Between the sticks this week is West Brom's Foster (4.6m). Foster is predicted to outscore all keepers over the next two game weeks, and that's hardly a surprise given his appetising fixtures and Pulis' defensive setup. If he brings his A game that saw him deny both Zaha one on one and a fierce strike from Puncheon he could well frustrate an Everton attack, that for the second week running could be without want-away star striker, Lukaku.
FFF's first algorithm squad pick at the back is Kone (4.5m) of Sunderland. The Ivory Coast powerhouse's end of season form propelled Sunderland away from the pits of relegation. As well as being a good reader of the game, he also poses a threat inside the opposition’s box. This makes him a very viable pick with newly promoted Middlesbrough (not known for their free scoring) at home next.
The attacking Spurs’ full-back takes our next spot. Walker (5.5m), is likely to rise in price over the next couple of days after he opened his assist account during the season opener away at Everton. Pochettino is also renowned for his high pressing, so, pressure off the defence should mean more clean sheets, as we saw last term from the Spurs’ rear-guard.
Possibly one of only two "nailed" on options at the back for Swansea in the coming weeks, Fernandez (4.5m), guarantees his managers' minutes against a newly promoted Hull side who are still without a full-time manager. Caretaker boss Mike Phelan landed a surprise win for Hull on the opening day against a Leicester side equipped with most of their Premier League title winners, which was certainly a bit of a turn up for the books. But, Swansea held firm against a hungry Burnley side and chances are the algorithm points prediction is accurate here.
Martial (9.5m), or "Tony" as he is affectionately known by the United faithful, looked very lively on the left hand side of the attack against Bournemouth. His young legs provide much needed energy and pace which Ibrahimovic, Rooney and Mata don't exactly have in abundance. His direct style of play should also mean he is heavily involved in United's goals over the course of the season. With question marks around Rooney and Mata being nailed down week in week out, since Mkhitaryan 9.5, Lingard 6.0 and Rashford 7.0 are all strong alternatives, Martial and Ibrahimovic are your sensible United attacking picks, for now.
The mercurial French talent is back! Payet (9.5m), showed his invaluable influence for West Ham with his pin point set-piece contribution when he came on against Chelsea on Monday night. Sadly for West Ham his limited minutes meant he wasn't more productive. Like Martial, Payet offers that much needed energy to "make things happen". However, unlike Martial it isn't in the form of pace and a rapid change of direction. For Payet, it’s more about his passing range, ability to hold possession in the tightest of spots, and the best free kicks in the Premier League. His goal involvement is always high – meaning points - and it is great to have him back on our radars.
With most of the Spurs attack being viable options after great seasons last year, why does the most budget friendly of them all pip the rest this week? It's simple, Lamela (7.0m) has the end of season form - two goals and four assists in six games - the pre-season form – two goals and two assists in three games - and start of season form – one goal, one game. And let's not forget his Roma record from the 13/14 season where he scored 15 goals and five assists in 33 games – Form that earned him his big money move in the first place. You should always err on the side of caution when making early season statements, however, I would love to see him finally show the world his sublime talent on a weekly basis, rather than the odd Rabona here and there. It wasn't easy when he first set foot on our English footballing shores, but, this could (and should) be his defining season. It's time for regular point hauls, Erik.
Swansea's Sigurdsson (7.5m), has quickly become the Welsh club's leading light given some of the big profile departures while he has been at the club in the form of Bony, Ayew, Williams etc. Game changing responsibility will now fall heavily onto the Icelander's shoulders. It's worth remembering that upon Guidolin taking charge back in January Sigurdsson proceeded to score 7 goals in 16 games (compared to only 4 goals in the first 22 before his arrival) and was also involved in over 50% of his team's goals. It's evident he clearly suits Guidolin's style of play. With Hull at home next and some tough subsequent fixtures, you would expect returns from a fully fit Gylfi.
Aguero (13.0m) is plain and simply a reliable goal machine (unless you're counting mid-week Champions League penalties of course), nothing more really needs to be said about the pocket rocket forward. This isn’t the first time, nor the last time I’ve reviewed Aguero and his inclusion in the weekly squad picks will almost certainly be ever-present. Being away at the Brittania stadium is no mean feat, yet, with Total Football lover Mark Hughes at the helm we could see a free flowing game, and plenty of goals. What better environment for a player that scores in 68% of his Premier League games. Pep Guardiola even alleviated our fears around penalty duties, after Aguero missed two in the same game mid-week. "I’m confident if he’s confident", Pep was quoted as saying, and who wouldn’t be when Aguero went on to score a hat-trick, which all but guarantees City’s place in the Champions League group stages.
It is well documented that Kane (11.0m) started the season slowly last year, and much has been mentioned around his limited impact when Dembele isn't on the pitch. Still, any player that has scored 46 Premier League goals in the last two seasons, with creative support from Alli, Eriksen and Lamela should not be discounted lightly. Particularly as Spurs are at home to a Premier League side that have lost 13 of their last 20 Premier League matches, while only achieving two wins in that time. Goals and attacking returns to be expected here.
Defoe (7.1m)Widely discussed this week for becoming one of only a handful of players to have scored in 16 consecutive Premier League seasons (impressive in itself), Defoe (7.1m) has nailed down a place among this week’s squad picks. A prolific finisher with an enticing fixture at home to Middlesbrough makes it easy to see why. Yes, Karanka is highly regarded for his tight ship tactics, nevertheless, this will be hard to enforce against a born goal getter, such as Defoe. Likely centre-back pairing Barragán and Gibson have only lined up in the same side a handful of times, after Barragán signed from Valencia in the summer. But, while Barragán has experience of facing up against the might of Messi, Ronaldo et al in La Liga, his most comfortable position is at right-back, which could play right into Defoe’s hands. In these positions, both wouldn’t have faced much sterner tests and also have no previous against this week’s record breaker. Stones and Kolarov (who like Barragán, was also out of position) found it hard to keep him at bay, as so many centre-back pairings have over the years. So, it’s very likely that some attacking points will be coming Jermaine's way this weekend.
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