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Manchester City is just too good for the other 19 Premier League teams. The title favorites have opened a 15 point gap over second-place Manchester United. The Citizens have equaled their club record of 28 matches unbeaten. The victory against Wolves was their 21st in a row in all competitions, their 15th straight in the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola and his men will host arch-rivals Ole Gunnar Solskjaer et al in the Manchester Derby, but let’s be honest, it’s just better to announce them as title winners. Interestingly, the champions-elect have not trailed for a single minute in their previous 19 league games, which is another record equaling Arsenal’s set in 1998-99.
Southampton and Manchester City have two fixtures in this game-week, but there are also a few clashes in the weekend that should give plenty of goals to single-gamers, which is why it will be interesting to see who can be the potential points provider for our fantasy managers:
Goalkeeper
Emiliano Martínez (£5.3m, Aston Villa v Wolves)
Martinez is Aston Villa’s best signing this season, a solid shot-stopper keeping clean sheets for fun. Wolves attackers are still having a tough time scoring goals, so Dean Smith’s side looks good for another.
Kasper Schmeichel (£5.5m, Brighton v Leicester)
Schmeichel may have not have kept a clean sheet since GW-23, but the next few fixtures seem decent enough for him to get his groove back. While Brendan Rodgers is finding difficulty managing his latest injury crisis, the Foxes will get a tough game from the Seagulls who have been playing impressive football but often lack finishing up front.
Defenders
Antonio Rudiger (£4.6m, Chelsea v Everton)
Rudiger has started every league game under Thomas Tuchel so far, and Chelsea has a decent run of games coming: West Brom (H), Crystal Palace (A), Brighton (H), West Ham (A) and Fulham (H).
Tyrone Mings (£5.4m, Aston Villa v Wolves)
Mings has been the dominant force at the back for Villa and has played in every single league fixture. His leadership and communication have been greatly appreciated by the team, keeping them active defensively and leading to 12 clean sheets.
Ruben Dias (£6.1m, Man City v Manchester United); (Man City v Southampton)
With John Stones benched and Aymeric Laporte rotating lately, Ruben Dias has been a constant for Pep Guardiola’s side. Manchester City host rivals Manchester United on Sunday and Southampton on Wednesday. The Citizens are just class above everybody, and they’re a couple classes above the recent Saints. Dias is solid at the back, which is why I’m betting on him to start both fixtures and likely extend City’s clean sheet number to 16 or even 17.
Andrew Robertson (£7.2m, Liverpool v Fulham)
No team in the world deals with 18 different defensive partnerships. What a difficult time Liverpool has faced at the back this season! However, the fullback has always looked like a threat when moving forward, and a game against Fulham is the perfect chance to look for a clean sheet.
Midfielders
Mason Mount (£6.8, Chelsea v Everton)
Mount has four goals and five assists this term, and he seems to be the most secure Chelsea attacking option under Tuchel. His play-making with the ball up front always looks dangerous, so a friendly set of fixtures coming up will offer decent points.
Tomas Soucek (£5.3m, West Ham v Leeds)
It’s a good opportunity to bring Soucek in your team as he is the driving force for West Ham’s attack. His next two fixtures against Leeds and Man United are favorable for him as both teams lack massively when it comes to defending on set-pieces. Remember, Jesse Lingard will be ineligible to play against his parent club Man United.
Gareth Bale (£9.3m, Tottenham v Crystal Palace)
Bale has shown glimpses of his form lately, scoring twice and providing an assist against Burnley. However, much depends on Jose Mourinho’s approach to the weekend, so Son Heung-min is a safer pick for conservative fantasy managers.
Kevin De Bryune (£11.8m, Manchester City v Manchester United); (Manchester City v Southampton)
It’s only a matter of time until Kevin de Bryune brings back his best form, and the Manchester Derby would be the perfect showcase for it. The Belgian will likely start both fixtures despite playing all 90 minutes against Wolves, while Riyad Mahrez also looks like a decent (if less secure) option given his recent top-form at the left-side of the pitch.
Forwards
Michail Antonio (£6.5m, West Ham v Leeds)
Antonio has scored against Tottenham and Manchester City, so given how vulnerable Leeds is at the back, the striker will look to continue his goal-scoring streak. At this price, Antonio is a bargain.
Ollie Watkins (£6.6m, Aston Villa v Wolves)
Given Wolves’ poor defensive lineup, Watkins has an opportunity to break his recent drought. Plus, Villa faces Wolves (H), Newcastle (A), Tottenham (H) and Fulham (H) in the next five fixture, teams that have been struggling defensively.
Harry Kane (£11.1m, Tottenham v Crystal Palace)
One could argue that hosting out-of-form Crystal Palace, Tottenham has the best fixture this weekend. If the Kane-Son-Bale trio continues, then the England international will find plenty of chances to put the ball in the net.
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What do you think of our picks this week? On which Man City and/or Southampton double-gamers are you taking a chance? Whom are you planning to captain for this two-team DGW? Which player will shine this week? Please let us know in the comments section below!
Edit: An earlier version of this article claimed a Friday deadline, but that’s a week hence (GW-28) starting on Friday March 12th. That’ll be the first of two consecutive Friday deadlines, don’t miss’em!
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