Fantasy Football: Top 5 Transfers For Gameweek 7
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 14: Sergio Aguero of Manchester City celebrates scoring his third during the UEFA Champions League match between Manchester City FC and VfL Borussia Moenchengladbach at Etihad Stadium on September 14, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Gameweek 7 in fantasy football is upon us, and with Sergio Aguero immediately back in the goals, here are the top 5 transfers to consider before the Friday.
The Premier League is well and truly picking up a head of steam, as we hurtle towards gameweek 7 with many still doubting the quality of their fantasy football squads after some major decisions were forced thanks to injuries and suspension. The return of Sergio Aguero, the absence of Kevin De Bruyne and the woes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic are all questions that must be answered before Friday’s 7pm deadline.
Here are five fantasy football transfers to target this week.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 24: Marcus Rashford of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Leicester City at Old Trafford on September 24, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images)
5. Marcus Rashford
The downturn in form of Zlatan Ibrahimovic over the past couple of weeks, coinciding with the woes of the team as a whole, culminated in Jose Mourinho making a whole host of changes before Saturday lunchtime’s game with Leicester City. The Big Swede continued to frustrate the many managers who had plucked for him as their Manchester United attacker of choice while other, cheaper options flourished.
One such player was Marcus Rashford. Scoring once more thanks to his alertness from a quick corner, Rashford, playing on the left-hand side but being asked to push forward and at times run beyond Zlatan, looked immensely dangerous throughout the match. His pace is electric, he has good footballing intelligence and has a knack for scoring goals.
Priced at only £6.9 he offers a far more cost-effective route into the United attack. Saving nearly £5.0 by choosing Rashford over Zlatan, while gametime is a genuine concern, the funds that are freed up are worth the risk. When on the pitch, the young Englishman is regularly scoring, and at such a decent price, he’s well worth having in your squad, even with the threat of the bench looming.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Sadio Mane of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
4. Saido Mane
There perhaps hasn’t been another attack that has looked as dangerous as Liverpool’s in recent weeks. Thanks to Jurgen Klopp’s high pressing tactic, the pacy front line is always on the offensive, looking to win the ball high up the pitch and break on their opponents before they can organise themselves defensively. As such, the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana are enjoying stellar campaigns.
However, for fantasy football, deciphering the Liverpool midfield is quite a challenge. The inconsistency of Coutinho is certainly frustrating and the money saved with Lallana is also a tempting option. Nonetheless, I believe paying the extra money to have Saido Mane is an investment worth making.
The summer signing offers far greater and more consistent than any other Liverpool striker. Playing off the left hand side in a very fluid formation, he is often the furthest forward, asked to run in behind and get in the box. He showed his penchant for scoring while at Southampton, and now in such a high octane attack, he is once looking to lead the scoring charts. £9.0 may seem steep, but by year’s end, Mane could well be one of the top five fantasy football midfielders.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 24: Daley Blind of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Leicester City at Old Trafford on September 24, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images)
3. Daley Blind
Defenders who score attacking points are like gold dust among the fantasy football universe. Defenders who score attacking points while playing as a part of a stout defence are even rarer, and after the unceremonious dropping of Luke Shaw, Daley Blind seems to have stolen the regular starting role as the Manchester United left back.
More from Pain in the Arsenal
While that is not enough to invest in the now classified defender, his set piece duties may well swing the pendulum in his favour. Blind racked up two assists thanks to the aerial ability of Chris Smalling and Paul Pogba and looked to get forward at every opportunity down the left flank.
Moreover, under Jose Mourinho, United have one of the better Premier League defences. They have already kept two clean sheets and have only conceded more than one goal once – a terrible 3-1 loss to Watford. While the fixtures may put some off, along with the quickly rising price tag thanks to being the number one transferred in defender this week, United have the ability to shut out any side in the league.
With his set pieces duties only enhancing his value – something that again is unaffected by the relatively tough fixture list – Blind is quickly becoming one of the best fantasy football defenders to own. However, if you are thinking of buying him, do so quick, as his price is rising at an alarming rate.
SWANSEA, WALES – SEPTEMBER 24: Sergio Aguero of Manchester City celebrates scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Swansea City and Manchester City at the Liberty Stadium on September 24, 2016 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
2. Sergio Aguero
If there were any doubts over Sergio Aguero’s fantasy value after a three-match suspension thanks to a wayward elbow that collided with Winston Reid, then Saturday’s demolition of Swansea thanks to a wonderful first touch and finish and a cheeky penalty would have gone a long way to silencing the remaining few.
Aguero is now the top scoring striker having missed two games, and while some may point to the absence of Kevin De Bruyne as a cause for concern over the coming weeks, it could provide the Argentine with even more fantasy opportunity.
City will perhaps be even more reliant on their star striker, looking to feed him early and often. He is the most transferred in player of the week – nearly 100,000 more than any other player – and has only failed to record some form of return once so far.
His fixtures are not the greatest, Spurs (A), Everton (H), Southampton (H) – they do improve rather significantly after that trio – but with a player, as proven as Aguero does it really matter?Furthermore, with his 40.0% ownership, it is simply too risky to continue without him. Aguero is as essential as they come and even his £13.0 price tag should not be enough to ward anyone off.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 28: Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal in action during the UEFA Champions League Group A match between Arsenal FC and FC Basel 1893 at Emirates Stadium on September 28, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
1. Alexis Sanchez
This season has certainly paid homage to the elite fantasy football assets. Zlatan and Aguero have dominated our forward lines while Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Eden Hazard have found their way into many midfields. One team that boasts many top quality fantasy stars, though, had bene underperforming through four weeks of the season.
That has quickly changed.
In a matter of two weeks, Arsenal have established themselves as one of most in-form sides in the country with a plethora of attacking options all brimming with confidence. Theo Walcott’s resurgence has been the topic of conversation for many, while the displays of Alex Iwobi and Mesut Ozil have also caught the eye. None, however, offer the same fantasy value as Alexis Sanchez.
Currently playing as a central striker, the Chilean is now the second highest scoring midfielder behind the now-injured De Bruyne and is the most transferred in player this week bar Aguero. His hauls have been phenomenal recently – 16, 1, 10, 14 in his last four games – but his fixtures are even better.
Arsenal face Burnley (A), Swansea (H), Middlesborough (H) and Sunderland (A) in their next four league matches. Sanchez is being hoisted high by the two pillars of fantasy football: form and fixtures. You’d be mad to leave him out!
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