If you own Theo Walcott then this is the great news you have been waiting for, but unfortunately this still isn’t the week to throw him into your starting lineup. Arsene Wenger knows just how important his English dynamo is and therefore he will not rush Walcott back into the starting XI. You should follow his lead and just be patient for one more week because chances are Walcott is going to deliver a week where he scores one or zero points and you can find better than that on the waiver wire to start this week.
On the goalkeeper front, seeing Courtois and Szczesny in the elite tier will surprise no one but there may be plenty of questions why Lloris and Forster don’t deserve more respect this week. I struggle to trust that Tottenham defence right now and Southampton still hold a little fear for me as Hull have scored a few goals this year.
Chelsea and Southampton have the best defensive match ups this week but as usual the attacking threats of Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines keep them in the top tier.
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The Elite tier of the midfield group is fast shrinking as it now down to only four sure things. Silva, Ramsey and Toure have all struggled this year and Sterling’s apparent frailty worry me enough to not have him top tier. That all said, three of them are still top 20 options for me and you will have to see who that is below.
Diego Costa’s expected return sees him join Sergio Agüero in the top tier with Romelu Lukaku and Graziano Pelle right behind them. Diafra Sakho leaps up to the third tier even though he has a slight injury concern, with Radamel Falcao and Wayne Rooney expected to play this week, given it’s the Manchester Derby.
As always, I have touched on some injuries I feel are important at each position with advice on how you should treat them going forward.
Goalkeeper
Elite
| Names | Team | Opponent | YTD |
| Szczesny | Arsenal | Burnley | 25 |
| Courtois | Chelsea | QPR | 29 |
Must Start
| Mignolet | Liverpool | Newcastle | 29 |
| Forster | Southampton | Hull | 39 |
| Lloris | Tottenham | Aston Villa | 40 |
| Hart | Man City | Man Utd | 31 |
Strong Match Ups
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| Fabianski | Swansea | Everton | 35 |
| Foster | West Brom | Leicester | 25 |
| Adrian | West Ham | Stoke | 24 |
Decent Match Ups
| Begovic | Stoke | West Ham | 27 |
| Guzan | Aston Villa | Tottenham | 29 |
| Speroni | Crystal Palace | Sunderland | 30 |
| Howard | Everton | Swansea | 20 |
| Jakupovic | Hull | Southampton | 9 |
| Krul | Newcastle | Liverpool | 23 |
| Mannone | Sunderland | Crystal Palace | 29 |
Bad Match Ups
| Heaton | Burnley | Arsenal | 30 |
| Schmeichel | Leicester | West Brom | 15 |
| De Gea | Man Utd | Man City | 31 |
Horrific Match Up and A Potential Deep Shot
| Green | QPR | Chelsea | 27 |
| Hennessey | Crystal Palace | Sunderland | 0 |
Injuries
Speroni (Crystal Palace) Head (75%): You can never be too careful with head injuries so while it is a semi-decent match up if you have another option I would go with him.
McGregor (Hull) Shoulder (22nd Nov): Droppable in all leagues
Harper (Hull) Arm (Unknown): Definitely should not be owned.
