Daily Fantasy must have and must nots

The next round of fixtures is upon us already in this action packed festive period of the season and that means we have another round of daily fantasy football games to contend with! Once again, we have identified and outlined some “must-haves” and “must-nots” for the gameweek so if you’re looking for some advice ahead of Monday’s 6 fixtures, look no further!

Must-Haves

Defenders

2 clean sheets, 1 goal and 1 assist from 5 games may not look that impressive from Aleksander Kolarov but his opponents, Burnley, have a very poor record away from home this season, only scoring 2 goals in 8 games and not winning any of those fixtures! Should be a nailed on clean sheet, right?

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Another defender who should be considered, despite his team’s defensive mishaps this season, is Dejan Lovren who faces a trip to Sunderland this week. He has conceded 1 goal in his previous 4 games, meaning 3 clean sheets, and Sunderland are struggling for goals with 3 in their last 5.

Midfielders

Robert Snodgrass has bagged himself 2 goals and an assist in his last 5 games and has a game against West Brom this week.The Baggies haven’t kept a clean sheet in 7 and if Hull are to score, Snodders should be involved as he seems to be the bright spark amongst their team. A perhaps more obvious candidate for selection this week will be Roberto Firmino. A game against the Black Cats means a high possibility of a clean sheet and goals so Lovren and Firmino are our picks this week. Liverpool seem to be finding their goals from their high pressing midfield so bank on the Brazilian this week!

Strikers

A big stat to pull out here is that Hull have kept 1 clean sheet all season and that was back in their second fixture of the season. Therefore, a rule we like to stick by when it comes to daily fantasy football at the moment is to play a striker who is due to play against Hull. That luxury falls to Salomon Rondon this time out who should feature and bag something from the game. Another key mention in this position is City’s main man up top, Sergio Aguero, who is back from suspension and has an easier game, on paper at least, to settle in to after the New Year’s Eve loss to Liverpool.

Must-Nots

Defenders

Middlesbrough face up against Leicester this week and with only 1 clean sheet in their last 5, their defence should be avoided. George Friend has featured more recently for Boro but with his inconsistent playing time, you shouldn’t look to gamble on him. The reverse fixture earlier this season finished 2-2 and Leicester have scored 8 more goals in 6 games since then so it’s a risky move bringing him in. Another team defensively worth avoiding is Everton and therefore, Ashley Williams. He has the task of keeping Southampton quiet at Goodison Park this week and despite the Saints only averaging a goal a game this season, Everton have only kept 1 clean sheet in their last 9 so this looks unlikely.

Midfielders

Yes, Ross Barkley may have a goal and 2 assists in his last 4 games but he is also very good at being consistently inconsistent. It’s unclear whether he will make the starting XI or not in most games and then there is always the question mark of which Ross Barkley will turn up this week. Despite them not keeping a clean sheet in their last 3, Everton’s opponents Southampton are usually defensively solid, keeping 4 clean sheets in 5 prior to their most recent run. That run also included a 1-0 win over Everton too. West Ham also have a tough fixture against Manchester United this week and therefore, attacking returns will be limited, if any. Michail Antonio, who has a goal and an assist in West Ham’s last 3, should therefore be avoided, despite his recent returns. United have 2 clean sheets in their last 5, and have not conceded more than a single goal in a game in 10 Premier League matches.

Strikers

A differential pick a lot of fantasy managers are turning to is Jermain Defoe. However, with just the 1 assist and 1 goal to show for his efforts in his last 5 games, fantasy managers should not be tempted into bringing the Englishman in just because he faces a shaky Liverpool defence. Sunderland just aren’t creating the goals, only scoring 3 in their last 5, and so the risk shouldn’t be taken with Defoe. Finally, our last must-not who a lot of people may be tempted to bring in is Andre Gray. Yes, he did bag a hat-trick last time out against Sunderland and yes, does face a sometimes shaky looking defence this week, but Manchester City should be just too good for Burnley. With Burnley’s away record mentioned earlier on to consider too, he is definitely one to avoid.