Premier League Fantasy Football: Week 13 Player Picks

Week 13 and after a week 12 where nearly everything went against prediction, week 13 gives us chance to correct our fantasy progress.   Let's take a look at some of your best options for the game week ahead.

Thibalt Courtois

I wouldn't normally recommend a keeper facing Tottenham orHarry Kane home or away but we have to respect Chelsea's fantastic defensive run.  Its 6 league clean sheets on the spin and facing a side in Spurs they always seem to beat.

Chelsea are unbeaten in 20 home league games and Spurs side with 1 win in all competitions in their last 9 suggestion the away win is the least likely result.

Loris Karius

I do not feel supreme in confidence tipping a Liverpool clean sheet, especially as rival forwards Jermain Defoe has 3 goals plus 2 assists in 3 games and Victor Anichebe has 3 goals in 2 games.  At just over 3m in Fantrax the fixture and likely win bonus makes him the most obvious keeper selection this week.

Ron-Robert

Simply put after picking the 1m man two weeks in a row and getting stung 2 weeks in a row, I cannot resist one more shot with him.  Get ready for a 20 point monster or massive flop once more.

Carl Jenkinson

Seems like the right back spot is his for a couple of weeks.  The Gunners defending hasn't convinced in the last few weeks but he is a cheap risk and should make the odd forward run.

Phil Jones/Antonio Valencia

The united clean defence looks far from water tight without Bailey/Chris Smalling.  Jones being the only fit central defender should start.  There is a shot of a clean sheet but regardless he is super cheap.

Valencia was very good against Arsenal and provides a very attack minded approach.  He will start and West Ham will struggle to deal with his power and pace.  Under Jose he looks a player improving to me.

Marcus Alonso

Getting so far forward that despite his end product being poor he is always going to give you a shot at an assist or goal.  In FPL he is the must have defender right now while in in Fantrax not so much.

Daryl Janmaat

A rubbish 3 point return in Fantrax in week 12 after an excellent week 11.  Stoke don't protect their full backs as tightly as other sides, so Janmaat can enjoy a little more freedom coming forward this week.

Chris Brunt

A clean sheet and bonus points in Mondays win over Burnley makes Brunt a great out of position pick once more in FPL.  Losing 3-0 to Sunderland will have knocked Hulls confidence once again and Brunt could duplicate his score from week 12 or even better.

Etienne Capoue

Capuoe is fast becoming my new Troll King.  Scores when I have him on my FPL bench and provides a feeble 2 points when I start him instead.

Only Yewy saw it coming in week 12 and a home tie against Stoke offers more chances for one of the seasons surprise players.

KDB

He remains city's most consistent player and faces opposition where he will surely dominate possession against.  With the packed and well drilled home Burnley defence it may need the craft or drive of KDB to start the breakthrough.

Siggy

A real fantasy favourite for me and the one player improving the most under the new manager.  Siggy has 4 double digit scores in 5 Fantrax games and has provided a goal or assist in 4 of the 5 as well.

Opponents Palace has zero clean sheets this season, Siggy seems the most likely to continue that run.

Riyad Mahrez

Leicester and Mahrez have failed to sparkle this season with the apparent eggs all in the Champions League basket.  As a result the champs sit just 2 points off relegation.  With CL qualification secure they can concentrate on the league now.

Boro give up possession but have drawn their last 3 away from home.  They included games at Arsenal and Manchester City, plus they also only lost 1-0 against flying Chelsea last week.

I don't like a clear or convincing home win but I do like that Mahrez who has a goal and assist in his last two games and also scored midweek to show some of that swagger back in his play.  George Friend is out meaning Mahrez may be facing Fabio at left back who is far from a defensive solution.  Mahrez can keep the run of form going in this and is most likely to be behind the home sides goal/s

Phillipe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane

Liverpool have scored at least 2 goals in 8 of their last 10 home games.  They are also unbeaten in 13 homes and 14 straight games against Sunderland at Anfield.

While the black cats have won 2 in a row this simply looks a game where they just do not have the weapons to deal with the rampant reds.

