Fantasy Premier League – The Costa (ly) conundrum in week 23 rankings

As a Chelsea fan I spent most of the game Tuesday night on the edge of my seat and that was just from watching Diego Costa, let alone the amazing game that was happening on the green turf of Stamford Bridge. Firstly, I just want to take a second to say; What. A. Game. Chelsea and Liverpool gave everything for a competition people claim no one cares about and the winners that night were us the fans. Maybe I would see this differently had it been a Skrtel winner and not an Ivanovic one but I enjoyed those 120 minutes more than I have enjoyed a Chelsea game all season!

Now onto the issue that arose. As a Chelsea fan, and an owner of him in fantasy leagues, I love Costa with a passion but as the week has worn on I have started to detest him just a little bit. His aggressiveness has been so key for Chelsea this year but a few times it has got out of control as it did Tuesday with his nasty stamp on Emre Can. Right now we are awaiting news of Costa’s appeal against his charge for the said stamp but I would bet he is facing at least a three game ban and maybe as much as five.

Whether that ban starts on Saturday is the issue for fantasy owners right now. Fortunately, we should hear about that tomorrow so at least you should be able to replace him. But looking forward, if he is suspended for a few games, he will get dropped in salary cap leagues and his price will fall affecting his sale value. In draft league now may be a good time to start lining up trade offers ready for when news of his ban breaks. It is safe to say that Diego Costa has had me on the edge of my seat not just for 120 minutes that night but for the next two days – and probably for at least one more.

On the topic of stupidity, lets briefly touch on Gylfi Sigurdsson; a rash challenge in the dying minutes of an FA cup they were on the way to losing has led to a three game ban meaning he misses the first half of February. While he hasn’t been as prolific as Costa he has been a stud in the midfield at a relatively cheap price and his absence hurts the midfield talent for many teams.

Now onto the rankings: The Costa news over the next two days majorly affects the rankings of the Man City players as well as Remy or Drogba who could get a rare PL start.

In other news this week is a weird one for goalkeepers and defenders with a lot of match ups that leave players in an almost inbetween zone where they aren’t great choices but they aren’t must avoids either. On the striking front there feels like a real lack of sure things and losing Costa this week will make that even worse. It feels like the midfield pool is where many people will be padding their utility spots in draft leagues.

Goalkeepers

Elite

Surname	Team	Opponent	YTD	FPR
Ospina	Arsenal	Aston Villa	13	2.00
De Gea	Man Utd	Leicester	89	1.36

 

Near Elite

Forster	Southampton	Swansea	89	1.27
Lloris	Tottenham	West Brom	82	1.18

 

Must Starts

Courtois	Chelsea	Man City	68	1.21
Robles	Everton	Crystal Palace	13	0.60
Krul	Newcastle	Hull	48	0.93
Adrian	West Ham	Liverpool	72	1.23

 

The Costa Factor (If Costa plays he drops below strong starts if he is banned he is a must start)

Hart

Man City

Chelsea

76

1.30

 

The Strong Starts

Pantilimon	Sunderland	Burnley	62	1.46
McGregor	Hull	Newcastle	60	0.71
Mignolet	Liverpool	West Ham	71	1.25

 

The Back Ups

Green	QPR	Stoke	70	0.90
Begovic	Stoke	QPR	68	0.91
Guzan	Aston Villa	Arsenal	79	1.14

 

If You’re Desperate

Heaton	Burnley	Sunderland	78	1.05
Speroni	Crystal Palace	Everton	70	0.82
Fabianski	Swansea	Southampton	80	1.33
Foster	West Brom	Tottenham	75	1.14

 

AVOID AVOID AVOID

Hamer

Leicester

Man Utd

31

1.00

 

If He Plays I Would LOVE Him

Cech

Chelsea

Man City

25

2.00

 

Defenders

The Elite

Surname	Team	Opponent	YTD	FPR
Ivanovic	Chelsea	Man City	112	1.55
Baines	Everton	Crystal Palace	93	1.14
Bertrand	Southampton	Swansea	103	1.52
Clyne	Southampton	Swansea	94	1.55

