Fantasy Premier League

Thu Mar 13 03:11PM by Neal Thurman

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OK, I have about 30 minutes left before I head out for my bachelor party (yes, I'm getting married in May - I'm sure the three women who read the blog are crushed).  Should be enough time to get us up to speed on the coming week.

The big news, of course, is that Chelsea and ManYoo are two-gamers (along with Spurs and Bolton).  Now, everyone is bound to get overly excited about Chelsea since they just put a pasting on Derby.  Please remember, that EVERYONE puts a pasting on Derby and more importantly, ManYoo get Derby as part of their double.  If you want to get excited about something, get excited about that.

I have to say, the most difficult part of my week will be deciding what to do with Gerrard and Torres - they've been playing at an incredibly high level and 'pool are home to Reading.  I'm sure they'll return between 35 and 40 points at a minimum but with the opportunity to look at guys like Anelka, Lampard, Tevez, and Rooney for two matches, its hard to bet on the Liverpool guys no matter their level.

The next question is how to value Spurs players.  Yes, they have two matches which puts them in a good spot.  The trip to Eastlands is much less intimidating than it was earlier in the season but the visit of Chelsea is less than thrilling for the 2nd match.  I'm considering Spurs players in the same general realm as I am Liverpool and Arsenal players (both home to bottom-half squads).

In a week that is otherwise uninspiring when it comes to match-ups, Bolton is next on the list.  They have two matches and the first is away to Wigan which isn't a horrible thing but the second being at ManYoo is almost a non-match.

The final somewhat interesting match-up is Birmingham who host Newcastle.  NUFC is going so badly right now that you have to be excited about the prospect for Birmingham to win and get a clean sheet.

OK, on to the specific picks...

Strikers
The biggest question is how much playing time Rooney, Tevez, Drogba, and Anelka get across the 180 availabe minutes at each striker position.  My prediction is that the order of minutes ends up going Tevez, Anelka, Rooney, Drogba, Kalou, and then Saha by the end of the two matches.  I'm betting that Tevez and the Elk are both well over 120 minutes, Rooney and Drogs are both right around 120, and that Kalou and Saha are between 60 and 90 each.  As such, if you're looking for the best value, I'd go with Tevez and Anelka.  If you can fit him in, picking up Saha at just over 10 will give you a great front line.

Further down the price list, if you're looking for a bargain, I'd think about Kuyt who has to score one of these weeks as defenders collapse on Gerrard and Torres.

Midfielders
Lamps, CRon, and Ballack are the most interesting options here.  Obviously, CRon is the most interesting.  I'll leave you to figure out who you prefer for these situations.  Other interesting plays include Aaron Lennon and Kevin Nolan.  I also like Larsson when Birmingham have a good match-up.

Defenders
John Terry is surprisingly affordable (although he hasn't been very productive this year).  Hutton for Spurs is also reasonably priced as is Woody.  John O'Shea's starting status is uncertain but I have to think that he'll get at least 2 substitute appearances which might both lead to clean sheets which is good value for a small investment.

Keepers
Here, my friends, is the big question.  Who will start and for how long?  It appears that van der Sar is out for a while and Kuszczak is suspended for the Derby match.  On the Chelsea side, Cech's return date is similarly cloudy making Cudicini a question mark.  Certainly no one wants to test the idea of going with Jussi or Robbo.  I'm sticking with Carlo for now and waiting for the team sheets to come out tomorrow and hope for the best.  Keeper is going to be a bit of a crap shoot this weekend.

Wish me luck staying alive and out of jail this weekend - should be a blast.  For the 10 of you who care, I'll report back on the US Olympic qualifying matches that will be part of the agenda in Florida. 

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