FPL FORECAST 2016/17: Gameweek 26
Each and every week the three members of The Hype Team post their Premier League and FPL predictions in an attempt to enlighten players that might be stuck with their FPL choices and transfers. In addition, we’ll be taking on a guest for every Gameweek in the PL. On the weekly agenda are a general predictions category, a Gameweek Fantasy Premier League forecast, scout picks, and captaincy choices. For GW26 we welcome @FPLConsultant as our next guest. All aboard.
Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 26 Deadline
For the 2016/17 Premier League season, the FPL deadline will be one hour before the commencement of the week's first game. The Premier League website lists each FPL deadline, you can always ask on social media, and you can also view a real time countdown on our Weekly Hype page.
Due to the EFL Cup final between Southampton and Man United on Sunday 26th February, two fixtures (SOU/ARS and MCI/MUN) have been postponed.
The transfer deadline for GW26 is Saturday 25th February 2017 at 14:00pm.
How does our Forecasting work?
We have taken to our Hype Team, and the FPL Community, to compete in a weekly head to head dual of wits. We are asking the questions that dominate each week in the Fantasy Premier League: who to pick, who to avoid, who to captain, and who may surprise. The 3 members of the Hype Team, and a Guest, will provide weekly insight for the Gameweek ahead. For the sake of the first edition of the Forecast, we have provided an example of what we're sending out to interest parties.
Premier League Fixture Prediction: As pundits, we are testing our football acumen with PL predictions (Mark Lawrenson style, only less biased, hopefully) and will be providing regular updated tables and stats in each edition of the FPL Forecast.A perfect score is worth 3 points whilst a correct result is worth 1 point.
FPL Gameweek Forecasting: Answering the regular questions that come up every single week in the Fantasy Premier League community that helps with identifying captaincy picks, transfers, attacking options, clean sheet potential, teams to look our for and avoid, the wildcard differential players, and general analysis and comments.
Scout Picks: Picking a squad of 15 for a single Gameweek, using the rules of the FPL - formations, captains and vice captains, and the player limits of 3 per club (chips will not be feature of these weekly picks)
Each team must pick a Captain, labelled as (c) and a Vice Captain listed as (vc).
Fixture Prediction: 2016/17 Points Table
In our predictions a perfect score is 3 points, and predicting the right outcome is worth 1 point (aka if a team wins but, you predict it, but don't get the perfect score). Below is the Gameweek and overall rundown of our Premier League predictions series for the season.
Sam Austin (@TheHypeTrainSam): 12 (1), 7 (2), 8 (3), 7 (4), 11 (5), 7 (6), 9 (7), 3 (8), 5 (9), 8 (10), 4 (11), 3 (12), 9 (13), 5 (14), 5 (15), 7 (16), 6 (17), 12 (18), 7 (19), 4 (20), 8 (21), 8 (22), 6 (23), 7 (24), 7 (25) = 177 total
Phil Jones (@TheHypeTrainPJ): 7 (1), 7 (2), 9 (3), 6 (4), 9 (5), 5 (6), 5 (7), 5 (8), 7 (9), 10 (10), 2 (11), 9 (12), 13 (13), 9 (14), 3 (15), 13 (16), 4 (17), 9 (18), 6 (19), 8 (20), 5 (21), 8 (22), 9 (23), 9 (24), 5 (25) = 183 total
Robert Austin (@TheHypeTrainRob): 10 (1), 6 (2), 8 (3), 5 (4), 6 (5), 4 (6), 9 (7), 4 (8), 3 (9), 2 (11), 5 (12), 7 (13), 8 (14), 6 (15), 13 (16), 5 (17), 9 (18), 8 (19), 3 (20), 7 (21), 7 (22), 1 (23), 6 (24), 8 (25) = 157 total
