Thursday 16 October 2014 18:22, UK
A fatigued Raheem Sterling has been the main talking point of the week and his admission to being tired also poses a problem for Sky Sports Fantasy Football managers.
Despite being criticised for losing his first touch and sharpness in front of goal this term, Sterling is still the third highest scorer in the game with 45 points.
Three goals, two assists and two skysports.com man of the match awards in seven appearances puts him just behind Chelsea’s dominant duo of Diego Costa (68 points) and Cesc Fabregas (53 points).
However, amid this fatigue furore, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers will leave himself open to criticism if Sterling starts against his old club Queens Park Rangers on Sunday.
That means over 41 per cent of Sky Sports Fantasy Football users will lose points if, as expected, the England international is indeed named as a substitute, but hold back from shipping Sterling out of your squad just yet.
Even from the bench, Sterling is still a potential match-winner for the Reds, and Sky Bet offer a short price (11/8) on him scoring at Loftus Road, so don’t abandon the 19-year-old, but do avoid handing him the captain’s armband.
Instead, the captaincy should be reserved for Sergio Aguero, who should be fit enough to start against Tottenham in Saturday’s early kick-off.
The striker played no part in Argentina’s 7-0 win over Hong Kong on Tuesday, and played only an hour of their 2-0 defeat to Brazil a few days prior.
Thus, he should be relatively fresh ahead of his return to Premier League action this weekend, and his record against Spurs suggests the visitors could be in for a difficult afternoon.
Aguero has scored five goals in five Premier League games against the north London outfit, while he boasts a return of five goals in just 440 minutes in the league this term.
Perhaps due to his fitness issues, Aguero barely makes the top 10 list of most-picked players in Sky Sports Fantasy Football, but that’s not a bad statistic for users looking to give their side a fresh edge.
At £9.8m, he’s joint-third in the most expensive bracket, but now that he’s had just one hour of football since October 4, he should be ready to really up the ante in the Premier League.
But for those that can’t quite squeeze Aguero into their XI, look no further than his team-mate Edin Dzeko, who boasts an even better goal rate against Tottenham.
The former Wolfsburg striker has finally nailed down a starting berth at the Etihad, and he’s got six in as many Premier League appearances against Tottenham.
Granted, four of those came in one game over three years ago, but he still looks a steal at £8.6m, while less than nine per cent of users already have him in their side.
For those looking to make up some ground at the back, the best source of points comes from Chelsea’s backline.
The Blues have kept 21 clean sheets in the Premier League since Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge, more than any other side in the division.
Cesar Azpilicueta is the most productive of their four stalwarts at the back with 35 points, and he also happens to be the cheapest at £7.3m.
But if your budget is being stretched, consider eyeing up Southampton’s high-scoring trio of Nathaniel Clyne (£6.1m), Ryan Bertrand (£5.1m) and Jose Fonte (6.3m) instead.
According to Opta Stats, no side in the top four tiers of English football have conceded as few goals as Southampton (5) this season, and Sky Bet make them evens (1/1) to keep a clean sheet at home to Sunderland on Saturday.
Clyne has collected the most points of the three with 34, but Bertrand has just three points fewer and costs £1m less, making the former Chelsea man the best value pick.