EPL Grind Down: Matchweek 32
The EPL is back after a two-week international break, and with the world cup coming up soon we’re all more than excited about the prospect of more soccer! Of course, before the World Cup can start, we gotta finish our EPL season first. Each team has about seven or eight games left and the table is starting to take shape. Manchester City have all but guaranteed their title. Their magic number is currently mind points between them and Manchester United. The real race is the battle for the top four which guarantees promotion to the champions league for next season. In that we have four teams fighting for the spots. Manchester United is the only one on display on Saturdays main slate and they have a juicy matchup against Swansea at home in a match that should feature some fantasy plays we can take advantage of. Another match to consider is the late game where Manchester City match up on the road against Everton could also be a good matchup to exploit. There are some other games to look at that could be worth considering for our lineups.
For this week’s matches we are going to go through the games one by one and I’ll try to highlight who would be the main players to consider in each one.
Manchester United vs Swansea
Manchester United players are going to be very popular this week. They are under priced and in a great matchup against a weak opponent who should defend heavily meaning the attacking players will have plenty of opportunities to take shots and will probably score 2-3 goals. United are also one of two big favorites in this slate.
For cash games Marcus Rashford is in a very good spot but he is similar to Alexis Sanchez in my projections. Sanchez is more expensive and has not been good for the red devils and Rashford has been very good in recent weeks. Lukaku is another player to consider.
Most people will be choosing between United and city and given the odds and the prices of the players I would recommend going heavy on United with some cheap players sprinkled in. Ranking the forward options for me would be Rashford, Alexis, and lukaku.
For Swansea, maybe fabianski if you want to go for a cheap goalkeeper who may see a few shots on target but you’ll want him to have more saves than shots. But I would more likely go elsewhere.
Brighton vs Leicester
Brighton host Leicester this week in what could end up being a good matchup. Leicester have been playing better in recent weeks. They barely lost to Chelsea after extra time in the FA cup but Mahrez and Vardy have both been performing well with Vardy scoring goals in his last two games and mahrez scored two goals in two of his last three matches.
For cash games both Riyad Mahrez and Pascal Gross are plays that are worth considering as both have a high floor with potential for shots, crosses, goals or chances created.
For tournaments I would look at vardy for Leicester or Glenn Murray for Brighton as goal scorers to Target. Albrighton is another player to consider as he does play the freekicks for the team and does get some fantasy points.
Newcastle vs Huddersfield
Newcastle is a team that is a tough team to pinpoint. Dwight Gayle is a player that can deliver on goals in the right matchup. The match with Huddersfield should be one of these matchups. They also have Matt Ritchie who is priced at a decent level on DK and is capable of producing double digits points in this matchup.
For Huddersfield Rajiv Van La Parra is another player that can make his presence known on Saturday as he is one of the main fantasy producers for the team. He splits the fantasy production with Aaron Mooy, who has potential for double digit crosses.
This is a game that could potentially carry some fantasy output. For Newcastle I would also look at Kenedy as a tournament option. He had two goals his last time out and could easily repeat it this match especially at home.
Watford vs Bournemouth
Watford won the first round of this matchup 2-0 back in August and as this match starts these two teams are tied in points at 36 ranked at 10th and 11th in the table. This matchup screams 0-0 draw with little action from either team.
If you had to consider options from Watford I would look at Richarlison because of his potential for goals and shots.
For Bournemouth Stanislas is one I would consider for a while before moving away. Ultimately I would leave this matchup alone and focus my lineup elsewhere.
West Ham vs Southampton
This matchup between two teams fighting to stave off relegation should be an interesting one as West Ham host a Southampton squad that has failed to win sixteen of their last seventeen games while West Ham themselves have lost their last three games after conceding at least the goals in four of their last five matches. I don’t think this will be good game but there should be animosity between the sides. Last time out Arnautovic got a red card and Southampton won 3-2 after scoring two penalties.
For West Ham the best chances for fantasy production lie with Michail Antonio who can deliver crosses and is one of the better talents on the squad. Another player to consider on this team is Manuel Lanzini who similarly can deliver crosses and be on at pieces.
For tournaments Arnautovic and Chicharito are both options who can deliver shots and maybe goals. I would expect that this can be a sneaky high scoring match as neither team can defend very well and both are capable of scoring
For Southampton James Ward-Prowse is likely to be taking set pieces and that puts him as a potential option for under the radar cash plays because he is on the road and his price is a bit higher than I would like adding to his low ownership potential.
If JWP isn’t starting then Nathan Redmond is the play from Southampton. And his price is a much friendlier $5.4k on DK.
For tournaments, Gabbiadini or Carrillo are the strikers in a 4-4-2 formation. And both carry the potential to score goals.
West Brom vs Burnley
West Brom have been the worst team in the league by a wide margin and it doesn’t look too be getting better. They host the surprising Burnley squad this week that is sitting in 7th just five points behind Arsenal.
I could not in good faith recommend anybody from West Brom to your fantasy team. The oddsmakers do have them at even odds to win so perhaps defenders on FanDuel or their goalkeeper on either site would be a decent play.
For Burnley I would lean more to the play makers over the finishers because of the oddsmakers calls. That means Johann Berg-Gudmundsson is in play here. In fact he’s the first player on my list when I’m building cash games.
In other areas I would consider Chris wood or Ashley Barnes. Both are playing as forwards with Woods being the better player of the two.
Everton vs Manchester City
Manchester City visit Everton in this one and are the late match and while I think a lot of people will be on city players I don’t think taking them will be the prudent move.
Thee are some good players to consider however in this matchup. Kevin De Bruyne is still the top cash play and the one player with the highest floor of anybody in the premier league. He’s a bit expensive though and I would see myself rostering Alexis Sanchez before him.
The team also has Aguero who is a good option as is Gabriel Jesus who both can score multiple goals in a match. Leroy Sane is another one to look into it you can fit him in.
As for Everton, the forward options here are mostly tournament plays only and going with any of them is a risk as city has been solid defensively. As for Everton’s midfield I wouldn’t venture for any of them on my teams.