Fantasy Premier League

Thu Mar 27 02:40AM by Neal Thurman

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I'm feeling pretty good about that RSC call last weekend.  I'm fighting with my friend Jon for the top spot in our private league and the irony was just too good to pass up.  He charged to the top of our league in January on the strength of RSC and Tevez hot streaks.  Rather than recognizing that both had cooled significantly, Jon stuck with them WAY too long despite the fact that both did pretty much nothing through most of February and the early part of March.  That allowed me to come back and not only erase his newly established lead but stake myself to a reasonable cushion going into the home stretch. 

Come this past week, apparently Jon was still gunshy and unwilling to get back on the RSC bandwagon despite the great match-up for Rovers.  30 points later, times are good for your favorite (or at least second favorite) blogger.  Throw in some good stuff from some cheap Boro players (Tuncay, Aliadiere, and Schwarzer specifically) and it was a pretty nice week.

I hope everyone enjoyed the only vaguely-fantasy-related posting looking ahead to the summer transfer market and where the soon-to-be-relegated players with value SHOULD end up.  If you did, hopefully, you'll be looking forward to the follow-up focused on where fringe players from the "Big Four" should end up.  I haven't decided if we should call it Kewell Faces In New Places or A Bridge Too Far (Down the Standings) - sorry, horrible humor I know but I couldn't resist.  I'll try to get that out there early next week.

Taking a look ahead to the match-ups this coming weekend, there is a lot to like...

Buy - Pompey (home to Wigan); Sunderland (I like their chances against visiting West Ham who have been unimpressive against teams they should beat); Chelsea (home to Boro); and Spurs (home to NUFC - don't let the win against Fulham fool you, they're still terrible); Fulham (if you're looking for someone cheap - Derby aren't as bad at home and FUL aren't good on the road but tell me you're not thinking about it a little bit).

Hold - ManYoo (home but against a good Villa squad); Rovers (roadtrip to Reading should see solid but not spectacular production).

Hold w/ Discount - Arsenal (they should win, and win big but you could say that about all of their recent draws against bottom half teams - not SO enticing to get you to invest); Birmingham (Citeh fading but not THAT much); Citeh (not a good road team even with MPet back); Bolton (I'm not betting on them but you wouldn't be shocked by a draw would you?); Reading (at home but against a better team in Rovers); Wigan (hard to see anything better than a nil-nil draw happening for them at Pompey - more likely a 1-nil loss); West Ham (not much to like here unless you have Ashton cheap); Liverpool & Everton (derby match against a quality opponent - tough to buy in or even hold if you have other options).

Sell - Derby (permanent fixture on this list, yes, even home to Fulham); NUFC (they're going to get thumped); Villa (not going to be pretty at Old Trafford); Boro (OK, off the bandwagon).

So, on to the specific players...

Strikers
If I were you, I'd be picking my favorite Spurs striker (Berbs or Keane) and putting your money there.  It was very nice to see Defoe come down a little bit in price, if you can afford him along with your Spurs striker, he'll be a great second banana for you.

Obviously, I'd be more inclined to recommend a Chelsea striker if I had any idea what they are likely to do with their line-up.  Drogba was the guy last weekend with the Elk getting only a brief cameo.  With Boro up next, I wouldn't be shocked to see the reverse happen this time around.  It might make the most sense to focus on Kalou if you want in on the Chelsea strikeforce.  He's expensive for the production but he seems to be getting consistent PT.

If you're looking for a real sleeper, think about Brian McBride - I have a feeling that he's going to contribute something meaningful to Fulham's attempt to stay up (even though they are ultimately doomed). Kenwyne Jones - assuming he recovers -is another mid-tier striker to consider, he's due for a big match.  It's been a while.

BTW, for those of you who listened to the Blog about RSC last weekend, I'm keeping him for the trip to Reading. 

Midfielders
I think we can all agree that Spurs midfield is about as exasperating as fantasy players can possibly be with the possible exception of Joe Cole.  I can't imagine how miserable I'd be if I were a Spurs supporter and was counting on these guys.  Given the match-up, you know one of them will have a really nice game, the question is which one?  If I were going to get in on this action, I'd go with one of my old favorites - THud.  Great nickname and likely to get at least one assist if not more - if he gets a goal, all the better.  I could see a reasonable person picking Jenas as well but I can't figure out why he didn't even make the bench against Pompey - I don't see an injury or a suspension mentioned anywhere.  

Outside of Spurs, there are obviously attractive choices at both Chelsea and Sunderland.  The Chelsea contingent are pretty expensive but Lampard, Joe Cole, and Ballack are all potentially interesting.  From Sunderland, you could do worse than considering Andy Reid or KRich if you're looking for inexpensive options.

With Muntari and Diop both gone, you might want to think about Utaka or Kranjcar from Pompey - neither are terribly expensive and might give back some value against mediocre-at-best opposition. 

Keeping CRon and Jummy just sort of stands to reason. 

Defenders
I'm sticking with John Terry who has been doing some nice work for me since I picked him up on the way back from his injury.  His price has gone up so he may not be worth it right now.  The real values here come from Spurs where Hutton and Woody are both affordable and poised for good things.  If you want to spend a little bit more Johnny Evans wouldn't be a bad call but at that point you might just want to go with Carvalho.

Keepers
I hate to go here but its hard not to like Robbo home to NUFC.  His stats aren't bad at all with either Woody or King in front of him.  Throw in NUFC being terrible and all and you have the makings of a great bargain at under 4.50.

Other intriguing options include Kasey Keller against Derby and Craig Gordon against WHU.

If you still have Carlo Cudicini cheap, it probably makes sense to hold on to him and see how Cech's injury situation goes.  Carlo is great value home to Boro while Cech is probably too expensive to consider. 

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