Special Guests: 2 (1), 8 (2), 8 (3), 7 (4), 7 (5), 5 (6), 3 (7), 9 (8), 6 (9), 4 (10), 3 (11), 5 (12), 13 (13), 3 (14), 6 (15), 9 (16), 6 (17), 9 (18), 4 (19), 1 (20), 7 (21), 8 (22), 4 (23), 6 (24), 7 (25) = 149 total
Special Guests
GW1 - @FPLAid: 2pts (0 perfect scores, 2 correct results, 8 wrong)
GW2 - @AUSFPL: 8pts (2 perfect scores, 0 correct results, 6 wrong)
GW3 - @jamieFPL from @fplbet: 8pts (0 perfect scores, 8 correct results, 2 wrong)
GW4 - @FPLFanatix: 7pts (1 perfect score, 4 correct results, 5 wrong)
GW5 - @FPL_Intellect: 7pts (0 perfect scores, 7 correct results, 3 wrong)
GW6 - @insiderFPL: 5pts (0 perfect scores, 5 correct results, 5 wrong)
GW7 - @FPLJesus: 3pts (0 perfect scores, 3 correct results, 7 wrong)
GW8 - @FPLHints: 9pts (1 perfect score, 6 correct results, 3 wrong)
GW9 - @FPL_Fly: 6pts (1 perfect score, 3 correct results, 6 wrong)
GW10 - @FPLassist: 4pts (0 perfect scores, 4 correct results, 6 wrong)
GW11 - @FPLGeneral: 3pts (0 perfect scores, 3 correct results, 7 wrong)
GW12 - @_FPLtips: 5pts (0 perfect scores, 5 correct results, 5 wrong)
GW13 - @FPLSWOT: 13pts (3 perfect scores, 4 correct results, 3 wrong)
GW14 - @CalledItFPL: 3pts (0 perfect scores, 3 correct results, 7 wrong)
GW15 - @FPLMaestro: 6pts (1 perfect score, 3 correct results, 6 wrong)
GW16 - @fantasypest: 9pts (1 perfect score, 6 correct results, 3 wrong)
GW17 - @fantasypest: 6pts (0 perfect scores, 6 correct results, 4 wrong)
GW18 - @FPLCHI: 9pts (1 perfect score, 6 correct results, 3 wrong)
GW19 - @FantasyPLGuide: 4pts (0 perfect scores, 4 correct results, 6 wrong)
GW20 - @FantasyPLGuide: 1pt (0 perfect scores, 1 correct results, 9 wrong)
GW21 - @_FFM_Mark: 7pts (1 perfect score, 4 correct results, 5 wrong)
GW22 - @FPLPriceChanges: 8pts (1 perfect score, 5 correct results, 4 wrong)
GW23 - @FantasyEagles: 4pts (0 perfect scores, 4 correct results, 6 wrong)
GW24 - @Kegga1988: 6pts (0 perfect scores, 6 correct results, 4 wrong)
GW25 - @KenRooney: 7pts (1 perfect score, 4 correct results, 5 wrong)
Individual Gameweek Predictions
GW1: Sam (12), Phil (7), Rob (10), @FPLAid (2)
GW2: Sam (7), Phil (7), Rob (6), @AUSFPL (8)
GW3: Sam (8), Phil (9), Rob (8), @jamieFPL from @fplbet (8)
GW4 - Sam (7), Phil (6), Rob (5), @FPLFanatix (7)
GW5 - Sam (11), Phil (9), Rob (6), @FPL_Intellect (7)
GW6 - Sam (7), Phil (5), Rob (4), @insiderFPL (5)
GW7 - Sam (9), Phil (5), Rob (9), @FPLJesus (3)
GW8 - Sam (3), Phil (5), Rob (4), @FPLHints (9)
GW9 - Sam (5), Phil (7), Rob (3), @FPL_Fly (6)
GW10 - Sam (8), Phil (10), Rob (8), @FPLassist (4)
GW11 - Sam (4), Phil (2), Rob (2), @FPLGeneral (3)
GW12 - Sam (3), Phil (9), Rob (5), @_FPLtips (5)
GW13 - Sam (9), Phil (13), Rob (7), @FPLSWOT (13)
GW14 - Sam (5), Phil (9), Rob (8), @CalledItFPL (3)
GW15 - Sam (5), Phil (3), Rob (6), @FPLMaestro (6)
GW16 - Sam (7), Phil (13), Rob (13), @fantasypest (9)
GW17 - Sam (6), Phil (4), Rob (5), @fantasypest (6)
GW18 - Sam (12), Phil (9), Rob (9), @FPLCHI (9)
GW19 - Sam (7), Phil (6), Rob (8), @FantasyPLGuide (4)
GW20 - Sam (4), Phil (8), Rob (3), @FantasyPLGuide (1)
GW21 - Sam (8), Phil (5), Rob (7), @_FFM_Mark (7)
GW22 - Sam (8), Phil (8), Rob (7), @FPLPriceChanges (8)
GW23 - Sam (6), Phil (9), Rob (1), @FantasyEagles (4)
GW24 - Sam (7), Phil (9), Rob (6), @Kegga1988 (6)
GW25 - Sam (7), Phil (5), Rob (8), @KenRooney (7)
FPL Scout Picks: 2016/17 Points Table
Picking a squad of 15 for a single Gameweek, using the rules of the FPL - formations, captains and vice captains, and the player limits of 3 per club (chips will not be feature of these weekly picks). Below is the Gameweek and overall rundown of our Premier League predictions series for the season.
