A pundit of the “proper football man” variety would likely not offer analysis on a Fantasy Premier League gameweek, not wishing to dignify it with a response while writing it off as the same sort of pseudo-football nonsense as xG.
However, if pushed for comment, they’d probably reach into their bag of cliche’s and call Gameweek 6 “one for the purists”.
Against all prior wisdom Erling Haaland blanked against an unconvincing Newcastle side, Arsenal shipped two goals to a hitherto stodgy Leicester as Bukayo Saka failed to return, and Luis Diaz’s remarkable early season form for Liverpool stuttered against a faltering Wolves.
All this as Cole Palmer knocked in four goals in the first half against Brighton for a whopping 25 points, out of nowhere.
It just goes to show that trying to find rhyme or reason in a game as chaotic as football, in a league as expectation-resistant as the Premier League, is an utter fool’s errand.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
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This week has some games where you’d expect to see returns as Liverpool visit Palace and Arsenal host Southampton. Those are the more obvious cases for a big return, but there’s high potential for goals all around the league – we’ve only had two 0-0 matches and we’re in October. Rejoice, for clean sheets are a thing of the past, we’ve got our Premier League back.
The Gameweek 7 deadline is at 11am on Saturday 5 October.
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Gameweek 7 fixtures
Saturday 5 October
*3pm unless otherwise stated
- Crystal Palace vs Liverpool (12.30pm)
- Arsenal vs Southampton
- Brentford vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Leicester vs Bournemouth
- Manchester City vs Fulham
- West Ham vs Ipswich
- Everton vs Newcastle (5.30pm)
Sunday 6 October
- Aston Villa vs Manchester United (2pm)
- Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest (2pm)
- Brighton vs Spurs (4.30pm)
Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford)
Yes, we picked him last week. But he scored. If you listened to us, well done, you smart cookie. He also has the most ridiculous run of fixtures coming.
Just take a moment and think of the goal potential for Brentford’s only available striker (in excellent form, five goals in six Premier League games this season) in these coming fixtures: Wolves (home), Manchester United (away) (haha), Ipswich (home), Fulham (away), Bournemouth (home), Everton (away), Leicester (home). That is a run that takes you until the end of November.
If you want to watch a steady stream of points come in from a midfielder you don’t have to reassess until around the time you’re already sick of hearing Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is you”, then select the Brentford man.
If that’s too obvious for you and you want a tip that is unlikely to return but sufficiently edgy for you, then read on, we have something for your sick and twisted tastes.
Price: £7.4m Points: 43 Gameweek 7 fixture: Wolves (h)
Jamie Vardy (Leicester)
There you go, you hipsters. Back a 37-year-old striker in a team that will flirt with the relegation zone all season long.
There’s some, admittedly limited, method in the madness. Like Mbeumo, Vardy has some pretty appealing fixtures: Bournemouth (home), Southampton (away), Nottingham Forest (home), Ipswich (away), Man United (away) (haha).
Unlike Mbeumo, Vardy is not in particularly strong form. Two goals in six games and 500 minutes of football does not necessarily indicate he’s about to set the league alight like it’s 2015 again.
Treat it as a cheap thrill, fun if it pays off. Definitely do not rest your attacking returns on him when Erling Haaland also has a staggeringly appealing run of games coming up. Actually, yeah, if you value points over cool and prestige then probably just get the big Norwegian in.
Price: £5.7m Points: 22 Gameweek 7 fixture: Bournemouth (h)
Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal)
The Italian announced himself with a screamer against Manchester City and has stayed in the Arsenal line-up since. Tellingly Arteta substituted Jurrien Timber over him midweek against Paris Saint-Germain when bringing on Jakub Kiwior.
It’s a risk. Ben White may return and Timber may have been substituted to ensure he could play at the weekend. But picking an attack-minded Arsenal wing-back against Southampton appears to be a no-brainer and at present Calafiori seems the most likely starter.
Southampton have managed only three goals in 540 minutes of Premier League football this season, and in that time they’ve conceded 12 goals. A good rule of thumb at this point is to pick defenders playing Southampton who might be a goal or assist threat.
Gabriel Magalhaes is another good one here given his set-piece threat, but we can’t keep naming players we tipped last week (plus he blanked and that’s not as good a look for us).
Price: £5.8m Points: 11 Gameweek 7 fixture: Southampton (h)
Liam Delap (Ipswich)
To continue upon the theme of outlandish striker picks and a focus on attacking returns (who is backing anyone to get clean sheets right now?) Liam Delap looks like a wonderful acquisition for the Tractor Boys.
He was at his pacey, bullying best against Aston Villa as he put two past Emiliano Martinez. Although Ipswich do not look like the most formidable side, everything is geared towards Delap as a goal threat.
This is another pick very much in the mould of Vardy, above. If you are minded to take a punt and have a cheaper striker to facilitate Erling Haaland, you could do far worse than his former Manchester City teammate. He’s up against West Ham this week, where Julen Lopetegui likes to play a very high line against pacey frontmen for unexplained reasons. We’ll let you decide what happens next.
Price: £5.6m Points: 25 Gameweek 7 fixture: West Ham (a)
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
We tend to select tips based on rigorous research, a look at the data and the form, the underlying numbers. We really like to let it all digest, evaluate everything, and then carefully pick a name after the layers and layers of algorithms tell us that they are attached to the best chances of returns.
All of that has gone out the window in this final tip which is 100 per cent pure British narrative. Erik ten Hag’s job appears to onlookers to be on the line and Manchester United are travelling to Villa Park in early October. Ollie Watkins earlier in the week said he wants Harry Kane’s job as England’s No 9. He has four goals and two assists in four games.
If you really focus, that sound you are hearing is Gary Neville doing his vocal exercises, warming up for his 90-minute over-emotional rant about the state of Manchester United. If you squint you can already see the club statement illustrated with a corner flag.
Price: £9.1m Points: 39 Gameweek 7 fixture: Manchester United (h)
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