fantasy premier league – “ones to watch” GKs/Defs GW22

 Here’s the link to my latest rating the defences article. http://www.fantasyfootballgeek.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-rating-defs-gw21/

Best fantasy premier league defences home and away

1.  Arsenal

Overall GW21 defensive rankings:  home defence  3/40   Away defence 13/40    Clean sheets:  9

On the GW21 ratings I rated them the  3rd best home defence and the 4th best away defence.   Overall I rate them the best defence.  Arsenal have got 8 clean sheets in their last 13 games.

Mertesacker is definitely the top option for attacking and bonus points at the moment but far more expensive at £6.5m.     Koscielny at £5.6m has got 2 clean sheets in his last 3 games and 2 bonus points in each of those games.   Interestingly has done slightly better in those 2 games bonus wise than Mertesacker who got 3.    With Monreal now out with a metatarsal injury and no return date Gibbs offers a price advantage with no specialist competition for £5.4m.    Sagna at £5.6 has great assist potential.  The GK Szczesny offers no price advantage at £5.9m.  If you don’t already have am Arsenal defender now’s the time to buy with Fulham next and a minimum 3 clean sheets in the next 6.

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

Fulham (H)
Southampton (A)
Crystal Palace (H)
Liverpool (A)
Man Utd (H)
Sunderland (H)

2.  Chelsea

Overall defensive rankings:  Home defence 6/40   Away defence 9/40  Clean sheets:  8

If you kept the leap of faith in the Chelsea defence then you would have been well rewarded with 4 clean sheets in their last 5 games.  I rate them the 6th best home defence and 2nd best away defence and the 2nd best defence Overall.  Mourinho after the Sunderland and Stoke defensive disasters has drawn a line in the sand and made them more solid again. Looked solid in the clean sheet at Hull.

Terry is my top choice at £6.6m.  He’s 25 points better off than any other option.  He’s the best attacking prospect with 2 goals and an assist and a bonus magnet with 14 points already.  The rest of the options are tricky and offer no gametime security apart from GK Cech at £6.1m.  I suspect when Ivanovic returns at the end of the month that one of  Azpilicueta  (the budget option at £5.3m) or  Cole (£6.0m) will be dropped so unless you have no budget choice for Azpilicueta then I would stay away from those 2.  David Luiz at £6.0m has moved into midfield successfully which has given him gametime and also helped Cahill’s gametime as he offers another budget option at £5.7m.  The problem with both of these is the imminent signing of CDM Matic who will probably take Luiz’s place in the double pivot thereby reducing both Cahill and Luiz’s gametime.

The next 6 fixtures have 3 difficult games but could still see 3 clean sheets in the other fixtures

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

Man Utd (H)
West Ham (H)
Man City (A)
Newcastle (H)
West Brom (A)
Everton (H)

3.  Man City

Overall defensive rankings:  Home defence 1/40   Away defence 25/40  Clean sheets:  6

City I rate as the best home defence and the 10th best away defence.  They have some underlying stats which suggest they can improve on the 2 away clean sheets.  They did achieve  their second against Newcastle but weren’t convincing and they were terrible away away to Swansea the week before.   The current position though is that  its only 2 clean sheets in the last 8 games.  Interestingly, only 1 of the 10 top fantasy premier league managers I has a City defender so little faith there at the moment.

Kolarov at £5.4m has gone from being my punt to my top choice.  He’s started 6 of the last 8 games and a goal and an assist in his last 2.  The bargain price and the attacking potential in my mind de risks the clean sheet position away from home.  Kompany  is the more expensive at £6.3m.  He should get plenty of bonus points and has good attacking potential.  Zabaleta  at £6.0m is slightly cheaper has good assist potential and is slightly cheaper at £6.0m .   The CB position needs more clarity.  Nastasic is a bargain at £5.1m but Demichelis at £5.9m started at the weekend so the situation requires a couple of games for clarity.  GK Hart at £6.0m offers no price advantage

Clean sheet potential in 4 of  the next 6 games.

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

Cardiff City (H)
Tottenham (A)
Chelsea (H)
Norwich (A)
Sunderland (H)
Stoke City (H)

4.  Everton

Overall defensive rankings:  Home defence 11/40   Away defence 8/40   Clean sheets:  9

Only the 9th best home defence but the best away defence in fantasy premier league.  1 clean sheets against Norwich on the weekend in the last 6.   With Jagileka back and Distin returning this week they should return to their clean sheet ways.

