GW15 Fantrax Preview
Starts, Streamers & Sits
As the December game schedule makes decent longer-form articles basically impossible to write (at least in the way I’ve typically written them), we will have a short change of format this month. I will look at each matchup in terms of Start / Sit decisions and streamer options. Regular format content will return once the games get back into a regular pattern again.
Merry Christmas to those that celebrate it. And, even for those that don’t, the festive fixture schedule is here, meaning a crazy amount of Fantrax to manage. Remember that it’s highly likely that you will see a tonne of rotation in these periods as teams try to juggle multiple games within 48 hours. If you’re lucky, you get your players playing all the games. You should probably expect to get 1 out of 2 from most names. If you’re unlucky, a manager tries to play someone twice and you get an injury.
The Gameweek
Game 1: Leicester City vs Manchester United
Starts: We start off the gameweek with an intriguing tie. And one with a lot of startable names. I said last GW that you don’t drop Jamie Vardy, James Maddison or Harvey Barnes when they start. I also tipped Wesley Fofana, though not as strongly. That looks an error on my part. He’s an every week name until he shows us otherwise. Timothy Castagne also returned to the side and was good for a Fantrax friendly 60 minutes on his return. He’s an option again, should he start, though as he’s returning from injury, he’s likely to be managed through this period. On the United side of the ball, it’s been a welcome return to something like form (goal involvement) for Anthony Martial who, despite facing a tougher defence this week, should be fired up again. He joins the usual safe Manchester United assets like Rashford, Bruno and Harry Maguire. Last time out I suggested fading Wan-Bissaka. This time I’m in his corner, though I would be looking for an 8-10 point week, rather than a 20+.
Streamer Options: Watch for two things when the team sheets are released. First off, who is playing on the right side for Leicester. Whilst Dennis Praet is unexciting, Cengiz Under (23% owned) and Ayoze Perez (41%) continue to look like streamable assets. Secondly, look at who is playing left back for Man United. If it’s Telles, start the Leicester winger. If it isn’t, Luke Shaw (41%) has been pretty solid for Fantrax this season and would get the streamer tip this week.
Sits: Impressive as it was, I wouldn’t go chasing after Scott McTominay or Daniel James’s big points days. I also worry (as usual) about any of the defenders not named above and would also rest Wilfried Ndidi (just a bit early in his injury return to trust fully yet) and Youri Tielemans as you can probably find better matchup options in this Gameweek.
Game 2: Fulham vs Southampton
Starts: I choose to assume that Scott Parker must read these pages, as he’s seemingly made Zambo-Anguissa the centre-piece of his midfield. If he does, hi Scott, loved the McDonalds ad). You start Zambo every week. I also like the matchup of Ademola Lookman this week. On the Southampton side, despite Fulham’s good form, if you’re not happy starting your stars in this matchup, you clearly don’t trust them enough. Danny Ings is likely out. This improves the prospects of Theo Walcott whose goal dependent nature this season is definitely more suited to playing off Che Adams. You start JWP every week. And there’s also no good reason to be benching Armstrong here. Similarly, injuries have forced Fulham into a bit of a shuffle up top, it seems and Vestergaard and Bednarek can expect plenty of aerial opportunities this week if Mitrovic starts. They’re great plays this week.
Streamer Options: Welcome back to relevance Moussa Djenepo (20%). With Ings out, he’s likely to come straight back into the side and to come into a good matchup from an attacking output perspective. Also looking at that Fulham right side, I’m keeping a close watch on Kenny Tete (7%) who is due back from his injury any day now. It’s a definite punt, but the oft-injured right-back can add extra attacking quality and could provide a solid points floor, even if Fulham are unlikely to keep a CS here. Antonee Robinson (62%) is also an option if you are caught out by a team sheet. Don’t be scared off by his last game. Red cards change games and put Fulham onto the back foot. He’s still good.
Sits: I’m completely in the “make him prove it before you trust him fully” camp with Mitrovic. He should stay on the bench unless you’ve got no other choice (a position you shouldn’t be in this early). I’m also not interested in the Southampton full backs here.
