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Since I wrote a rather long introduction, even for me, this morning with Part 1 of The Week Ahead, I'll make this short and sweet and get right to my picks this time around:
Forwards
- (Who is?) K2 - His price has dropped, his production has dropped, but the match-up is tantalizing. I'm either going to be thrilled with myself or kicking myself HARD for this one come Sunday.
- Sturridge - There should be some goals in this one, don't you think? Hard to say which side they'll come from but you get the feeling that it won't be boring. I'm sure people will talk themselves into Torres here as well based on his "triumphant" return to Champions League action against a really small team. Just remember, you've talked yourself into him with seemingly great match-ups before...this season. How'd that turn out for you again?
- Aguero - I'm sure there will be some concern about whether he'll start or not with Champions League coming up again next midweek but he's been pretty well rested recently so I'd imagine that City will want to make sure they win quickly and get him off after 60 or so minutes rather than sitting him from the start.
- Gervinho - He finally added the end product to getting into good positions last weekend. This is more a "Keep him on the BD" recommendation than a "buy him for 12+ for @CHE" but I felt it merited a mention.
- Graham - A favorable match-up positions him well for a 4th goal in 4 league matches. The price isn't that outrageous for home to Bolton.
Midfielders
- Silva - Did I mention that you should be keeping him until further notice?
- VDV - Yup, he's expensive coming off of his brace but he's been Spurs' rock when it comes to fantasy production.
- Bale - I went and recommended Modric last weekend and (as much as it pained me) he paid off with a solid 14.5 point effort. This weekend it seems to me that Bale is about due to break out and remind us why everyone was calling him one of the world's best this time last season. Seems like a while, doesn't it?
- HBA/Marveaux/Cabaye - Yes, their Carling Cup match with Rovers went to 120 minutes but they don't play until Monday so they should have time to recover. HBA and Marveaux both looked solid in substitute roles last weekend and could be evolving into strong alternatives to Obertan and [fill in the name of the underperforming NUFC 2nd forward]. Cabaye is just getting better. I wouldn't recommend having any more than 1 of the 3 on the road against a solid Stoke team but if you want to buy expensive City players elsewhere you could find some enablers here.
- Pilkington/Hoolahan - Pilkington has been impressive over the last month and his price has risen to match it. If you have a slot open for a mid-range midfielder then he's not a bad bet at all given the match-up. If you're a little more skittish about buying a midfielder from a newly promoted side and you're only willing to do it as an enabler then Hoolahan has some solid value and a price point of 6.75.
- Tchoyi - He is frequently the back-up plan at forward for Albion. Shane Long looks to be out for at least this week. Tchoyi is listed as a midfielder. He's something of a beast when he gets his chances. He's priced to move at 7.43. I think you see where this is going.
Defenders
- Manchester City Defenders - Take your pick, mine is Micah Richards but I could see the case for Kompany too (he seems an evergreen choice). Seems like a week that it is worth the money.
- Wes Brown - His price is creeping up but the match-up at home with goal-shy Villa still makes him a solid value.
- Rangel/Taylor - The Swansea outside backs did quite nicely for themselves last weekend despite not getting the clean sheet. Becoming a bit of a habit but their prices aren't insanely high yet so might be worth getting on this particular ride again this weekend.
- Bassong - With Spurs defense still riddled with injury-induced holes, Bassong could be a great bargain or could be the reason the rest of the defense isn't worth too much. At 4.04, he's not a bad gamble if you tend to cheap out with your defenders.
Goalkeepers
- Hart - If you have the money...
- Vorm - If you have a little...
- DDG - If you really don't have any. (And are you having as hard a time as I am with the notion of Manchester United's starting goalkeeper being available for THAT price this far into the season without an injury being involved at all? I thought so).