Leonardo Ulloa has vaulted himself into elite company. Photo: skysports1.com
A two goal performance from Leonardo Ulloa was the highlight of week five, and this week he is an absolute must start for fantasy owners. As a fantasy owner who left Ulloa on the bench only to see Naismith put up a zero, I know the frustrations that many fantasy owners will have felt last week. On the face of it, Leicester were playing a United team who looked to have their ducks in order against QPR so benching Ulloa was not something that was totally mental if you have a good crop of midfielders and two hot strikers. However, while Leicester’s miraculous comeback against United has done wonders for the value of their strikers it highlights a massive problem with the United defence which has seen the whole defensive group slide down the rankings this week.
Away from the raucous King Power stadium the Premier League threw up what was potentially the best week so far. Lampard grabbed the headlines against his old club in an intriguing contest in Manchester, Özil and Welbeck came racing into the 2014 season as Arsenal put high flying Villa in their place, and with only four clean sheets across the whole league (two in one game) it was a generally bad day for defensive players but a great one for exciting goal scoring action.
As I said last week, I have abandoned the explanations below each tier because it breaks the rankings up and makes them harder to follow. If there is a demand for them back then I will of course consider bringing them back.
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As always, the injury advice in this article is aimed at draft leagues mainly and for salary cap leagues the general rule is not to carry a player who is out for two weeks or more. For those who play in weekly fantasy premier leagues these rankings and the injury news should give you a baseline to work off when try to set the best team possible
Goalkeepers
Elite
| Names | Team | Opponent | YTD |
| Courtois | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 15 |
| Hart | Man City | Hull | 15 |
Must Starts
| Szczesny | Arsenal | Tottenham | 13 |
| Forster | Southampton | QPR | 23 |
| Fabianski | Swansea | Sunderland | 19 |
| Foster | West Brom | Burnley | 15 |
Good Starts
| Speroni | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 21 |
| Howard | Everton | Liverpool | 8 |
| Krul | Newcastle | Stoke | 12 |
| Begovic | Stoke | Newcastle | 14 |
Decent Options
| De Gea | Man Utd | West Ham | 16 |
| Heaton | Burnley | West Brom | 25 |
| Mignolet | Liverpool | Everton | 14 |
| Lloris | Tottenham | Arsenal | 19 |
Risks
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| Schmeichel | Leicester | Crystal Palace | 8 |
| Green | QPR | Southampton | 14 |
| Mannone | Sunderland | Swansea | 19 |
| Adrian | West Ham | Man Utd | 12 |
Desperation
| Guzan | Aston Villa | Chelsea | 22 |
| McGregor | Hull | Man City | 21 |
Injuries
Krul (Newcastle) Illness (75%): As of now I am expecting Krul to play in what should be a good match up against low scoring Stoke
Defenders
Elite
| Names | Team | Opponent | YTD |
| Ivanovic | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 31 |
| Kompany | Man City | Hull | 12 |
Strong Starts
| Azpilicueta | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 14 |
| Cahill | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 12 |
| Terry | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 10 |
| Sagna | Man City | Hull | 3 |
| Clyne | Southampton | QPR | 33 |
| Fonte | Southampton | QPR | 25 |
| Bertrand | Southampton | QPR | 25 |
| Baines | Everton | Liverpool | 25 |
Good Starts
| Mertesacker | Arsenal | Tottenham | 9 |
| Koscielny | Arsenal | Tottenham | 18 |
| Chambers | Arsenal | Tottenham | 15 |
