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Fantasy Football advice: Week 6

Sports Mole looks ahead to the sixth weekend of Premier League action from a fantasy football point of view.

It has been a couple of weeks since we posted our last bit of Fantasy Football advice - some of you may have welcomed us not trying to influence your selections - but we are back to try to make amends for our shocking effort last time around.

We advised you not to select Dejan Lovren, Steven Caulker and Alexis Sanchez but each player ended the weekend with a stack of points whereas the players we told you to select slumped badly, apart from Swansea City defender Ashley Williams picking up a clean sheet.

Below, see who has made Sports Mole's lists for week six as the season begins to get into full flow.

Who to pick

1. Diego Costa

He's only played five games in the Premier and already he has become a must-have for any fantasy football manager up and down the country. There may be doubts over his hamstring but while the Spaniard is available for selection, there isn't any logical reason why he shouldn't be in your team. He failed to net at Manchester City last time out, but it's difficult to be critical of the 25-year-old after he came up against Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala. Playing Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge rather than facing the Premier League champions in their own backyard should be a much simpler task for the former Atletico Madrid forward and if he is provided with the same number of openings that he has received in the first month of the season, he should help you move up the standings with another double or treble.

2. Joleon Lescott

Unless you are a West Bromwich Albion supporter, selecting a Baggies defender isn't normal practice, but this weekend represents the ideal opportunity to include one of their summer signings in your starting XI. After a frustrating few weeks kept him on the sidelines, Joleon Lescott returned to first-team action with a bang last weekend by producing a man-of-the-match display to help his team get the better of Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Alan Irvine's men had previously looked shaky at the back but the former Manchester City man helped steadied the ship and with a goal-shy Burnley standing in their way at The Hawthorns on Sunday afternoon, Lescott could be your value choice of the week.

Joleon Lescott of West Bromwich Albion during the pre season friendly match between Nottingham Forest and West Bromwich Albion at the City Ground on August 2, 2014© Getty Images

3. Angel di Maria

After a sub-standard debut at Burnley before the international break, Angel di Maria has lit up the Premier League with two masterful displays to make an immediate mark in English football. The Argentine is being given plenty of responsibility in a team that requires leaders at this time and he is relishing being the main focal point in United's midfield. Manager Louis van Gaal could make changes for the visit of West Ham United to Old Trafford but Di Maria's place isn't in any danger and he is a certain starter on Saturday afternoon. The Hammers will be confident after last week's win over Liverpool, but they will be up against it to prevent a hurt home team taking out their frustrations on them at the weekend.

Who to avoid

1. Winston Reid

As already mentioned, West Ham are on a high after producing their best display of the season to defeat Liverpool last weekend, and some will have them as favourites to continue that kind of form against Manchester United. However, United are a wounded animal and after all of the criticism that has come their way since being stunned by Leicester City, they are going to be focused to ensure that a positive mood returns to Old Trafford. Defender Winston Reid may act as a cheap option for many fantasy football managers, but it would be a dangerous game including the New Zealand international, who also scored last week, in your lineup.

2. Dejan Lovren

After an average start to his Liverpool career, there were signs in the 3-0 win at Spurs that Dejan Lovren had settled at his new club but back-to-back setbacks against Aston Villa and West Ham has left the Croatian fighting for his place at Anfield. At a time when Liverpool are struggling for clean sheets, it would be advisable to leave out a Reds defender but even more so in the case of Lovren after the head injury he picked up at Upton Park last weekend. The former Southampton defender completed the 90 minutes but he must be a doubt to feature against Everton in the Merseyside derby at the weekend, especially with Brendan Rodgers also having one eye on the trip to Switzerland to play Basel in the Champions League.

Croatia's defender Dejan Lovren takes part in a training session in preperation for the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil on May 23, 2014© Getty Images

3. Wilfried Bony

It's been a strange old few weeks for Wilfried Bony. His team Swansea City have started the Premier League in impressive fashion, registering nine points from five games, but Bony, last season's top goalscorer, is yet to find the back of the net. To add to the Ivorian's woes, he was also sent off against Southampton last weekend for two bookable offences. He's back for the trip to Sunderland on Saturday, but Garry Monk has a decision to make after Bafetimbi Gomis helped the Swans ease past Everton in the League Cup. It is surely only a matter of time before Bony breaks his duck for the season but he isn't guaranteed a starting place at the Stadium of Light and it might be best to avoid him this weekend.

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Jamie Vardy of Leicester City celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Leicester City and Manchester United at The King Power Stadium on September 21, 2014
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


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