Defenders
Elite
| Names | Team | Opponent | YTD |
| Ivanovic | Chelsea | QPR | 45 |
| Baines | Everton | Swansea | 51 |
| Coleman | Everton | Swansea | 29 |
| Clyne | Southampton | Hull | 49 |
| Bertrand | Southampton | Hull | 49 |
Near Elite
| Cahill | Chelsea | QPR | 26 |
| Terry | Chelsea | QPR | 26 |
| Luis | Chelsea | QPR | 4 |
| Fonte | Southampton | Hull | 43 |
| Alderweield | Southampton | Hull | 22 |
Must Start Options
| Mertesacker | Arsenal | Burnley | 24 |
| Gibbs | Arsenal | Burnley | 20 |
| Chambers | Arsenal | Burnley | 23 |
| Jagielka | Everton | Swansea | 37 |
Solid Match Up
| Moreno | Liverpool | Newcastle | 27 |
| Skrtel | Liverpool | Newcastle | 18 |
| Lovren | Liverpool | Newcastle | 24 |
| Manquillo | Liverpool | Newcastle | 19 |
| Kompany | Man City | Man Utd | 23 |
| Mangala | Man City | Man Utd | 7 |
| Williams | Swansea | Everton | 34 |
| Rangel | Swansea | Everton | 26 |
| Taylor | Swansea | Everton | 32 |
| Wisdom | West Brom | Leicester | 28 |
| Dawson | West Brom | Leicester | 29 |
| Pocognoli | West Brom | Leicester | 19 |
| Lescott | West Brom | Leicester | 15 |
| Creswell | West Ham | Stoke | 25 |
| Reid | West Ham | Stoke | 23 |
| Jenkinson | West Ham | Stoke | 15 |
| Collins | West Ham | Stoke | 4 |
Decent Match Up
| Alcaraz | Everton | Swansea | 8 |
| Shawcross | Stoke | West Ham | 32 |
| Wilson | Stoke | West Ham | 26 |
| Pieters | Stoke | West Ham | 22 |
| J.Ward | Crystal Palace | Sunderland | 19 |
| Kelly | Crystal Palace | Sunderland | 15 |
| Janmaat | Newcastle | Liverpool | 27 |
| Coloccini | Newcastle | Liverpool | 22 |
| Dummett | Newcastle | Liverpool | 22 |
Question Marks with High Upside
| Monreal | Arsenal | Burnley | 18 |
| Zabaleta | Man City | Man Utd | 14 |
| Clichy | Man City | Man Utd | 15 |
| Kolarov | Man City | Man Utd | 19 |
| Demichellis | Man City | Man Utd | 19 |
| Sagna | Man City | Man Utd | 5 |
| Kaboul | Tottenham | Aston Villa | 26 |
| Rose | Tottenham | Aston Villa | 25 |
| Vertonghen | Tottenham | Aston Villa | 17 |
| Dier | Tottenham | Aston Villa | 34 |
| Davies | Tottenham | Aston Villa | 1 |
| Naughton | Tottenham | Aston Villa | 1 |
| Fazio | Tottenham | Aston Villa | -3 |
Injuries:
Azpilicueta (Chelsea) Suspended (8th Nov): You have to hold onto him but be worried because Luis has done nothing wrong and Azpilicueta may struggle to get his spot back.
Dann (Crystal Palace) Knee (50%): A semi-decent match up against Sunderland but right now it doesn’t look like they will risk him.
Bardsley (Stoke) Suspended (9th Nov): Worth holding onto as Stoke have been the third best defence so far this year.
Robertson (Hull) Knee (50%): In a game against Southampton he isn’t worth the risk frankly
Hutton (Aston Villa) Ankle (75%): I expect him this week but I don’t like the match up
Senderos (Aston Villa) Thigh (50%): I don’t expect him this week
Koscielny (Arsenal) Achilles (22nd Nov): A top end option that I think you have to hold onto. There are rumors he may be replaced in January so when he comes back may be a good time to sell.
Gibbs (Arsenal) Hip (75%): I expect him this week and it is a good match up so go ahead and start him
Tomkins (West Ham) Thigh (75%): A decent match up against low scoring Stoke but after their recent form I don’t see him walking back into the team.
Fernandez (Swansea) Suspended (29th Nov): Real bad timing with Amat returning. By the time he is available Amat may have that position next to Williams solidified.
Williamson (Newcastle) Knock (75%): With Taylor struggling this week Williamson has a chance to return. However, the matchup isn’t great so I would stay away.
Jones (Man U) Shin (75%): A real up and down season injury wise. You don’t want to risk him with Man City this week.
Evans (Man U) Ankle (This Weekend): See above
Amat (Swansea) Knee (This Weekend): With Fernandez suspended he can walk back into the team this weekend. Not a great matchup though so do not put too much stock into him.
