Fantasy Premier League 2015-16: Players to pick for gameweek 23

ByAkilesh Radhakrishnan, SportsCafe Editor

01/22/2016

Gameweek 22 was a darn good week for owners of Harry Kane and Petr Cech, while those who placed their faith in the Cherries back line saw reward as well. Otherwise, however, it was another dry day for this season's favourites. There was also the small matter of Southampton signing Charlie Austin, which should provide food for thought in the near future. Moving on.

Gameweek 23 fixtures

Norwich v Liverpool Crystal Palace v Spurs Leicester v Stoke Man Utd v Southampton Sunderland v Bournemouth Watford v Newcastle West Brom v Aston Villa Wast Ham v Man City Everton v Swansea Arsenal v Chelsea

Player Picks

Forwards

Lukaku (9.2)- It's not often that Everton score thrice without Lukaku having a hand in any of them, but that's exactly what happened at Stamford Bridge. This is likely to be rare in the near future as Gameweek 23 marks the begin of a great run of fixtures for the Toffees, starting with two home ties against Swansea and Newcastle.

Ighalo (6.4)- The Watford hitman has gone a bit cold in the last 3 gameweeks, but he and his owners should be relishing the prospect of hosting Newcastle and Chelsea in the next couple of games, sides who are far from defensively assured.

Midfielders

Eriksen (7.8) - Mauricio Pochettino moved Eriksen back to a central role against Sunderland, and was rewarded with a brace which moved the Danish magician ahead of Dele Alli for points scored. The schedule promises plenty of potential for similar returns.

Barkley (7.3) - Everton are another side who will now be relishing the upcoming fixtures after negotiating visits to City and Chelsea without defeat. Ross Barkley was a midfield goldmine during Everton's previous favourable schedule, and is ripe to go on a similar run.

Firmino (7.8) - Liverpool are a side who disappoint when you expect much and hit hard when nobody thinks they can. This can be frustrating, but you could do worse than select Firmino, who has been the focal point of the Reds' attack, till Liverpool host City in March.

Wijnaldum (7.0) - The Dutchman is red hot at the moment with 2 goals and an assist in the last two games. This week he makes a trip to Watford, who haven't kept a clean sheet in over a month.

Defenders

Moreno (4.9) - With games against Norwich, Leicester, Sunderland and Villa to come, the Spanish full back is an enticing prospect. The lack of returns in January can be attributed to the difficulty of the opposition, and you should expect him to deliver as he was towards the end of December in the weeks to come.

Dawson (5.1) - Didn't go well for his owners at St.Mary's, but with Villa and Swansea set to visit the Hawthorns, the Baggies full back remains a trusty option.

Baines (6.2) - An old favourite in the premium bracket came up with two assists at Stamford Bridge, underlining his famous attacking potential even with a dearth of clean sheets.

Keepers

Cech (5.8) - After a heroic performance against Stoke that earned his delighted owners 10 points, Cech gears up to host former club Chelsea, who have failed to net at the Emirates in 3 of the last 4 matches. The schedule afterwards also holds good potential for shutouts.

Lloris (5.2) - Palace haven't scored in 5 games, and the Frenchman is hardly Tim Howard. Also, there is the aforementioned fixture list.

The writer's team