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Gameweek 16 in Fantasy Premier League was an unmitigated disaster for many as two fixtures were called off because of COVID-19 positives, leading to an average score of just 37.
Premium assets from the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham were rendered inactive with their meetings against Everton and Fulham abandoned. That makes GW17 all the more crucial in order to bounce back and begin the new year on the right note.
Looking ahead to the first round of 2021, Chelsea host City in the big game of the weekend while Manchester United and Spurs welcome Aston Villa and Leeds United respectively.
Meanwhile, Arsenal and Liverpool travel to West Brom and Southampton.
Here are a few tips to help guide you through GW17.
CAPTAIN – HARRY KANE | TOTTENHAM | 11.0M
Tottenham began the season on fire, but have predictably tailed off as we reach the midway point of the season. Harry Kane mirrors that drop in form as he’s blanked in his last three outings. The removal of his GW16 fixture only served to frustrate managers further.
However, the England skipper remains the top points-scorer among forwards this season and losing faith now could prove costly as Jose Mourinho’s side take on Leeds United and their hi-octane brand of football.
Kane and Spurs will have had a few days rest coming into the encounter, an undeniable advantage during this congested festive fixtures schedule. Marcelo Bielsa’s expansive, gung-ho style also plays to the north-Londoners’ strength in the transition.
That should yield plenty of chances for Kane to score and opportunities to create.
ALTERNATIVE
BRUNO FERNANDES (11.2m) is a captain candidate every game and has an astounding seven double-figure hauls this season to support that. Son Heung-min is naturally an option as well but if you want to move away from Spurs, the United talisman is a safe pick, even against an impressive Villa side.
BOLD CHOICE
CHRIS WOOD (6.2m) is massively under-performing at the moment and it should only be a matter of time until he comes good. He has the third highest xG in the league over last three GWs, missing four big chances.
ONE TO GET
ROMAIN SAISS| WOLVES | 5.0M
Romain Saiss has been brilliant for Wolves of late and the best player on the pitch during their narrow 1-0 defeat to United. In the last three GWs, he ranks first among defenders for shots [8], shots in the box [6] and shots on target [3]. He’s a real danger from set-pieces and Brighton have been noticeably vulnerable in those scenarios.
ONE TO AVOID
KURT ZOUMA | CHELSEA | 5.9M
Like Spurs, Chelsea are enduring a rough patch as well and that has hurt the FPL production of premium defender Kurt Zouma. The Blues have just one clean sheet in their last five games. Zouma was rested in GW16, but a return this week doesn’t look appealing either given it comes against City. A further downside is the fact that Chelsea don’t feature in Blank Gameweek 18.
BARGAIN BUY
BUKAYO SAKA | ARSENAL | 5.2M
Arsenal are just starting to dig themselves out of a hole after back-to-back wins and have great immediate fixtures, as well. A big part of their mini-resurgence has been the impressive Bukayo Saka. The energetic youngster has been a driving force for the Gunners with a goal and two assists over the last couple of GWs and is available at a very reasonable price.
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