The three players you need in your Fantasy Football team this week

We think it's all Ozil.

J-League

87 was the magic number in the J-League this week, with three of the top five managers registering that impressive score in Gamweek 14. As a result, Ciaran Tracey’s Bacuna Mata-ta extended their lead at the top to 49 points over Keith O’Brien’s Hon d’Cabayes, who moved up to second place. Another team that managed 87 points, Crabby Joe’s Spleef Queens, moved up to third, three points ahead of a top five newcomer, Shashank Thyarala’s 50 Shades of O’Shea, in fourth. In fifth place, meanwhile, Alan Keohane’s Toffeekeoks FC showed the effect that one bad week can have in this league, after dropping three places with just 53 points.

J-League Top 5

 

Gameweek 15

No standalone fixture is jumping off the page this weekend but it’s on weekends like these where the most points often become available for Fantasy Football managers. Judging by their exploits in the Capital One Cup during the week, it’s Merseyside once again where one should be looking as far as goals are concerned. Liverpool have been better away from home than they have been at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp and they face a Newcastle side at their lowest ebb this season following last week’s hammering at Crystal Palace. Speaking of Palace, although they tonked the Toon Army last weekend, they have to travel to an Everton side who have scored 14 goals in their last four league games. Elsewhere, Arsenal could do with getting back on the horse at home to Sunderland after losing to West Brom and an improving Chelsea side will fancy themselves to grab some goals at home to Bournemouth, who have the joint-worst defensive record in the league with Newcastle.

This week’s picks

Safe bet: Ross Barkley (£7.2 million). An in-form player in an in-form team, the England midfielder has three goals, two assists and 32 points in the last two games alone. Dark horse: Daniel Sturridge (£10.1 million). Returned to scoring ways against Southampton in midweek and is obviously full to the brim with quality. But can you really trust him? At that price (only five players in the league are more expensive)? Such are the decisions on which Fantasy Football managers live and die. Captain’s choice: Mesut Ozil (£9.4 million). The second highest-scoring midfielder and the fourth highest-scoring player in Fantasy Football overall; the last game in which the German failed to deliver a goal or an assist was against Chelsea in September 19, nine games ago. Averaging nine points a game in his last seven outings, Sunderland will be running scared at the Emirates.

Potential to use chips

What does American Psycho-era Christian Bale think? You’re obviously better saving the triple captain for a double gameweek but given his form, giving it to Ozil for Arsenal v Sunderland at home is worth thinking about.