MX23RW : Monday, December 30 23:26:20| >> :60:983:983:

Fantasy Football advice: Week 36

Sports Mole takes a look at week 36 of the Premier League from a fantasy football point of view.

With only a few weeks remaining of the season, securing points in your fantasy football leagues is becoming increasingly important, and although we slipped up with a couple of selections last week, we'd like to think that you still benefited from our advice.

We were wrong to select Graziano Pelle and dismiss Wes Morgan, but we scored with our other four picks. Chelsea skipper John Terry helped his side keep a clean sheet against Crystal Palace, Leonardo Ulloa netted a double for Leicester City against Newcastle United while John Stones and Mario Balotelli would have both lost you points for their respective efforts.

Below, Sports Mole selects six more players who we think will stand out on week 36 of the Premier League for either the right or wrong reasons.

Who to pick

1. Christian Benteke

At times this season, Aston Villa must have wondered what had happened to a striker who was once valued at £30m, but since the arrival of Tim Sherwood, Christian Benteke has proven that he still possesses the attributes to be regarded as one of the best forwards in the Premier League. Since the start of March, the Belgian international has scored 11 times in nine games for the West Midlands outfit, including a double in their 3-2 victory over Everton last weekend. West Ham United visit Villa Park on Saturday afternoon having won just three games on the road all season and they could be in for a long afternoon should Benteke continue his form in front of goal.

2. John Terry

Chelsea's English defender John Terry passes the ball during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in London on October 5, 2014© Getty Images

We may have selected Terry last weekend, but we see little reason to move away from a defender who is producing his best form of the season and who has just guided his side to the Premier League title. The club's intensity may drop off now that their target has been reached, but when the Blues have conceded just one goal in their last five games and haven't suffered defeat in the last 20 fixtures they have involved Terry, it's a no-brainer to have the former England skipper in your team. Opponents Liverpool also travel to West London having struggled in front of goal in recent weeks, and Stamford Bridge isn't the place to go when they need to chase points to remain in the hunt for the last Champions League spot.

3. Sergio Aguero

After previously going six games without finding the back of the net, it's fair to say that Sergio Aguero's scoring drought is well and truly over. The Argentine has scored five in his last four outings, including a match-winning effort against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane last weekend. Aguero is producing the goods at a time when many of his Manchester City teammates have lost their touch in front of goal, and when an out-of-form Queens Park Rangers outfit make the trip to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the 26-year-old is likely to be presented with a number of chances to strengthen his bid to end the season as top goalscorer in the Premier League.

Who to avoid

1. Richard Dunne

As well as selecting Aguero, it's important that you don't get tempted to save a bit of money by opting for a QPR defender. Not only do they possess the worst defensive record in the Premier League, they are also without a number of centre-backs for the trip to Manchester. Former City man Nedum Onuoha is suspended, Rio Ferdinand is absent because of personal reasons, and Steven Caulker is a major doubt with a hand injury. That leaves Richard Dunne with the job of trying to prevent a City forward line from running riot and at the age of 35, he could be left with an impossible task.

2. Harry Kane

Harry Kane of Spurs wears the captain's armband during the Barclays Premier League match between Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor on April 5, 2015© Getty Images

After such a stellar season at White Hart Lane, it may seem like madness for us to be advising you to avoid Harry Kane but the statistics tell you that the England striker's campaign is petering out. Kane may have scored 30 goals in all competitions, but he has scored just once in his last five games for Spurs, and that came in the final minute against Newcastle United when the Magpies had pushed everyone forward. The 21-year-old remains an influential figure for Mauricio Pochettino, but he is ultimately judged on his strike-rate and that doesn't make good reading since the middle of March.

3. Jose Fonte

Much of Southampton's success this season has been based around a defence who, for long periods, has boasted the most effective backline in the Premier League. However, the momentum generated by the Saints has started to come to a juddering halt and while they continue to register points at St Mary's, they can't buy three points on the road. Ronald Koeman's men have lost four of their last five matches on their travels, and ahead of a visit to the King Power Stadium to face an in-form Leicester City, you have to expect the Foxes' frontline to find a way to get the better of Jose Fonte and his defensive teammates.

ID:221370: cacheID:221370:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:9591:
Written by
Darren Plant
Restore Data
Share this article now:
John Terry of Chelsea scores their second goal past Kasper Schmeichel of Leicester City during the Barclays Premier League match between Leicester City and Chelsea at The King Power Stadium on April 29, 2015
Read Next:
Fantasy Football advice: Week 35
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool18143145172845
2Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
3Arsenal18106235161936
4Chelsea19105438231535
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle1995532211132
6Manchester CityMan City199463226631
7Bournemouth198652923630
8Fulham197842825329
9Aston Villa198562831-329
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton196942928127
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1973941281324
12Brentford187383232024
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham196582335-1223
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd196492126-522
15Crystal Palace194872027-720
16Everton183871524-917
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Ipswich TownIpswich1936101833-1515
19Leicester CityLeicester1935112242-2014
20Southampton1913151239-276


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!