The Week Ahead - Consolidated Edition

Two days of intensive meetings (yesterday and today) mean that we're only doing one TWA column this week and we'll get right to it.

The schedule this week offers a lot to like with Manchester United and Spurs both at home against weak competition and Manchester City (albeit a weakened version of the leaders) on the road against equally unimpressive foes. That's a lot of premium players to choose from and a lot to sort out.

As you consider these matches here are my brief thoughts on each of those matches:

Manchester United vs. Bolton - The defense is really a mess so if you're going to invest here I'd make it in the attackers.

Spurs vs. Wolves - Outside of Spurs two premium midfielders (Rafael van der Vaart and Gareth Bale) the Spurs attacking players haven't been worth the money in recent weeks. Adebayor, Modric, et al have been somewhere between OK to poor. On the other hand, Spurs defense is coming on as it gets healthier. If you're looking to invest in a premium defender then this is probably the place to do it.

Manchester City @ Wigan - Don't get fooled by Savic here. My take on him is that he's sort of like David Luiz but without the great hair and the occasionally brilliant play. What's left you ask? Well, a lot of crippling mistakes (see the PK that was awarded and the other big mistake where Joe Hart bailed him out yesterday in the Carling Cup match against Liverpool). I'd stick with the guys from City you have on a discount (Silva and Kun) but I wouldn't invest a ton until Kompany gets back.

Other interesting matches:

Chelsea vs. Sunderland - The obvious play here is to dive in on Chelsea against a team that struggled for much of the first half of the season. At this point though, I'm actually expecting Sunderland to win this match outright. Regardless, I don't think this is the potential bonanza that it would have been a couple of months ago.

Newcastle vs. QPR - Another one that would have been much more attractive a couple of months ago (heck, a couple of days ago) but with Ba and Tiote off to the ACN I'm holding off on NUFC until I see how they adjust (or don't).

Player picks after the jump.

Forwards

• Wayne Rooney - With Adebayor disappointing pretty much all of us over Spurs two matches Rooney becomes the clear choice among premium forwards.
• Fernando Torres - I know I said I wasn't thrilled with the Chelsea match as a source of great bounty but with Torres seeming to be finding at least some modicum of form and really the only option for the Blues, he looks worthy of a risk. Certainly more so than Daniel Sturridge who has gotten really expensive.
• Shola Ameobi - Another difference between my schedule analysis and my player picks but it's all about finding value as we get to mid-season with prices rising. I don't think you should count on Shola for a huge performance but if you're looking for a cheap forward who could turn out OK he's probably a better bet than Henry (yes, I know that's sacrilegious but Ameobi has a better chance to start and play the full game).
• Andy Carroll - He has to break out of his slump at some point doesn't he?
• TH12 - More sentiment than logic? Yes. Could it pay off even if he doesn't start? It did in the FA Cup.