EPL Game Week 30: Fantrax Player Picks

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The Fixtures:

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Saturday

• Manchester United vs Liverpool
• Everton vs Brighton
• Huddersfield vs Swansea
• Newcastle vs Southampton
• West Brom vs Leicester
• West Ham vs Burnley
• Chelsea vs Crystal Palace

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Sunday

• Arsenal vs Watford
• Bournemouth vs Tottenham

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Monday

• Stoke vs Manchester City

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The Picks:

Goalkeepers

Jordan Pickford ($4.73): Everton haven’t kept a clean sheet in 2018. But Pickford makes saves, and this week Everton welcome Brighton, who struggle to score away from home.

Orestis Karnezis ($2.16): Arsenal have lost three straight, and have scored only one goal over that stretch. They’ve won just 1 of their last 5 games; they have only 2 victories in all of 2018. If you want to gamble that the Gunners’ skid continues, Karnezis is a cheap way to play that bet.

Ederson ($12.46): He won’t make many saves on Monday, so at his high price, a single goal-against could ruin your investment. But against Stoke, a victory is almost a given, and a clean sheet is probable too.

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Defenders

Seamus Coleman ($1.20): Coleman represents incredible value for fantasy managers. His attacking stats should bring returns even if Everton fail to keep a clean sheet when Brighton come to call.

Terence Kongolo ($2.10): Solid value home or away, and this week he hosts Swansea.

Paul Dummett ($3.25): His returns have exceeded his current price in 6 of his last 8 games. I’ll bet he makes it 7 out of 9 after the visit of Southampton.

Ben Davies ($10.57): I don’t like dropping a lot of coin on defenders, but if your defensive purse strings are looser than mine, then Davies is probably your guy this week. He has returned double-digits in 7 of his last 9 games, and does just as well on the road as he does at home. A word of caution: This could be the week he is finally given a rest in the league.

Serge Aurier ($6.98): Tottenham have kept clean sheets in 6 of their last 9, and Aurier missed the Champions League fixture last night through suspension. He’ll be fresh for Sunday’s league match then, and he’s returned 14 points in each of his last two games.

Kyle Walker ($8.26): Among City’s stable of defenders, Walker probably represents the best combination of price, likelihood to start, and return potential for the trip to Stoke.

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Midfielders

Sadio Mane ($10.10): Mane tends to run hot or cold, and Manchester United are not the easiest of opponents. But Jurgen Klopp will throw everything he has at United when the Reds try to seize back second place at Old Trafford.

Pascal Gross ($11.75): Brighton are undefeated in their last 5 matches, and Gross has a goal and three assists over that span.

Ki Sung-Yeung ($5.59): Ki’s returns have exceeded his current price in 5 of his last 7 games, earning 17, 10, and 19 in his last three matches. His prospects for continued success look bright when he travels to Huddersfield on Saturday.

James Ward-Prowse ($7.10): Benched last week, JWP should rotate back into the starting lineup for the trip to Newcastle. All of his biggest fantasy performances have come on the road.

Chris Brunt ($5.73): He should pump in cross after cross at home vs Leicester.

Riyad Mahrez ($16.96): The petulant Algerian has gathered up his toys and returned them to his pram. His change of mindset has paid dividends: He has racked up a stunning 53 points in his last two games. This week he’ll need another outstanding performance to justify his price tag, but against woeful West Brom, who have shipped 12 goals in their last 5 games, the conditions seem favorable.

Michail Antonio ($7.22): With a goal off the bench in each of his last two appearances, you have to think he gets a start this week. Heck, he’s worth a look even if he doesn’t start — he registered 17 points in 45 minutes last week, and 9 points in 32 minutes the game before.

Johan Berg Gudmundsson ($10.33): The Icelandic middie has been red-hot lately, posting returns of 11, 10, 12, and 17 points in has last 4 games. His price now reflects his form, but he’s still a good bet for the trip to stumbling West Ham.

Eden Hazard ($15.75): Despite the disappointing 1 point return last week against Manchester City, Hazard still boasts a 13.25 average over his last 8 games. And this week the opposition is Crystal Palace instead of the best team in Europe.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan ($8.02): Arsenal are all at sea, but Mkhitaryan has been putting up good Fantrax numbers despite his new team’s slide. He even managed to return 14 points in the away loss to Brighton last week.

Will Hughes ($2.77): He’s back! Absent through injury since November, he came off the bench last week to register the assist on the goal that lifted Watford over West Brom. Away to Arsenal is perhaps not the ideal time to jump back on the Hughes bandwagon, but this guy thrives on Fantrax’s scoring system: Against West Brom he returned 10 points in just 24 minutes.

Christian Eriksen ($16.72): Mr. Consistency has returned double-digits in 7 of his last 8 appearances. However, none of those returns exceeded his current price. If you have the cash and feel good about him this week, then go for it; his floor is high.

Leroy Sane ($11.07): Sane is City’s form player right now, and his price tag is half that of his Belgian teammate Kevin De Bruyne.

David Silva ($10.03): Double-digit returns in his last two games, including an assist in one and a goal in the other.

Bernardo Silva ($7.70): Double-digit returns in his last two games, including a goal in each.

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Forwards

Like they are virtually every week, Harry Kane ($24.56), Mohamed Salah ($25.44), and Sergio Aguero ($19.78) are all top-drawer choices for GW 30. But if you don’t already have these players in your squads at significant discounts, you’ll have to risk about a quarter of your budget on each just to match the returns they’ll provide to long-time owners who hold them at a lower price than you would.

And that hit to your budget would leave you with less to spend in other areas, potentially reducing your overall score. So if you don’t already own these obvious but widely-held superstars, your best play at this point in the season is to look for differentials. Below are some options I’d recommend:

Glenn Murray ($7.28): 5 goals in his last 5 games. Only one of those was away from home, but his form is hard to ignore.

Jordan Ayew ($12.77): Ayew has established an amazing pattern of alternating between double- and single-digit returns. If the pattern holds, this week he’ll be in the single digits. But I’m betting he does better than that against Huddersfield.

Chris Wood ($5.35): He scored the winner as a sub last week, which should earn him a start this week against West Ham.

Olivier Giroud ($4.03): I think Antonio Conte will move Hazard back to the wing this week. If he does, I think he’ll also start Giroud over Alvaro Morata in the striker role. Home versus Crystal Palace, I think the Frenchman will prosper, and his price is right.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ($6.59): His Fantrax returns seem to be dependent on goals. But both of the two goals Arsenal has scored in the four league games he’s played have been his, so he has clearly become the focal point of the Gunners’ attack.

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Think any of my ideas are crazy? Have I missed someone you think is a no-brainer? Come on in and let us know in the comments below.