 

The Must Starts

Mertesacker	Arsenal	Aston Villa	68	1.10
Koscielny	Arsenal	Aston Villa	55	1.25
Monreal	Arsenal	Aston Villa	54	1.07
Terry	Chelsea	Man City	108	1.55
Jones	Man Utd	Leicester	44	1.64
Rojo	Man Utd	Leicester	27	1.09
Janmaat	Newcastle	Hull	74	1.14
Fonte	Southampton	Swansea	89	1.43
Gardos	Southampton	Swansea	18	1.14

 

The Good Starts

Bellerin	Arsenal	Aston Villa	17	1.17
Coleman	Everton	Crystal Palace	69	1.05
Skrtel	Liverpool	West Ham	71	1.05
Moreno	Liverpool	West Ham	59	1.06
Coloccini	Newcastle	Hull	53	0.72
Williamson	Newcastle	Hull	30	0.71
Shawcross	Stoke	QPR	64	0.95
Muniesa	Stoke	QPR	40	1.00
Rose	Tottenham	West Brom	48	1.00
Vertonghen	Tottenham	West Brom	54	0.89
Walker	Tottenham	West Brom	8	0.67

 

The Decent Options

Creswell	West Ham	Liverpool	79	1.29
Tomkins	West Ham	Liverpool	59	1.13
Reid	West Ham	Liverpool	53	0.90
Jenkinson	West Ham	Liverpool	55	1.18
Azpilicueta	Chelsea	Man City	72	1.35
Jagielka	Everton	Crystal Palace	71	0.90
Stones	Everton	Crystal Palace	24	1.00
Davies	Hull	Newcastle	46	1.00
Dawson	Hull	Newcastle	21	0.75
Schlupp	Leicester	Man Utd	54	1.06

 

The Costa Effect

Clichy	Man City	Chelsea	78	1.24
Zabaleta	Man City	Chelsea	56	1.06
Demichellis	Man City	Chelsea	48	1.00
Kompany	Man City	Chelsea	44	1.21

 

Flex Potential

O’Shea	Sunderland	Burnley	63	1.09
Vergini	Sunderland	Burnley	58	1.05
van Aanholt	Sunderland	Burnley	27	1.08
Wisdom	West Brom	Tottenham	72	0.95
Lescott	West Brom	Tottenham	66	1.06
McAuley	West Brom	Tottenham	30	1.13
Baird	West Brom	Tottenham	20	0.83
Dann	Crystal Palace	Everton	63	1.10
Ward	Crystal Palace	Everton	51	0.81
Kelly	Crystal Palace	Everton	41	0.89
Delaney	Crystal Palace	Everton	31	0.80

 

Getting Deep

Cissokho	Aston Villa	Arsenal	68	1.14
Hutton	Aston Villa	Arsenal	61	1.22
Okore	Aston Villa	Arsenal	27	0.73
Trippier	Burnley	Sunderland	64	0.95
Shackell	Burnley	Sunderland	52	0.82
Mee	Burnley	Sunderland	46	0.94
Keane	Burnley	Sunderland	24	0.69
Konchesky	Leicester	Man Utd	53	0.85
Morgan	Leicester	Man Utd	43	0.81
Simpson	Leicester	Man Utd	21	1.00
Caulker	QPR	Stoke	50	0.81
Isla	QPR	Stoke	48	0.81
Hill	QPR	Stoke	20	1.00
Williams	Swansea	Southampton	73	1.14
Taylor	Swansea	Southampton	63	1.19
Fernandez	Swansea	Southampton	41	1.33

 

Question Marks with Massive Upside

Shaw	Man Utd	Leicester	29	1.10
Rafael	Man Utd	Leicester	20	0.88

 

