Fantasy Football tips and advice: Gameweek 21 transfers, selections and captain choices
Tom Carnduff delivers his fantasy football tips and advice for Gameweek 21 with transfers and captaincy choices discussed.
I'll add in here that this article had a slight rewrite after the Premier League announced that some postponed fixtures were rearranged for early January - meaning some teams are on a double gameweek.
It is absolutely worth targeting players who we know will be involved in the DGW in terms of both transfers and captaincy. If you missed it, the games added onto Gameweek 21 are:
Tuesday 11 January
- 19:45 - Southampton v Brentford
- 20:00 - Everton v Leicester
Wednesday 12 January
- 19:45 - West Ham v Norwich
Who has a double gameweek in FPL Gameweek 21?
As mentioned above, rescheduled fixtures means the following teams will be playing twice this week:
- Brentford
- Everton
- West Ham
Who has the best fixtures in Gameweek 21?
As ever, it's vital that fixtures are checked as close as possible to the deadline (currently Saturday at 11:00 GMT) to see which games have been postponed and make any changes that are required.
As it stands, Leicester v Norwich - scheduled to take place on Saturday - and Southampton v Newcastle - due to be played Sunday - have been postponed but there is every chance that more could follow so keep checking sportinglife.com for the latest news.
It's set up to be a very entertaining weekend as Arsenal face MANCHESTER CITY in Saturday's early kick-off and then CHELSEA take on LIVERPOOL in the prime Super Sunday slot.
There are some games that can benefit fantasy football players and LEEDS will be hoping to find some form following a Christmas off as they welcome Burnley to Elland Road.
West Ham may have beaten Watford convincingly in their last game but CRYSTAL PALACE will be looking to exploit some defensive issues for the Hammers with goals on Saturday.
What are the best transfers to make for Gameweek 21?
Based on statistics, form and fixtures, we pick out four players worth considering for Gameweek 21.
Michail Antonio
- Position: FWD
- FPL price: £7.8m
- Sky price: £8.8m
A name added in following the double gameweek announcement, West Ham assets look great to have given that they face Crystal Palace (A) and Norwich (H).
Defensively they have issues but going forward they have been scoring. While he hasn't scored as much as we would have hoped for, it's worth looking at Michail Antonio for goals in these fixtures.
It's worth remembering that - while they were different teams - Antonio did net FOUR when the Hammers previously faced Norwich in a Premier League encounter and you're getting two good fixtures for the price of one here.
Feeling brave? I'd guess a fair few will hit that triple captain chip here.
Jarrod Bowen
- Position: MID
- FPL price: £6.6m
- Sky price: £8.2m
The same reason as above with the double gameweek but a midfield option who comes into the game on the back of a great showing at Watford.
Bowen registered a total of three assists - returning a total of 14 points after three bonus were added. That means he has had double figure hauls in two of his last five outings.
A note on these fixtures of course is that the FA Cup round means that they won't be this midweek - don't let that catch you out - but it will still attach to Gameweek 21 for additional points others won't have.
Hopefully it'll be worth the wait - especially for those brave enough to give him the captain's armband.
Odsonne Edouard
- Position: FWD
- FPL price: £6.4m
- Sky price: £7.7m
Odsonne Edouard has been mentioned in earlier fantasy football columns but his performance in Gameweek 20 gives us confidence that he can deliver this weekend.
He scored a goal alongside assisting a further two as Palace brushed Norwich aside in a 3-0 victory and he can hold some confidence of another goal as they take on West Ham.
The Hammers have conceded in each of their last four and defensive issues means that they have also been giving up decent chances. Watford saw 1.59 xG, Southampton had 1.31 xG and Arsenal returned 2.91 xG.
Palace's last three home games have seen 2.64 xG (v Norwich), 1.79 xG (v Southampton) and 1.93 xG v (Everton) with eight goals scored across that period. They can strike again on Saturday.
Raphinha
- Position: MID
- FPL price: £6.5m
- Sky price: £8.3m
I was slightly surprised to see that Raphinha's FPL selection rate is only at 15.2% but a lot of players may have transferred him out after both of Leeds' Christmas period games were called off.
However, Marcelo Bielsa's side return to action on Sunday as they welcome Burnley to Elland Road. Given Raphinha's form this season, he's difficult to ignore at a bargain £6.5m.
He's scored three goals in his last five outings and all of those were penalties. He does have an impact from open play though with his current season tally standing at 8.
It's a surprise to see that Raphinha only has one assist on his tally but the fact his expected assists (xA) tally stands at 3.03 shows that it should have been more. He can deliver attacking returns in Gameweek 21.
Who is the best captain for Gameweek 21?
AFCON gets underway in January so this week will be the last opportunity to captain MOHAMED SALAH before he leaves to join up with the Egypt squad. It will create a few weeks of interesting captaincy options.
They do have a difficult game away at Chelsea though so there's no guarantee he will score. Many managers may also be put off by the fact his missed penalty against Leicester saw a return of 0 points in Gameweek 20.
Interesting differential options include two players mentioned above - RAPHINHA and ODSONNE EDOUARD - given the fixtures they are involved in and how they have a chance of finding the back of the net.
Of course, West Ham's double gameweek and the fixtures they have means we have to target MICHAIL ANTONIO or JARROD BOWEN.
Manchester City's trip to Arsenal means that some may look to City assets - although Pep Guardiola's rotation policy means that nobody is safe from a spot on the bench.
Manchester United take on Wolves on Monday night and CRISTIANO RONALDO comes into the contest on the back of a goal against Burnley.
FPL: Gameweek 21 captain picks
Safer options:
- Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo, Michail Antonio
Alternative options:
- Jarrod Bowen, Raphinha, Odsonne Edouard
Sky Sports Fantasy Football: Gameweek 21 captain picks
Saturday:
- Harry Kane, Kevin De Bruyne, Odsonne Edouard
Sunday:
- Mohamed Salah, Raphinha, Ollie Watkins
Monday:
- Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Dalot, Marcus Rashford
MOST READ FOOTBALL
FOOTBALL TIPS
