Premier League Fantasy Player Picks, Week 8

One of the general rules of Fantasy Sports is to play the "match-ups." This does not necessarily mean to always pick players from the better teams playing against the weaker teams, but when Manchester City plays Newcastle at home, it is a good bet that this is the "match-up" of the weekend to concentrate on.

Goalkeepers:

Joe Hart - the Willy Caballero experiment did not work out so well.  Hart will resume his place between the posts and has a very good chance to secure a win and a clean sheet against the Newcastle team that had not scored away from the St. James' Park this season.

Artur Boruc / Heurelho Gomes - playing each other in what looks to be a tight defensive encounter, especially since Callum Wilson has been lost for 6 months with a knee injury.  A would give a slight nod to Gomes as the Watford keeper had already kept 3 clean sheets compared to just 1 for Boruc.

Brad Guzan - playing Stoke City at home should not deter anyone from bringing in the American keeper, who is still reasonable priced in all the games.

Defenders:

Aleksandar Kolarov - go ahead and spurge. He will go big this weekend.

Bacary Sagna / Pablo Zabaleta - one of these two will start. My guess is that Zabaleta will reclaim his spot from the Frenchman, who started in the mid-week Champions League game, this weekend.

Jordan Amavi - his crosses into the box have been outstanding and he is playing at home against a Stoke City team who has not kept a single clean sheet this season.

Midfielders:

David Silva / Kevin De Bruyne / Raheem Sterling- Silva recovered from a calf injury and will be back in the Starting 11. De Bruyne scored in two consecutive games.  Sterling, on the other hand, had been quiet since scoring against Watford. What gives? De Bruyne / Silva are the safest bets for points this weekend, while Sterling may be best suited for those looking to gain ground in their private leagues.

Riyad Mahrez - did not perform well against Arsenal last week, but away to Norwich should give the owners enough hope for a strong performance.

Eric Lamela - had the best game, in my opinion, in the Spurs jersey last week. Pay close attention to him as we may have a fantasy star in the making.

Jeremain Lens - I believe Sunderland gets its first win of the season this weekend and Lens will be involved heavily. He will be in my team.

Almen Abdi - a "left field" pick for sure, but the Swiss footballer really impressed me every time I watched him and I reckon he will have a good game against Bournemouth.

Forwards:

Sergio Aguero - expensive, but he should be in your team.

Jamie Vardy - he is having an amazing season with 6 total goals, having scored twice against Arsenal.  Scoring against Norwich should be easier, right?

Alexis Sanchez - scored 4 goals in the last 2 games, including in Champions League.  At home to a Manchester United defense that had yet to be tested this season.

Graziano Pelle - I am staying away from this game altogether, but Chelsea's defense is in shambles while Southampton is climbing up. The Italian should give the duo of Kurt Zouma / Gary Cahill a torrid time.

Rudy Gestede - I do not like jumping on bandwagons, but the Benin international had impressed when given the opportunity. At home against Stoke in a vital early win game of the season, he may be the "punt" worth taking.

Who are you lining up with?

Best of luck this week.

Sani.