Fantasy Premier League 2017/18: 5 differential picks for gameweek 17
Gameweek 16 saw quite a few upsets, with some of the big teams surprisingly dropping points.
Chelsea suffered a shocking setback to their title defence with a 1-0 loss to an inspired West Ham, who defended valiantly to not concede an equalizer to Marko Arnautovic's brilliantly worked goal.
Arsenal were trailing 1-0 until the 88th minute to Southampton and were all set to lose just like Chelsea did, until super-sub Olivier Giroud scored with his head in the death yet again to salvage a point for the Gunners.
Liverpool surprisingly benched Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino for the Merseyside derby. Mohamed Salah was fantastic as always and found his name on the back of the net for the thirteenth time this season. A questionable penalty was awarded to Everton, which was put away by none other than Wayne Rooney which saw the derby end 1-1.
Everton, much like West Ham have under David Moyes, seem to have found some life under new manager Sam Allardyce.
Manchester City pipped their city rivals albeit with two scrappy goals to extend their winning streak to a record fourteen wins.
Spurs finally showed signs of brilliance with a much needed 5-1 victory over Stoke City. Harry Kane was back in the goals with a brace, with Son Heung-min and Christian Eriksen bagging goals as well. An unlucky Ryan Shawcross scored on either end of the pitch.
From a fantasy premier league point of view, it was an average week for most of us. A lot of managers were banking on their Chelsea players to perform. Harry Kane finally came through after a handful of disappointing weeks, much to the delight of over a million people who trusted him with the armband.
Manchester City's two reliable starters David Silva and Nicolas Otamendi were on the score-sheet. David Silva was doubtful for the derby which saw a lot of managers opting to ship him out, much to their dismay.
Mr Consistent Mo Salah delivered in double digits yet again with 11 points. Arsenal and United's FPL assets didn't perform with low ownership players, i.e. Rashford and Giroud finding the back of the net.
Please note that the FPL transfer deadline for gameweek 17 is on 12th December (Tuesday) night at 18:45 GMT (or 23:15 IST). With this in mind, let's look at some interesting picks for your fantasy team:
#5 Jordan Pickford - Goalkeeper - Everton (£4.8)
23-year-old Jordan Pickford was sensational between the sticks in the 2015/16 season for Sunderland. His brilliance couldn't save them from relegation which saw Everton sign him for around £30 million (with add-ons) making him the most expensive British goalkeeper ever.
Everton were shockingly hapless in the initial phase of the season, after being expected to vie with the big guns for a UEFA Europa League spot. A lack of clean sheets saw Pickford lose ownership and even drop £0.2 in value.
Under Sam Allardyce, Everton seem to be a different team altogether, They have managed to climb their way to the top half of the table. Jordan Pickford has picked up a total of 3 bonus points in his last three games, in which he has accumulated a total of 24 points. At £4.8, Pickford could be a very good differential to have in your team.