Fantasy Football Insider – Gameweek 36: Europe – The Final Countdown

In the last double gameweek of the season, it is the contenders for the Champions League places who will provide the most value this weekend.

Gameweek 35 review

No offence to the man, but you can say with a fair degree of certainty that Jordan Henderson wouldn’t have been at the top of most people’s lists if you were asked to name one player who would score 19 Fantasy Football points this week.

But score 19 points he did after two goals, an assist and three bonus points to earn his place in a Dream Team populated with three Liverpool players after their 6-0 thrashing of Newcastle at St. James’ Park, with Daniel Sturridge (14) and Daniel Agger (12) also featuring in the highest scoring XI of the week.

Because of Henderson’s heroics, Christian Benteke had to settle for the second highest points return (17) after his hat-trick against Sunderland, with Romelu Lukaku (15) joining Sturridge and Benteke in what would be a pretty formidable trio in real life.

Thanks to probably the worst goal he’ll score all year, Gareth Bale also makes the cut for his 12-point haul against Wigan and lines up in a midfield alongside Henderson and experienced campaigners Frank Lampard (13) and Steven Pienaar (11). Goalscoring defenders Emerson Boyce and Ron Vlaar also get a mention, while Rob Green’s inclusion in goal with nine points will provide some consolation after his QPR side’s relegation was finally confirmed on Sunday.

J-League

The chances of anyone but Darren McCann’s Dazzleros claiming the J-League title are becoming slimmer by the week as they increased their lead to 52 points over second placed Mickey Hanrahan’s Shawn Michaels Babes with only three weeks remaining.

Further back, there’s nothing between Neil Farragher’s Smallville Crowes and Martin Hanway’s Marty's Muppets in third and fourth, although that is not exactly accurate as there is actually a point between them, while Andy Twomey’s Athrasna are anchoring the top five in fifth place.

If there is a move to be made, it will probably have to be this week as there are six teams in action twice, although it does appear as if the writing is on the wall at this stage.

J-League Top 5:

1. Dazzleros – Darren McCann: 2,196 points
2. Shawn Michaels Babes – Mickey Hanrahan: 2,144 points
3. Smallville Crowes – Neil Farragher: 2,134 points
4. Marty’s Muppets – Martin Hanway: 2,133 points
5. Athtrasna – Andy Twomey: 2,122 points

Europe – The Final Countdown

A few weeks back we dished out advice ahead of what we had assumed was the last double gameweek of the season, but thanks to a re-jigging of the fixture list, there are six teams in action twice, three of which (four at a stretch) have an awful lot to play for in the final weeks of the season.

Wigan will probably need to claim four points from their games with Swansea and West Brom to have any hope of beating the drop, while at the other end, Chelsea and Tottenham are facing into a double-header that could make or break their chances of Champions League qualification, with Manchester City just looking to consolidate a second placed finish that is virtually assured as it is.

Swansea and West Brom are the other sides in action twice but the spotlight will be on the teams in the race for Europe and that is probably where Fantasy managers should focus their attention this weekend.

Of the more expensive options on offer, Gareth Bale (£10.6 million) and Juan Mata (£10.0 million) are sensible choices and if you can afford both of them all the better. David Luiz (£6.6 million) will be an attractive option for the Blues because he has great hair because he’s been playing further up the pitch in recent weeks, while his compatriot Oscar (£7.8 million) has two goals and 18 points in his last two games.

For City, Yaya Toure (£8.2 million), Samir Nasri (£8.1 million) and David Silva (£9.1 million) have been playing some of their best football of the season in recent weeks, while Carlos Tevez (£9.3 million) is your best bet up front having started the last seven league games.

By this time next week, all of the games in hand will have been played and there will be no more double gameweeks left so if you somehow still have your wildcard left over, now might be a good time to use it. It might also be a good time to go out on a limb and take a significant points hit for a few transfers if you’re trying to make up the ground in or stay on top of your respective mini-league.

It might be your last chance.

JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks:

Top Dollar: Juan Mata (£10.0 million). An obvious choice as far as Chelsea are concerned, but he delivers more often than not and is in the middle of a productive spell which has returned four assists and 21 points in his last three games.

Mid-Range: Samir Nasri (£8.1 million). Nasri might not the most popular player in the league but he’s looked very impressive in the last few games and has the points to show for it, with a goal and four assists in his last five league outings.

Bargain Basement: Shaun Maloney (£5.2 million). Maloney has a habit of producing big performances in Wigan’s time of need and they’ve rarely been as desperate for points as they are at the moment. With two games in this gameweek, he’s not a bad option and he’s very affordable too.

Irish Pick: Shane Long (£5.8 million). Back amongst the goals against Southampton, Long’s confidence will have received a major boost heading into games against Wigan and Manchester City this week.

Captain’s Pick: Gareth Bale (£10.6 million). Didn’t seem to be too affected by his recent injury lay-off against Wigan and he will be Spurs’ go-to man against both Southampton and Chelsea over the next few days.