Stones (Everton) Ankle (Unknown): Out until 2015 and that makes him droppable to me
Baker (Aston Villa) Hamstring (75%): You aren’t starting him with the run Villa are on and you shouldn’t really own him.
Dawson (Hull) Ankle (29th Nov): Droppable
Sakho (Liverpool) Thigh (This Weekend): Not sure he displaces Lovren or Skrtel so I wouldn’t gamble on him this week.
Debuchy (Arsenal) Ankle (27th December): Arsenal’s defence doesn’t look great so I am downgrading him to droppable if you need to make a move.
S.Taylor (Newcastle) Knock (75%): Has formed a good partnership with Coloccini the last two weeks and would be odds on to start. However, I am not keen on this match up so I would sit him if I can get a replacement.
Tiendalli (Swansea) Groin (This Weekend): With Amat returning and Fernandez suspended there may be some reshuffling across that line. Even so I cannot see him being leaned on here.
Midfielders
Elite
| Player | Team | Opponent | YTD |
| Sanchez | Arsenal | Burnley | 54 |
| Fabregas | Chelsea | QPR | 55 |
| Hazard | Chelsea | QPR | 44 |
| Di Maria | Man Utd | Man City | 50 |
Near Elite
| Oscar | Chelsea | QPR | 36 |
| Sterling | Liverpool | Newcastle | 49 |
| Gerrard | Liverpool | Newcastle | 41 |
| Sigurdsson | Swansea | Everton | 52 |
| Chadli | Tottenham | Aston Villa | 46 |
#2 Starter
| Ramsey | Arsenal | Burnley | 31 |
| Cazorla | Arsenal | Burnley | 17 |
| Willian | Chelsea | QPR | 30 |
| Barkley | Everton | Swansea | 7 |
| Henderson | Liverpool | Newcastle | 36 |
| A.Johnson | Sunderland | Crystal Palace | 22 |
| Routledge | Swansea | Everton | 36 |
| Eriksen | Tottenham | Aston Villa | 44 |
| Downing | West Ham | Stoke | 41 |
Solid #3’s
| Puncheon | Crystal Palace | Sunderland | 29 |
| Jedinak | Crystal Palace | Sunderland | 38 |
| Diame | Hull | Southampton | 41 |
| Lallana | Liverpool | Newcastle | 19 |
| Tadic | Southampton | Hull | 51 |
| Moses | Stoke | West Ham | 27 |
| Larsson | Sunderland | Crystal Palace | 31 |
| Dyer | Swansea | Everton | 38 |
| Lamela | Tottenham | Aston Villa | 27 |
| Brunt | West Brom | Leicester | 37 |
Top End Flex Options
| Chamberlain | Arsenal | Burnley | 23 |
| Boyd | Burnley | Arsenal | 19 |
| Arfield | Burnley | Arsenal | 27 |
| Matic | Chelsea | QPR | 30 |
| Bolasie | Crystal Palace | Sunderland | 29 |
| Pienaar | Everton | Swansea | 13 |
| Schneiderlin | Southampton | Hull | 42 |
| Herrera | Man Utd | Man City | 24 |
Low End Flex Option
| Jones | Burnley | Arsenal | 17 |
| Elmohamady | Hull | Southampton | 27 |
| Huddlestone | Hull | Southampton | 25 |
| Livermore | Hull | Southampton | 22 |
| Toure | Man City | Man Utd | 22 |
| Blind | Man Utd | Man City | 19 |
| Fellaini | Man Utd | Man City | 14 |
| Gouffran | Newcastle | Liverpool | 23 |
| Colback | Newcastle | Liverpool | 20 |
| Kranjcar | QPR | Chelsea | 16 |
| Fer | QPR | Chelsea | 24 |
| Wanyama | Southampton | Hull | 26 |
| Cork | Southampton | Hull | 25 |
| Davis | Southampton | Hull | 23 |
| N’Zonzi | Stoke | West Ham | 19 |
| Ki | Swansea | Everton | 27 |
| Shelvey | Swansea | Everton | 22 |
| Dorrans | West Brom | Leicester | 31 |
| Amalfitano | West Ham | Stoke | 21 |
| Noble | West Ham | Stoke | 26 |
Question Marks with High Upside
| Walcott | Arsenal | Burnley | 0 |
| Schurrle | Chelsea | QPR | 22 |
| Ramires | Chelsea | QPR | 20 |
| Ben Arfa | Hull | Southampton | 6 |
| Coutinho | Liverpool | Newcastle | 14 |
