Welcome back for another article.
Due to the crazy schedule the players to buy this week is before all games have finished as it will be the only way to squeeze in all 4 articles for you. What also works in our favour is the majority of the fixtures we want to target next gameweek have already played as well.
🧤 Goalkeepers
- On a free hit or maybe if you're playing draft or challenge you could go for Ramsdale given they're home to Burnley which is one of those stand out fixtures, outside of that avoid him.
- Pope is expected back GW18 so it's just a booked in headache later and it's not like Ramsdale is 4m, he's 4.8m.
- Donnarumma is joint top with him this week.
- The other fixture that has high potential is Man City home to Sunderland. Sunderland is not an easy fixture. However, that game and Newcastle home to Burnley will have the best clean sheet odds.
- Donnarumma is on 4 yellow cards though, so he needs to go 5 more games without one or he'll be suspended. He will absolutely be aware of this though so may not get that fifth now. It's mad for a keeper to even be on 4 already.
- Arsenal have a trickier fixture away to Villa which places Raya third top on 3.9, but still top of all keepers for the next 5 so he's still the one if you're wildcarding.
Projected Clean Sheets (GW15 onwards)
Who's got the most projected clean sheets?
- Arsenal with 3 over the next 6.
- Then Man City 2.3.
- Liverpool 2.1.
- Newcastle 2.0.
- Bournemouth have slipped down to just 1.4, which is the same as Villa and Spurs, so these are defences to look at hopping off if you're invested.
Let's talk defenders next and which players to look at from those top teams.
🛡️ Defenders
- So Keane wasn't in Everton's squad for their away game to Bournemouth but still managed a clean sheet, and Tarkowski actually tops the table this week with 4.8 points playing home to Forest.
- Everton were fourth on those clean sheet odds before for GW15, 37% plus he's great for defcons but his price is offputting.
- Moyes said the following on Keane: "He had a little bit of an injury going into the Newcastle game and played, but unfortunately, he couldn't make this one, so we've had to make a change. We don't know [how long he'll be out]. We hope he might [recover] quite quickly." It doesn't sound promising as far as next gameweek based off that quote.
- Overall Newcastle were ahead of Everton for longer term clean sheet projections though. Newcastle's even longer term run is Burnley, Sunderland, Chelsea, Man Utd, Burnley, Palace, Leeds, Wolves.
Newcastle Options
- This week Thiaw is second on the table, then Livramento.
- The only reason Hall and Burn aren't on the table is their default expected minutes are a little lower, but bumping them up would have them firmly on the table too.
- Newcastle are a little tricky to predict, Howe has Champions League away to Leverkusen next week midweek and did have some good bench depth last night like Schar who could be used, Gordon and Bruno G who probably both come into the starting 11 etc.
- Burn and Livramento actually seem the safest options for nailedness, Burn never misses a game except for that suspension recently and Trippier's out until the new year.
Man City and Cheaper Picks
- It's the same story with the City defence. Pep surprised us all with no rotation against Fulham and it's just as well given they edged a 5 - 4 win over them, which did see Gvardiol and O'Reilly starting in the back line who are City's most appealing defenders. Man City face Real Madrid next week as well which is worth noting.
- Cheap defenders Van Hecke and Andersen both make the table. Brighton face West Ham home while Fulham are home to Palace.
- If you're in need of a cheap defender and don't own either then Andersen's the one. 20.2 projected points for the next 5 is top of all defenders that are 5m and under in fact, 16.2 for Van Hecke.
Are you making a defender transfer this week? Let us know in the comments what your current plan is.