Fantasy Premier League 2016-17 : Players to pick for Gameweek 30

03/31/2017

The Premier League is finally back with a bang with high profile games like the Merseyside Derby and the Arsenal-City clash at the Emirates. In the last game week, Dawson and Lukaku's braces earned their managers a combined score of 33 points with the former outscoring the Belgian by a point.

The top-4 clash between Liverpool and City ended in an entertaining 1-1 draw that opened the door for Manchester United and Arsenal to put some pressure. Manchester United did just that with their win over Middlesbrough at the Riverside but Arsenal succumbed to a humiliating loss to West Brom at the Hawthorns.

Spurs and Chelsea continued their march at the top with each earning narrow 2-1 victories over Southampton and Stoke City respectively.

Fixtures Gameweek 30

Liverpool vs Everton

Burnley vs Tottenham Hotspur

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace

Hull City vs West Ham United

Leicester City vs Stoke City

Manchester United vs West Bromwich Albion

Watford vs Sunderland

Southampton vs AFC Bournemouth

Swansea City vs Middlesbrough

Arsenal vs Manchester City

Picks for Gameweek 30

Forwards

1. Diego Costa (10.7) : The Chelsea frontman has gone off the boil recently with just two goals in his last six games. He was rested for Spain's friendly tie against France which would mean he will want to make a statement against strugglers Crystal Palace. He is now four goals behind Lukaku in the race for the Golden Boot and would not want the Belgian to extend the lead if he wants to win the trophy.

2. Romelu Lukaku (10.5) : The Belgian has hit a purple patch at the right time of the season. He has scored an incredible 9 goals in his last 6 matches and has contributed with two assists as well. Everton don't have a great record at Anfield but with Lukaku up against a weak Liverpool backline, the Toffees might just be able to break the jinx.

3. Jamie Vardy (9.8) : Are you really surprised last season's runner-up for the Golden Boot is making a comeback? The hat-trick against Manchester City proved to be a false dawn for the Englishman as he failed to register a goal or an assist for seven straight games, excluding the three games he missed due to a read card. But 3 goals and two assists in his last three games makes him an easy pick for the Stoke game.

Midfielders

4. Alexis Sanchez (11.6) : Even though Sanchez was not at his very best in Arsenal's 3-1 defeat against West Brom, the Chilean still managed to get his name on the scoresheet. In a season that started off brightly, Arsenal have been struggling but a game against City might just be the boost that was needed right now, having lost just once in 19 games at home against the Citizens.

5. Dusan Tadic (7.0) : Even after losing four of their main players and their manager, Southampton still have managed to stay well clear of the relegation zone. However, they were able to keep hold of their star player, Dusan Tadic. The Serbian has scored one and assisted three in his last three outing and against Bournemouth, who has conceded the third highest number of goals in the league, Tadic could be a great option to have.

6. Juan Mata (7.3) : United have been struggling to keep up with the piling fixture list in recent weeks and the international break would have been a welcome sight for them. Mata has been one of the most important players for the Red Devils in recent times giving his managers 28 points in the last four games. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is scheduled to miss one more game before he returns and the impetus would be on the Spaniard to provide creativity in the United midfield.

7. Gylfi Sigurdsson (7.8) : In the last eight matches, Sigurdsson has been directly involved in eight goals. The season has not been one to remember for the Welsh side but the Icelandic international has yet again shown why he is considered to be one of the best playmakers in the league. He has already accumulated 145 points, 13 short of his best score, and will be instrumental if Swansea stay up this season.

Defenders

8. David Luis (6.3) : Chelsea's defense has already earned them the title of 'Champions elect' and to the surprise of many it is Luiz who has led the team brilliantly in the absence of John Terry. The reasons for his selection are simple - apart from the fact that Chelsea do not concede too many goals, the Brazilian has the capability of smashing in goals from set-pieces as well.

9. Alfie Mawson (4.6) : The tall centre-back has been incredible under Paul Clement, scoring three goals in his last nine matches and with Sigurdsson's pinpoint deliveries he might add to his tally before the season comes to an end. The Swans come up against a managerless Middlesbrough, who have scored just 20 goals in their 28 games this season.

10. Ben Mee (4.7) : Burnley have conceded just 12 goals in their last 14 home games and that is down to the efforts of Ben Mee, Tom Heaton, and Michael Keane. They lost the first match against Spurs by a narrow 2-1 margin and will make it tough for the Londoners at Turf Moor as well.

Goalkeeper

11. David de Gea (5.4) : The United No.1 has not been in the limelight that often this season after Jose Mourinho sured up Manchester club's defense. He has kept 10 shut-outs this season and could add to that number against West Brom at Old Trafford.

Differentials

Mamadou Sakho (4.7) : The Frenchman has breathed new life into Sam Allardyce's Crystal Palace. Since the Frenchman broken into the team, not only have Palace won all their games, they have kept a clean sheet in every game as well.

Manuel Lanzini (6.4) : The West Ham star has taken up the responsibility following the departure of Dmitri Payet in January. In his last three games, he has scored two goals, providing his FPL managers with 22 points. Currently, he is in just 3.2% of teams making him one of the best differentials to have.

Ben Davies (4.8) : An injury to Danny Rose gave Davies the opportunity to prove his worth to the London side. Spurs have kept 11 clean sheets this season and with the full-backs operating as auxiliary wingers, Davies has an assist in him as well - as he showed against Everton a couple of weeks ago.