Sam Austin (@TheHypeTrainSam): 60 (1), 37 (2), 48 (3), 67 (4), 82 (5), 47 (6), 76 (7), 37 (8), 51 (9), 73 (10), 95 (11), 66 (12), 50 (13), 91 (14), 70 (15), 54 (16), 53 (17), 65 (18), 41 (19), 47 (20), 110 (21), 52 (22), 37 (23), 83 (24), 67 (25) = 1,559 total
Phil Jones (@TheHypeTrainPJ): 52 (1), 47 (2), 55 (3), 61 (4), 66 (5), 28 (6), 76 (7), 41 (8), 49 (9), 75 (10), 68 (11), 46 (12), 68 (13), 66 (14), 57 (15), 64 (16), 42 (17), 84 (18), 62 (19), 60 (20), 131 (21), 57 (22), 36 (23), 65 (24), 69 (25) = 1,525 total
Robert Austin (@TheHypeTrainRob): 53 (1), 52 (2), 53 (3), 50 (4), 102 (5), 66 (6), 53 (7), 56 (8), 50 (9), 86 (10), 70 (11), 60 (12), 63 (13), 92 (14), 65 (15), 78 (16), 60 (17), 59 (18), 59 (19), 42 (20), 103 (21), 59 (22), 41 (23), 62 (24), 50 (25) = 1,584 total
Special Guests: 50 (1), 78 (2), 61 (3), 64 (4), 85 (5), 61 (6), 50 (7), 38 (8), 48 (9), 66 (10), 70 (11), 60 (12), 53 (13), 101 (14), 55 (15), 78 (16), 53 (17), 81 (18), 72 (19), 55 (20), 103 (21), 40 (22), 36 (23), 59 (24), 47 (25) = 1,564 total
Scout Picks: Special Guests
GW1 - @FPLAid: 50pts (Captain Aguero, 18pts)
GW2 - @AUSFPL: 78pts (Captain Aguero, 26pts)
GW3 - @jamieFPL from @fplbet: 61pts (Captain Aguero, 4pts)
GW4 - @FPLFanatix: 64pts (Captain Hazard, 2pts)
GW5 - @FPL_Intellect: 85pts (Captain Lukaku, 24pts)
GW6 - @insiderFPL: 61pts (Captain Aguero, 26pts)
GW7 - @FPLJesus: 50pts (Captain Lukaku, 16pts)
GW8 - @FPLHints: 38pts (Captain Aguero, -2pts)
GW9 - @FPL_Fly: 48pts (Captain Ozil, 6pts)
GW10 - @FPLassist: 66pts (Captain Lukaku, 24pts)
GW11 - @FPLGeneral: 70pts (Captain Aguero, 12pts)
GW12 - @_FPLtips: 60pts (Captain Aguero, 4pts)
GW13 - @FPLSWOT: 53pts (Captain Firmino, 6pts)
GW14 - @CalledItFPL: 101pts (Captain Kane, 26pts)
GW15 - @FPLMaestro: 55pts (Captain Hazard, 6pts)
GW16 - @fantasypest: 78pts (Captain Kane, 4pts)
GW17 - @fantasypest: 53pts (Captain Kane, 4pts)
GW18 - @FPLCHI: 81pts (Captain Ibrahimovic, 30pts)
GW19 - @FantasyPLGuide: 72pts (Captain Costa, 12pts)
GW20 - @FantasyPLGuide: 55pts (Captain Aguero, 14pts)
GW21 - @_FFM_Mark: 103pts (Captain Sanchez, 22pts)
GW22 - @FPLPriceChanges: 40pts (Captain Hazard, 6pts)
GW23 - @FantasyEagles: 36pts (Captain Ibrahimovic, 4pts)
GW24 - @Kegga1988: 59pts (Captain Kane, 12pts)
GW25 - @KenRooney: 47pts (Captain Jesus, 2pts)
