Staff Picks: Best EPL Fantasy Fixture, Week 27

Simon - Leicester City v. Norwich City

A few people think the way the Foxes lost last time added to their lack of top of the table experience will see them finally stumble -not for me. Every time I watch Leicester I see a very well organised and very strong minded side, the exact opposite of Norwich. While Vardy and Mahrez grab the headlines, Leicester are much more than that. In central midfield N'golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater have been a fantastic double act. Same with Robert Huth and Wes Morgan. Even the awesomely named Christian Fuchs at left back has looked a player in form.

Obviously on the fantasy front at least one of Vardy or Mahrez needs to be in your side and adding someone from the defence seems sensible. In Fantrax finding the funds probably rules out buying the pair for many of you but in the Official game/Togga they are straightforward picks. Finding value in Fantrax then is the remaining challenge. The right back spot seems up from grabs so lets leave that position alone. All the players I have listed so far are 9m and above which will restrict us more. Even Marc Albrighton is just under 12m. So that leaves just the one player to consider, Shinji Okazaki at 6827. As a forward Shinji wont catch many players eyes and offers the bold player a real alternative selection this week.

Finally if I'm wrong about a Leicester bounce back then I better give you a Norwich option. January signings Timm Klose and Ivo Pinto are adjusting to the Premier League, so I'd leave them alone despite the price if you can. Decent but nothing special in the real world, Robbie Brady is a true classic fantasy player for game with the scoring systems like Fantrax and Togga. In Fantrax he has scored double figures in 6 of the last 7 games so If the Foxes are feeling sorry for themselves then Brady is your player to punish them.

Alex - West Bromwich Albion v. Crystal Palace

West Brom has welcomed back goalkeeper Ben Foster between the sticks, and he's been equal to the task playing spectacularly already totaling eighteen saves and two clean sheets in the four matches since his return. Flaking out in the FA Cup to mid-table Championship side Reading my read poorly, but seeing as West Brom is now in a legitimate relegation fight, may have been a godsend - one I wouldn't put past management allowing to occur very much intentionally. The Berahino escapades have been a damper on West Brom, but Tony Pulis maintains he has a longterm future with the Baggies and is starting to backup this statement giving the talented twenty-two year old some run. Pairing him with the Venezuelan Salomon Rondon (who scored a massive goal last time out as Albion took a 1-0 victory over Everton) could be the offensive spark West Brom has been lacking of late. James McClean and Darren Fletcher have been more threatening from the midfield of late as well.

Crystal Palace, after such a promising start to the season with Europe being a lofty but not impossible target, has fallen on hard times - VERY HARD TIMES. Since the New Year, Palace has gone without a single victory in seven Premier League matches, taking just one point (on a draw against Swansea) during the 2016 calendar year. However, the Eagles now have two of their most important weapons in Yohan Cabaye and Yannick Bolasie back from injury, and get to pair them with Wilfired Zaha (who's been carrying the squad of late) and new addition Emmanuel Adebayor (once contributed to 28 goals in a single Premier League season with Tottenham - 17 goals, 11 assists) who got on the scoresheet last time out against Watford.

These are two teams, on the mend, that both desperately need a positive result here and we may end up seeing a very up-and-down offensive game because of it.

Charles - Tottenham Hotspur v. Swansea City

This game offers a lot of variables. Swansea has struggled to get any scoring done, particularly recently, and Tottenham's defensive wall may be the best in the premiership. Hugo Lloris might be the overall top selection, with Toby Alderweireld a close second. In the Fantrax game the new central defender Kevin Wimmer remains a real bargain. Christian Eriksen has been on a fantasy tear recently and Dele Alli is healthy and back in the lineup. Harry Kane is always a threat at White Hart Lane.

Swansea's defense has allowed but four goals in their last 5 matches, so I am a bit more hopeful for them in this area. Angel Rangel is a bargain in the official game at 4.1. Gylfi Sigurdsson has been playing particularly well since being inserted directly behind the two forwards by new coach Francesco Guidolin.

I am personally going to have to drop a Liverpool player from my official game roster and it will probably be Roberto Firmino. I already have three Spurs players (Kane, Dier and Alli), so I expect to add a couple from Leicester who is playing in my second most promising match up this week.

Gavin - Stoke City v. Aston Villa

This was a difficult decision as I am a fan of West Ham, Leicester and Tottenham this weekend, but it's difficult to look at Mark Hughes' Potters playing against bottom-of-the-table Aston Villa and see anything other than a win for the home side. With the addition of Gianelli Imbula in the engine room, Stoke look like a very well-balanced side capable of dominating all areas of the pitch. Ryan Shawcross could be in line for a return to the starting lineup as well, and he's been an integral part of the club's success. Along with defenders, you should also be looking to Jack Butland as a potential option in goal, while attacking options Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri are constant threats from the wing.

For Aston Villa, things are starting to look dire. So much so that their senior squad recently suffered a 3-0 defeat to the U-21s. With little else to lose, Remi Garde could do worse than to run out some of the youth for this match, but that seems unlikely. There's not much to get excited about for the official game, but bargain options like Aly Cissokho and Jores Okore have been delivering solid points in Fantrax, even without clean sheets, so if you need a low-cost option to help you afford someone like Butland or Arnautovic, you may not be totally out of luck betting on either defender.

Chris - Leicester City v. Norwich City

Norwich's downturn is giving serious hope to Newcastle and Sunderland of avoiding relegation, as the sputtering side has allowed two or more goals in each of the past six games, an average of three over that horrific spell. In its most recent trio of away games, it's allowed two at Aston Villa and three each at Bournemouth and at Stoke, hardly offensive juggernauts. While Leicester City's vaunted offense faded following its scorching hot first half of the season, notably scoring a total of two goals total across a five game stretch, it has since perked up with nine goals in its past four games.

Leicester City has earned 10 penalty kicks and Norwich has conceded seven, each the most in the league, so you will want to do whatever it takes to fit Jamie Vardy in your teams. But there's plenty of offensive joy to go around with Marc Albrighton, N'Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez also chomping at the bit. Roberto Firmino and Harry Kane notched braces against Norwich in recent weeks, so you should consider Vardy or Mahrez for captaincy in Official BPL. The Foxes have been stout at the back with four consecutive clean sheets at home, whereas the Canaries have been shut out in three of their last four away, so be sure not to neglect keeper Kasper Schmeichel along with offensive-minded defenders Christian Fuchs (three assists this season) and Robert Huth (three goals). Heck, if you wanted to load up with all 11 Leicester starters, you wouldn't be crazy.