| Gibbs | Arsenal | Tottenham | 11 |
| Duff | Burnley | West Brom | 24 |
| Trippier | Burnley | West Brom | 23 |
| Shackell | Burnley | West Brom | 23 |
| Mee | Burnley | West Brom | 21 |
| Williams | Swansea | Sunderland | 20 |
| Rangel | Swansea | Sunderland | 16 |
| Taylor | Swansea | Sunderland | 18 |
| Fernandez | Swansea | Sunderland | 2 |
| Wisdom | West Brom | Burnley | 16 |
| Dawson | West Brom | Burnley | 14 |
| Pocognoli | West Brom | Burnley | 10 |
| Lescott | West Brom | Burnley | 7 |
Low End Starters/Potential Flex Plays
| Jagielka | Everton | Liverpool | 10 |
| Stones | Everton | Liverpool | 10 |
| Morgan | Leicester | Crystal Palace | 11 |
| de Laet | Leicester | Crystal Palace | 13 |
| Konchesky | Leicester | Crystal Palace | 16 |
| Moore | Leicester | Crystal Palace | 9 |
| Janmaat | Newcastle | Stoke | 18 |
| Williamson | Newcastle | Stoke | 14 |
| Coloccini | Newcastle | Stoke | 11 |
| Dummett | Newcastle | Stoke | 9 |
| Shawcross | Stoke | Newcastle | 22 |
| Pieters | Stoke | Newcastle | 18 |
| Bardsley | Stoke | Newcastle | 15 |
| Wilson | Stoke | Newcastle | 15 |
Desperation Starts
| Dann | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 13 |
| Delaney | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 11 |
| Moreno | Liverpool | Everton | 16 |
| Lovren | Liverpool | Everton | 12 |
| Skrtel | Liverpool | Everton | 6 |
| Rojo | Man Utd | West Ham | 6 |
| Evans | Man Utd | West Ham | 15 |
| Rafael | Man Utd | West Ham | 6 |
| Ferdinand | QPR | Southampton | 10 |
| Caulker | QPR | Southampton | 17 |
| Isla | QPR | Southampton | 7 |
| Dier | Tottenham | Arsenal | 32 |
| Kaboul | Tottenham | Arsenal | 17 |
| Rose | Tottenham | Arsenal | 18 |
Status Unknown but Potentially Usable
| Luis | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 1 |
| Ward | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 10 |
| Hangeland | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 8 |
| Mariappa | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 6 |
| Kelly | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 6 |
| Fryers | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 1 |
| Coleman | Everton | Liverpool | 14 |
| Distin | Everton | Liverpool | 5 |
| Manquillo | Liverpool | Everton | 9 |
| Sakho | Liverpool | Everton | 9 |
| Clichy | Man City | Hull | 12 |
| Kolarov | Man City | Hull | 13 |
| Mangala | Man City | Hull | 2 |
| Demichellis | Man City | Hull | 16 |
| Shaw | Man Utd | West Ham | 0 |
| Hill | QPR | Southampton | 6 |
| Alderweield | Southampton | QPR | 6 |
| Yoshida | Southampton | QPR | 11 |
| Gardos | Southampton | QPR | 1 |
| Vertonghen | Tottenham | Arsenal | 7 |
| Chiriches | Tottenham | Arsenal | 3 |
| Davies | Tottenham | Arsenal | 1 |
| Olsson | West Brom | Burnley | 8 |
Potential Negatives
| Cissokho | Aston Villa | Chelsea | 19 |
| Senderos | Aston Villa | Chelsea | 20 |
| Hutton | Aston Villa | Chelsea | 19 |
| Robertson | Hull | Man City | 9 |
| Davies | Hull | Man City | 6 |
| Dawson | Hull | Man City | 3 |
| Rosenior | Hull | Man City | 3 |
| van Aanholt | Sunderland | Swansea | 14 |
| Brown | Sunderland | Swansea | 14 |
| O’Shea | Sunderland | Swansea | 13 |
| Vergini | Sunderland | Swansea | 10 |
| Creswell | West Ham | Man Utd | 7 |
| Tomkins | West Ham | Man Utd | 8 |
| Demel | West Ham | Man Utd | 4 |
| Reid | West Ham | Man Utd | 11 |
Status Unknown and Potential Negatives
| Schlupp | Leicester | Crystal Palace | 14 |
| Vlaar | Aston Villa | Chelsea | 16 |
| Baker | Aston Villa | Chelsea | 9 |
| Clark | Aston Villa | Chelsea | 0 |
| Chester | Hull | Man City | 13 |
| Collins | West Ham | Man Utd | 0 |
Injuries
Vlaar (Aston Villa) Calf (25%): He is probably missing this week but with the match up that is probably for the best.