Game 3: Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
Starts: Jack Grealish is the best player in Fantrax so far this season. He’s sure to take top spot on the overall points rankings, once he’s played his two games in hand. If you bench him in any matchup, he’s probably going to burn you for it. This week, you’d have to be trying to lose to think it was a good plan. Similarly, despite VAR seemingly disliking him, Ollie Watkins is a start again in most league sizes. Thankfully, this game is early in the GW as the uncertainty around the attacking names makes it difficult to plan too far ahead. Will Ross Barkley be back? Will Bertrand Traore hold his spot? Does El Ghazi keep Trezeguet benched? Each of these questions matter, because each would be a startable name in this matchup. I’d also consider Matty Cash and Tyrone Mings to be usable this week. You might guess, from that, that I’m expecting a Villa win. Once again, I’ve not got a lot to recommend Palace side. I’m happy to line up Wilfried Zaha as usual. I’d also give Eberechi Eze the nod this week in 10+ team leagues.
Streamer Options: In active leagues, I’d expect both El Ghazi (65%) and Bertrand Traore (45%) to be taken. But if not, they’re the streamers you’ve got your eye on here on the Villa side. Palace do have some options for streaming here, as Villa aren’t necessarily a shut down side for Fantrax purposes. Jeffrey Schlupp (29%) is far from a glamorous pick but he’s got potential to put up ghost points. Christian Benteke (45%) is also likely to be back in the mix. You’re targeting the ghost points, not goal contributions, but he’s always got the potential for an explosion.
Sits: Still not seen the bounce back I need to see from John McGinn but his last three weeks have been in the 7 point range, so he’s not unusable. I just think you can probably find someone with a higher floor for this week. I’m also not starting anyone from the Palace side that I’ve not named here. Patrick Van Aanholt exists to tempt Fantrax managers with those tantalising big weeks, hence his relatively high ownership, but this isn’t one you want to be betting too much on unless you have to.
Game 4: Chelsea vs Arsenal
Starts: If you roster Chelsea players, you’ll be delighted that this game is on Saturday. There are so many question marks to deal with. Lets start with the fact that you should expect to not have Reece James, Ben Chilwell or Hakim Ziyech available. This means that in terms of players you must start, we’re looking at Timo Werner, Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic. You’re probably also going to want to start whoever starts at striker. Last week I made reference to the fact that I think Tammy Abraham suits Chelsea better than Giroud at this stage in his career. I don’t know how much faith I have that we’re going to see either consistently through this period. But whichever starts, you can start them. Kurt Zouma also remains a startable name in what’s likely to be a tense affair in this London derby. I still don’t really want a lot to do with Arsenal in Fantrax. That said, last time these two met, Aubameyang gave Cesar Azpilicueta a torrid time, leading to a red card dismissal. Chelsea are a different prospect defensively this season, but you can see some glimmer of optimism in that.
Streamer Options: The obvious names are at full back for Chelsea. Emerson (13%) might not have won the hearts and minds of the Chelsea fans last season, but he has done good things in Fantrax in his starts since arriving at Stamford Bridge. A lethargic Arsenal attack would not be enough to scare me off here, he’s a good spot start with Ben Chilwell almost definitely absent. As an extreme long shot, with Chelsea’s injuries we can’t totally rule out a Callum Hudson-Odoi (16%) start. You’d be brave to pick him over some of the other available names in other games, but the potential is there ceiling-wise if you do see him on Saturday’s team sheet.
Sits: Despite the intriguing narrative of Willian returning to show Chelsea they were wrong to not offer him a multi-year deal, I would likely be sitting the former South-West London man in this one, though you might get some optimism from the idea of him facing a backup left back. I’m also not interested in either of Kante or Kovacic and, although I think there’s probably a good Fantrax player in Kai Havertz, it’s not out yet. He’s a sit again until he shows he’s shaken Covid.
Game 5: Manchester City vs Newcastle United
Starts: I have a lot of sympathy for Newcastle fans. The club has been mismanaged in a cruel way. Every glimmer of hope met with further despair. Wins against Crystal Palace and West Brom, then met with dropped points against Leeds and ten-man Fulham, before crashing out of the Carabao Cup to Brentford. This week, they’re visiting Man City, who are starting to get the gears turning. There are few more confident starts week-to-week than Kevin De Bruyne and this week I’m all for starting every City player in attack / midfield. Yes, that would even include Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden, should they get the call. Oh and Joao Cancelo. On the Newcastle side, it’s Wilson (who has made himself hard to drop in any give week) and Darlow. That’s it.