Individual Gameweek Scout Picks
GW1: Sam (60), Phil (52), Rob (53), @FPLAid (50)
GW2: Sam (37), Phil (47), Rob (52), @AUSFPL (78)
GW3: Sam (48), Phil (55), Rob (53), @jamieFPL from @fplbet (61)
GW4 - Sam (67), Phil (61), Rob (50), @FPLFanatix (64)
GW5 - Sam (82), Phil (66), Rob (102), @FPL_Intellect (85)
GW6 - Sam (47), Phil (28), Rob (66), @insiderFPL (61)
GW7 - Sam (76), Phil (76), Rob (53), @FPLJesus (50)
GW8 - Sam (37), Phil (41), Rob (56), @FPLHints (38)
GW9 - Sam (51), Phil (49), Rob (50), @FPL_Fly (48)
GW10 - Sam (73), Phil (75), Rob (86), @FPLassist (66)
GW11 - Sam (95), Phil (68), Rob (70), @FPLGeneral (70)
GW12 - Sam (66), Phil (46), Rob (61), @_FPLtips (60)
GW13 - Sam (50), Phil (68), Rob (63), @FPLSWOT (53)
GW14 - Sam (91), Phil (66), Rob (92), @CalledItFPL (101)
GW15 - Sam (70), Phil (57), Rob (65), @FPLMaestro (55)
GW16 - Sam (54), Phil (64), Rob (78), @fantasypest (78)
GW17 - Sam (53), Phil (42), Rob (60), @fantasypest (53)
GW18 - Sam (65), Phil (84), Rob (59), @FPLCHI (81)
GW19 - Sam (41), Phil (62), Rob (59), @FantasyPLGuide (72)
GW20 - Sam (47), Phil (60), Rob (42), @FantasyPLGuide (55)
GW21 - Sam (110), Phil (131), Rob (103), @_FFM_Mark (103)
GW22 - Sam (52), Phil (57), Rob (59), @FPLPriceChanges (40)
GW23 - Sam (37), Phil (36), Rob (41), @FantasyEagles (36)
GW24 - Sam (83), Phil (65), Rob (62), @Kegga1988 (59)
GW25 - Sam (67), Phil (69), Rob (50), @KenRooney (47)
Sam Austin (Face Facts)
Twitter: @TheHypeTrainSam
Favourite PL Club: Liverpool
About: Sam is the Hype Train’s Chief Writer, and Weekly Wildcards specialist, delving into the depths of FPL possibility each and every week.
Gameweek 26 Fixture Prediction
Chelsea 2-0 Swansea
Crystal Palace 1-1 Middlesbrough
Everton 4-0 Sunderland
Hull 2-1 Burnley
West Brom 2-1 Bournemouth
Watford 2-2 West Ham
Spurs 3-0 Stoke
Leicester 1-4 Liverpool
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 26
Best GW Attacking Options:
Chelsea (H) vs. Swansea
Spurs (H) vs. Stoke City
Everton (H) vs. Sunderland
Liverpool (A) vs. Leicester
Best GW Defensive / Clean Sheet Potential:
Chelsea (H) vs. Swansea
Spurs (H) vs. Stoke City
Everton (H) vs. Sunderland
Who would you Transfer In and Out for the Gameweek and beyond?:
IN: Sadio Mane, Seamus Coleman, Romelu Lukaku.
