Month: December 2017

The Waiver Wire Standard – GW20: Featuring West Ham and Tottenham

Gameweek 20 means that we’re one match away from the start of a double gameweek for Tottenham and West Ham (WARNING: Spurs and the Hammers will BLANK in GW21), but first, there are Boxing Day matches. As always, try to make sure you can field a full XI in your Draft Fantasy squads, and look to some of these players for the future. If you can stash some of these players on your bench, this might help you start planning. Pablo Zabaleta and Aaron Cresswell, DEF, West Ham These two Hammer defenders get top billing this week because of...

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Which of the Cherry Forwards is Bourne to Run?

Jermain Defoe, Callum Wilson, Josh King, and Benik Afobe. The four Bournemouth forwards have each had varying degrees of success and failure this year, and now halfway through the season, and Draft Fantasy managers are still asking themselves: which is worth the gamble? The Cherries, currently sitting in 16th in the EPL table, have been surprisingly erratic considering what high hopes many pundits had for them going into the season. The red and black on their jerseys might as well be a metaphor for the roulette wheel, and that they are simultaneously capable of dismantling Huddersfield 4-0 and being...

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Why you should pick Everton’s Wayne Rooney?

Wayne Rooney hasn’t been relevant in Draft Fantasy for a number of years and there would have been few managers looking at him when teams were chosen at the beginning of the season. He was slowly moved out of the picture at Manchester United and it was hoped that this summer’s move back home to Everton would give him a new lease of life. There were early signs of optimism for the England international, but he didn’t show enough to become an attractive option in Draft Fantasy. Since the appointment of Sam Allardyce, that is changing and the Premier...

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Crystal Palace: Welcome attacking options ahead of Swansea clash

Crystal Palace’s revival under Roy Hodgson looks to be a gift to Draft Fantasy managers. Saturday’s 3-0 win at Leicester City delivered a seventh match unbeaten – a club first in the Premier League – and number of players are emerging as candidates who could challenge for spots in even the most competitive of Draft Fantasy squads. Wilfried’s on fire Wilfried Zaha is the obvious choice when it comes to Draft Fantasy football and, quite incredibly, you may still be able to pick him up at this stage. He is only owned in 39.1% of leagues. The Ivorian international has claimed 20...

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The Waiver Wire Standard – GW19: Featuring Manchester City and Liverpool

The fixtures keep coming! Here’s to wishing all the Draft Fantasy managers out there have been able to field a full XI every week. While not all of these five are guaranteed starts during the busy festive period, they do offer substantial upside if you can fit them in your team. Oh, and consider yourself warned that Yannick Bolasie is likely to feature again in this list for GW20. Ilkay Gündogan, MID, Manchester City The German Gündogan was a surprising star in the 4-1 dismantling of Tottenham last weekend. It might yet be premature to get too excited about...

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Could Erik Lamela soon have a role to play for Tottenham?

Tottenham have struggled at times this season, due to the lack of depth in their squad. It is difficult for the team to challenge on multiple fronts, but the return of Erik Lamela provides Mauricio Pochettino with another option in attack. He could prove to be vital to the team’s chances for the rest of the season and at the time of writing, he could be the hottest property on the Waiver wire. At the beginning of the season, few Draft Fantasy managers would have been willing to take the Argentine due to his injury problems. He is now...

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Is picking Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha a risk worth taking?

Wilfried Zaha has been excellent during past weeks. He signed a new contract this past summer and he is once again the most important player for Crystal Palace as they battle against relegation. The South London team struggled at the beginning of the season without their quick winger and since his return to fitness, they are steadily working their way up the league. They are on a six-match unbeaten run in the Premier League and are on the verge of climbing out of the bottom three for the first time this season. For Draft Fantasy managers, the Ivory Coast...

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Do Riyad Mahrez’s recent Leicester City performances warrant selection?

If there is one Premier League player that has frustrated more than any other over the course of the past few years then without any doubt it is Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez. The Algerian wizard has certainly endured a rollercoaster few years as a footballer, coming from small French side Le Havre to England before playing a leading role in Leicester’s unlikely title win. There weren’t many across the world that were as sought after as Mahrez at the end of the 2015-16 campaign, with the 26-year-old contributing a healthy tally of 17 goals and 11 assists to Leicester’s...

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Does Arsenal’s 33-point front-man carry any value heading into December?

Olivier Giroud turned out to be Arsenal’s saviour once again as he came off the bench on Sunday afternoon to earn the Gunners a valuable late point against Southampton in their top four pursuit. It’s the sort of narrative that has played out many a time since the Frenchman arrived in London from Montpellier in 2012, and once again Arsene Wenger was indebted to his impact off the bench. It seemed for all the world that a stoic rear-guard effort from the Saints was going to secure them the three points in an entertaining encounter, denting Arsenal’s hopes of...

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The Waiver Wire Standard – GW17: Featuring Spurs and Southampton

Gameweek 16 was a good week for many previously advertised waiver wire picks, Christian Benteke notwithstanding. Yet many players are still not being recognized for their potential, so this column will have the unique opportunity to promote four players who have been celebrated previously. Charlie Austin, FWD, Southampton Last time he was in this column, he was warming up; now he’s on fire. Charlie Austin (16% owned) has four goals in his last three starts, and even though he is not considered the fittest of strikers, Mauricio Pellegrino would be hard-pressed to leave him out of the next few...

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