Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 13 Preview – Captain pick, “Who’s hot, who’s not?” and Ones To Watch

Welcome to The Yorkshire Post's new Fantasy Premier League column giving you the best hints and tips to help you win this weekend.
Should Jamie Vardy be your captain this week?Should Jamie Vardy be your captain this week?
Should Jamie Vardy be your captain this week?

Our new Fantasy Premier League writer is John Mount, a self-confessed FPL obsessive with three consecutive top 100k finishes. Reach out to him on twitter @Gameweek38 with your FPL dilemmas and follow him for tips.

Gameweek 13

Football is finally back! After a week off, there are still as many talking points as you’d expect. How will Tottenham fare under Mourinho? Where next for Pochettinio? Who’ll come out on top as an in-form Chelsea side travel to the Etihad? And how will the Sterling/Gomez fiasco affect Raheem’s form on the pitch? In our debut feature, we’ll discuss the best Gameweek 13 captaincy options, who’s in and out of form and a few of differential picks…

Or could it be Liverpool's Sadio Mane?Or could it be Liverpool's Sadio Mane?
Or could it be Liverpool's Sadio Mane?

Captain Picks

Jamie Vardy vs Brighton (A) (£9.6m, FWD)

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With eight goals in his last six games, Jamie Vardy is the most in-form player in the league. This week he plays against a Brighton defence which has conceded seven goals in their last four games and has faced an average of 10 shots in their own penalty box per game over the same timeframe. Vardy scored in this fixture last season. Will history repeat itself?

Sadio Mane vs Crystal Palace (A) (£12.1m, MID)

Wolves duo of Raul Jimenez and Matt Doherty would be good additions.Wolves duo of Raul Jimenez and Matt Doherty would be good additions.
Wolves duo of Raul Jimenez and Matt Doherty would be good additions.

After rescuing Liverpool from the jaws of defeat at Villa Park and by scoring their third vs Manchester City, there’s no doubt that Mane has been Liverpool’s talisman so far this season. With Mo Salah’s ankle injury being a concern ahead of the game vs Crystal Palace on Saturday, Jurgen Klopp may rely on Mane to lead the Liverpool line. He’s scored two goals and two assists over the last four gameweeks and you’ll be pleased to know that he scored in this fixture last season too.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang vs Southampton (H) (£11.0m, FWD)

The 2019/20 season started very well for Aubameyang but his form has recently dipped. He scored seven goals in the first seven games of the season but since then, he’s only scored once in his last five league games. His stats show why – over the last four games he’s only had seven shots! However, with Arsenal playing at home against a weak Southampton side who recently lost 9-0, if you think Aubameyang will regain his form, he could be an enlightened captaincy choice this week.

The Form Guide - Who’s Hot?

But it might be wise to steer clear of Mason Mount.But it might be wise to steer clear of Mason Mount.
But it might be wise to steer clear of Mason Mount.

Raul Jimenez (FWD, Wolves, £7.3m)

Jimenez has scored seven goals in his last seven games for club and country. He’s also Wolves’ focal point and penalty taker. With his next four league games being against Bournemouth, Sheffield United, West Ham and Brighton, if you don’t bring him in now, when will you?

Anthony Martial (MID, Man Utd, £7.8m)

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Martial has scored one goal and two assists in his three games since returning from injury. Listed as a midfielder, the Frenchman actually plays as a striker in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s system. Next two games: Sheffield United and Aston Villa.

Daryl Janmaat (DEF, Watford, £4.4m)

Three clean sheets in their last five games would indicate that Watford’s recent appointment of Quique Sanchez Flores as manager has done wonders for their defence. Janmaat in particular has been impressive down the right hand and has scored 34 points including one assist and seven bonus points over his last five games as a result. Next two games: Burnley and Southampton.

The Form Guide - Who’s Not?

Teemu Pukki (FWD, Norwich, £6.7m)

Pukki has neither scored nor assisted a goal in the Premier League since gameweek five vs Man City all the way back in mid-September. I see no reason why this will change in his next match away at an historically tough away ground - Goodison Park. If you haven’t sold him by now, you never will! Next two games: Everton and Arsenal.

Mason Mount (MID, Chelsea, £6.8m)

Similarly to Pukki, Mount started the season well but hasn’t scored in his last four games. With Man City away next up for Chelsea, now might be a good time to cash in on Mount and sell up. Before you do though, bear in mind that Mount has averaged over three shots per game over the last four gameweeks and plays against West Ham and Aston Villa after Man City. Maybe this is just a bump in the road for the 20-year-old?

Virgil Van Dijk (DEF, Liverpool, £6.4m)

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Owned by 40.2% of players, VVD is the second most owned defender in the game despite five blanks in a row and only two clean sheets and one goal to his name all season. If you’re investing in Liverpool defenders, surely Robertson and Alexander-Arnold are worth the extra money? They have respectively accrued 17 and 12 points more points than the Dutchman so far this season and are far more threatening going forwards in open play. Next 3 games: Crystal Palace, Brighton and Everton.

Ones to Watch (Less than 5% ownership)

As previously mentioned with Jimenez, Wolves have a lovely run of upcoming games against Bournemouth, Sheffield United, West Ham and Brighton so why not consider Adama Traore (4.3% ownership, MID, £5.2m), Matt Doherty (3.2%, DEF, £6.0m) or Diogo Jota (3.1%, FWD, £6.1m) as differentials to boost up the ranks?

Alternatively, if you’re looking for a cheap striker, consider Danny Ings (3.0%, FWD, £6.0m). The Englishman plays against a leaky Arsenal defence this week and then Watford, Norwich and Newcastle afterwards. With four goals in his last six games, he could be rough diamond you’re looking for.

The Explainer

Transfers

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.

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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

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