Coleman  at £6.7m is the Suarez of defensive players.  With incredibly 3 goals in his last 6 games.  Jagielka is the bonus option at a bargain of £5.8m and has scored more bonus points than any defender in fantasy premier league  Distin is the budget option at £5.2m.  Injured but supposedly back for GW22.  Baines is the punt at £7.4m.  He’s had a goal and an assist in his last 2 games and only has 1 less bonus point than Jagielka.  He has pens and a share of direct free kicks

Fixtures are tricky though with 2 clean sheets in the next 6 a possibility and 3 seemingly the maximum

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

West Brom (A)
Liverpool (A)
Aston Villa (H)
Tottenham (A)
Crystal Palace (H)
Chelsea (A)

Fantasy premier league home rotation defences only

1.  Crystal Palace

3 clean sheets in the last 7 and 3 clean sheets in the last 5 home games.

 Ward at £4.1m is currently playing in midfield and although only 1 assist so far this season has shown some goal scoring potential.  Gabbidon at £4.3m is the bonus potential with 6 so far and has 1 goal to his name. Speroni the GK isn’t great value at £4.5m.

Palace GKs/DEFs appear 11 times as a GK/DEF in the 10 teams of the 10 top fantasy premier league managers teams I follow

3 good home fixtures in the next 6.

Next 6 fantasy premier league HOME  fixtures:

Stoke City (H)
Hull City (H)
West Brom (H)
Man Utd (H)
Southampton (H)
Chelsea (H)

2.  Hull

Overall defensive rankings:  Home defence 2/40

2nd best home defence behind Manchester city.  6 clean sheets and 8 goals conceded.  2 clean sheets in their last 6 home games showed a slight slow down.

Next 6 home fixtures have 2 difficult fixtures with  Man City and  and Spurs  in the 6.  The other 4 have clean sheet potential

 Chester at £4.0m is my top choice.   He started  the 8 since coming back and is great value.   He’s also scored in that period.  GK MacGregor is reasonable value at £4.5m for home and away rotation.

Potential for 3 clean sheets in the next 6 home games

Next 6 fantasy premier league HOME  fixtures:

Tottenham (H)
Southampton (H)
Newcastle (H)
Man City (H)
West Brom (H)

Swansea (H)

3.  Southampton

Overall defensive rankings:  Home defence 7/40

5 clean sheets and only 12 goals conceded in 11 games.  WBA home is the first clean sheet in  6 home games without a clean sheet.

Clyne now fit is my top choice here at £4.5m.  Good assist potential. Lovren now looks too expensive for a home rotation option at £5.7m.

Boruc is great value at £4.7m Kelvin Davis at £3.9m looks a bargain

Some good home fixtures mixed in with some tricky ones.  Potential for 3 clean sheets in the next 6.

Next 6 fantasy premier league HOME  fixtures:

Arsenal (H)
Stoke City (H)
Liverpool (H)
Norwich (H)
Newcastle (H)

Cardiff City (H)

4.  Sunderland

One of the worst home defences with only 2 clean sheets. In fact their performances away have been better.

You’re banking on excellent fixtures and Poyets ability to improve them defensively.  He is a good defensive coach having done defensive wonders at Brighton.

Bardsley has attacking potential at £4.5m and is my best pick.   Mannone is a good value GK at £4.4m.  Brown is the value option at £4.3m.

Potential for 4 clean sheets in the next 6 home games

Here’s the next 6 HOME fixtures

Southampton (H)
Stoke City (H)
Hull City (H)
West Brom (H)
Crystal Palace (H)
West Ham (H)

5.  Stoke

Overall defensive rankings:  Home defence 4/40

Hard to imagine after the shootout with Liverpool that before that they had only conceded 7 goals at home in 10 games  and had 4 clean sheets.   In direct contrast to their away form.  2 clean sheets in their last 6 home games although none in their last 4.

 Wilson at £4.3m is the only one who’s cheap enough to warrant home rotation.  However Huth is back this week and everyone else is at least £4,9m.    Next cheapest is Pieters at £4.9m.

Potential for 3-4 clean sheets in the next 6

Next 6 fantasy premier league HOME  fixtures:

Man Utd (H)
Swansea (H)
Arsenal (H)
West Ham (H)
Hull City (H)
Newcastle (H)

Of the rest, Cardiff and Swansea both have good fixtures as well.  Swansea are a little expensive with the minimum price of £4.8m for Williams.  OGS is talking about a more attacking philosophy for Cardiff which may disrupt them defensively but again they have good home fixtures.   The West Ham game was not a good start though.  GK Marshall is the best picks there now that Turner lost his place this week.

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