WELCOME BACK to 2 in 2 out! This is the second edition of the fantasy premier league season and if you took last edition’s advice you were in for a treat! I told you to bring Mahrez in who is on fire at the moment and he scored one goal, assisted three goals and picked up an overall total of 22 FPL points since – you are welcome! My other suggestion was David Silva who unfortunately picked up an injury for both games which is a huge shame!
On the other hand I told you to take out Rooney and Ivanovic. Rooney was useless as I predicted and did nothing but Ivanovic did pick up a clean sheet against Arsenal after conceding 3 to Everton in the previous game.
Not bad for the first week, but there is always room for improvement and we need to keep getting those green arrows, one week is not enough so let’s go!
IN
Dimitri Payet (Midfielder, West Ham, 7.7m)
Dimitri Payet is good, he is very good indeed. Sorry to the Hammers reading this but he’s too good for you at the moment but take that as a compliment because you have him. Payet is oh-so intelligent on the ball and he’s one of the few players in the Premier League that makes his decision on what to do before the ball is even passed to him and that’s one of the main reasons why he finds himself in these lovely pockets of space to score and assist. Three goals and two assists so far for Payet and this is all done through very tricky fixtures including trips to the Emirates, Anfield and the Etihad, all successful trips.
One of the main reasons I feel you should bring Payet in now is because of West Ham’s upcoming fixtures which are Norwich (H) and Sunderland (A). If Payet can do it against Arsenal and Man City, this should be a breeze for him, right?! He’s only 7.7m and take it from me that his price is only going to increase. Payet will get you points week in week out for a very nice price. Get him in!
Cesar Azpilicueta (Defender, Chelsea, 6.0m)
I know this may seem strange at first but hear me out, it makes sense. After their mid-week Champions League victory and a 2-0 victory against Arsenal, I think Chelsea have now had the kick up the arse they needed and are back on track. Two clean sheets in two games and although circumstances in both games made it very easy for Chelsea, their confidence will be back because of this and we can expect Chelsea to start keeping clean sheets in the near future. Why Azpilicueta? He’s the cheapest Chelsea defender that has featured the most in every game. Kurt Zouma is cheaper BUT there is always the risk that Terry will take his place. Chelsea will certainly be much more cautious at the back after their awful start and with Newcastle (A), Southampton (H) and Aston Villa (H) coming up, Chelsea have a good chance of keeping clean sheets. Azpilicueta is a slight risk, quite pricey but it will pay off once the clean sheets come in.
OUT
Matteo Darmian (Defender, Man Utd, 5.8m)
20.9% of you have Darmian and rightly so, he’s had a brilliant start to his Man Utd career. Darmian kept three clean sheets on the bounce since the start of the season but since then Man United have failed to stop their opponents scoring, letting in five goals in their last three games. As I always say, fantasy football is about POINTS and although Darmian is a great defender, we want him to score clean sheet points.
Man United have Sunderland (H) next which should be seen as an easy win BUT looking forward after this Man United have an extremely tough run of fixtures in which I believe they won’t keep a clean sheet. These fixtures are Arsenal (H), Everton (A), Man City (H) and Crystal Palace (A). Do I need to sell this anymore to you?! I’m sure Darmian will put in some good individual performances but unsure if he will earn points from them and for that reason I believe you should take him out!
Alexis Sanchez (Midfielder, Arsenal, 11.0m)
Alexis Sanchez has had a very quiet start to the season by his standards, I put it down to fatigue due to him missing a summer break for international duties. Sanchez will come good, he’s too good not to but for 11.0m is it worth waiting? I don’t think so. When there are players such as Mahrez (6.1m) and Payet (7.7m) both picking up many more points for so much less, it’s not worth having Sanchez in your team. Leicester (A) and Man Utd (H) awaits Arsenal and these are two tough fixtures which have a high level of risk in! Being patient could pay off but I don’t believe the wait will be worth it, take Sanchez out!
A few more risks in this one but that’s what you have to do to gain points over the rest! I promise you these selections will bring you green arrows. Good luck and see you next time!
By Tom Mellor