Streamer Options: Last week, I mentioned that City aren’t particularly great for streamers, but that John Stones (52%) was an OK option in a good matchup. Well this looks like it could be another good matchup for him, though with the same warning that he’s clean sheet dependent. Similarly, you can watch for starts from Fernandinho (18%) or Nathan Ake (43%) and hope that the good matchup gives a solid CS floor, but I would generally prefer not to do this. There’s normally better choices out there.
Sits: Allan Saint-Maximin has had a disappointing fall from grace from his high-point of 2019/20. Now confirmed to be suffering longer term effects of Covid-19, he’s a sit until further notice. Everything else on the Newcastle side should be kept firmly away from your lineup. If Steve Bruce masterminds a plan to beat Pep, good on him. But you shouldn’t bet your Gameweek on it.
Game 6: Sheffield United vs Everton
Starts: Everton have been incredibly unlucky with injuries (though arguably have signed a lot of injury prone or older players) and it’s really biting them hard through this congested fixture list. In any other season, we’d likely have seen more of James, Allan, Coleman and co. But as it is, they’re having to make do with what’s available to them week to week. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has, for the most part, seemed pretty unbothered by changes in his supporting cast and has one of the best matchups he could hope for here. We’re also likely to see more Gylfi Sigurdsson who is entirely startable based on his role in the team. On the Sheffield United side of the ball, I’m not sure I could comfortably recommend listing anybody as a must start, despite the banged up nature of the visiting Everton side.
Streamer Options: Richarlison’s head injury likely offers Bernard (3%) a route back into the side. Bernard has had Fantrax success when spelling Richarlison earlier in the season and he’s a nice option here, against a generous Sheffield United defence. You could also play the Alex Iwobi (38%) lottery and hope you get a good game out. Of the two, I’d lean Bernard if both start. You could probably also get serviceable starts from some of the Everton defenders, with Yerry Mina (62%) still seeing low usage, despite good output. Ollie McBurnie (60%) hasn’t been completely ruled out for this one, so he’s certainly not totally off the radar. But he’s probably not playing. Without him, I don’t see much streamer value on the Sheffield side of the ball.
Sits: Sheffield United players. And most of the Everton midfield.
Game 7: Leeds United vs Burnley
Starts: It’s basically impossible to confidently bench a Leeds attacking asset. Even when outplayed on the pitch, they score. This is an interesting philosophical matchup in football terms, with two managers who couldn’t be much more different in approach. You’ve got to start Bamford, Raphinha, Rodrigo Moreno, Klich and Harrison in most league sizes, because each of them is generally so productive. I have a little more caution over Bamford, Klich and Harrison, because of how Burnley tend to defend, but Leeds have proved something of an unstoppable force, scoring in all but two games. Only bench them if you’ve got something you’re confident is better. On the Burnley side, the triumvirate of Nick Pope, James Tarkowski and Ben Mee look like the Burnley vintage we missed at the start of the season. They’re each so active that even if Leeds are likely to score, you can start them.
Streamer Options: Much of this games’ streamer value looks to come from the Burnley side of the ball. Leeds have been vulnerable on set pieces. It’s almost a cliche at this point to say it. But they have. Which plays into Burnley’s hands somewhat. Ashley Westwood (51%) becomes interesting, with that in mind, as he takes most of the corners for Burnley. It also keeps Chris Wood (61%) in the conversation too. Lastly, Charlie Taylor (35%) has had a good three weeks, though bolstered by two CS weeks. This isn’t one where I’m loving starting him, but it is a week where I don’t dislike turning to him, hoping for more on the attacking side of the ball.
Sits: Leeds defenders. Oh and Dwight McNeill is still on the naughty step and can only come down once he’s had a few weeks in double figures.