| Can | Liverpool | Newcastle | 7 |
| Milner | Man City | Man Utd | 23 |
| Lampard | Man City | Man Utd | 20 |
| Navas | Man City | Man Utd | 22 |
| Nasri | Man City | Man Utd | 12 |
| Mata | Man Utd | Man City | 33 |
| Januzaj | Man Utd | Man City | 10 |
| Aarons | Newcastle | Liverpool | 9 |
| Mane | Southampton | Hull | 23 |
| Adam | Stoke | West Ham | 27 |
| Montero | Swansea | Everton | 14 |
Injuries
Silva (Man City) Knee (75%): It appears Silva has been ruled out this week and should be benched across all leagues
Ozil (Arsenal) Knee (Unknown): You have to hold him for his potential when he returns
Mane (Southampton) Ankle (75%): Has been hot lately so I would start him looking for the high upside.
Toure (Man City) Knock (75%): Chances he may get rested this week looking forward for City. However, I am losing faith in him rapidly here as his role is changing.
Ramires (Chelsea) Knee (75%): I expect him to be available but Willian has done such a good job I don’t see him walking back into the team.
Mirallas (Everton) Hamstring (22nd Nov): Mirallas is a really good player and well worth waiting for him to return.
Delph (Aston Villa) Shoulder Dislocation (Unknown): Not explosive enough to stash.
Ward-Prowse (Southampton) Foot (29th Nov): In this Southampton team he has real potential. I wouldn’t pick him up yet but he may be worth a speculative pick up in a couple of weeks.
McArthur (Crystal Palace) Muscle (50%): Not sure I see him being risked this week and even so he isn’t explosive enough to start.
Valencia (Man United) Hamstring (This Weekend): Not sure where his role is so he is pretty much unownable until a role forms.
Tiote (Newcastle) Knock (75%): There is a lot of competition with Aarons returning this week so he is another person who we need to see his role first.
Barton (QPR) Hamstring (This Weekend): He creates chances but QPR aren’t built to take those chances. If Austin or Vargas show some ability to finish consistently then Barton could because a solid week to week player.
de Jong (Newcastle) Thigh (Unknown): This absence is really killing my excitement for de Jong this year. I think he is droppable with their being no return date.
Forwards
Out of This World
| Players | Team | Opponent | YTD |
| Costa | Chelsea | QPR | 54 |
| Aguero | Man City | Man Utd | 58 |
Near Elite
| Lukaku | Everton | Swansea | 39 |
| Pelle | Southampton | Hull | 59 |
#1 Starters
| Dzeko | Man City | Man Utd | 27 |
| v.Persie | Man Utd | Man City | 28 |
| Bony | Swansea | Everton | 35 |
| Adebayor | Tottenham | Aston Villa | 35 |
| Berahino | West Brom | Leicester | 52 |
| Sakho | West Ham | Stoke | 49 |
#2 Options
| Welbeck | Arsenal | Burnley | 27 |
| Benteke | Aston Villa | Tottenham | 5 |
| A.Hernanez | Hull | Southampton | 24 |
| Ulloa | Leicester | West Brom | 43 |
| Balotelli | Liverpool | Newcastle | 17 |
| Rooney | Man Utd | Man City | 27 |
| Cisse | Newcastle | Liverpool | 30 |
| Valencia | West Ham | Stoke | 30 |
Low End #2/High End Flex Options
| Agbonlahor | Aston Villa | Tottenham | 27 |
| Jutkiewicz | Burnley | Arsenal | 24 |
| Ings | Burnley | Arsenal | 15 |
| Campbell | Crystal Palace | Sunderland | 30 |
| Naismith | Everton | Swansea | 37 |
| Jovetic | Man City | Man Utd | 19 |
| Austin | QPR | Chelsea | 38 |
| Diouf | Stoke | West Ham | 21 |
Low End Flex Options
| Weimann | Aston Villa | Tottenham | 31 |