Jones (Man U) Hamstring (4th October): I expect him to come back into the team pretty quickly and he should strengthen up the defence remarkably when that happens so keep hold of him.
Evans (Man U) Ankle (This Weekend): With Blackett suspended and Smalling injured they need a recognised centre back so I expect him back this week.
Coleman (Everton) Knock (75%): With one of their biggest games on the season this week against Liverpool they will want him back and a knock is easier to rush back from than a strain.
Amat (Swansea) Knee (25th October): You can go ahead and drop him.
Blackett (Man U) Suspended (5th October): The whole team is a bit of a mess and Blackett may have blown his chances so I’m not holding onto him if I can spare the transfer
Yoshida (Southampton) Knock (75%): With Alderweireld also 75% but with a strain I expect they are more likely to risk Yoshida in a match up they should ease their way through.
Debuchy (Arsenal) Ankle (27th December): He is one of the top defensive options but defence is fickle week to week so for me he is droppable.
O’Brien (West Ham) Knee (18th October): Absolutely droppable for me with it being at least four weeks until he returns.
Monreal (Arsenal) Back (27th September): Should return this week and throws Gibbs’ status into debate, but with him not being 100% I cannot see him featuring this week.
Alderweireld (Southampton) Hamstring (75%): I think they rest him for bigger tests to come over the next few weeks
Johnson (Liverpool) Thigh (This Weekend): It isn’t tough to imagine him walking back into the team after last week but I’m not sure they risk him and therefore cannot recommend starting him.
Tiendalli (Swansea) Groin (75%): More than likely wouldn’t feature anyway, so isn’t going to trouble your fantasy teams even if healthy.
Smalling (Man U) Thigh (4th October): For me he’s droppable
Walker (Tottenham) Pelvis (This Weekend): I am absolutely done because you cannot trust him week to week.
Flanagan (Liverpool) Knee (Return Unknown): Should not be owned.
Midfielders
Elite
| Player | Team | Opponent | YTD |
| Ramsey | Arsenal | Tottenham | 28 |
| Sanchez | Arsenal | Tottenham | 22 |
| Fabregas | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 33 |
| Hazard | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 25 |
| Sterling | Liverpool | Everton | 33 |
| Di Maria | Man Utd | West Ham | 28 |
Must Starts:
| Özil | Arsenal | Tottenham | 19 |
| Mirallas | Everton | Liverpool | 19 |
| Silva | Man City | Hull | 17 |
| Herrera | Man Utd | West Ham | 22 |
| Schneiderlin | Southampton | QPR | 30 |
| Sigurdsson | Swansea | Sunderland | 33 |
| Chadli | Tottenham | Arsenal | 29 |
Solid Starts:
| Puncheon | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 18 |
| Gerrard | Liverpool | Everton | 21 |
| Henderson | Liverpool | Everton | 18 |
| Navas | Man City | Hull | 13 |
| Tadic | Southampton | QPR | 19 |
| Johnson | Sunderland | Swansea | 15 |
| Larsson | Sunderland | Swansea | 24 |
| Dyer | Swansea | Sunderland | 30 |
| Eriksen | Tottenham | Arsenal | 19 |
| Lamela | Tottenham | Arsenal | 18 |
| Downing | West Ham | Man Utd | 27 |
| Noble | West Ham | Man Utd | 22 |
