with the big centre forward scoring 2 goals in 3 games since I suggested him and for the price of 5.5m, it was a shout I’m proud of and a great addition to my team. I also re-emphasised that you should get Harry Kane in if you’re the minority that hasn’t and he struggled to score until he came up against QPR when he bagged himself a healthy brace and 3 bonus points. They were my shouts for possible additions to your team but the people I thought you should remove from your team were Lukaku and Downing, they both did alright..nothing special but alright. Lukaku had an absolute shocker against Leicester but managed to get 2 assists and after that didn’t manage anything against Arsenal and Stoke whereas Downing also claimed himself an assist which was against Crystal Palace but nothing more than that. There are only ten, yes, ten gameweeks left and whether you’re in a public league or a private league, you want to be finishing as high as you can. Hopefully these suggestions will help you do just that.
IN
Jason Puncheon (Crystal Palace, Midfielder, 5.6m)
Jason Puncheon is only a light 5.6m and is at the heart of the majority of Crystal Palace’s attacks. He recently picked up a very impressive 3 assists in one game away at West Ham. Although he has only managed to score 3 goals this season so far, he will be confident of grabbing a goal in Crystal Palace’s upcoming fixtures of; QPR (H), Stoke (A), Manchester City (H) and Sunderland (A). All four of these defences he’s coming up against haven’t exactly been solid this season, including Man City. You also have to remember that he is an absolute bargain and he will more than likely leave you some spare cash in the bank for other players which is always nice in fantasy football. Only 5.2% of managers have Puncheon in their team and you could really gain on other managers if you put him in.
Phillipe Coutinho (Liverpool, Midfielder, 7.8m)
Phillipe Coutinho, the little magician. He recently had one of his best performances against Manchester City when he ran their defence all over the pitch and topped it off with a screamer from outside the box. Liverpool are in fine form and have turned around their top four challenge this season, with Coutinho at the heart of this. With the pace and power of Sterling and Sturridge running in front of him, he really will start to bring in the points in the last stretch of the season. I was very surprised to see that only 7.8% of managers (including myself) have him in their teams. This is such a great chance to put a player in your team that the majority of managers don’t have; he has a goal (or two) in him and is guaranteed to create chances for his team. At only 7.8m this is a risk worth taking, go for it!
OUT
David De Gea (Man United, Goalkeeper, 5.8m)
As I’ve said many times in 2 In 2 Out, it’s all good having great players in your team, but in fantasy football it is all about POINTS and with goalkeepers it is all about CLEAN SHEETS. Let’s be honest, who wants a goalkeeper that picks up 2 points every game? Nobody! As bad as Man United’s defence has been this season, David De Gea has achieved 9 clean sheets this season which is the same as Joe Hart and one more than Thibaut Courtois! But when you look at Man United’s upcoming fixtures you need to realise it’s time to take out this 5.8m goalkeeper, get someone in cheaper and put some spare money in the bank. Man United still have to play; Spurs (H), Liverpool (A), Man City (H), Chelsea (A), Everton (A) and Arsenal (H) this season. In my opinion there is no chance Man United will keep a clean sheet in any of these very tough games which is why I feel now is the perfect time to take De Gea out if you are one of the 23.1% that have him.
Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea, Midfielder, 9,4m)
Fabregas is without a doubt one of the best players in the Premier League this year, picking up an incredible 15 assists already this season speaks for itself, but in the second half of this season he has slowed down while other players have picked up. At 9.4m, Fabregas will leave you a healthy amount of cash in the bank for a replacement that is currently scoring more points, examples include; Mesut Ozil (9.1m), Santi Cazorla (8.6m), Christian Eriksen (8.5m) and Raheem Sterling (8.5m). Although Fabregas is a fantastic footballer and will score points, there are much cheaper options out there for a much cheaper price, so it makes sense to bring him out of your team if you are one of the 29.8% of managers that have him.
Ten more gameweeks and hopefully ten more weeks of seeing green arrows and a higher place in your respective league. Let’s hope if you take these suggestions you will see just that! Good luck!
Tom.
