One of the fastest growing fantasy games is the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) - a season-long version of fantasy soccer for the English Premier League (EPL). With almost six million players this year, the FPL game is becoming a fixture for soccer enthusiasts across the globe.
Here at RotoBaller, we will try to give you the best analysis possible so that you can beat your friends and take on the rest of the world by managing your team in the fantasy version of the beautiful game.
Here is the team analysis and lineup picks for fantasy drafts heading into Gameweek 30. At the end of the day, remember to make the decision you feel is best for the team. Good luck, and enjoy!
The Ones To Buy This Week - Fantasy Premier League
Roberto Firmino - F, Liverpool (Price: 9.4M)
Firmino and Liverpool have been terrific in the last few weeks, with the Brazilian scoring or assisting in each of his last three games. With Gameweek 31 on the horizon and Liverpool slated as one of the few teams that have a fixture, Firmino is a near must-add as he could deliver against rivals Manchester United and then has a very easy schedule for the rest of the season. With the way that Liverpool's offense has been playing this season, it is almost a guarantee that Firmino sees some share of the spoils. Seeing as he has 13 goals and eight assists this season and that he is the unquestioned starting forward for Liverpool, Firmino should be considered a guaranteed buy-now who has the ability to produce at a solid level below the price tier of fellow elite options such as Sergio Aguero or Harry Kane.
Glenn Murray - F, Brighton (Price: 5.8M)
Murray proved once again that he has been in special form with a goal against Arsenal in Brighton's 2-1 victory and therefore he makes the list two weeks in a row. With five of his eleven goals this season coming in the last five games, you'd bet on him to continue his fine vein of form for the rest of the season, or at least maintain a decent floor as a reliable second option up top. With a rough slate of fixtures in the last few weeks of the season for Brighton, buying Murray for the next few weeks may be your only chance at jumping on this bandwagon before it's too late.
Keep Your Eye On Him
Jamie Vardy - F, Leicester (8.7M)
After scoring four goals in four games, Vardy has hit a bit of a quiet patch in recent weeks, with zero goals from his last two fixtures. However, the England international has played almost every minute of this season as Leicester's man up front, and the return of Riyad Mahrez into Leicester's lineup will surely help Vardy come back into a better run of form. Leicester have been a very solid side this season, and Vardy offers a very good option up top for fantasy owners at a price significantly lower than many of his fellow standout strikers this season. Keep your eye on both Vardy and Mahrez in the coming weeks, as they could end the season quite strong if Leicester make a push to climb within reach of a Europa League spot.
Offload Him Now
Cenk Tosun - F, Everton (6.7M)
The arrival of Turkish forward Cenk Tosun to Everton was met with mixed views from the majority of the fans. However, Tosun put in a decent performance last week after struggling mightily in his first few weeks as an Everton player. If you are one of the few people who still have Tosun, do not expect this run of form to continue. Furthermore, if you believe that this form is an indication of how Everton and Tosun will play in the coming weeks, at least see it out before committing to buy a player who struggles to find time between Calvert-Lewin and Niasse.
Potential Replacements: Troy Deeney (6.3M), Glenn Murray (5.8M)
RotoBaller Weekly XI
Team (Prices May Be Over 100M):
GK: Lukasz Fabianski (4.7M)
DF: Ben Davies (5.6M), Harry Maguire (5.5M), Ben Mee (4.9M), Nicolas Otamendi (6.4M)
MF: Eden Hazard (10.7M), Christian Eriksen (9.4M), Mohamed Salah (10.3M), Riyad Mahrez (8.7)
FW: Roberto Firmino (9.3M), Glenn Murray (5.8M)
Analysis:
Continuing with a 4-4-2 from this week, we see a star-studded midfield featuring talents such as Hazard, Eriksen, Salah, and Mahrez. All four of these options should be considered matchup proof and are primed to have special weeks. If two of them can produce this weekend, then you should be good to go even if options in the back don't hold up. That being said, the four players picked and our goalkeeper Fabianski all have favorable matchups themselves and should be able to pick up a few clean sheets between them. Finally, banking on the form of Firmino and Murray, we have a relatively high-floor attacking duo that won't necessarily win you the gameweek but will likely have a decent output week-in and week-out.
That's all for this week - good luck!