THE PROPHET'S PROFIT - GAMEWEEK FIVE
Gameweek 5 was full of surprises with many upsets taking place over the course of the weekend. A variety of different players, both new and seasoned veterans, made their presence felt on the fantasy scene which likely will result in most fantasy squads doing a bit of shuffling to their teams this coming week. Here's your ultimate weekly guide to who you should buy low, sell high or stick with.
Tim Howard
Everton and its ever reliable defence has been a shambles so far this season and it certainly is not helping the fantasy value of their veteran American goalkeeper. Howard has only kept the 1 clean sheet so far this season, and has conceded multiple goals in all of the Toffees’ other fixtures to date. He also has registered multiple saves in just the 1 of his 5 encounters so far (in their 6-3 thrashing to Chelsea), and has just a total of 6 total saves from 5 games; which is a stunning statistic seeing as he made 114 saves from 37 league starts last season. With all this being said, Howard is definitely one to consider trading for as it is likely that you can get him on the cheap by talking up the fact that Everton won’t match their performances of 2013/14 in the current campaign which is looking more and more likely to be the case. Even so, Howard is proven quality having registered double figure clean sheets in each of the last 3 seasons for Everton and the Toffees squad this season is a very similar one to that of the previous campaign that conceded just 39 goals all season. The Everton shot-stopper is definitely worth the risk and one to consider if you need to upgrade your goalkeeper stocks.
Verdict: Buy Low
Esteban Cambiasso
The Argentine has pretty much done it all in world football, and he added yet another glorious chapter to his long illustrious career by helping Leicester notch a historic win over Manchester United on the weekend. Cambiasso scored his first goal for Leicester, and his first ever in the Premier League featuring in his 2nd game for the club; which will surely excite his owners that even at the ripe old age of 34, that he is still going to be able to flourish in England like he has in Italy and other parts of the globe. The fantasy potential of the former Internazionale man is definitely questionable though, as he never scored more than 7 league goals in 10 seasons at Inter and doesn’t set the world alight with his passing either having notched only 8 assists in total since the 2009/10 season. Over his career Cambiasso has predominantly been a defensive type anchor in midfield with his strengths being his concentration on the ball as well as in tackling; unfortunately for his owners this doesn’t translate into fantasy points. If you own him, you best try to trade him on his big name and while his value is high after his goal on the weekend.
Verdict: Sell High
Stephane Sessegnon
Sessegnon started his first game of the season for West Brom over the weekend and looked sharp and showed some real pace along the flank. Although he didn’t manage to get on the scoreboard and wasn’t involved in the only goal that was scored on the day; this performance from Sessegnon really brought back memories of the times he used to flourish at Sunderland. The Beninese winger has scored 5 goals or more in each of his last 3 seasons, and even has the playmaking side to his game to compliment his scoring. He registered a personal best of 12 assists in 2011/12 to put him up in the elite category of fantasy midfielders in that season and if he can even come close to replicating that sort of form he will be a great get for your fantasy squad. Linking up with the likes of the young and talented striker Saido Berahino will also hold him in good stead to be able to replicate such form. Now would be the time to trade for Sessegnon, as you won’t have to give up too much value to get him as he hasn’t done anything in a fantasy sense this season yet and as mentioned only made his first start over the weekend. Although there is risk there because of his injury troubles last season, if he stays healthy you can do a lot worse than having Sessegnon as a 4th or 5th midfielder.
Verdict: Buy Low
Mohamed Diame
Having scored 2 goals in his last 2 starts, things have certainly been looking very good for the Frenchman and his owners. Coming off a few sub-par years at West Ham, Diame has certainly started life well at Hull City and he puts his fantastic start to the season down to being able to play in his preferred central position rather than a winger which is how he was utilised at West Ham. Although things have started well for Diame at Hull and he seems to be relishing his new role, this is now his 6th season in the Premier League and he has made over 150 appearances without ever breaking out in an attacking or fantasy sense. Diame has never scored more than 4 goals in a season in England and his assist numbers are even worse than his goalscoring, having notched just a total of 5 assists in his English top flight career. Diame could very well flourish in his new role at the Tigers but there are certainly more reliable options in midfield and thus it would definitely be a good time to sell up on him while his value is soaring after 2 goals in his last 2 games.
Verdict: Sell High
John Terry
If you said before the season that after 5 Gameweeks John Terry would have as many own goals as he does clean sheets, I would have definitely thought you were crazy. This is the reality though because of Terry’s own goal against Swansea in Gameweek 4 as well as Chelsea’s defence not being up to its usual high standards letting in cheap goals more regularly than we have been accustomed to. Not being able to stop a 10 man Manchester City from scoring would certainly be worrying for a few of Terry’s and all of Chelsea’s defenders’ owners. Terry’s value will probably not be as low all season than it is right now as Chelsea will surely get their defence sorted sooner rather than later, Mourinho will not allow otherwise. Each and every goal scored against the Blues would surely be eating away at the Chelsea manager who prides himself on his team having defensive stability. Terry has been a mainstay in the heart of the Chelsea defence for many years now and he can also make his presence felt at set pieces with a goal here and there; so if there is any opportunity to trade for him on the cheap it is a must do as you won’t find a more reliable defender than Terry going forward.
Verdict: Buy Low
Well those are a few players to think about when deciding who to offer in a trade this week. Again if you have any trade or fantasy related questions follow me on twitter @Duane_0343 and drop me a tweet.
Article by Duane Silva, Footy Prophet
Follow Footy Prophet on twitter: @FFProphet