Low End #3/Potential Flex Plays
| Arfield | Burnley | West Brom | 16 |
| Boyd | Burnley | West Brom | 6 |
| Jedinak | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 18 |
| Quinn | Hull | Man City | 17 |
| Elmohamady | Hull | Man City | 17 |
| Diame | Hull | Man City | 19 |
| Toure | Man City | Hull | 6 |
| Gouffran | Newcastle | Stoke | 16 |
| Moses | Stoke | Newcastle | 10 |
| Routledge | Swansea | Sunderland | 20 |
Safe with Added Upside
| Matic | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 21 |
| Bolasie | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 17 |
| Ki | Swansea | Sunderland | 17 |
| Shelvey | Swansea | Sunderland | 15 |
Safe with Limited Upside
| Cleverly | Aston Villa | Chelsea | 6 |
| Richardson | Aston Villa | Chelsea | 16 |
| Delph | Aston Villa | Chelsea | 13 |
| Jones | Burnley | West Brom | 13 |
| Marney | Burnley | West Brom | 11 |
| Barry | Everton | Liverpool | 13 |
| McCarthy | Everton | Liverpool | 13 |
| Huddlestone | Hull | Man City | 14 |
| Livermore | Hull | Man City | 10 |
| Hammond | Leicester | Crystal Palace | 8 |
| King | Leicester | Crystal Palace | 13 |
| Drinkwater | Leicester | Crystal Palace | 5 |
| Blind | Man Utd | West Ham | 5 |
| Cabella | Newcastle | Stoke | 13 |
| Sissoko | Newcastle | Stoke | 10 |
| Colback | Newcastle | Stoke | 10 |
| Davis | Southampton | QPR | 8 |
| Cork | Southampton | QPR | 13 |
| N’Zonzi | Stoke | Newcastle | 11 |
| Whelan | Stoke | Newcastle | 9 |
| Rodwell | Sunderland | Swansea | 16 |
| Cattermole | Sunderland | Swansea | 16 |
| Capoue | Tottenham | Arsenal | 12 |
| Gardner | West Brom | Burnley | 13 |
| Brunt | West Brom | Burnley | 16 |
| Dorrans | West Brom | Burnley | 9 |
| Sessegnon | West Brom | Burnley | 5 |
| Song | West Ham | Man Utd | 3 |
Potential Starters with Unknown Status
| Chamberlain | Arsenal | Tottenham | 8 |
| Cazorla | Arsenal | Tottenham | 10 |
| Wilshere | Arsenal | Tottenham | 16 |
| Schurrle | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 18 |
| Oscar | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 10 |
| Zaha | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 9 |
| Pienaar | Everton | Liverpool | 7 |
| Atsu | Everton | Liverpool | 3 |
| Osman | Everton | Liverpool | 8 |
| Ince | Hull | Man City | 5 |
| Ben Arfa | Hull | Man City | 1 |
| Coutinho | Liverpool | Everton | 5 |
| Lallana | Liverpool | Everton | 2 |
| Markovic | Liverpool | Everton | 4 |
| Lampard | Man City | Hull | 6 |
| Mata | Man Utd | West Ham | 24 |
| Januzaj | Man Utd | West Ham | 6 |
| Valencia | Man Utd | West Ham | 11 |
| Wanyama | Southampton | QPR | 15 |
| Jordi Gomez | Sunderland | Swansea | 3 |
| Giaccherini | Sunderland | Swansea | 4 |
| Montero | Swansea | Sunderland | 5 |
| Townsend | Tottenham | Arsenal | 2 |
| Lennon | Tottenham | Arsenal | 5 |
| Morrison | West Brom | Burnley | 14 |
| Amalfitano | West Ham | Man Utd | 7 |
Injuries
Ramires (Chelsea) Knee (75%): With the wealth of riches they have I cannot see them risking a less than 100% player.
Henderson (Liverpool) Hip (75%): Arguably the biggest game of the season so they will want him and for that reason alone I am expecting him.
