Premier League - Fantasy: Choose 'em or Lose 'em

With the big teams playing away from home or against one of their rivals and the lesser clubs all standing a chance of putting in decent performances, there are no obvious mismatches this weekend.

As such, it is rather difficult to predict which players are likely to pick up points this week. In times like this, the idea is to consolidate, keep faith with the current squad and only make changes if absolutely necessary.

But with international week having handed out its usual array of injuries to returning stars, a little activity in the transfer market could be required - read on and find out who to choose, and who to lose.

GOALKEEPERS

Choose 'em: Said selection difficulties are starkest in the goalkeeping department, with not a single team considered a shoe-in for keeping a clean sheet this weekend.

But should you feel the need to ring the changes in between the sticks, why not go for Wigan's Chris Kirkland (7.62) - at home to Sunderland - or Bolton shotstopper Jussi Jaaskelainen (6.46) - away to Fulham?

Lose 'em: How cheap is Paul Robinson? Very, very cheap. In fact, they're almost giving him away at 1.58. Surely that says something. So with Arsenal's strike force about to test him, perhaps it's time to offload him if he had already made it into your squad.

DEFENDERS

Choose 'em: Being new to the Premier League, recent Aston Villa signing Carlos Cuellar has been given an extremely reasonable price tag of 5.82. Snap him up now and watch his stock rise.

Lose 'em: Middlesbrough's David Wheater (8.08) has done well so far this season, but a bout of tonsillitis has made him a doubt for the weekend - drop him and avoid any risk.

Everton's Joseph Yobo (7.14) is usually good for a point or two but having missed Nigeria's midweek game through injury, it's probably better to can him.

MIDFIELDERS

Choose 'em: We all know what a big game player Darren Fletcher is (or at least that's what Alex Ferguson keeps telling us), so why not have a punt on the Manchester United man to come up with a bit of Scouse-busting at the weekend? He's still only 7.50.

It's about time Julien Faubert (7.32) kicked into action for West Ham and with a game against bottom of the table West Brom on the horizon, the Frenchman seems a decent bet for the price.

And despite a poor midweek performance, Luka Modric is still ridiculously cheap at 5.63. Ditto for Deco (7.61) - any self-respecting fantasy manager should have both players in their side, even if the pair are facing difficult fixtures this weekend.

Lose 'em: International week has hit the middle of the park fairly seriously, with a several managers having to welcome back their best players nursing injuries. For one, it's time to dump Michael Essien (8.27) after the Ghana ace "cried like a child" after injuring his cruciate playing for his country.

Jonas Gutierrez (6.23) dislocated shoulder playing for Argentina and won't be earning any points this weekend - bin him - while Samir Nasri (6.53) is struggling with a knee injury and is too much of a risk to hold on to. And Theo Walcott (6.42) may well have scored a stunning hat-trick in midweek, but he may not even play this weekend as Arsene Wenger seeks to protect the youngster from burnout.

STRIKERS

Choose 'em: Everyone knows about the big guns in this department, so how about this pair of bargains to win you points and free up some cash for more expensive midfielders?

Following his midweek heroics for England, Wigan striker Emile Heskey (pictured) looks like a steal at a mere 7.50 while Stoke ace Riccardo Fuller (6.39) could represent good value for money if he can net at home to Everton.

And Marlon King could be the man to take advantage of the current unrest and injury problems at Newcastle. The Hull City striker will only set you back 5.03.

Lose 'em: If you were suckered in by news of Didier Drogba 's return from injury and snapped him up quickly earlier in the week, think again. The Ivorian (13.33) will only play 45 minutes against Manchester City - not long enough to reap a decent return on his high price.

And finally, Tuncay Sanli had become another victim of the strains and stresses of international football, coming back from duty with Turkey with medial ligament damage. Get rid.

 

Source - Yahoo! Sport / Eurosport