EPL GW-17 FPL Player Picks – Tuesday Deadline!

All three top title chasers earned full points last game-week, with the PKs being the highlights of the week. Some have been questioning the officiating this week, but most of the big stars, including Mo Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo, converted their spot-kicks to hand important points to their fantasy managers.

However, king of the game-week turns out to be Jorginho with two PK goals, producing 15 points that remind us that players on set-piece duty are critical fantasy assets.

Keep in mind, the our deadline for the next game-week will be on Tuesday at 18:00 GMT. Rotation and Covid risks will be top factors, so let’s check out players for GW-17:

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Keepers

David de Gea (£5.1m, Brentford v Man United)

It was David de Gea’s man of the match performance against Norwich that earned the Red Devils all three points. The Spanish keeper also grabbed his fourth clean sheet of the season. Man United’s #1 has been in top form lately, and his shot-stopping will come in handy over the next few games coming up.

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Vicente Guaita (£4.6m, Crystal Palace v Southampton)

Palace back line may need a bit of fine tuning again but Guaita is set to look for his fifth clean sheet of the season in the next set of games as the Eagles face: SOU (H), WAT (A), TOT (A), NOR (H) and surely, the can opt for at least two out of four for clean sheets.

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Defenders

Diogo Dalot (£4.5m, Brentford v Man United)

Dalot has found his feet under new manager Ralf Rangnick, taking every opportunity to keep Aaron Wan Bissaka on the bench for the right-back spot (Note: Rangnick has just said that AWB will be ready to play). The Portuguese has been impressive of late and likely continue to become a regular, given how many fixtures are ‘friendly’ to the Red Devils; they don’t even meet a top three side until March. Caveat: Man United has been hit by a Covid outbreak and is talking to the league about postponing.

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Matt Targett (£4.7m, Norwich v Aston Villa)

Steven Gerrard may have lost on his return to Anfield, but his record with Aston Villa still impresses, and Matt Target has been fundamental to his team. Despite having only two goal contributions this term, his attacking threat and the possibility of gaining a clean sheet points is attractive. Villa faces NOR (A), BUR (H), CHE (H), LEE (A)

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Antonio Rüdiger (£6.1m, Chelsea v Everton)

Rudiger may have an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge, but his presence on the field was definitely noted by Leeds, the German defender contributing to Chelsea’s goals with two fantasy assists. Tuchel may start to rotate his players, but Rudiger has the best chance to start every game for the Blues.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.1m Newcastle v Liverpool)

With 108 points already in the season, TAA has been exceptional. Liverpool is running like a machine, finding ways to gain three points and keep clean sheets, somewhat a reflection of TAA’s performance as well. With eight goal contributions and nine clean sheets, the English fullback is a wonderful fantasy asset and should pay big against a dull Newcastle side.

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Midfielders

Bernardo Silva (£7.7m, Man City v Leeds)

Bernando’s price keeps going up and up because he has been arguably the best midfielder in the Premier League so far. He had another stellar performance against Wolves despite his teammates not performing their best, and it was the Porgutuese playmaker that broke the deadlock by earning a penalty that Raheem Sterlingconverted. Bernado has been scoring and creating for fun, taking his game to another level that will lead the Citizens toward the title right to the end of the term. Also, he faces LEE (H), NEW (A), LEI (H) & BRE (A) next, which will give him chances to earn even more points.

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Mason Mount (£7.6m, Chelsea v Everton)

After five goal contributions and 31 points in his previous three games, Mount was the third most purchased player this week. He’s becoming a key player again after a slight dip in form at the start of the campaign. There is no harm in having a player at a relatively cheap price who is becoming a regular starter again and consistently contributing to goals and points.

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Heung-Min Son (£10.3, Leicester v Tottenham)

Spurs missed their fixture against Brighton as the club responds to Covid, and this match may be postponed also. However, if it goes on, Antonio Conte will continue to start Son. The South Korean winger has nine goal contributions and has been Tottenham’s main star while Harry Kane searches for form.

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Mo Salah (£13.1m, Liverpool v Newcastle)

Is he the best player in the world right now? It has been a while now that Mo Salah has been performing at a top level. Jurgen Klopp’s men are proving why they are contenders for the title, winning game after game. On top of that, Mo Salah faces cellar-dwelling Newcastle. Let’s just put the captain’s armband on the Egyptian, shall we?

And Salah should be the last AfCon participant dropped from our rosters on Dec 27th (or whatever delayed departure is negotiated), so start now planning when to cull any others you are currently holding.

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Forwards

Emmanuel Dennis (£5.8m, Burnley v Watford)

With seven goals and six assists, Dennis has been a revelation for Watford and the Premier League this term. For a club fighting to stay out of the relegation zone, the striker has surprised many fantasy managers who may add him for depth against the heavy fixture congestion coming up.

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Jamie Vardy (£10.6m, Leicester v Tottenham)

Vardy had to settle for a spot on the bench against Aston Villa last Sunday, and after starting on Thursday against Napoli in the Europa League, he was benched again vs Newcastle at the King Power Stadium. The Foxes’ talisman is likely being rested for the heavy fixtures of the month, and rumour has it that the nine-time scorer in the league will start against Spurs (if the match survives Covid-19 protocol).

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Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.5m, Brentford v Man United)

Man United is going to have plenty of favorable fixtures, and this is where Cristiano Ronaldo shines the most. The penalty taker scored a PK over the weekend against Norwich and plans to do the same from inside the box (or out sometimes) against the upcoming weak opponents. Caveat: Man United is talking to the league about rescheduling its match.

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[Stats and info referenced in this article were sourced from fantasy.premierleague.com.]

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What do you think of our picks this week? Which player do you think I missed? Any budget player you think will shine over the weekend? Whom are you planning to captain? Who will be a hit and a miss? How are the Covid outbreaks affecting your planning? Please let us know in the comments below!

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