Written by @CraigHazell – (that’s important!)

DEFENDER: DEJAN LOVREN, LIVERPOOL

All headlines were stolen last week by Marco Alonso, who was successfully tipped a few weeks back, when he was cheaper than his higher picked teammates. However, to afford someone like Alonso in wildcard season you are going to need to stick a few cheaper options in there.

I think it was Aristotle who said ‘pick whoever plays against Swansea’ and he might’ve been onto something.

At last. Dejan Lovren is looking more and more like a footballer under Jurgen Klopp and although Liverpool aren’t exactly laden with clean sheets, you’d think they could hold out Swans at Anfield. Lovren is 5.0m and should enable you to get some sexier choices in your front 6.

MIDFIELDER: ALEX IWOBI, ARSENAL

Everyone loves an under 5% picked in a position pick.

It’s like a little bonus. A football bag of Revels. Another obvious mismatch this fixture list is Arsenal at home to Burnley and it would be frankly irresponsible to ignore it! While Sanchez is an excellent pick if you can afford him, I also fancy Iwobi to produce some points again. He has strung together 5 starts in a row and got himself 2 assists against Swansea.

I agree that maybe he can’t yet do that against tougher opposition but I think Burnley represents a chance for him to stake a claim for a regular 90 minute berth.

FORWARD: ROMELU LUKAKU, EVERTON

Big Rom innit.

I bloody love the guy.

Palace are in deep trouble.

Big Rom eats defenders and is under 10.0m.

Easy.

Ed: I also have strong feelings for the Belgian Battering Ram

CAPTAIN: ALEXIS SANCHEZ, ARSENAL

 

At 10am on a Saturday morning, Alexis Sanchez almost always has the captain’s armband in my trainwreck of a team.

However, come 11am, like clockwork I’ve sat him down, had a word, and given it to one of his grateful teammates. Well not anymore Alexis! No longer will I tinker while my bacon sandwich cools.

No more will the look of Helen Chamberlain in HD make me put down that bacon sandwich with a sneer and reach for my laptop. Because you, Alexis. You. You are going to pick up this Mighty Duck, Little Giants, rag tag Bad News Bears bunch of misfits and lead them to glory.

 

Or Romelu Lukaku. I haven’t decided yet.

OUTSIDER: TOM DAVIES, EVERTON

 

It has to be doesn’t it? Tom Davies is a lovable looking scamp and Wales, Scotland and Ireland will be looking into his ancestry faster than you can say Vinny Jones, Captain of Wales. But there is method in the madness of selecting him. Watford’s Capoue proved a brilliant early 5th midfielder with his guaranteed starts, low price and goal threat and in post wildcard landscapes, we need a new low priced hero.

He’s an eye rubbing 4.3m, an assist and a goal in two games and most importantly two consecutive starts. Young players like Davies are usually teased in, to fans’ dismay, with sub appearance after sub appearance to protect their fragile egos. It is now pretty damn hard to drop Davies, wouldn’t you say? Some of you will be asking if he will continue with the £22 million Morgan Schniederlein arriving at Goodison but can Morgan finish like Tom did last weekend? MS seems like a more appropriate alternative to Barry and although it could hamper TD’s gametime, isn’t it worth the risk?

 

 

Craig Hazell is a television professional, writer and Heart of Midlothian fan who makes up one third of the popular FPL podcast The Gaffer Tapes. As a student, Craig won the BBC Sports Broadcaster and Comedy Broadcaster of the year, before going onto to be a regular on the London open mic comedy circuit. He now writes about anything from TV & Movies, to food and of course football, providing he can shoehorn a 90s pop culture reference into just about anything.

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