Question Marks

Gibbs	Arsenal	Aston Villa	47	0.83
Clark	Aston Villa	Arsenal	42	1.00
Baker	Aston Villa	Arsenal	20	0.88
Cahill	Chelsea	Man City	79	1.43
Zouma	Chelsea	Man City	9	0.50
Hangeland	Crystal Palace	Everton	30	0.91
Mariappa	Crystal Palace	Everton	24	1.13
Rosenior	Hull	Newcastle	24	0.91
McShane	Hull	Newcastle	9	0.80
Figueroa	Hull	Newcastle	2	1.00
Johnson	Liverpool	West Ham	37	1.09
Sakho	Liverpool	West Ham	38	1.20
Lovren	Liverpool	West Ham	30	0.87
Enrique	Liverpool	West Ham	9	1.00
Kolarov	Man City	Chelsea	31	1.00
Sagna	Man City	Chelsea	13	1.00
Haidara	Newcastle	Hull	23	0.89
Ferdinand	QPR	Stoke	12	0.86
Onuoha	QPR	Stoke	11	0.38
Targett	Southampton	Swansea	5	0.50
Wilson	Stoke	QPR	38	1.06
Bardsley	Stoke	QPR	38	1.00
Cameron	Stoke	QPR	28	0.80
Brown	Sunderland	Burnley	51	1.00
Reveillere	Sunderland	Burnley	27	1.29
Jones	Sunderland	Burnley	15	1.64
Rangel	Swansea	Southampton	51	1.16
Amat	Swansea	Southampton	14	1.50
Naughton	Swansea	Southampton	1	0.75
Dier	Tottenham	West Brom	43	0.85
Kaboul	Tottenham	West Brom	28	1.00
Davies	Tottenham	West Brom	26	1.00
Fazio	Tottenham	West Brom	24	0.83
Chiriches	Tottenham	West Brom	12	0.83
O’Brien	West Ham	Liverpool	12	0.60

 

Midfielders

Elite

Surname	Team	Opponent	YTD	FPR
Sanchez	Arsenal	Aston Villa	144	1.62
Hazard	Chelsea	Man City	131	1.77
Fabregas	Chelsea	Man City	120	1.86
Oscar	Chelsea	Man City	105	1.67
Sterling	Liverpool	West Ham	97	1.52

 

Must Starts

Cazorla	Arsenal	Aston Villa	92	1.38
Barkley	Everton	Crystal Palace	42	1.13
Henderson	Liverpool	West Ham	88	1.50
Silva	Man City	Chelsea	90	1.56
Mata	Man Utd	Leicester	82	1.42
Di Maria	Man Utd	Leicester	70	1.43
Tadic	Southampton	Swansea	95	1.55
Eriksen	Tottenham	West Brom	111	1.41
Downing	West Ham	Liverpool	116	1.62

 

Good Starts

Boyd	Burnley	Sunderland	65	1.20
Matic	Chelsea	Man City	60	1.38
Puncheon	Crystal Palace	Everton	68	1.00
Gerrard	Liverpool	West Ham	78	1.20
Coutinho	Liverpool	West Ham	61	1.26
Colback	Newcastle	Hull	66	1.19
Fer	QPR	Stoke	76	1.29
Ward-Prowse	Southampton	Swansea	48	1.58
Moses	Stoke	QPR	40	1.55
Johnson	Sunderland	Burnley	71	1.47
Larsson	Sunderland	Burnley	77	1.41

 

Awesome Flex Options (Midfield is amazingly deep right now!)

Ramsey	Arsenal	Aston Villa	53	1.07
Arfield	Burnley	Sunderland	57	1.10
Willian	Chelsea	Man City	60	1.24
Ledley	Crystal Palace	Everton	48	1.28
McArthur	Crystal Palace	Everton	48	1.35
Zaha	Crystal Palace	Everton	39	1.27
Elmohamady	Hull	Newcastle	67	1.27
Valencia	Man Utd	Leicester	56	1.24
Fellaini	Man Utd	Leicester	45	1.15
Sissoko	Newcastle	Hull	58	1.20
Davis	Southampton	Swansea	51	1.10
Walters	Stoke	QPR	67	1.18
N’Zonzi	Stoke	QPR	58	1.23
Dyer	Swansea	Southampton	62	1.05
Lamela	Tottenham	West Brom	53	1.05