Silva (Man City) Knock (75%): With it just being a knock I expect to see him this week and will be starting him unless he is ruled out on Friday.
Ward-Prowse (Southampton) Foot (29th November): The on field talent dwarf’s the fantasy potential, so for Southampton this is huge but for fantasy it’s fairly irrelevant.
Gouffran (Newcastle) Illness (75%): I expect him to play but double check Frida evening on his status if you are relying on him
Jones (Burnley) Thigh (75%): I am expecting him but you probably have better options
Nasri (Man City) Groin (25%): I had him ranked in the second tier but this news means he isn’t startable for you
Kranjcar (QPR) Knock (50%): I would love to see him because I think he is a weekly goal threat but for now you are better benching him.
Kouyate (West Ham) Groin (1st November): This is a shame for West ham but you shouldn’t own him
Mutch (QPR) Hamstring (4th October): Not really fantasy relevant in my opinion so this isn’t an issue
Taylor (Burnley) Achilles (27th September): This one concerns me a little more but this appears a winnable game for Burnley and they don’t half need a win.
Aarons (Newcastle) Hamstring (1st November): Flashed potential but isn’t solid enough to be owned in all leagues.
Allen (Liverpool) Knee (Return Unknown): Never any more than a safe option so not worth stashing
Pienaar (Everton) Groin (75%): Interesting potential but injuries seem to be regular making him hard to keep holding onto. I don’t expect him this week.
Fernando (Man City) Groin (25%): They have other options therefore I am not expecting him.
Tiote (Newcastle) Knock (75%): Probably won’t walk back into the team this week so isn’t relevant for you.
Young (Man U) Knock (This Weekend): He isn’t getting in that attacking group.
Coutinho (Liverpool) Groin (75%): Going to be a late decision but you have the advantage that Liverpool play early so you may get a chance to check his status before line ups lock.
Giaccherini (Sunderland) Knock (75%): Not fantasy relevant at this stage.
Walters (Stoke) Calf (50%): Cannot be risked.
de Jong (Newcastle) Thigh (Return Unknown): Safe to drop
Odemwingie (Stoke) Knee (Return Unknown): Safe to drop
Nolan (West Ham) Shoulder (4th October): You may as well hold him and see what happens when he returns.
Sandro (QPR) Knee (75%): Never more than a safe option so I wouldn’t even risk it.
Can (Liverpool) Ankle (25th October): Hasn’t done anything so you cannot be stashing him.
Snodgrass (Hull) Knee (Return Unknown): Safe to drop
Walcott (Arsenal) Knee (18th October): Rumours he was back this week have been squashed but you have to hold onto him.
Carrick (Man U) Ankle (This Weekend): Rumour he may move back into defence but that doesn’t make him anymore valuable to me.
Barkley (Everton) Knee (Return Unknown): The landscape for when he will return is murky but you have to keep stashing if you have space.
