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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.
#4 Arthur Masuaku - Defender - West Ham (£4.4)
Who would have thought that West Ham would keep a clean sheet against defending champions, Chelsea? David Moyes' men seem to be inspired to turn their dismal start to the season around. West Ham join the ever-growing list of teams experimenting playing with three at the back.
A relatively unknown figure, Arthur Masuaku, played at left wing-back for the Hammers. His pristine dribbling made him a constant threat from the left-hand side, and he troubled the Chelsea defence more often than not. His heroics even won him the man of the match!
He earned a bonus point on FPL for his fabulous display. After another London derby against Arsenal, West Ham have a favourable run of fixtures. Also, West Ham have a double game week coming up soon. At a mere £4.4, Masuaku should definitely feature on your fantasy radar.
#3 Son Heung-Min - Midfielder - Tottenham Hotspur (£8.0)
Gameweek 16's highest scorer was Spurs' Son with a colossal 16 points. Having barely featured in the starting eleven in the initial part of the season, he has now made seven starts in the last nine. With Tottenham struggling of late, Son has arguably been their best player, and should continue to feature regularly in their starting eleven.
He has bagged four goals and two assists in the last 8 game weeks. Spurs have a good run of long-term fixtures coming up, and it would make sense in investing in their players.
With a double game week coming up as well, Son could make a great differential to have with his ownership of 2.9%. With very few good options available in his price range, £8.0 could be a good investment in the Korean international.
#2 Collin Quaner - Striker - Huddersfield Town (£4.5)
The frequency of fixtures in the festive period of December sees a lot of rotations, which means we should be armed with players on the bench who'll come in with points in case some of our main players are subjected to rotation.
Huddersfield's Collin Quaner should be looked at only as bench fodder as he definitely won't feature in the points too often. At £4.5 he is the cheapest playing striker in FPL as of now.
Having him in your team could free up funds to beef up your defence, midfield or even your other strikers, while also ensuring that you have a player on the bench who can come in with a handy 2 points when required
#1 Anthony Martial - Midfielder - Manchester United (£8.0)
When Manchester United splurged £36 million on an unknown twenty-year-old Frenchman from Monaco, many tabloids ostensibly labelled him a 'waste of money'. He turned out to be one of their best players in the 2015/16 season.
This season, he started off as a super sub, scoring almost every time he came on. His laudable performances as a substitute earned him a place in the starting eleven. He has started all of Manchester United's last five games in the league, and has found the back of the net twice and assisted once in these starts.
United's songwriters have rightly penned a chant on the successful youngster. It goes:
"Tony Martial Came from France,
English press said he had no chance,
50 million down the drain,
As Tony Martial scores again!"
Now a regular starter, Martial could give some good returns in Manchester United's upcoming run of good fixtures.
It'll only be at the fag end of January that they play a top six team again. With an ownership of just 3.4%, Martial could be a good investment for your FPL teams, just as he has been a good investment for the Red Devils.