OUT: Alexis Sanchez, Antonio Valencia, Jesus.
Who are the teams to look out for?:
Chelsea: Sweeping everyone aside.
Liverpool: Found their form again after Mane destroyed Spurs, now they turn their attention to the visit of the King Power on Monday where Leicester have just sacked Ranieri.
Spurs: Kind of fixture that they will comfortably win.
Everton: Comfortable home tie versus doomed Sunderland.
Who are the teams to avoid?:
Crystal Palace & Middlesbrough: This encounter looks like dead rubber, I can’t see any points from this, maybe perhaps from PVA if they let him bomb forward.
Leicester: The Foxes pack leader has been hunted down, and now the rest of the scattered group must contest with Sadio Mane and the other ten Liverpool players.
GW Differential Picks:
Troy Deeney (Watford): Deeney has found his shooting boots once again, and with three goals in his last four games it could be another golden weekend for Watford’s skipper.
Joel Robles (Everton): Should have never been dropped to begin with, Robles was their number one keeper if Koeman liked it or not. I am glad he has regained his place in the squad, and may have very little to do against a sinking Sunderland side.
FPL Captaincy Pick:
Romelu Lukaku (C): How can you not in this week’s fixtures? Lukaku is the firm bet because Spurs follow this weekend after a Europa League fixture. Sunderland are worse than Stoke, so right now logic dictates the Belgian ahead of Harry Kane for your core captain. Lukaku has been a big player for my actual FPL squad this season so looking forward to hopefully another good captaincy from him.
Sadio Mane (VC): The main man for Liverpool has found his feet again during Liverpool’s thoroughly earned win against Spurs, and now they travel to Leicester where he will have plenty of space in behind Fuchs or Chilwell. Expect it to get much worse for Leicester before it gets any better.
Other Gameweek Comments:
The big thing about this Gameweek is picking a transfer who might also appear in the following few weeks where it reverts to just four fixtures in GW28. Losing Manchester United, Arsenal, and City assets will be a tough blow for a lot of FPL teams, but there are plenty of alternatives to pick. Alexis Sanchez, who misses another Gameweek soon might be the big name of the chopping block for many FPL managers, and Sadio Mane will be the one they look to for answers.
FPL Hype Picks: Gameweek 26
Formation: 3-4-3
Starting 11
GK: Joel Robles
DEF: Marcos Alonso
DEF: David Luiz
DEF: Toby Alderweireld
MID: Eden Hazard
MID: Phillipe Coutinho
MID: Roberto Firmino
MID: Sadio Mane (VC)
FOR: Troy Deeney
FOR: Harry Kane
FOR: Romelu Lukaku (C)
Substitutes
GK: Tom Heaton
MID: Dele Alli
DEF: Patrick van Aanholt
DEF: Chris Brunt
Phil Jones (SweatyMongoose FC)
Twitter: @TheHypeTrainPJ
Favourite PL Club: Chelsea
About: Phil is our Transfer and general FPL expert, and is mini-league Champion between the Hype Team.
Gameweek 26 Fixture Prediction
Chelsea 4-0 Swansea Palace 0-1 Boro Everton 3-1 Sunderland Hull 4-0 Burnley West Brom 2-0 Bournemouth Watford 0-1 West Hame Spurs 5-0 Stoke Leicester 2-4 Liverpool
FPL Hype Picks: Gameweek 26
Formation: 3-4-3
Starting 11
GK: Ben Foster
DEF: Marcos Alonso DEF: Seamis Coleman DEF: Kyle Walker
MID: Sadio Mane MID: Eden Hazard MID: Dele Alli MID: Phillipe Coutinho
FWD: Diego Costa FWD: Harry Kane (C) FWD: Romelu Lukaku (VC)
Substitutes
SUB: Eldin Jakupovic SUB: Gareth McAuley SUB: Harry McGuire SUB: Michail Antonio
Robert Austin (Pownage FC)
Twitter: @TheHypeTrainRob
Favourite PL Club: Arsenal
About: Robbo is the Hype Train owner that provides a wealth of Graphical Aid for all THT social platforms.
