After an incredibly dull FA Cup weekend, excitement is back with Gameweek 27 of the Fantasy Premier League. This round is quite a tricky one, though.
Preview: Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 27
First things first, Chelsea, Manchester City, Everton and Brighton do not have a match this gameweek. This is, in part, because of the EFL Cup final between Chelsea and City. So, Fantasy Premier League managers have a smaller pool of players to choose from this week. This creates a dilemma: what to do with the fantasy assets that almost everyone must have from City and Chelsea especially. Also, another important thing to remember is the deadline for this gameweek. It is 22 Feb 18:45, so a Friday deadline.
Captaincy Picks
On paper, Arsenal have the best fixture at home to Southampton. However, their form is not that great. They also have a massive home game in the Europa League on Thursday night against BATE Borisov. The Saints are a much-improved side these days and will provide a stern test to the Gunners’ top four ambitions. One cannot, therefore, expect an easy ride for the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. The Frenchman is suspended for the Europa League game so should be fresh and raring to go. Other than the two forwards, one can consider Sead Kolasinac as well from this game. The big Bosnian seems to be the only attacking outlet for Arsenal these days.
West Ham have a good home fixture as well. They host struggling Fulham on Friday night. The Hammers have plenty of attacking firepower available this week with Marko Arnautovic, Felipe Anderson, Andy Carroll, Javier Hernandez, Robert Snodgrass, Michail Antonio, Lucas Perez and Grady Diangana all available. Out of the above, Arnautovic and Anderson are definitely the most lethal fantasy assets. Fulham tend to give away lots of chances and goals so, one could consider bringing one Hammer in. Lukasz Fabianski in goal is also a good option.
Other Top Contenders
Differentials to Consider
One might be shocked to see Mohamed Salah be considered as the differential but at Old Trafford against a Manchester United team that has only lost against Paris Saint-Germain in the last two months, he probably is a differential pick. The Egyptian just played a gruelling 90 minutes against Bayern Munich in the Champions League as well but who could bet against him putting a couple past that brittle United defence?
Leicester City face Crystal Palace at home this Saturday. This game could go either way. The Foxes are one of the most inconsistent sides in the league. They beat City and Chelsea but lost to Cardiff at home over the festive period. So, one can only wonder which Leicester will turn up this week. They have a good run of fixtures coming up so many are considering Ricardo Pereira and Ben Chilwell with that in mind. Perreira has picked up a lot of fantasy points so could be a good investment for the long term. One might consider Jamie Vardy as well.
Top Picks
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