EPL GW-18 FPL Player Picks

The Premier League is truly back in its stride after its World Cup hiatus, with its familiar quick turnarounds during the festive period. With game-week 17 only just concluded on Wednesday, game-week 18 is already kicking off on Friday, and it will stretch into the New Year. The schedule doesn’t get any smoother after that, with the following two game-weeks featuring mini-doubles.

Goalkeepers

Kepa Arrizabalaga (£4.5m, NOT vs CHE): The cut-price big-name keeper seems to have cemented his place in Potter’s plans, and produced a tidy return last time out with a clean sheet and four saves against a Bournemouth side that had been scoring freely. Next up is lowly Nottingham Forest, who blanked last time out.

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David de Gea (£4.9m, WOL vs MUN): Man United picked up where they left off, with a convincing win against Forest that included a clean-sheet for de Gea. The in-form Red Devils will fancy themselves again when they travel to the Molineux to face another relegation-zone opponent on Saturday.

Defenders

Kieran Trippier (£5.9m, NEW vs LEE): Newcastle sits in third place, just two points behind the Manchester City juggernaut. Newcastle’s ascent has been remarkable: They haven’t lost a match in any competition since August and they aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. Trippier looks fresh after limited playing time in the World Cup. An assist last week makes it five for the season now, and you’d back him for another one here against a Leeds side that is not renowned for its defense.

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Andrew Robertson (£6.8m, LIV vs LEI): Robertson now holds the record for the most assists by a defender in the history of the Premier League, adding three over his last two games to surpass Leighton Baines. Amazingly, his ownership is under 6%, qualifying him as a differential.

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Marc Cucurella (£5.1m, NOT vs CHE): Like Kepa, Cucu has a great chance of registering a clean-sheet this week. But Cucurella has the added benefit of potential attacking returns against a poor Forest side. And the unfortunate re-injury to Reece James means that Cesar Azpilicueta will likely deputize at right back, limiting Potter’s ability to use Azpi’s versatility to rest/rotate Cucurella.

Midfielders

Mo Salah (£12.8m, LIV vs LEI): Mr. Fantasy is right back on fantasy radars after the World Cup pause, scoring a goal plus adding a helper in the defeat of Aston Villa. We all know how explosive Salah can be, and next up is a Leicester side that shipped three goals last time out.

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Miguel Almiron (£5.8m, NEW vs LEE): This guy is just not slowing down, even after some suspicion that he would after the World Cup break. He now has nine goals and two assists this season, with five goals in his last six. A home tie with Leeds should present Almiron with good chances to continue his red-hot form.

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Marcus Rashford (£6.7m, WOL vs MUN): Rashford brought his strong from in Qatar back to England with him, registering an impressive goal plus an assist to mark the Premier League’s restart. He looks like the main threat in this side.

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Jack Grealish (£6.8m, MCI vs EVE): A big name and a big differential at just over 1% ownership. This is a long season with the World Cup having been stuck in the middle of it, and yesterday Grealish put in a couple of assists to show his worth and potentially play his way back into the thick of things. As always, the caveat here is Pep roulette. Saturday’s New Year’s Eve tie with Everton will be the second of three matches over a span of eight days for City, so rotation will surely rear its ugly head sooner or later.

Forwards

Kai Havertz (£7.7m, NOT vs CHE): Havertz picked up a goal and assist last time out in a comfortable win for Chelsea, who looked as though they benefitted from the World Cup break. Forest should offer a great opportunity for Havertz to collect more returns, and he’s a great differential at less than 4% ownership.

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Harry Kane (£11.6m, TOT vs AST): Kane shrugged off his World Cup penalty-miss blues with a well-taken goal against Brentford, showing how consistent and classy he is in this Spurs side. He was actually unlucky not to score more after hitting the woodwork.

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Eddie Nketiah (£6.5m, BRI vs ARS): Arsenal picked up where they left off, coming from behind to defeat West Ham. Nketiah got on the scoresheet in that one, and should continue in attack in the absence of Jesus. He’s cheap and thinly-owned, and is good value as the frontman for the league’s top squad.

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Aleksandar Mitrović (£6.8, FUL vs SOU): Mitrovic proved his doubters wrong after overcoming injury concerns to score and supply two assists in the win over Crystal Palace. He’s another great value player who continues to deliver this season.

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Erling Haaland (£12.2, MCI vs EVE): A boring mainstay in our picks, but for good reason. Haaland’s brace against Leeds took him to the 20 goal mark faster than any other player in Premier League history (14 appearances). Forced to watch the World Cup on television while Kylian Mbappe and Leo Messi hogged the headlines, he’s now hungry to put himself back into the conversation about the world’s best player. The big Norwegian is surely licking his chops at the prospect of a home tie with 17th-place Everton, who are on a four-game winless skid.

What do you make of our picks this game-week? Are you already starting to bring in players that feature in double game-weeks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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