Holly Shand from Fantasy Football Community returns with captaincy corner and her three player picks in three positions for Gameweek 8.
Gameweek 7 was certainly tough where captaincy was concerned but all of those dilemmas ended up being insignificant. Plenty of the top options delivered a single attacking return, with none of the top ten surpassing a double figure haul in fantasy terms. Those that went with Salah and Abraham had the lowest returns, and those who went with Sergio Aguero were bailed out from the bench!
Looking at the schedule, it's been a busy week for the seven teams involved in the group stages of the Champions League and Europa League. There's a break on the horizon though as International Duty rolls around next week, so there's less chance of rotation this week. Be warned though, those phantom injuries will start appearing out of nowhere!
Captaincy Corner
The shield pick is likely to be the most captained player of the week, allowing you to play safe and keep pace with the pack. The sword pick will be a less popular selection: if they perform it can shoot you up the overall rankings, but the risk from failure is higher.
Shield Pick: Raheem Sterling vs Wolves (H)
Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 4/6
Raheem Sterling has unsurprisingly come good after a blip of two blanks and one benching in FPL. He grabbed a goal last weekend against Everton and then as a substitute in the Champions League he grabbed a goal and an assist. Why did we ever doubt his capability?! He should be reasonably fresh for the weekend, having played just 34 minutes in the Champions League and having a recent rest in the league too. The fixture looks great, it wasn't many weeks ago that Wolves conceded five goals to Chelsea and they are struggling to juggle their Europa League commitments with Premier League football. Remember last time Manchester City played at home in the league they thrashed Watford 8-0. It was a 3-0 win last time Wolves visited the Etihad, with Sterling earning an assist in that game. Will you play safe with the Shield Pick?
Sword Pick: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang vs Bournemouth (H)
Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 6/10
We are seven weeks into the season and there are still three players who have returned in every single gameweek, including this man, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Writing this now, I'm scratching my head trying to figure out why I haven't owned any of the holy trio yet this season! Aubameyang has certainly benefited from the absence of Alexander Lacazette, picking up the central striker role for the Gunners. He is the key man in this attack and he now has five goals in his last four games, scoring more than half of Arsenal's goals over this spell. A home game against a Bournemouth side who haven't kept a clean sheet this season makes attacking returns look almost guaranteed and he has the record to back it up: he's scored two goals in two games against The Cherries. Are you going to take a risk in selecting the Sword Pick?
Holly's Hopefuls
I share my top three players for each Gameweek, selecting one defender, one midfielder and one striker. These are players that I'm tipping for the FPL Dream Team and they could also make intriguing differential captain decisions for you to consider too.
DEF: Andrew Robertson vs Leicester (H)
Andrew Robertson has been so consistent in recent weeks after a disappointing opening three gameweeks. He now has two assists and two clean sheets from his last four appearances. Leicester's away form has been a little patchy, and they've failed to score in two games this season, so there's hope for a clean sheet or an attacking return in this one. He's had eight shots and created nine chances this season.
MID: Sadio Mane vs Leicester (H)
There's high hopes for Liverpool's attacking assets this weekend. They have scored ten goals in three home games, with Mane scoring two of them. It's been a quieter few weeks for Mane, but he's still had 11 shots and three chances created in his last four games. Leicester have failed to keep a clean sheet on the road this season, conceding one goal per game. Mane scored against Leicester home and away last season.
FOR: Harry Kane vs Brighton (A)
Harry Kane is bang in form, returning a goal or an assist in his last six games in all competitions. He may be ticking over, but a big haul has to be due soon, and a trip to Brighton this weekend is the ideal time to deliver. He's scored in this fixture the last two seasons and even though the Seagulls have looked improved defensively this season, they are yet to keep a shut out on home turf.
Until next time…
Good luck!
Holly
Find even more Fantasy Premier League Tips over on Holly's website: Fantasy Football Community
