If youre not familiar with the format I’ve  put the removals from last week  in strikethrough to show you who has come off from last week.    The Sky Sports fantasy football players added and reasons why are added  in italics to make it easier to follow.

Ive added a new feature putting BUY, HOLD or SELL next to players to clarify my position an all players except budget and bubbling under players.  It aso makes it easier for people wanting a quick look rather than going through the whole article.   Below each position if applicable is a “bubbling under”  category for monitoring certain Sky Sports fantasy football  players before they are added to the “ones to watch” list.  Remember these are sky sports fantasy football  players I would have in my team.   At the bottom is a key if you want a bit more detail on the factors listed

GOALKEEPER

Hart – £6.0m – quality fixtures HOLD

Quality defence will come right.  The underlying defensive stats are still good.  A good run of fixtures starting at Sunderland H should give returns.  Has selection stabilty where the only other option is Kompany

Howard  £5.3m – fixtures.  BUY

Foster – £4.7m quality.HOLD  

Should be clean sheets.  Good fixtures incl home to QPR next

Jaaskelainen £3.8m budget HOLD

A few good fixtures coming up then theyre moving away from him so will be a sell soon.

Begovic £4.1m budget HOLD

Get Liverpool and Man U away out of the way and the fixtures get far better

Mannone -£4.5m budget fixtures short term HOLD

Could only get you 2 games but if you’ve got transfers burning a whole in your pocket and are willing to gamble that Szczesny wont be back as expected or wont get his place back.

DEFENCE

Rafael – £6.6m – value.  attack HOLD

Utd don’t have great fixtures its true but its essentially the same defence and 2 CMs that last year got 20 clean sheets.  However even saying that you cant ignore the defensive stats that stare you in the face.  They are not good.  I personally wouldn’t touch the rest of the defence this fact but Rafael gives you potential for attacking returns to cover this

Ivanovic – £7.2m  attack HOLD

Home game against Norwich but then fixtures get difficult.  RDM looks like he will play defensively though.  Dont buy but dont sell just yet

Jagielka  – £5.9m fixtures. BUY

If you’ve got the cash for Baines you’ll get the returns 

Jenkinson – £3.8m  value fixtures short term. HOLD

According to physio room  Sagna’s back in GW7 but no sign from Arsenal thats the case and not on the bench in champs league.  Don’t buy but don’t sell until Sagna effect realised

Gibbs – £6.8m fixtures BUY

Expensive but the best certain game time value in the Arsenal defence.  Good fixtures start now.  Santos didn’t start in champs league which doesn’t show confidence in him as a replacement.

Ridgewell – £5.2m Attack HOLD.

Is expected to be back this weekend.  Probably not as secure as MCAuley but £0.8m cheaper

Johnson – £6.5m. attack BUY

Good attacking stats. A reasonable run of fixtures coming now starting with Stoke at home.

Budget

Again the negative points for goals conceded in Sky Sports fantasy football means that you do need a side capable of clean sheets.  Ive gone for top 6ish sides with good fixtures above

However if youre going for or need a budget option big Sams negative approach will hopefully bring clean sheets.  Demel at £3.6m is the most secure game time wise and  Reid at £4.0m, although more of a game time risk, offers better attacking potential.

Bubbling under

Wisdom – £3.7m budget

Enrique may return this week with Johnson  going to RB.  Monitor as great value for a Liverpool RB

Kightly – £4.5m  A winger classified as a defender.  Not the fantastic news it would be in the barclays format as you lose points when you concede but worth looking at when their fixtures improve after Liverpool and Man U away in their next 2.

MIDFIELD

Hazard – £7.7m Quality value HOLD 

Dont buy but not necessarily a sell just yet especially with Norwich at Home and as a captain possibility.  Poor fixtures after that.

Bale – £8.8m – Quality.HOLD

All those who sold him for Michu earlier on are hopefully regreatting such a short sighted approach.  However fixtures now against him after Villa at home this week.  Shown quality to ride out fixtures.  Not sure I would buy him but not a sell especially this week

Pienaar –  £6.0m – fixtures.HOLD

Fellaini – £6.1m form.  fixtures. BUY

Played in an advanced position again.  Top of the  underlying stats too

Nolan – £4.9m  form HOLD

Still as a few good fixtures left with Saints at home in GW8 before they turn against him.  Bit dearer than I’d like but plays in such an advanced position you always think he will score.  Carroll  returning will help immeasurably. Don’t sell but not sure I would buy at this stage.