Game 8: West Ham vs Brighton
Starts: I imagine most in the West Ham camp might’ve considered themselves pretty hard done by to have lost by three goals in their midweek tie against Chelsea. How much of that was West Ham looking threatening everywhere but in the box and how much of that was down to some suicidal decision making on Chelsea’s part, I’ll leave up to you. It was a quite good game though for Vladimir Coufal, who managed to ship 3 goals and still finish with 6.5 points. Similarly, Jarrod Bowen finished on the same points tally but was bright and pretty involved throughout. Both are must starts here. I don’t think the reintegration of Mark Noble worked particularly well, so suspect that Said Benrahma will get the nod again here and I would be willing to start him in a matchup against a Lamptey-less Brighton. On the Brighton side, I remain in on Pascal Gross, Solly March and Danny Welbeck whenever they start. But this is a tough matchup for Brighton with their absentees.
Streamer Options: There isn’t a huge amount left on the West Ham side to talk about, though, as alluded to last week, Moyes has talked of having to rotate his side. Manuel Lanzini (6%) and Andriy Yarmolenko (3%) remain sidelined for the most part, but streamable if they do start, so if you find yourself stuck coming into Game 8, keep a close eye on team sheets. On the Brighton side, there’s almost nothing I’m comfortable with here. Maybe Yves Bissouma (14%) but much of what he does well doesn’t seem to translate to standard Fantrax scoring.
Sits: The rest when it comes to Brighton. The West Ham centre backs. Oh and Mark Noble, should Moyes stick with him.
Game 9: Liverpool vs West Brom
Starts: It’s not a statistic anyone actually uses for Fantrax (mostly because it’s not particularly useful), but Mo Salah was scoring almost a point a minute during his devastating cameo against Crystal Palace. Roy Hodgson must’ve been very glad he didn’t start. Liverpool look to be hitting form and this is about as good a follow up matchup as they could want after Palace. Yes, we can expect some rotation, but we can also start pretty much everyone on the Liverpool side, barring one or two exceptions (see below). On the West Brom side, we didn’t get a proper look at Big Sam football, with a red card putting them down to 10 in under 40 minutes. But if a new manager bounce is to come, it’s probably not coming this week. Streamers only for West Brom this week.
Streamer Options: As alluded to above, if you’re starting West Brom players, they’re considered streamers here. Conor Gallagher (27%) remains a favourite of mine, as he’s clearly very talented and is capable of filling up a stat sheet. I’m not feeling good about starting him though. On the Liverpool side, usable low ownership options include Curtis Jones (27%) and Naby Keita (37%). I don’t tend to like waiting this late into a Gameweek with doubts over who will start, though, so if you try to get to this point with your lineup locked, you won’t need either.
Sits: West Brom players (yes, even Mattheus Pereira who returns from suspension this week). On the Liverpool side, I still don’t much care for the CBs or defensive midfield. But even they are probably safe points in this one.
Game 10: Wolves vs Tottenham
Starts: Wolves game against Burnley was pretty notable. In last week’s column, I mentioned Owen Otasowie. I didn’t expect him to get a start. I certainly didn’t expect him to get a start that high up the pitch. And I really didn’t expect him to score negative points. Nuno still clearly has no idea what his best lineup is without Raul Jimenez. You can still trust Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence. And that’s about all I would advocate for on that side of the ball. On the Spurs side, you can’t sit Kane, Son or the right sided fullback (whichever of Serge Aurier / Matt Doherty that might be in a given week). Otherwise, much of the rest of the team is often fairly underwhelming. They’re a well polished machine at this point and everything is designed to run through their stars.
Streamer Options: Don’t wait for Game 10 to pick streamers. If you get caught out by someone not starting in this game, you’re not going to have many options. Sure, you might win Wolves wing-back roulette, but even I’m not going to say you should start Ait-Nouri in this one. Tanguy Ndombele (65%) remains intriguing, but likely won’t go past 60 minutes, even with the injury to Giovani Lo Celso. You could also gamble on a Spurs defender and hope that Wolves struggle to break them down. But really, this is desperation territory.
Sits: Unless you’ve got a stacked roster and can handcuff him with another star forward in this game, you can’t risk attempting to start Adama Traore. You also should likely steer clear of Wolves defenders in this one.
That’s it. Merry Christmas, I’ll try to be back with a (possibly shortened due to time constraints) edition before GW16. As ever, find me on Twitter if you’ve got any comments of questions.