FANTASY PREMIER LEAGUE JOSEPH’S WEEKLY DIFFERENTIALS – GW3

Fantasy Premier League

  • Here is my article containing my GW3 differential picks. As always, I will be giving three choices of varying ownership; 5-10%, 1-5% and <1%.

Last week’s picks

My blushes were saved by a Huddersfield man again last weekend after a disappointing Saturday for my choices. Wijnaldum was only able to return 2 points as Liverpool scraped to a 1-0 win which was 1 better than Knockaert who was still not fit enough to make the starting XI unfortunately. Sunday was a better day as Huddersfield returned their second consecutive clean sheet. This meant some decent points for my <1% pick for the second week running thanks to their LB Lowe.

With that, let’s move onto this week’s picks.




 

Craig Dawson, 5.0mil DEF, West Brom (6.0%)

The often-forgotten man in the Tony Pulis defence due to the exploits of McAuley last season and Hegazi at the start of this campaign. However, Dawson has managed an impressive 10 goals over the last three years for West Brom and he actually had more goal attempts than McAuley last season. Therefore, it’s clear that he has a good eye for goal and everyone is aware of how much Pulis likes a goal from one of his defenders. I’m hoping that Hegazi had his turn in GW1 and Dawson will be next on the scoresheet.

He also produced a notable 21 key passes last season, hence was unfortunate not to register any assists. He also delivered 85 crosses which was the highest of any defender who didn’t pick up an assist. Due to injuries to McAuley and Evans, he has been playing at centre back which means he isn’t able to get forward as much. However, his teammates are returning to fitness soon, hence we should see Dawson resume his position on the right side of the defence.

As noted in the latest fixture ease schedule article, West Brom have some good fixtures on the horizon. This weekend, they play at home against Stoke in the Tony Pulis derby. It should be a closely fought contest, presenting the opportunity for Dawson to pick up a clean sheet and hopefully an attacking return as well.

West Brom’s next 6 games:

Stoke (H)
Brighton (A)
West Ham (H)
Arsenal (A)
Watford (H)
Leicester (A)

 

Son, 8.0mil MID, Tottenham (1.0%)

Similar to last week’s pick Knockaert, Son picked up an injury over the summer which means he is currently flying under the radar. However, I think that could be about to change this weekend. He has come off the bench during both of Spurs’ opening games and created the opportunity for Kane when he hit the post against Newcastle. I expect that we will see Pochettino roll out a 4-2-3-1 formation for the home tie against Burnley so the LAM slot is open for the South Korean.

He had a real breakout season last year with 14 goals and 9 assists, despite only playing 2063 minutes. This resulted in him returning an FPL point every 11.9 minutes, faster than his more popular teammates Alli (13.5mins) and Eriksen (14.5mins). Son also comes it at 1.5mil and 1.6mil cheaper respectively so provides much better value. Moreover, he poses a bigger threat inside the penalty area as he had the most touches and the most shots inside the box out of the three last year.

Spurs are about to embark on a good run of fixtures, starting with the Burnley game on Sunday. Though Sean Dyche’s team claimed an impressive win over Chelsea in their last away game, they still conceded twice against ten men. Last year, his side conceded 35 goals away from Turf Moor compared to just 20 at their stadium. Therefore, presuming he gets his start, Son will be looking to take advantage to get his season off and running.

Tottenham’s next 6 games:

Burnley (H)
Everton (A)
Swansea (H)
West Ham (A)
Huddersfield (A)
Bournemouth (H)

Sturridge, 8.0mil FWD, Liverpool (0.6%)

Now this is a real punt as he may well pick up another injury before the weekend given his track record. However, there is no doubt in my mind that when fully fit, Sturridge is one of the most lethal strikers in the league. In a stint blighted by injuries, he has a superb record of 46 goals in 89 league games for Liverpool. Fantasy managers will fondly recall his 2013/14 season where he scored 22 goals and had 8 assists while forming an impressive partnership with a certain Luis Suarez. A return to the form he showed that season would see him bringing in a bundle of points again.

As I write, Liverpool are playing their Champions League tie against Hoffenheim for which Sturridge is on the bench. We saw evidence of Klopp’s rotation in their last game so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him return to the starting line-up on Sunday. They will be playing against Arsenal which is a game that looks destined for goals. In fact, Liverpool have scored 10 goals in their last 3 games against the Gunners. Both team’s defences have looked shaky in the early portion of the season and seem to be relying on their attack to win them games. Therefore, we should have a high-scoring affair on our hands which could mean goals for Sturridge.




Liverpool’s next 6 games:

Arsenal (H)
Man City (A)
Burnley (H)
Leicester (A)
Newcastle (A)
Man Utd (H)

That concludes my picks for this week. Let me know any of your differential picks in the comment section and feel free to ask any questions about your team for this gameweek. You can also find me on Twitter.

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