| Eto’o | Everton | Swansea | 21 |
| Vardy | Leicester | West Brom | 32 |
| Nugent | Leicester | West Brom | 19 |
| Vargas | QPR | Chelsea | 25 |
| Zamora | QPR | Chelsea | 13 |
| Wickham | Sunderland | Crystal Palace | 23 |
| Fletcher | Sunderland | Crystal Palace | 25 |
| Anichebe | West Brom | Leicester | 18 |
Question Marks with Upside
| Drogba | Chelsea | QPR | 13 |
| Gayle | Crystal Palace | Sunderland | 11 |
| Chamakh | Crystal Palace | Sunderland | 16 |
| Sturridge | Liverpool | Newcastle | 10 |
| Riviere | Newcastle | Liverpool | 15 |
| Kane | Tottenham | Aston Villa | 6 |
| Zarate | West Ham | Stoke | 15 |
| Carroll | West Ham | Stoke | 0 |
Question Marks with Limited Upside
| Bent | Aston Villa | Tottenham | 5 |
| Barnes | Burnley | Arsenal | 8 |
| Sordell | Burnley | Arsenal | 7 |
| Solanke | Chelsea | QPR | 0 |
| Lambert | Liverpool | Newcastle | 11 |
| Ayoze | Newcastle | Liverpool | 15 |
| Long | Southampton | Hull | 11 |
| Mayuka | Southampton | Hull | 1 |
| Altidore | Sunderland | Crystal Palace | 5 |
| Gomis | Swansea | Everton | 9 |
| Soldado | Tottenham | Aston Villa | 5 |
| Samaras | West Brom | Leicester | 3 |
| Cole | West Ham | Stoke | 17 |
Injuries
Costa (Chelsea) Hamstring (75%): I am expecting him this week and I LOVE the match up!
Sakho (West Ham) Shoulder (50%): He has been the most in form striker lately and I think with just a shoulder injury they risk him so I would start him.
Crouch (Stoke) Suspended (9th Nov): His job isn’t really at risk so other than the one week inconvenience there is no move to make here
Jelavic (Hull) Knee (29th Nov): This is immensely frustrating but at least we know he is definitely out for a few week so you can bench him without worrying.
Cisse (Newcastle) Knee (75%): His form pre injury was very good and I expect them to put him back in.
Rooney (Man United) Foot (75%): As their captain I would be stunned if he doesn’t walk back in but this foot injury may be their way around returning him. You should be nervous but ultimately in a really big game he will have a role and he usually makes some impact.
Fletcher (Sunderland) Knock (75%): Has been a consistent feature but hasn’t lit up the world. Probably worth leaving alone this week.
Falcao (Man United) Knock (75%): Has been ruled out so go ahead and bench him
Zarate (West Ham) Knock (75%): They have clicked the last couple of weeks so he may feature of the bench rather than start meaning he isn’t a top option.
Riviere (Newcastle) Knock (50%): Unlikely he plays if Cisse is healthier
Remy (Chelsea) Muscle (8th Nov): It’s a shame given the opportunity he had with Costa not fully fit and Drogba being old now
Sturridge (Man United) Calf (1st Nov): My god they need him badly so I expect a big role for him.
Giroud (Arsenal) Ankle (10th Jan): Until Welbeck lights the world on fire Giroud has a solid role when he returns making him worth the stash.
Rodriguez (Southampton) Knee (6th Dec): People will be looking into him soon so it might be worth picking him up or trying to trade for him.
Carroll (West Ham) Ankle (75%): Can see him featuring off the bench but nothing more initially because they have been doing so well lately.
As always, if there is anything specific you would like answered then hit me up on twitter and I will try to help you win this week!
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