Gameweek 26 Fixture Prediction
Chelsea 3-0 Swansea
Crystal Palace 1-2 Middlesbrough
Everton 2-0 Sunderland
Hull 2-1 Burnley
West Brom 2-0 Bournemouth
Watford 2-1 West Ham
Spurs 1-0 Stoke
Leicester 1-3 Liverpool
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 26
Best GW Attacking Options:
Chelsea (H) vs. Swansea
Liverpool (a) vs. Leicester
Watford (H) vs. West Ham
Everton (H) vs. Sunderland
Hull (H) vs. Burnley
Best GW Defensive / Clean Sheet Potential:
Chelsea (H) vs. Swansea
Spurs (H) vs. Stoke
West Brom (H) vs. Bournemouth
Everton (H) vs. Sunderland
Who would you Transfer In and Out for the Gameweek and beyond?:
INCOMING:
Sadio Mané (Liverpool) - Beast mode player that is the driving force of Liverpool. Perfect replacement for Sanchez for the next few Gameweek's
Coleman and/or Baines (Everton) - Essential for the upcoming GW28, and provide the attacking talent for you to feel comfortable fielding 8-ish players for GW28
Chelsea (in general) - Aside from missing GW28 the Blues have a great run of fixtures. Costa and Alonso are the essentials. Pedro also if you are on a tight budget.
Eldin Jakupovic (Hull) - The perfect back-up keeper has a few good games in which he can deputise for alternative GK's. A good prospect for the GW28 fixtures.
Manuel Lanzini (West Ham) - Majorly overlooked, the Argentine is becoming a real force for the Hammers, and is providing at the right end of the pitch on a regular basis. Plays Bournemouth away for GW28, and is perhaps a better option than Carroll.
Troy Deeney (Watford) - Deeney has a good run of fixtures, even though he misses out on GW28. Like Costa at Chelsea, could be a good option when available, after managing 3 goals in his last 4 games.
OUTBOUND:
Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) – His only game in the FPL over the next 3 GW's is away at Liverpool, so has to make way for the short term to allow the likes of Mane to shine. I'm expecting Liverpool to beat Arsenal, so not going to run the risk.
Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal) - Potentially injured, not playing, it's an easy move out for Coleman or Baines. Arsenal losing him at the back is a big deal, and another opportunity to exploit for Liverpool during GW27.
Matt Phillips (West Brom) - Might come to bite me be back, but Phillips has been ineffective in the FPL for a while now, and even though there are guaranteed fixtures, we're not sure Phillips will get anything. We prefer Chadli, who even though is playing less minutes, is getting attacking points.
Who are the teams to look out for?:
The expected teams: Chelsea, Spurs, Everton, West Brom.
Middlesbrough: Palace are playing poorly and might get thumped at home by a compact Boro side. By thumped, I mean by a one goal margin, the Boro way!
Who are the teams to avoid?:
The expected teams: Sunderland, Leicester, Swansea, Stoke
Burnley: Hull are in good form, playing well. Heaton owners might go unrewarded this Gameweek.
GW Differential Picks:
Manuel Lanzini (WHU) - As stated above, Lanzini's being overlooked for some reason.
Nacer Chadli (WBA) - One player to stand out in recent weeks is Chadli's return to form. Is likely to be subbed, but is grabbing the goals and assists.
FPL Captaincy Pick:
(C) Romelu Lukaku: Not going to change from the norm this week. Lukaku's had a big difference in all of my mini-leagues and I'll not concede any more ground because I valued other FPL options for the week.
(VC) Diego Costa): Costa's been low key as of late, so I'm kind of expecting him to put a good show on against a relatively inexperienced Swansea defence at the Bridg. Could be a big afteroon for the Chelsea forward.
Other Gameweek Comments:
Transfers are going to be hard to navigate. Man City have made us aware that a potential Double Gameweek will take place during GW27, which will be straight after the short GW26. It is looking likely that we might have to save transfers and risk 7-9 man team's if we want City options available.
