EPL Grind Down: Matchweek 31
With a reduced fixture list we have an interesting EPL fixture list for the week. There are only for matches on the week and Liverpool are sure to be very popular considering they are the only team from the top six that are there on Saturday.
Nevertheless, there are other options and in GPPs you will have to get creative and find the cheaper hidden gems in order to get the optimal lineup that can set you apart.
A quick note about this week’s article. I’m on vacation on the beach. Hopefully I didn’t make any serious mistakes or omissions, but I’ll be on Twitter later if you want to reach out with a question or comment.
On to the games!
Bournemouth vs West Bromwich Albion
Bournemouth sits just six points outside relegation and are playing arguably the worst team in the league. The expectation is that Bournemouth will get the points and run away with this one. But will that the case?
Just two weeks ago the Cherries drew 1-1 with Leicester. The same Leicester squad that pounded WBA by four goals to one,.so maybe we see the same result this week, but something tells me that Bournemouth will be limited to just two goals. They are potentially missing the services of Josh King and that would mean that they turn to Defoe, Wilson or Mousset.
The most likely DFS options from Bournemouth would be Junior Stanislas. He’s coming off a decent active showing against Tottenham and presumably would perform similarly against WBA. In his last three games, he’s taken 14 shots and 18 crosses. He’s also scored two goals in his last four matches. He’s priced at $8.2K on DK, so he’s a bit expensive, but he’s a move away from the Liverpool game. So likely he’ll be underowned because of his price.
Other options from Bournemouth are Jordan Ibe and whoever starts at forward, be it Wilson, King or Defoe. Those are only tournament picks.
For West Brom I don’t think you should go too deep thing about getting anybody on your team. Brunt and Rondon are the two that I would expect to perform well, but I will still stay away from them personally.
Huddersfield vs Crystal Palace
The big takeaway from last week is that Zaha is good. He didn’t play the first half against Chelsea and the team fell behind 2-0 easy. He came on in the second half and the Blues have looked terrible since. Zaha is just $6.8K on DK and is as close as a must play from this game as possible.
In other news with this match, I expect it to be a close one with Huddersfield playing some strict defense to avoid falling into the relegation battle any further. A win here gives them a seven-point clearance from the drop zone. But I think Oalace come away as winners here.
Players to consider from Huddersfield: van La Parra, and Tom ince and even the goalkeeper Lossl will play a part here as a home underdog.
From Palace, I would take Zaha as a first player on my sheet, and then I’d consider the full back Wan-Bissaka and even Van Aanholt. Stay away from Benteke, but any of the attacking midfielders should have enough to warrant a selection.
Stoke vs Everton
The third game of the slate is an interesting one. Everton will be without Sigurdsson, so some of that production will come from elsewhere. The crosses will probably fall on Walcott, making him another great play this week. He had 5+ crosses in his last four and should end up with more week without Siggy there.
Another play on Everton is Tosun or Rooney, both of whom can still score goals. Rooney should get penalties while Tosun had two goals in his last two games, making him a solid pick for a cheap price.
For Stoke, it will be tough to pick from them, but they are at home, so presumably, their performance will improve. Shaqiri is the epitome of a tournament only play, as he can get less than five points or 20+ points depending on whether or not he scores one of his four shots a game.
Butland is another good option from Stoke, as he should have some saves and may get away with a clean sheet. The full backs are also value options for this Stoke team.
Overall this match has potential to be interesting and could be a tough one to pinpoint, as both teams can disappear, thus making this a terrible game for fantasy. Conversely, I think we end up with a 2-1 contest for Everton, with Walcott scoring and assisting.
Liverpool vs Watford
The final match of the day is the Liverpool game that starts late, and most people will be saving up this one way or another. This is a tricky one, however, as Watford are a solid team that could prove trouble for the Reds.
There is good reason to be excited about Liverpool though. Watford are without an away goal in a long while and Liverpool are always stronger at home.
The obvious options on Liverpool are Salah, Mane, and Firmino. Mane is the cheapest option, so he gives you the best chances of fitting two or three Liverpool players on your squad. Wijnaldum is back this week, so he should get a start. Trent Alexander-Arnold is another defensive player to consider. Really any of the front six can be solid GPP plays and the two full backs are always options as well with this Liverpool team.
As for Watford, Kiko Femenia has been playing forward lately and should be an option if you want to take some Watford players. Richarlison and Deeney are two other potential options. As we have seen, Liverpool have struggled to defend quick players in the past, making Richarlison a rather interesting prospect in this matchup.