Cazorla – £6.7m  quality.  form.  fixtures value BUY

Doing surprisingly well in the shooting stats although the final effort has been wayward but getting into these positions far more.   Fixtures improved.  Shoots far too much outside the box and a bit assist based but the Chelsea game was encouraging even if his final shot was a bit Suarez like (prior to Norwich!)

Lallana – £6.0m – fixtures form BUY

Good underlying stats.

Dempsey – £8.6m.  quality BUY

Still a bit of a game time risk but home to Villa seems worth the risk to me.  Doesn’t have fixtures with him.  Has the ability to be fixture proof though

Silva – £9.0m  quality form fixtures  BUY

Shown shooting form and now has the fixtures going for him.  You have to accept that he will be rotated with Nasri but both should play the home games. 

Ramirez – £5.5m fixtures BUY

Showed enough away to Everton for Southampton that he will be a threat.  Has the fixtures.  

Passing and tackle bonus midfielders

This is a new aspect  of Sky Sports fantasy football and offers a cheap way in to regular points.  You should have at least 1 if not 2 of these players for regular points and at least 1 cheap 1.

Noble £4.7m – fixtures. pen  who would have thought someone in Big Sams team would have bonus pass potential but true it is.  Also takes pens

Joe Allen – £5.8m – the pass master in the possession masters team.  Too expensive better options elsewhere

Arteta – £6.2m   – Passes, tackles gets assists.  When the fixtures improve he will be a major asset.

YYT – £8.1m – The Rolls Royce option.  Has held his own but unfortunately wont get tackle points but will be a MOTM magnet and gets assists and the odd screamer.  I personally question whether hes worth the cash without a regular goal output.  Would be gold if he becomes the most advanced midfielder but doesnt get in to the box enough for this price.

McArthur-£5.0m

can get tackle and pass bonus points.  fixtures are only okish

Faurlin £4.9m

fixtures getting better.  Game time risk is if Hughes changes things around to improve results

Bubbling under

Ben Arfa.   – £6.2m Quality.  form.

I would wait for fixtures to improve.

FORWARDS

Tevez £9.4m – quality. form fixtures. HOLD

Has been sold consistently in FPL.  Under threat from Dzeko but fixtures are with City.  I still believe him and Aguero are the best partnership.  Didnt play in the Champs league which heightens chance of playing this weekend.  I wouldnt buy but dont sell with fixtures coming up

RVP – £10.0m – QUALITY.  HOLD

Rotation is the risk

Jelavic – £8.1m – fixtures quality form BUY

Lethal finisher, with surprising ability to create chances for others as well

Berbatov – £7.5m  quality.  form.HOLD

Injured but good value and quality

Lambert – £6.8m  form. Fixtures.  BUY

 Defoe – £7.8m –   Form.  quality. value HOLD

Fixtures are against him but you cant argue with the price.  I wouldn’t have seen him as a lone striker but showed real quality against Reading QPR and Man U.  Adebayor injury and form will see him start.

Ba – £9.0m  form. BUY

Fixtures aren’t great but has shown real quality even though expensive.  Has the ability to score against any opposition.  Just monitor the noise with the club to ensure no game time risk

Podolski. – £8.5m HOLD

I wouldnt buy him now for Arsenals coverage, I would go for Gervinho at £7.6m or Cazorla in midfield but with the fixtures he wouldn’t be a priority sale.

Aguero – £9.9m.  QUALITY fixtures. BUY

Role seems assured.  Injury layoff should see him fresher and less rotatable

Suarez – £9.6m fixtures  BUY

Top of the shooting stats despite the hard fixtures.  Just the final shot that has been the difference between being world class.   Norwich will hopefully change that and the fixtures are better starting at Stoke at home

I’m not putting a budget section for strikers.  I just think the position is too important and theres too much quality to put a filler in.  However  Vaz Te at £6.2m is the best option if you really must.

Bubbling under

Crouch £8.8m form 

Not cheap by any stretch.  Wait until after Liverpool and Utd away because fixtures improve then

Lukaku – £6.2m value

needs to start to be viable.  monitor

KEY

quality – an elite player for his position

value – a player at a value that is less than the returns I expect

fixtures – a player facing good fixtures over the next 6 games

budget – filler at the minimum price the position allows. Should play

sleeping giant – a player with past form who may have had a quiet season last year but has the potential for far greater returns than his value

YC – card magnet

DGW – has 2 games in the specified game week

pre-season – has pre-season form

pens – should take penalties

short term – will only play for a few games

Form – current form

hope that stimulates some thought for your fantasy premier league team.  Heres the link to the latest fantasy premier league fixtures article if you want to look at that again