FPL Hype Picks: Gameweek 26
Formation: 3-4-3
Starting 11
GK: Joel Robles
DEF: Marcos Alonso
DEF: Leighton Baines
DEF: Chris Brunt
MID: Eden Hazard
MID: Sadio Mané
MID: Dele Alli
MID: Nacer Chadli
FOR: Romelu Lukaku (c)
FOR: Harry Kane
FOR: Diego Costa (vc)
Substitutes
GK: Eldin Jakupovic
MID: Roberto Firmino
DEF: Kyle Walker
DEF: Toby Alderweireld
Special Guest (FPL Consultant)
Twitter: @FPLConsultant
Gameweek 26 Fixture Prediction
Chelsea 2-1 Swansea
Crystal Palace 0-0 Middlesbrough
Everton 3-0 Sunderland
Hull 1-0 Burnley
West Brom 2-1 Bournemouth
Watford 2-2 West Ham
Spurs 2-0 Stoke
Leicester 0-2 Liverpool
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 26
Best GW Attacking Options:
Despite Swansea’s form since Paul Clement took charge of the team, Chelsea is always a team we should be looking at with the likes of Diego Costa up front but also Pedro who seems to be budget-friendly and more attacking than Eden Hazard.
At home to Sunderland, Everton have to score some goals and whenever they do, you can expect to read Lukaku’s name on the scoreboard.
Tottenham trio Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen should run riot again at the expense of Stoke City.
West Brom are also expected to score big against Bournemouth with Brunt, Phillips and Morrison (statistically) in form.
Best GW Defensive / Clean Sheet Potential:
Look no further than Chelsea in Alonso who is playing almost as a second striker, Everton in Baines with (some) set piece duties or Coleman who is always a threat from open play, Tottenham in Kyle Walker, and slightly less Hull City and West Brom.
Who would you Transfer In and Out for the Gameweek and beyond?:
IN: Sadio Mané – Owned by less than 10% of live teams, he is up against the terrible defense of Leicester City this gameweek, Arsenal at home the following one and then, while most of the top guns are blanking, he’ll be at home to Burnley!
OUT: Alexis Sanchez – Two blanks in the next 3 GWs and the only game he’ll play is an away trip to Liverpool, all followed by another away tie at West Brom then the reception of Manchester City at Emirates.
Who are the teams to look out for?:
Tottenham, Everton, Chelsea & West Brom.
Who are the teams to avoid?:
Middlesborough, Sunderland, Burnley & Stoke.
GW Differential Picks:
Brunt (4.3%)
Robertson (1.4%)
Barkley (7.4%)
Pedro (6.1%)
Morrison (1.7%)
N’Diaye (1.2%)
Lanzini (1%)
Niasse (0.3%)
FPL Captaincy Pick:
Despite his inconsistency at times, Lukaku tops the list given he’s at home to a shaky Sunderland backline. Kane is a close second after his hat-trick in the FA Cup against Fulham on Sunday. If you’re seeking a differential captain, Alonso or Brunt may be perfect considering their ability to earn points at both ends of the pitch.
Other Gameweek Comments:
Although it would be better to sell Alexis Sanchez, I can’t say the same about Ibrahimovic. If you’re not an owner, stay away from him but if he’s in your team and you’re able to field 11 players this gameweek without selling him, keep him, he’ll be facing Bournemouth at home soon and should make up for this blank gameweek but you may want to sell him after that gameweek and buy him back when you activate your wildcard prior to DGWs.
FPL Hype Picks: Gameweek 26
Formation: 4-4-2
Starting 11
GK: Eldin Jakupovic
DEF: Marcos Alonso
DEF: Kyle Walker
DEF: Seamus Coleman
DEF: Chris Brunt
MID: Pedro (vc)
MID: Sadio Mané
MID: Dele Alli
MID: Matt Phillips
FOR: Romelu Lukaku (c)
FOR: Harry Kane
Substitutes
GK: Tom Heaton
FOR: Troy Deeney
MID: Ross Barkley
DEF: Andrew Robertson
Want to know more about The Hype Train?
The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015 specialising in the Fantasy Premier League (#FPL), providing beautiful graphics and weekly insight for hopeful players attempting to climb ranking tables. We are also occasional media reviewers, with a keen interest to review movies, television, live music, festivals, and any relevant topic in the public eye.
You can follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or visit our website here at www.thehypetrain.co.uk
All aboard.