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Fantasy Football advice: Week 11

Sports Mole looks ahead to the 11th weekend of Premier League action from a Fantasy Football point of view.

After letting you down in week nine, we came back with a vengeance last week to get all of our selections spot on to ensure that you made progress in your respective fantasy football leagues.

Alexis Sanchez and Eden Hazard netted three goals between them while a clean sheet for Newcastle United defender Fabricio Coloccini made it three out of three from our 'who to pick' list. We also hit the back of the net with our 'who to avoid' advice as Richard Dunne was part of a losing effort against Chelsea, Wes Brown put through his own net against Crystal Palace and Eliaquim Mangala never featured during Manchester City's win in the derby against Manchester United.

Below, Sports Mole has compiled similar lists for week 11 before the Premier League is put on the backburner for the November internationals.

Who to pick

1. Wayne Rooney

After his sending-off against West Ham United at the end of September, October proved to be a frustrating month for Wayne Rooney as he watched Manchester United fall further off the lead in the Premier League table. However, the United and England skipper returned for the Manchester derby last weekend and put in a decent shift for his team, despite ending up on the losing side. This Saturday will see Rooney feature against Crystal Palace in what will be just his fourth appearance at Old Trafford. The 29-year-old has scored in each of his previous outings at the Theatre of Dreams this campaign and against a Crystal Palace outfit who have edged closer towards the drop zone, Rooney could cash in with a couple of strikes against the Eagles.

2. Raheem Sterling

After a rapid start to the campaign, Raheem Sterling has lost some of his momentum in recent weeks which has contributed to Liverpool producing an inconsistent spell on both the domestic and European front. Both Brendan Rodgers and Roy Hodgson have attempted to protect the youngster by resting him at different stages of the season, including for Liverpool's trip to the Bernabeu to face Real Madrid on Tuesday. Rodgers's selection resulted in criticism from several quarters but Sterling should return refreshed on Saturday lunchtime to face a Chelsea side who, while remaining undefeated, have lost a bit of their edge. With less than 72 hours recuperation time between full time against Maribor in Slovenia and kick off at Anfield, Sterling could take full advantage.

Liverpool's English midfielder Raheem Sterling celebrates scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Southampton at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, northwest England, on August 17, 2014© Getty Images

3. Enner Valencia

It took Enner Valencia a few weeks to get up to speed with the Premier League, but the Ecuadorian winger has found his feet to play a pivotal part in the Hammers making their presence known towards the top of the Premier League standings. Valencia introduced himself to English football with a 30-yard screamer at Hull City and he has followed that strike up with efforts against Burnley and Stoke City. The 25-year-old will believe that he has more in his repertoire, though, and it is hard to back against him netting his fourth goal against Aston Villa, who have lost their last six games, on Saturday afternoon.

Who to avoid

1. Nacho Monreal

Despite the absence of key centre-back Laurent Koscielny, all appeared to be going swimmingly for Arsenal after they recorded back-to-back clean sheets against Sunderland and Burnley. Those wins had seen Nacho Monreal slot in alongside Per Mertesacker, despite Calum Chambers's ability in a central position, but after the Gunners let slip a three-goal advantage over Anderlecht in the Champions League, Arsene Wenger slated his backline for their showing at the Emirates Stadium and Monreal could be the player to drop out against Swansea City. Chambers could move inside with Hector Bellerin getting another opportunity to show what he can do as first-choice right-back Mathieu Debuchy continues to recover from a serious ankle injury.

2. Andreas Weimann

Andreas Weimann was one of Aston Villa's star performers during the opening weeks of the campaign as the West Midlands outfit cause a stir at the top of the Premier League standings but it's all turned sour for the club since the end of August. Six defeats in a row, five without scoring, have seen the pressure on manager Paul Lambert rise ahead of their trip to West Ham United this weekend. Weimann did break Villa's barren run in front of goal against Tottenham Hotspur, but the Austrian international has cut a frustrated figure in his team's recent matches, almost getting himself dismissed during the second half versus Spurs. The 23-year-old does offer a goal threat but he must remain in control of his emotions if he is to help Villa to a result at Upton Park.

Andreas Weimann of Aston Villa scores the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Stoke City and Aston Villa at Britannia Stadium on August 16, 2014© Getty Images

3. Edin Dzeko

With Manchester City struggling of late, it may seem worth taking a risk on one of their star players who is frequently rotated as Manuel Pellegrini searches for help for talisman Aguero, but we think that the smart move would be to avoid Edin Dzeko. The Bosnian forward has been a regular goalscorer for City during the past few seasons but in his 16 appearances since August, he has netted in just two of those fixtures, which were against Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City. Dzeko can claim that half of those appearances have come from the bench but even so, he is making little impact in the final third and with Queens Park Rangers improving each week, the former Wolfsburg man could endure another torrid week in front of goal.

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Written by
Darren Plant
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Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal outpaces Wes Brown of Sunderland to score the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Sunderland and Arsenal at the Stadium of Light on October 25, 2014
Read Next:
Fantasy Football advice: Week 10
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
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