Gnabry (Arsenal) Knock (18th October): I doubt he is walking into the team and is therefore unstashable
Strikers
Out of This World
| Players | Team | Opponent | YTD |
| Costa | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 42 |
Top 10 Strikers
| Welbeck | Arsenal | Tottenham | 16 |
| Lukaku | Everton | Liverpool | 23 |
| Sturridge | Liverpool | Everton | 10 |
| Aguero | Man City | Hull | 22 |
| Dzeko | Man City | Hull | 11 |
| Rooney | Man Utd | West Ham | 25 |
| Ulloa | Leicester | Crystal Palace | 36 |
Good Starts
| Balotelli | Liverpool | Everton | 8 |
| v.Persie | Man Utd | West Ham | 11 |
| Falcao | Man Utd | West Ham | 6 |
| Pelle | Southampton | QPR | 28 |
| Diouf | Stoke | Newcastle | 18 |
| Adebayor | Tottenham | Arsenal | 23 |
Low End #2’s/Flex Players
| Weimann | Aston Villa | Chelsea | 25 |
| Agbonlahor | Aston Villa | Chelsea | 22 |
| Campbell | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 14 |
| Naismith | Everton | Liverpool | 25 |
| Jelavic | Hull | Man City | 23 |
| Nugent | Leicester | Crystal Palace | 14 |
| Vardy | Leicester | Crystal Palace | 23 |
| Riviere | Newcastle | Stoke | 13 |
| Austin | QPR | Southampton | 12 |
| Wickham | Sunderland | Swansea | 9 |
| Gomis | Swansea | Sunderland | 5 |
| Berahino | West Brom | Burnley | 21 |
| Valencia | West Ham | Man Utd | 12 |
| Sakho | West Ham | Man Utd | 15 |
Low End Flex Plays
| Jutkiewicz | Burnley | West Brom | 10 |
| Remy | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 9 |
| Gayle | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 10 |
| A.Hernanez | Hull | Man City | 8 |
| Crouch | Stoke | Newcastle | 17 |
Potentially Interesting
| Eto’o | Everton | Liverpool | 6 |
| Cisse | Newcastle | Stoke | 12 |
| Bojan | Stoke | Newcastle | 4 |
| Fletcher | Sunderland | Swansea | 6 |
| Anichebe | West Brom | Burnley | 7 |
| Zarate | West Ham | Man Utd | 13 |
| Podolski | Arsenal | Tottenham | 2 |
Un-startable
| Bent | Aston Villa | Chelsea | 3 |
| Ings | Burnley | West Brom | 6 |
| Barnes | Burnley | West Brom | 4 |
| Sordell | Burnley | West Brom | 3 |
| Drogba | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 4 |
| Doyle | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 2 |
| Wood | Leicester | Crystal Palace | 6 |
| Lambert | Liverpool | Everton | 7 |
| Borini | Liverpool | Everton | 3 |
| Ayoze | Newcastle | Stoke | 5 |
| Vargas | QPR | Southampton | 3 |
| Zamora | QPR | Southampton | 4 |
| Long | Southampton | QPR | 7 |
| Altidore | Sunderland | Swansea | 4 |
| Kane | Tottenham | Arsenal | 4 |
| Soldado | Tottenham | Arsenal | 1 |
| Samaras | West Brom | Burnley | 1 |
| Vaz Te | West Ham | Man Utd | 5 |
| Cole | West Ham | Man Utd | 10 |
Injuries
Agüero (Man City) Knock (75%): HE IS ALWAS INJURED! However, unlike Walker, who I have given up on, Agüero is just too valuable. I expect he will make an appearance and cause havoc.
Jovetic (Man City) Hamstring (25%): Not featuring this week and that actually benefits Agüero a lot
Cisse (Newcastle) Illness (75%): Returned from injury with a bang and is a sneaky add if he can get playing time.
Sturridge (Liverpool) Thigh (25%): Logic says he won’t play but this is the Merseyside derby so I expect to see him at some point. Check the team news before line up lock because this is the early kick off on Saturday.
Wickham (Sunderland) Back (75%): If he had been scoring goals I would be sure he will play but he hasn’t and that worries me a little.
Giroud (Arsenal) Ankle (10th January): A few good weeks from Welbeck could make him droppable!
Fletcher (Sunderland) Knock (75%): Shame because with Wickham injured as well this could have been an intriguing week.
Ings (Burnley) Hamstring (11th October): His potential makes him worth holding onto.
Ideye (West Brom) Knock (75%): His slow start means I probably am not starting him especially given the pain he looked in last night.
Rodriguez (Southampton) Knee (Return Unknown): His ability means you are holding on with two hands.
Benteke (Aston Villa) LMF (Return Unknown): THE BEAST IS COMING!!!!
Right there we have it for the new and improved streamlined rankings. Good luck this week and as always send over any questions to Follow
@brolfe1507
