THE PROPHET'S PROFIT - GW6
Gameweek 6 saw Chelsea cement their spot at the top of the table whilst title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool lost ground on the league leaders by limping their way to draws in their respective derbies. From a fantasy perspective there are still quite a few proven and quality players that are still yet to find their feet after 6 rounds of the league season. Now would be a good time to pounce on them in a trade whilst their value is questionable. Here are the picks of the bunch when it comes to finding/receiving value in trades this week.
Adam Lallana
Lallana played his first full 90 minutes of the league season over the weekend against Everton, and despite not registering a goal or an assist he took home the MOTM honours. Lallana looked sharp and very much like the player he was at Southampton last season and if not for a late Phil Jagielka screamer he would have led the Reds to a well deserved win. Lallana was huge last season for Southampton hence his big money move to Liverpool. The Englishman notched up 9 goals and 9 assists in 2013/14 and going by his performance on the weekend it’s looking like he is making a smooth transition across to Merseyside that will have him producing at a high level again in the current campaign. He is definitely worth a trade offer sooner rather than later while his value is currently low as he’s yet to score or provide an assist at all so far this season.
Verdict: Buy Low
Willian
The Brazilian was superb on the weekend with his passing and movement proving too much for an undermanned Villa outfit. Willian notched up a goal and an assist in the 3-0 win and was lauded for his performance by his manager and fans alike. There is no doubting that Willian is quality and would most likely walk into the starting XI of most Premier League sides; but unfortunately for him and his fantasy owners this is not the case at Chelsea. The Brazilian is often rotated as a starter or as a sub on a week to week basis, he has only played the full 90 minutes once this season (against Villa on the weekend); and the majority of the time he leaves his owners unsure of whether he’ll play between 70 and 90 minutes or between 10 and 30 minutes in any upcoming fixture. This is the type of situation which costs teams wins in their weekly matchups, and Willian is definitely not one you can trust come the fantasy football finals; unless of course Chelsea are suffering their fair share of injuries come the tail end of the season. It would be wise to trade him while his value is peaking after his goal and assist on the weekend, and look to gain a more reliable option for your squad’s midfield.
Verdict: Sell High
Luke Shaw
The highly regarded Englishman started his 1st league game of the season over the weekend and played the full 90 minutes whilst looking defensively sound, and like he hadn’t missed a beat from not featuring in the first 5 league games. Shaw will likely split time with Rojo at the left fullback position going forward, but he is still a very intriguing fantasy option either way. His quality dribbling ability as well as the opportunity to link up on the left flank with world class attacking midfielder Angel Di Maria gives him sky high attacking upside for a defender. Also, although United’s defence has been a shambles at times so far this season; it should only be a matter of time until their back 4 begin to click on all cylinders which will then result in clean sheets as well. United did rank in the top 5 in least goals conceded last season we mustn’t forget. You should aim to trade for Shaw while he has yet to accumulate any value so far in the current campaign; as he is definitely worth the risk if he starts to provide an attacking spark down the left flank to go along with the likely clean sheets to follow once United tighten up their defence.
Verdict: Buy Low
Graziano Pelle
With 4 goals in his last 4 games including a screamer to clinch a 2-1 win for Southampton over QPR on the weekend, the world of football has been put on notice; Graziano Pelle has officially arrived. It’s hard to believe the Saints landed the Italian striker for just the £8 million pounds considering his scoring record in recent seasons. He has 54 goals from his last 63 appearances for both Feyenoord and Southampton combined, as well as 4 goals from 6 appearances so far this season; so at just £8 million he looks to be an absolute steal. He obviously knows how to find the back of the net as the stats show, the question before the season begun was only if he could cope in a tougher league in England rather than in Holland. It is still early days but it is looking more and more likely that he will be more than capable coping in England, and might even push for the Golden Boot if his form continues for the rest of the season. If you happen to own him in your squad, he is definitely one you will want to hold on to and just go along for the goalscoring ride.
Verdict: Keep
Vincent Kompany
It has been a very slow start to the fantasy season for Vincent Kompany and all of the Manchester City defenders, having kept just the 1 clean sheet so far from 6 matches. Although their defence isn’t exactly leaking goals, having just conceded 7 goals from the 6 games, the lack of clean sheets are having a very negative fantasy effect on all of their defenders. Kompany is the most reliable defensive option from the Sky Blues, as he is the only City defender to have started all 6 league games so far this season and he is also one of the first names on the team sheet being the skipper. He showed last year that he can also get on the score sheet, as he popped up with 4 goals for the season, this again adding to his fantasy value going forward. Aim to trade for Kompany while his stocks are seemingly low as City has one of the best defensive outfits in the Premier League as shown last season where they conceded the second least goals and ranked 3rd in clean sheets as well. Make a trade offer for him quickly as it shouldn’t take long for Kompany to re-establish himself as a top notch fantasy defender.
Verdict: Buy Low
Well those are the picks of the bunch when considering who to trade away or who to trade for before Gameweek 7. Again if you have any trade related questions or just anything fantasy football related; follow me on twitter @Duane_0343 and drop me a tweet.
Article by Duane Silva, Footy Prophet
Follow Footy Prophet on twitter: @FFProphet