Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 35+ - Five picks that could help change your FPL season
With the end of the season rapidly approaching, navigating the final road has become a lot harder especially with teams playing two games a week. Rotation plays an immense part for the bigger sides and with teams getting back to their best possible form, it hands FPL managers more selection issues.
The Greatest possible options
Mohamed Salah
It seems almost nonsensical not to pick Salah but with Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial and others all thriving, the Egpytian has disappeared from teams. But his performance against Brighton, the first in a long time, has seen him pop back up on the radar of many FPL bosses. The problem with that is the fact that with Liverpool’s title all wrapped up, how many more games will the forward play?
That’s a risk that must be taken because Salah is a selfish selfish man. He has only one thing on his mind and that’s scoring goals which for an FPL manager is a dream move. Few players are truly like that and his performance against Brighton (2 goals and 1 assist) was amongst the best from the mid-week fixtures. Yet, that adds to his tally and takes him to three goals and three assists in four games although against Burnley, there is a chance that his streak may not continue.
Because Salah’s record against the Clarets is abysmal with him scoring just once and creating two more in four games with his goal coming in the 2017/18 season. Since then, he’s been on a three game drought against Sean Dyche’s men who may have found a way to stop the lethal Egyptian. But Salah’s form, his selfish nature to score goals and the fact that he’s now back in the race for the Golden boot will help any FPL manager’s cause.
Jamie Vardy
What do you do about Jamie Vardy? Leicester’s form since the restart has been inconsistent to say the least and the Foxes have struggled to win games. They’ve got just the one win in their five games since the restart but their form has picked up over the last two games. A draw against Arsenal and their first win since the restart against Crystal Palace have one thing in common; Jamie Vardy’s goals.
The Englishman has netted three goals in his last two games, including his 100th and 101st against the Eagles before netting yet again against Arsenal. That trend doesn’t look like it will stop in the near future and while Tottenham struggled to find the net against Bournemouth, Leicester City shouldn’t have that problem. James Maddison is potential in a race to make it back for the game but with Vardy, Ayoze Perez and Kelechi Iheanacho striking up a partnership that seems like it’s working, Brendan Rodgers may not rush him back.
Add that to the fact that barring Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, Vardy has scored the most goals in his career so far against Bournemouth with six in eleven games. That does include two (and an assist) in the reverse fixture earlier this season which does bode well for those that do pick up the forward.
The Hopeful punts
Willian
Slowly and silently, since the restart, Willian has slowly risen and become the fifth-highest scoring midfielder in FPL this season. That puts him ahead of Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, Heung-Min Son, Riyad Mahrez and a few others with the Brazilian thriving. He’s managed to score five goals and create three assists since the restart including six goal contributions in his last four games.
That’s not just impressive but at his price (7.3m), it’s shocking especially since this consistency has been unheard of from the Brazilian. Maybe the fact that he’s a free-agent in the near future has forced him to change his tune and start performing or something else has lit a fire under him and for FPL managers, it makes him a great choice. The Blues have one of the harder fixture lists in the final few weeks of the season with them ending the season against Liverpool and Wolves but the two games before that are easier to handle.
He’s also becoming harder and harder to ignore with him converting all four of his major chances so far and only KDB is ahead of him in terms of key passes. It shows just how good the Brazilian can be but given Chelsea’s consistency, their fixture list and the fact that Christian Pulisic might just be a better option, the Brazilian is a hopeful punt.
Harry Kane
Harry Kane. It confuses and baffles the world as to why he’s considered a top striker when he struggles but is at the tip of many tongues when he is at his best. But this season has been yet another injury-plagued one and since the restart, few have struggled as much as Kane. Yet, here we are placing him alongside Willian as a hopeful punt and why? Because he plays Arsenal in a North London derby where all sense goes out the window when it comes to Kane.
As Arsenal fans know, over the last few years, there are only three things certain in this life; Death, Taxes and Harry Kane scoring in a North London derby. Because the England captain has failed to score against Arsenal just once over the last six seasons (10 games). It's as if Kane has a bone to pick with the Gunners and only one other team has felt his wrath more as only Leicester City (Kane's former side) has conceded more goals than Arsenal to Hurri-Kane. Yet with Kane out of sorts since the restart, this could be the perfect game for him to find his footing again.
He’s managed just 13 goals this season which is his lowest tally since the Englishman’s breakout 2014/15 season and since then he's never managed fewer than 17. Add that to the fact that he is Tottenham’s main penalty taker, is by far Tottenham’s best possible options for goals and while he hasn’t scored too many, barring Gedson Fernandes, nobody else has taken more shots at goal per 90 (2.60) than Kane has. According to Understat, that’s 13 shots in five games which shows that his confidence is returning and against Arsenal, it could prove to be the final piece of the puzzle.
The questionable choice
Raul Jimenez
Now this could come and bite us back rather badly but Jimenez has looked out of sorts over his last three games. The Mexican has been his usual work-horse self but beyond that he’s struggled to get too many goals with just two in his last five games. That includes a three game drought and if his performance against either Arsenal or Sheffield United were anything to go by, then the Mexican is enduring a slight problem in front of goal.
Now naturally, when that has happened in the past, the Wolves striker has returned with an absolute bang but things seem different this time. Why? Because Jimenez’s shots and ability in front of goal has diminished over the last few games with the striker struggling to take shots and do anything. His last goal came against Bournemouth but even in that game, Jimenez managed just the one shot. Since then, he managed three shots against Aston Villa with no luck, one against Arsenal with no luck and nothing against Sheffield United according to Understat.
It’s a clear decline in form and has forced Nuno’s hand to switch to a front-three with Jimenez dropping deeper to help Diogo Jota and Adama Traore finding their best. That could see his goal tally drop but it could see him assist a lot more instead. Or nothing changes and all three strike a great partnership that seems Jimenez thrive once again. But again, it’s a massive risk and makes the Mexican a risky bet, at least until he clicks into gear again.