Our JWoodfield365 previews the difficult child that is Gameweek 11 as big hitters collide and mid-table teams squabble for air time on Match of the Day. There's also predictable eulogising for Manchester City and support for some up and down strikers with eye-catching fixtures approaching.
It's a revert to type for the Gameweek preview after last week's quarter-term review, and that means one thing: the return of the much-loved Essentials Collection! (stop booing, you'll grow to tolerate it).
GW11 features some horrendous fixtures if your squad is reliant on the top six's big hitters, but there are some curious mid-table battles which on paper, favour defenders. It could be time to bust out the Tony Pulis 5-4-1.
Fixtures focus
Sunday sees two colossal collisions as Man City host Arsenal, the former looking to extend their unbeaten Premier League start to 11 games, while fourth-place Chelsea host second-place Man Utd. They're rubbish fixtures from an FPL perspective, but the Manchester sides have to be favourites. City could probably score against Arsenal's full team and under-23s combined, while Jose Mourinho will have learnt from Utd's 4-0 drubbing at Chelsea last year and inevitably line up with 10 at the back (probably not) with Romelu Lukaku up front. City and Utd have the best defensive records in the league, and chances for the likes of Alvaro Morata, Eden Hazard, Alexis Sanchez and Alexandre Lacazette will likely be sparse. There's not many safe captaincy bets among United, Chelsea or Arsenal. City are the exception. Pep Guardiola's magicians have no problems creating chances. They've scored the most goals (35), had the most shots (185) and made the most passes (7,300). As demonstrated by Raheem Sterling's cameo against West Brom, even when a City attacker begins on the bench, they've every chance of collecting rewards. They're the only team transcending fixture difficulty, and there's no reason they couldn't feasibly secure another high-scoring victory against Arsenal. Leroy Sane, in particular, the game's new highest points scorer, with three goals and three assists in three games, is a sure fire captaincy option (with the obvious caveat of reviewing his Champions League minutes beforehand).While Sunday sees most of the half top engaged, on Saturday it's the turn of the mid-table teams to stake their claim to lead Match of the Day programming. Newcastle are of particular intrigue. Bournemouth's six league goals (second lowest only to Palace) will be encouraging for owners of Newcastle's back line, and the Magpies have the best defensive record in the top half (just nine goals conceded).Man City attacking options:
▫Pick 2 or 3 and stick with them. ▫Don't panic when they get rested. ▫Have a decent first sub.#FPL #MCFC pic.twitter.com/RkprHPabNs — #FPL Heisenberg 🕵 (@FPL_Heisenberg) October 24, 2017
Essentials collection
Christian Eriksen There's so many reasons why Spurs should sweep aside Crystal Palace that it's almost inevitable the visitors will win. But fresh off a demoralising defeat to Man Utd, Spurs will be out for blood. They're already eight points off Man City, and Palace, who are still without an away goal or point, should be cannon fodder for the likes of Christian Eriksen as Spurs bid to restart their title bid. Eriksen has two goals and two assists in his last seven against Palace, and the onus will be greater on the Dane to provide the goods if Harry Kane fails to recover.Tammy Abraham Had a look at Swansea's fixtures recently? I'll wait. Good, right? It's Brighton at home first for Swansea, and Tammy Abraham has three goals in his last two games at the Liberty Stadium; he's also been involved of five of Swansea's seven league goals so far. This season's budget striker gem is the best route into accommodating higher-priced options while retaining good points value. Rob Elliot Bournemouth are pretty impotent in front of goal, so Rob Elliot could be a consideration for your starting XI while the more high-profile goalkeepers engage in tricky fixtures. The Cherries have lost four of their first five away games this season.BREAKING: Harry Kane returns to training ahead of Tottenham's Champions League game against Real Madrid on Wednesday. #SSN pic.twitter.com/Nw9hKzz1ol
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 31, 2017
Risk factors
Eden Hazard He's back. With a goal and an assist in his last two games, Eden Hazard's ownership will only grow. Chelsea's fixtures are rocky over the next three GWs, but from GW14 they've a clear run of straightforward fixtures, including home games with Swansea, Newcastle and Southampton.Glenn Murray It took him until GW9 to score, but Glenn Murray now has three goals in two. Is he still too much of a risk, though? He's cheap for sure, but his seven shots all season is concerning, as is his four big chances missed. On the other hand, Brighton have a couple of winnable fixtures approaching. Murray is a short-term gamble that could pay off well. Wayne Rooney Everton's unforeseen woes notwithstanding, Wayne Rooney's Goodison Park return has been a highlight. His four goals makes him their top scorer (and one of their only two league scorers, the other being Oumar Niasse), and if the Toffees can get it together they've some excellent fixtures coming up. Any upturn in Everton's form might depend on whether they can recruit a permanent manager (rumoured to be Sean Dyche) before the Watford game. Follow Jack for more FPL insight... Follow @JWoodfield365SCOUT: Hazard bought by just 27,112 for Gameweek 10, with 25,864 selling the midfielder. He's part of just 5% of squads 👀#FPL #BOUCHE pic.twitter.com/1vT9bCjLRv
— FPL (@OfficialFPL) October 29, 2017
