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You’ve got to love the English Premier League. We’re five weeks into the campaign now, and the only two teams who are still unbeaten are Everton and Aston Villa. Aston Villa people! Only in the Prem could a team that avoided relegation by a single point the season prior now find itself separated from first place by that same slim margin. It reminds us of when Leicester escaped relegation in 2015 to win the league in 2016. Speaking of which, the Villans look good for having beaten Leicester (and champions Liverpool) to get here, and they still also have a game in hand. Crazy, but fun!
And speaking of the Villans, they play in this week’s early game, which comes on Friday. Do not miss the early transfer deadline, and be sure to be here for our Pre-Deadline Chat/Live Chat to get confirmed lineups for AVL vs LEE as well as all the team news you need before the buzzer sounds on game-week 6.
The fixtures are below, followed by the picks. Good luck this week!
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Friday 23 October
- Aston Villa vs Leeds United
Saturday 24 October
- West Ham vs Manchester City
- Fulham vs Crystal Palace
- Manchester United vs Chelsea
- Liverpool vs Sheffield United
Sunday 25 October
Monday 26 October
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Goalkeepers
Matt Ryan ($3.20, BHA vs WBA): Ryan has amassed a grand total of negative 12 points so far. In fact, he has only managed to avoid a negative return once in five games. But that has driven his price into the basement, and this week his opposition is West Brom. The Baggies are winless with only five goals over five games.
Adrian ($3.20, LIV vs SHU): Adrian is a mere shadow of the GK that Alisson is, and LIV’s defense will be only a shadow of its former self without Virgil Van Dijk. But this week Adrian faces a team that is still searching for its first win and its third goal.
Vincent Guaita ($7.80, FUL vs CRY): The Eagles have a .500 record and a negative goal differential, but hey — anybody against Fulham, right?
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Defenders
Ben Chilwell ($9.68, MUN vs CHE): Chelsea can’t be trusted to keep a clean sheet against virtually anyone, but clean sheets aren’t what folks buy Chilwell for. He has notched assists in each of the two games he has played for the Blues, and he even scored a goal on his debut. He’s averaging 20 ppg and looks sure to return value against a Manchester United defense that has already shipped 12 goals this season.
Gary Cahill ($3.20, FUL vs CRY): Finally fit to feature after recovering from a hamstring issue, Cahill managed 7 points against Brighton without benefit of a clean sheet. But CS points could be in the cards this weekend at Craven Cottage.
Wesley Fofana ($4.51, ARS vs LEI): Never heard of this 19 year-old Frenchman? That’s because he just arrived at the King Power from Saint-Étienne. Forced into a debut by Caglar Soyuncu’s abductor injury, he promptly put up 12.5 points without a clean sheet. With Soyuncu set to be absent for months, Fofana looks like he’s going to get a long run in the side.
Andrew Robertson ($13.52, LIV vs SHU): Trent Alexander-Arnold seems to get more fantasy love, but Robertson has posted double-digits in every single game so far, actually averaging 4 ppg more than his English teammate. Neither of them will need to worry too much about their defensive responsibilities against SHU’s feeble attack and low block, so they should have license to bomb forward freely.
Alex Telles ($3.20, MUN vs CHE): Luke Shaw’s own-goal in the Newcastle game couldn’t have come at a worse time for him, with the highly-rated Telles having just arrived from FC Porto. The $20M Brazilian looks set to take over at left back, and his abilities in attack should make him a valuable Fantrax asset.
Sergio Reguilon ($4.51, BUR vs TOT): The 23 year-old Spaniard registered an assist in his second EPL match, and there will be more where that came from. Plus, Eric Dier’s hamstring injury makes it even more likely that he starts.
Fabian Balbuena ($7.34, WHU vs MCI): Don’t be deterred by the fact that Balbuena plays City this week: His last three matches were against Wolves, Leicester, and Tottenham, yet he registered double-digits against each. In fact, since he generates most of his points through tackles, interceptions, and clearances, he tends to perform best when he faces dynamic offenses.
