mahrez

Source: Manchester City via Facebook 

With 11 game weeks already played, massive gulfs are beginning to show in the Fantasy Premier League rankings. Those who aren’t already in the top 1000 players have little chance of winning the game, but there is plenty still to play for in mini-leagues across the land. As fantasy football takes another break for international fixtures, it’s time to reassess our sides and make sure we stock up on the right assets going into the hectic festive period.

Make Sure You Have Man City Coverage

https://youtube.com/watch?v=3l7-kMLtA9c

With Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side flying high at the top of the table and breaching opposition defences at will, loading up on their players is essential if you want to keep up with the fantasy competition. Guardiola has frustrated managers at times this season with his rotation policy, but there are a few players that seem to be fairly secure in the starting XI.

Nicolas Otamendi has played all but twenty minutes this season, although he is suspended for the Leicester City tie on November 18. Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva have started every match and racked up 64 and 61 points respectively, and Leroy Sane now also appears fairly secure after being named from the first whistle in the last six league fixtures.

Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero have been deadly with their chances, but it is becoming increasingly harder to guess which of the two will start each week. It is a risk captaining them, as Jesus owners learnt the hard way in the recent plum home fixture against Burnley, and Aguero backers discovered when the Argentine missed out against West Brom. For these reasons, it may be wiser to go for City midfielders and look to other heavy hitters in the forward positions.

Two Burnley Defenders Wouldn’t Go Amiss

https://youtube.com/watch?v=4fikqlNADnM

Burnley have had an exceptional start to this year’s league campaign, and as such, Sean Dyche is now a highly sought-after manager. The Clarets went into the November international break in seventh place, and level on points with fifth-placed Liverpool. If they keep up this incredible form, they could record their highest ever top-flight finish. Staking on them at 40/1 to finish in the top six would certainly be a good use of a free bet, with Stan James currently offering £10 free to new users.

Burnley have got themselves into such a good position due to their outstanding defensive organisation. After 11 games, they have only conceded nine goals, while Watford, who are two places below them in the table, have let in 21. Although Dyche’s attackers don’t offer much exciting potential, his well-drilled defenders are proving to be excellent value for money. The likes of Ben Mee and Matthew Lowton can be acquired for a mere £4.5m apiece, and they already have five clean sheets to their names. At least one Burnley defender is needed in our fantasy teams, and with kind fixtures all the way up to their game week 19 encounter with Spurs, it may well be worth doubling up.

Could Riyad Mahrez Re-Emerge as Fantasy Gold?

Two seasons ago, fantasy football became the Riyad Mahrez show. He was the best thing to happen to the game in a long while, and his points to price ratio had us reminiscing over Michu all those years ago. During Leicester’s title-winning campaign, Mahrez was a mid-priced midfielder, but he managed to score 17 goals and get 11 assists for a total of 240 points. Last season he was a shell of his former self, but under Claude Puel he may re-emerge as a useful fantasy asset.

The Algerian has two goals and three assists in his last four games, and has upped his involvement. He is now averaging 4.8 touches in the opposition box per game, while in the first seven game weeks he was averaging 3 per game. A key factor as to whether Mahrez can reach the dizzy heights of before is Jamie Vardy. If the England striker can also recapture his devastating form, then it could increase Mahrez’s assist potential.

Other things to consider are the fact that Mohamed Salah has established himself as a more than viable captaincy option, with four double-digit hauls so far. Also remember that over the hectic Christmas period there will be plenty of rotation, so plan your transfers carefully. The new free hit chip may well come in handy around this time.