As for which you should pick, I'd say any or maybe all of them.  It is possible that Sunderland can make it a messy match and therefore a trap game but in both wins over Bournemouth and Hull they were getting heavily dominated before turning the gams in their favour.  That pattern cannot keep happening with the quality of attacking player at Liverpool they look just the ruthless side to prove that.

Paul Pogba/Juan Mata

Sitting one yellow away from a ban I would leave Pogba alone in FPL but in Fantrax perhaps a 1 week shot.   He gets further forward in home games and looks like he is finding form and settling into the Red Devils once more.

Juan Mate is the form United player and has scored 19 and 18pts in his last two homes.  That form will see him start and he is still great value.

Charlie Adam

16 points in week 11 and -1 point in week 12 - can you guess which week I picked him?

Adam has played the full 90 minutes for the last 3 games so looks to have won a starting spot for now.  Watford can be wasteful in possession allowing Adam to rack up some phantoms.  With Joe Allen suspended Adam may get free kick and corner taking duties plus with Bojan missing a pen last week, could even steal pen duties on top.  All yours for 2.20m

Mesut Ozil

The German star has produced disappointing returns this season but is the safest Arsenal starter this weekend.  Wish he was a little cheaper in Fantrax but faces an opponent without a physical midfielder to bully him so he could enjoy his afternoon.

Eden Hazard

Boro's tight defence snuffed out the brilliant Belgium last week and Spurs do have players who can do just the same.  Hazard though is much more of a player at home and after breaking Tottenham hearts at the end of last season will smell blood again.

Alexis Sanchez/Olivier Giroud

There are some thoughts/rumours that Sanchez may get a breather soon, perhaps pre-Christmas, perhaps during.  On Monday Gunners fans had him getting a rest in this one but following a further disappointing performance against PSG it is hard to see Sanchez doing anything other than playing.

He started great at Old Trafford last week but due to the form of Giroud may move to the left hand side or as part of a pair against the Cherries.

Expensive in both Fantrax and FPL he is one of those explosive types who could easily hit a brace or better this week.

Giroud meanwhile has earnt a chance to start against B'mouth but even now we cannot be sure he will get a chance as stubborn as Wenger can be.  Even if it is a 20-25 minute cameo he has shown a goal is very much in him.

Salomon Rondon

He doesn't always convince especially away from home but the big man was at his best on Monday night.  If Sunderland can bash in 3 goals then surely Rondon gets chances again this week.

Diego Costa

Just so consistent in both real life and fantasy, Costa is in such form.  If you hold on any discount you are doing well.

Kun

Burnley are a great home defence but on the flip side City have scored at least twice in 5 of their 6 away games.  Kun has looked a little more devastating away from home himself but as that may be due to the opposition being a little bolder on their own ground.

You can never rule any player out being rested/dropped with Peps constant changes of system but I assume Kun starts.  Whilst it is more of me being too scared to drop him rather than recommend him, Kun has to be in the selections.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan crushed Swansea before earning the yellow card that saw him miss the Arsenal game.  He will be back here and while expensive in Fantrax and more so again in FPL, he faces a West Ham side that cannot defend.

Making things better Winston Reid is banned and while Utd have no home win in 3 they can win this one and Zlatan could be in for a good day.

Harry Kane

Also bang in form and just when the club need him to be.  They are still very much in the title race and elimination in the Champions League could help them focus.  Spurs simply owe Chelsea one.

I actually quite like the young Spurs team to prove a point in the fixture and 6 clean sheets or not any team with David Luiz and Gary Cahill in defence will never convince me.  I don't see Kane having a monster like last week but I do think he will be the man to end the clean streak run and from open play as well.

Without European distractions Liverpool and Chelsea lead the filed.  Still this has been a season where at times City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs and even Utd (in the first couple weeks) look championship contenders.  It has also been a season where all of them have looked poor at times and all very beatable.  The evidence suggests of the listed teams, bar Utd who could be too far off, all really do have a shot at winning or blowing the title race.

Stall