Maximilian Kilman ($4.57, WOL vs NEW): Eyebrows were raised when Kilman was handed a shock start against Fulham just before the break. But he helped Wolves keep a clean sheet, and in the process kept his place against Leeds. In that game he added an assist to another clean sheet and came away with 15.5 points. Congrats if you had him on Monday (you didn’t), but it’s not too late to bring him in now.
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Midfielders
Gareth Bale ($3.24, BUR vs TOT): His late cameo against West Ham resulted in a 2-point return that cratered his price. And that’s just fine with us: At $3.24 he’s a nearly-irresistible route into a Spurs offense that has generated a league-best 15 goals so far, especially if you didn’t get Harry Kane or Heung-Min Son before their prices skyrocketed.
John McGinn ($12.44, AVL vs LEE): Jack Grealish is Villa’s star man, but McGinn could be the smart-money fantasy play. He has piled up four assists and a goal so far, but the Scott still costs $4.00 less than his English teammate.
Kai Havertz ($8.88, MUN vs CHE): Havertz got full shifts in each of Chelsea’s last three matches, and returned double-digits in each one of them.
Alex Iwobi ($3.20, SOU vs EVE): Richarlison’s 3-game suspension means that Iwobi will probably get a brief run of starts. He replaced the Brazilian in the 25th minute of the Brighton match and posted an assist on his way to 12 points. If you’re looking to do something different this weekend, he’s a cheap punt.
Phil Foden ($7.92, WHU vs MCI): It looks like Kevin De Bruyne will not be ready to return this week, so Foden’s place in the 11 should be secure. And on his day he can be as torrid as any player in the Prem.
Marcus Rashford ($12.22, MUN vs CHE): I moved him out last week just in time to miss his 32 point explosion against Newcastle, only to barn-door him right back in. I paid $7.61 to get him back, but he’s still a good deal at $12.22.
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Forwards
Neal Maupay ($14.96, BHA vs WBA): Four goals in five games, and this week he welcomes West Brom to the Amex. The Baggies have conceded a joint-worst 13 goals so far. (Believe it or not, they’re tied with Liverpool).
Timo Werner ($13.93, MUN vs CHE): Fantasy managers who lost patience with the German missed out on his 26-point explosion against Southampton. Finally lined-up centrally, his runs were threatening and his positioning was spot-on. He should continue to play as a striker now that Christian Pulisic is back in the lineup, so we can continue to expect good things from him.
Wilfried Zaha ($11.61, FUL vs CPL): Zaha’s returns tend to disappoint unless he scores goals, but he plays at Craven Cottage this week — Enough said.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin ($18.72, SOU vs EVE): The Toffees have played five games so far, and DCL has scored in every one of them. Indeed in the seven games he’s played across all competitions, he has netted an amazing ten times. He’s expensive, but there’s no hotter futbol player in England right now.
Sadio Mané ($16.28, LIV vs SHU): Four goals in four games, and he’s cheaper than his Egyptian teammate.
Raul Jimenez ($12.50, WOL vs NEW): The Mexican has scored in three of fives games in this campaign and is a decent play against Newcastle this week.
Sergio Aguero ($4.57, WHU vs MCI): Pep Guardiola says Jesus will be sidelined for months, so we should have (relative) certainty around Kun’s prospects for the S11 this weekend. He may not get a full shift after his Champions League exertions, but at $4.57 he may not require much time to justify your small investment.
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Can the Toffees and the Villans maintain their unbeaten streaks? Will any of the bottom four sides muster their first wins? Can Manchester United build momentum on the back of the recent victories in the Prem and the Champions League? Are you worried about any stars who might be benched or see minutes curtailed due to mid-week UCL involvement? Any big names that you’re avoiding this week? Any differentials you’re toying with? Please join us in the comments and let us know!
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