Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 21 Preview – Man City’s form continues, how to replace Harry Kane, and which Leeds United player can be dropped

Wins for Man City, Liverpool and West Ham restored some normality to the league after Man United lost at home to Sheffield United in a game that saw popular captain pick Bruno Fernandes flop.

Arsenal vs Man United is the stand-out game on paper but it’s at The Etihad when Man City host the Blades where fantasy managers will be looking to make their points.

Gameweek 21 transfer deadline: Saturday 30th January at 11am.

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Follow the in-house Yorkshire Post Fantasy Football expert John Mount (@Gameweek38) on Twitter for more FPL hints and tips.

Captain's pick - Manchester City's Raheem Sterling (Picture: PA)Captain's pick - Manchester City's Raheem Sterling (Picture: PA)
Captain's pick - Manchester City's Raheem Sterling (Picture: PA)

Captain Picks

Raheem Sterling (£11.5m) vs Sheffield United (H)

With nine attacking returns in his last nine starts, Sterling’s consistency has returned and he now looks well worth his premium price-tag.

Operating in all areas of the final third in Man City’s 5-0 demolition of West Brom on Tuesday, no Man City player took more shots or had more chances from open play than Sterling; so assuming Guardiola sticks with the same system, the Englishman should thrive again this weekend.

Who's Hot - Lucas Digne (Picture: PA)Who's Hot - Lucas Digne (Picture: PA)
Who's Hot - Lucas Digne (Picture: PA)

Sadio Mane (£11.8m) vs West Ham (A)

Although he scored 15 points via a goal and two assists against Tottenham on Thursday, bringing Mane in this week is not a reactionary move.

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Yes, a haul away at Tottenham was unlikely but the stats Mane has been posting have been top notch and his strong form should be expected to continue.

Across his last four matches, no player in the league has taken more shots in the box than Mane and only Mason Mount and Jack Grealish have created more chances, proving that he has the threat and creativity to be a worthy captain pick.

Harry Kane replacement? Liverpool's Roberto Firmino (Picture: PA)Harry Kane replacement? Liverpool's Roberto Firmino (Picture: PA)
Harry Kane replacement? Liverpool's Roberto Firmino (Picture: PA)

Differential: Joao Cancelo (£5.9m) vs Sheffield United (H)

Once again, Cancelo is our differential captain pick for those of you who are daring enough to captain a defender.

The risk paid off last week as the Portuguese defender gained 17 points via a goal, an assist, a clean sheet as well as two bonus points, which makes it 48 points in the last six gameweeks for Cancelo who is now the game’s third highest scoring defender.

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Against Sheffield United this week, Man City will be searching for their fifth consecutive clean sheet and Cancelo will hope to add to his nine shots across his last four games – the most in the league for a defender.

Who's Not - Leeds United's Patrick Bamford (Picture: PA)Who's Not - Leeds United's Patrick Bamford (Picture: PA)
Who's Not - Leeds United's Patrick Bamford (Picture: PA)

The Form Guide - Who’s Hot?

Lucas Digne (Everton, £6.0m)

Across his last four matches, no Everton player has created more chances than Digne, who has operated in a more advanced role on the Toffee’s left-wing recently.

On corners and the occasional free-kick too, although he’s the sixth most expensive defender in the game, I think he’s well worth the investment, especially as he faces Newcastle, Leeds and Fulham across the next four gameweeks.

Harvey Barnes (Leicester, £6.8m)

With three goals and two assists across the last five gameweeks, Barnes’ form could soon earn an England call-up, which I think he rightfully deserves.

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Excluding Vardy who’s injured, Barnes has taken the most shots in the box and created more chances than any Leicester player in recent weeks so could do well against Leeds and Fulham who are amongst the weakest defences in the league.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton, £7.6m)

Harry Kane owners (we’ll get onto him soon) may be in the market for a striker and Calvert-Lewin remains a solid option. He has eleven league goals already this season and scored in the FA Cup after returning from injury. Like Digne, with solid upcoming fixtures to look forward to, the ‘Yorkshire Inzaghi’ could soon regain popularity.

The Form Guide - Who’s Not?

Harry Kane (Tottenham, £11.3m)

Although it’s unconfirmed, it looks like Kane will be out for a few weeks after picking up an ankle injury against Liverpool on Thursday, so it may be worth transferring him out - even for a four-point hit. With Vardy injured, there is a lack of viable premium strikers in form at the moment so the money gained in selling Kane could best be used to bolster your midfield and defence.

Patrick Bamford (Leeds, £6.7m)

Without a goal since gameweek 15, Bamford ‘s form has dropped and with games against Leicester and Everton on the horizon, the chances of him rediscovering his goalscoring touch look slim.

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Over the last four gameweeks, Bamford has only taken six shots in the box – that’s less than Loftus-Cheek, Oliver Burke and Fabio Silva, none of which are great options!

Ones to Watch (Less than 5% ownership)

Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea, £4.5m, 0.8%)

Coupled with the German connection with Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea’s system vs Wolves creates a new spot for a defender – step up Antonio Rudiger.

He played 90 minutes midweek and kept a clean sheet so you should expect him to keep his place against Burnley this weekend.

Roberto Firmino (Liverpool, £9.3m, 4.9%)

Across the whole league, only Sadio Mane has taken more shots in the box than Firmino over his last four games and after scoring against Tottenham on Thursday, I expect the Brazilian to be a popular Kane replacement.

The Explainer

Transfers

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After picking your initial squad, you receive 1 free transfer each Gameweek. Each additional transfer you make in the same Gameweek will deduct 4 points from your score.

If you do not use your free transfer, you are able to make an additional free transfer the following Gameweek. If you do not use this saved free transfer in the following Gameweek, it will be carried over until you do. You can never have more than 1 saved transfer.

For example, since you get 1 free transfer per gameweek, if you make no transfers between gameweeks, you will have 2 free transfers in preparation for the next gameweek. You will incur a 4 point hit per transfer over your free transfer allowance.

Point Scoring

During the season, your fantasy football players will be allocated points based on their performance in the Premier League. Remember, every week your captain scores double points, so pick them wisely!

Points Action

1 For playing up to 60 minutes

2 For playing 60 minutes or more (excluding stoppage time)

6 For each goal scored by a goalkeeper or defender

5 For each goal scored by a midfielder

4 For each goal scored by a forward

3 For each goal assist

4 For a clean sheet by a goalkeeper or defender

1 For a clean sheet by a midfielder

1 For every 3 shot saves by a goalkeeper

5 For each penalty save

-2 For each penalty miss

1 to 3 Bonus points for the best players in a match

-1 For every 2 goals conceded by a goalkeeper or defender

-1 For each yellow card

-3 For each red card

-2 For each own goal

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For more information on the rules of the game, visit https://fantasy.premierleague.com/help/rules

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