Fantasy Football Tips 18/19: GW18 Options
A lifelong Birmingham City fan, Tom relocated to Germany for five years after graduating from university, where his interest in the Bundesliga developed. He began writing about and betting on German football for FST in 2016. He's also an avid fantasy football player and closely follows the Premier League and European competitions.
Christmas can be a stressful time so it’s good to take a step back and remember to be thankful for family and friends… and football! And what better way to enjoy the festive period than seeing your fantasy football teams rise up the leagues above your mates? For that, you’ll need our fantasy football tips…
Wolves and Liverpool kick things off at 8pm on Friday so make sure to get your teams sorted early! After that we have a jam-packed Saturday that holds as many as eight Premier League games. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes his United to former stomping grounds to face Cardiff for the feature match that day. Everton and Spurs round off the weekend on Super Sunday.
As always, we’ve also got extensive analysis on every Premier League game, something that will only help you make decisions on your fantasy football team. Here are some of the best long-term and differential options available for Gameweek 18. Find them below.
Be sure to bookmark and follow our weekly Fantasy Premier League blogs for fantasy football tips throughout the 18/19 season!
FST Gameweek 18 Line-up
GW17 Points: 45
Overall Points: 1009
Overall Rank: 109,777
Total Players: 5,983,518
GW18 Fantasy Football Tips
Eden Hazard (Chelsea, £11.0m)
Chelsea’s Eden Hazard needs no introduction. His integration into Maurizio Sarri’s fluid attacking style – also known as “Sarri-ball” – didn’t take much time at all and after a dry spell the Belgian looks back to his best. He’s the highest scoring playing in Fantasy Premier League after last weekend, where he scored one and assisted one from the middle of a front three against Brighton, and his underlying numbers explain why. No player in the league has made more key passes and he’s registered as many shots on target as Man City’s Raheem Sterling.
Hazard has, like Sterling, been excelling at home too. Five of his eight goals and five of his nine assists have been scored at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea welcome Leicester City there on Saturday. Leicester are looking to avoid a third consecutive Premier League defeat for the first time since February 2017, something that looks a tough ask on paper. Chelsea have scored two goals or more in three of their last four outings at home, which includes a 2-0 win over champions Man City, and the Blues also boast those numbers in five of their last six meetings with the Foxes as well.
Leroy Sane (Manchester City, £9.7m)
If you haven’t got at least two Man City players in your team, you’re missing out. Leroy Sane is the latest hot asset over at City headquarters and the pacey German winger looks as confident and energetic as ever… and his numbers speak for themselves. He’s registered 20 assists since the beginning of last season, which is more than any other Premier League player, and his involvement in 25 goals (10 goals 15 assists) in the 17/18 campaign was more than any U23 player in Europe’s top five leagues.
Notably, Sane has been immune to squad rotation since Benjamin Mendy’s injury. He provides the left-sided coverage Pep needs in the full-backs absence and so should hold that starting role until Mendy’s return. City are arguably the most “fixture-proof” side in the Premier League and their stunning form is bound to continue over the busy Christmas period. City have a very favourable run ahead, which sees them face just one of the ‘big six’ between now and February, beginning with a match at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Felipe Anderson (West Ham, £7.4m)
Felipe Anderson has become more and more influential at West Ham as the season has gone on, and with Marko Arnautovic still sidelined, he should continue to play a very pivotal role in the weeks to come. Anderson has bagged five goals in his last seven Premier League outings which, when added to the rest of his goals and assists so far this season, make him the 2nd highest scoring midfielder under the £7.5m mark.
His 14 shots on target are second in the West Ham team only to fan-favourite Marko Arnautovic (17), but Anderson also has creativity on his side, with his 29 key passes ranking him just outside the top 10 of all Premier League players. Anderson faces a struggling Watford defence on Saturday. The Hornets have conceded at least two goals in each of their last five Premier League outings. He also follows that up with a number of favourable fixtures after Christmas.
Anthony Martial (Manchester United, £7.3m)
Manchester United appointed former player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker manager during the week, and should he look to restore United’s attacking values, stocks on Martial could rocket. The Frenchman has managed seven goals, an assist, and 11 bonus points already this season under Mourinho’s restrictive style of play, and a positive run of form could be imminent after looking at some of their upcoming fixtures.
Solskjaer’s side travel to Cardiff on Saturday – the caretaker’s former stomping grounds – and Martial’s underlying numbers show why he’s the one to keep an eye on. Despite seeing limited minutes, he’s United’s top scorer and second best creative outlet – he’s registered 16 key passes to Paul Pogba’s 17 – so it’s reasonable to expect those numbers to rise against Neil Warnock’s side. Only Fulham (42) have conceded more than the Bluebirds.
Danny Ings (Southampton, £5.4m)
Danny Ings’ is back from injury after a month out and already looks the most viable budget forward in the game. He made an impressive return via a brace in Southampton’s 3-2 win at home to Arsenal last weekend and now he’s very much on our radar. Over nine starts for the Saints, he has scored six goals and assisted one. Only seven forwards have found the net more frequently, and all have featured for more than Ings’ 890 minutes.
His 35 shots on goal also put him within the top 10 for forwards, while only six players in the league have bettered his 28 shots inside the penalty box. Southampton’s trip to Huddersfield Town on Saturday offers a reasonable chance of a second straight win for new Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl too. Only five sides have conceded more goals than the 28 let in by the Terriers and Wagner’s side have also kept just two clean sheets at the John Smiths Stadium this season.
More GW18 Fantasy Football Tips
Marcos Alonso (Chelsea, £7.0m) vs Leicester (H)
Raheem Sterling (Man City, £11.6m) vs Crystal Palace (H)
Robert Snodgrass (West Ham, £5.4m) vs Watford (H)
Salomon Rondon (Newcastle, £5.9m) vs Fulham (H)
Harry Kane (Spurs, £12.6m) vs Everton (A)
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