Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 30 Preview – Harry Kane’s popularity and which Leeds United player should you make captain

After a lengthy international break, fantasy football returns with no more breaks until the end of the season. Leeds vs Sheffield United, Newcastle vs Tottenham and Man United vs Brighton are this week’s stand out fixtures as well as Chelsea’s home game vs West Brom which kicks off the gameweek on Saturday at 12.30, making this week’s transfer deadline 11am.

Be aware of the upcoming Champions League and Europa League quarter finals though as teams still in these competitions may have half an eye on their midweek games.

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

Captain Picks

Harry Kane (£11.6m) vs Newcastle (A)

Before scoring twice on international duty, Kane had scored four goals and created two assists across his last five league games to go joint top of the goalscoring charts with Mo Salah (17). Over the same period, no player had picked up more points than the England captain (38) or had as many shots in the box (14) or shots on target (9) either.

Bruno Fernandes (£11.5m) vs Brighton (H)

Even though he’s only scored once and had four shots on target over his last four matches, you can never rule Fernandes out. He scored twelve points via a goal and an assist vs Brighton earlier this season and history could repeat itself this weekend. Although the Red Devils have European football on Thursday, their relatively straightforward quarter-final vs Granada might give Solskjaer the opportunity to rest players.

Raphinha (£5.7m) vs Sheffield United (H)

Behind Harry Kane, Raphinha has had the most shot in the box (11) over the last four gameweeks as he continues to be one of the most threatening midfielders in the league. In Sheffield United, Leeds face the league’s worst defence based on expected goals (10.88), big chances (19) and shots conceded (66) over their last four games, so with strong form and a tasty fixture, if you’re looking for an unorthodox captain pick, you should definitely consider Raphinha.

The Form Guide - Who’s Hot?

Diogo Jota (Liverpool, £6.7m)

After a prolific international break with three goals in two games for Portugal, Jota returns to the Liverpool squad fully fit just in time for the business end of the season. As a budget way into the Liverpool attack, he faces Aston Villa, Leeds and Newcastle after Arsenal away but with games vs Real Madrid sandwiched between these games, there’s a good chance that Klopp will rotate players to make sure they’re not overworked. Even so, for almost half the price of Salah and Mane, Jota is great value.

Luke Shaw (Man United, £5.2m)

With four clean sheets in a row, Man United are in their best defensive form of the season which bodes well as they face Brighton and Burnley at home over the next three gameweeks. Shaw himself has created seven chances, had three shots in the box and had the more penalty area touches (15) than any defender in the league over this period, showing how important he has become to Man United’s system and just how high he positions himself on the field.

Che Adams (Southampton, £5.8m)

Facing Burnley and West Brom over the next couple of gameweeks, Che Adams is the man if you’re keen to bring in a Southampton attacker. He’s scored in each of his last three league games, bagged his first goal for Scotland over the international break and has had more shots in the box (5) than any other Saints player over their last four matches.

The Form Guide - Who’s Not?

Neal Maupay (Brighton, £6.2m)

Although he scored in his last game, Brighton’s tough run of upcoming fixtures make their players unappealing despite their relatively strong form. The Seagulls face Man United, Everton and Chelsea next and will do well to pick up a point in any of these games. Although he’s Brighton’s top goalscorer, Maupay’s goal against Newcastle was his first in ten games, so he’s barely prolific.

Tomas Soucek (West Ham, £5.3m)

Similar to Maupay, Soucek is West Ham’s top goalscorer but his goal last gameweek was his first in seven games rather than ten. Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard lead the way for West Ham shots and chances in recent weeks, and with games against Wolves and Leicester coming up, now might be a good time to look elsewhere for a budget midfielder.

Ones to Watch (Less than 5% ownership)

Marcos Alonso (Chelsea, £5.7m, 2.6%)

Ben Chilwell playing 90 minutes for England on Wednesday, Chelsea having the early Saturday kick off and a Champions League quarter final in the back of their minds all leads me to believe that Marcos Alonso will get the nod to face West Brom this weekend with a fantastic opportunity for a clean sheet. The Spaniard hasn’t conceded a goal in four of the last five games he’s started.

Conor Coady (Wolves, £4.8m, 4.7%)

Wolves players’ popularity looks set to rise as their favourable fixture schedule sees them avoid playing a traditional top-six side until gameweek 36. One man who’s likely to play in all these games is Conor Coady. The Wolves captain has played in all but one game this season and is the cheapest Wolves defender who’s ‘guaranteed’ to play.

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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