Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 29 Preview – Which Leeds United player to captain, which to drop

There is no clear one-sided team to target this week though, as all four games look even on paper so nailing your captain pick will be essential. Fulham host Leeds in the Friday game, making the transfer deadline tonight at 6.30pm.

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

Captain Picks

Harry Kane (£11.5m) vs Aston Villa (A)

After Thursday’s disappointing Europa League exit, Spurs will be keen to make amends via a strong performance this weekend. Over the last six gameweeks, no player has taken more shots (29), shots in the box (17) or had more shots on target (11) than Harry Kane and coupled with the fact that Aston Villa haven’t beaten Tottenham at home since 2008, given the slim captain options available this week, the England captain is the clear stand-out choice.

Raphinha (£5.6m) vs Fulham (A)

Behind Kane with the second most shots in the league over the last six gameweeks (20) is Leeds’ speedy winger Raphinha. Over the same period he has created the most chances in the league too (21), showcasing his goal and assist potential. With Bamford potentially out with a hip injury (more on him later), Leeds will be reliant on Raphinha to lead the attack like he did for most of the game last week against Chelsea where he adopted a more central role after Bamford’s premature exit.

Differential

Joel Veltman (£4.4m) vs Newcastle (H)

He might only have one goal to show for it but Veltman has had more shots (8) and shots in the box (6) than every other defender in the league over the last four gameweeks, displaying his attacking potential. More importantly though, Brighton have a great chance for a clean sheet this week as they face Newcastle at home who typically don’t travel well. The Magpies have only scored once in their last three away games and haven’t created a ‘big chance’ over the same period which improves Veltman’s chance for clean sheet points.

The Form Guide - Who’s Hot?

Jesse Lingard (West Ham, £6.1m)

Lingard will be keen to continue his strong West Ham form that’s forced his way back into the England team. He’s blanked only once since making his January move, is on penalty duty and has four goals and two assists in his last six games. Over 300,000 fantasy managers have transferred him in this week but you’d expect it to be a tight game against Arsenal on Sunday.

Aaron Cresswell (West Ham, £5.9m)

As the game’s top-scoring defender, it’s unsurprising that Cresswell’s ownership has spiked to almost 30% this week as managers look to consolidate rank in the smallest gameweek of the season. The West Ham left-back has three clean sheets and two assists over the last six gameweeks and has created the joint most ‘big chences’ (4) for defenders over the same timeframe. He’s also amassed the most points for a defender in the complex bonus points system which gives him a further edge.

The Form Guide - Who’s Not?

Heung-Min Son (Tottenham, £9.5m)

Having picked up a muscle injury against Arsenal last weekend, Son was ruled out of Tottenham’s Europa League game on Thursday and is expected to miss the Aston Villa game on Sunday although the official fantasy site reckons he has around a 25% chance of playing. Mourinho has admitted that Son is quick to recover but this may be a game too soon. If I had Son, I would probably keep him on the off-chance that he plays and I’d prioritise transferring out a blank gameweek player instead.

Patrick Bamford (Leeds, £6.7m)

Similar to Son, another player who fantasy managers brought in ahead of time only to be stung by an injury is Patrick Bamford. He picked up a hip injury after half an hour against Chelsea and is doubtful to be fit in time for tonight’s Fulham game. The official fantasy site have him down as a 75% chance of playing though so his injury may not be as bad as first expected.

Ones to Watch (Less than 5% ownership)

Pascal Gross (Brighton, £5.8m, 0.6%)

As Brighton’s penalty taker and most creative midfielder, Gross could be a great differential for those who fancy them to beat Newcastle this week. Over the last four gameweeks, he has taken Brighton’s second most shots and created the most chances so is good value if you can squeeze him into your team.

Matt Doherty (Tottenham, £5.6m, 4.2%)

Through Serge Aurier’s injury, Doherty has cemented his place as Tottenham’s first choice right-back for league games, having played every minute of the last three games. Over this stretch, no spurs defender has created more chances, which includes an assist against Crystal Palace. If he can rediscover last season’s form and chip in with a goal or an assist this week, he will prove to be a great differential.

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.

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

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