What a week! Finally, my luck has turned and my team is very much on the upswing. For the third time in the 4 weeks, I have hit the 70 point threshold, and with this being an especially low scoring Gameweek, it was extra sweet. My differentials chosen on Wildcard really paid off this week, and I think i’m in a decent position to get my top 100k finish this year. All out, I got 70 points, which was 25 points above average, and gave me my highest Gameweek rank of the season(180k), and propelled me up 200k spots to 405,580. Lets have a look at the lads that made this possible.

Goalkeepers

Dean Henderson: 2 points

Kind of annoying even in a good week, Sheffield conceded one goal yet again, while the highly owned Pope has two goals disallowed against him and hauls. Now its time for Hendo’s first blank, but he should still be my starter in any given week following this.

David Button: 0 points

Didn’t play. Goodbye Button, i’ll have to upgrade you to McCarthy to cover Hendo on the blank, and to have a bench keeper for when I eventually bench boost. 4.4 is such incredible value, and looks like I’ll finally be tripling up on Soton assets.

Defenders

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 10 points

I actually considered captaining him. Wouldn’t have been that bad, as he hasn’t blanked in about 14 weeks. His two assist and max bonus were a tidy haul, even in the game which Liverpool have looked the most vulnerable in months.

Joe Gomez: 1 point

For the first time, Joemez falls flat. Liverpool conceded 2, at home, to one of the worst teams in the division. That fixture was just too good to be true. Maybe the Champions League loss to Atleti has rattled them, but I expect a return to the watertight way against Watford.

Romain Saiss: 11 points

Seldom do I spike a transfer as hard as this one. I chose last second to keep Martial, rather than swapping him for Traore, and to upgrade Lascelles to reasonable-price-Saiss instead. He absolutely banged. A clean, assist, and bones led him to being the highest scorer in my team this week. Given the state of the Spurs attack, I think he could clean this week too and has earned a start.

Brandon Williams: 0 points

He didn’t play. Again. Maybe I’ll have to get rid now that Shaw is at full fitness. Taylor (4.2) at Burnley seems like the obvious choice, but I have bigger fish to fry with my transfers now.

Jack Stephens: 6 points

Finally, a clean! Soton looked really solid, and conceded a comically low xG to Villa (0.27). This makes me confident in my defensive double up and its certainly worrying for owners of Grealish.

Midfielders

Kevin de Bruyne: 3 points

A quiet day at the office for Kev, as Leicester put up a really good fight. He still took a lot of shots and laid on a few key passes, but was really limited by the lack of finishing in this current City lineup.

Riyad Mahrez: 8 points

Majestic. He let me down with his no-show last week, but I chose him for a reason and I kept the faith. I was repaid. He was the danger man all game, and through a moment of brilliance, created the chance that won City the game. As I planned however, this blank is the end of the line for the electric Algerian, but he has gone out with a bang!

Anthony Martial: 8 points

My last second choice was justified once again. Martial played, and scored again. A truly brilliant goal, skilling the keeper and slotting it near post from a tricky angle. Although his underlying numbers are sketchy, he really seems to be benefiting from Bruno’s service. I’m glad I got on early for this purple patch of form.

Mohamed Salah (C): 7 points

A goal is what I expected, and a goal is what I got. It would have been nice to get a little more, but that’s life. I actually watched this game, and once again Mane was much more of the danger man, and I was very lucky that his second goal didn’t stand. I am however, learning from my mistakes and never transferring Salah out again. The pharaoh will rule on.

Isaac Hayden: 1 point

He seems to have lost his starting spot, which isn’t a huge deal, but with all the extra money i’m gonna have from shifting Riyad, I may want to upgrade him to someone like Cantwell (4.8) for a stronger bench boost. Once again though, I have bigger fish to fry.

Forwards

Jamie Vardy: 2 points

He had a great chance to score against City, but it hit the post and was cleared. He has not scored a goal in 9 weeks, and I am really losing my patience. Let me say now, If he can’t muster a goal, or even a return, against the Swiss Cheese defense of Norwich, I will sell him for someone like Aubameyang. Since the departure of Hazard and injuries to Kane, Sane and Sterling, the premium options have been so bare. I have money to burn and Auba has the fixtures and the ownership to propel me upwards. Vardy is unfortunately the most owned forward so he could really burn me if he starts banging when I sell. This is a mistake I have often made, selling reliable assets for a differential, but I may have given him too much credit. I could be top 100k if I had gotten DCL weeks ago, who I also really fancy, maybe when Auba’s run turns red.

Danny Ings: 2 points

My frontline has been quite putrid since my wildcard, and if memory serves, that’s exactly what happened when I did my last one. I had Haller, Pukki and Barnes then, how times change. Dings failing to score against the woeful Villa is a cause for concern, it seems like he really has gone to shit ever since I got him, registering one goal in that time and 3 blanks. I do really rate Hasenhuttl, and I don’t think that Dings will leave my team, barring injury.

Raul Jimenez: 5 points

A very consistent man, with another 5 pointer. I admit, it was far more charming at his price last year. He was a major contributor to my 14k rank, and getting him early last season was one of my best choices. Therefor, I’ve decided he will be one of the first names in my teamsheet next year, I need to have a strong backbone of reliable assets. In terms of this game, it was a little frustrating, as he had several other opportunities to score, as the one he actually did was incredibly fortunate. Wolves have switched formation again and Jimmy’s strike partner Jota has caught flame again, registering 5 goals in the space of 2 matches. This change has however, come at the expense of Traore, who I am extra happy that I didn’t get. He was one of Wolves’ most consistent performers this year, so I am uncertain whether or not they will stick to this new shape. If Nuno does opt for this, bringing back the double-up Jota-Jimi parternship I had last season doesn’t feel like a bad idea at all.