 

Space Fillers

Flamini	Arsenal	Aston Villa	40	1.18
Westwood	Aston Villa	Arsenal	37	1.25
Sanchez	Aston Villa	Arsenal	34	1.62
Jones	Burnley	Sunderland	45	1.25
McGeady	Everton	Crystal Palace	36	1.08
Livermore	Hull	Newcastle	49	1.10
Cambiasso	Leicester	Man Utd	39	1.00
Navas	Man City	Chelsea	61	1.19
Carrick	Man Utd	Leicester	36	1.38
Blind	Man Utd	Leicester	28	1.20
Townsend	Tottenham	West Brom	22	0.78
Brunt	West Brom	Tottenham	56	1.21
Morrison	West Brom	Tottenham	53	1.24
Amalfitano	West Ham	Liverpool	43	0.94
Noble	West Ham	Liverpool	38	1.08

 

Getting Desperate

Cleverley	Aston Villa	Arsenal	37	0.95
Marney	Burnley	Sunderland	35	0.94
Huddlestone	Hull	Newcastle	35	1.00
Can	Liverpool	West Ham	29	1.20
Leiva	Liverpool	West Ham	24	1.00
Fernandinho	Man City	Chelsea	52	0.84
Fernando	Man City	Chelsea	35	0.94
Gouffran	Newcastle	Hull	47	0.85
Henry	QPR	Stoke	33	0.83
Barton	QPR	Stoke	30	0.80
Cork	Southampton	Swansea	30	0.67
Arnautovic	Stoke	QPR	33	0.82
Gomez	Sunderland	Burnley	47	0.94
Montero	Swansea	Southampton	40	0.88
Shelvey	Swansea	Southampton	33	0.93
Mason	Tottenham	West Brom	33	0.93
Sessegnon	West Brom	Tottenham	58	1.05
Dorrans	West Brom	Tottenham	56	1.17
Gardner	West Brom	Tottenham	49	1.10
Song	West Ham	Liverpool	33	1.00

 

Unexciting Options

Coquelin	Arsenal	Aston Villa	10	0.67
N’Zogbia	Aston Villa	Arsenal	33	0.82
Richardson	Aston Villa	Arsenal	26	0.80
Barry	Everton	Crystal Palace	38	0.80
Quinn	Hull	Newcastle	28	0.73
Meyler	Hull	Newcastle	25	0.53
Drinkwater	Leicester	Man Utd	27	0.69
King	Leicester	Man Utd	26	0.57
James	Leicester	Man Utd	24	0.71
Knockaert	Leicester	Man Utd	13	0.44
Herrera	Man Utd	Leicester	39	0.75
Cabella	Newcastle	Hull	38	0.75
Anita	Newcastle	Hull	15	0.67
Adel Taarabt	QPR	Stoke	5	0.25
Reed	Southampton	Swansea	8	0.60
Whelan	Stoke	QPR	28	0.93
Buckley	Sunderland	Burnley	35	0.78
Carroll	Swansea	Southampton	15	0.36
Capoue	Tottenham	West Brom	23	0.92
Dembele	Tottenham	West Brom	19	0.46
Nolan	West Ham	Liverpool	40	0.76

 

Exciting Question Marks

Ozil	Arsenal	Aston Villa	26	1.14
Walcott	Arsenal	Aston Villa	4	0.00
Gil	Aston Villa	Arsenal	1	0.00
Taylor	Burnley	Sunderland	10	1.67
Mirallas	Everton	Crystal Palace	52	0.94
McCarthy	Everton	Crystal Palace	27	1.08
Lallana	Liverpool	West Ham	58	1.36
Markovic	Liverpool	West Ham	28	0.67
Milner	Man City	Chelsea	54	1.00
Lampard	Man City	Chelsea	47	0.75
Young	Man Utd	Leicester	30	1.08
Januzaj	Man Utd	Leicester	16	0.45
Ameobi	Newcastle	Hull	40	1.14
Abeid	Newcastle	Hull	8	1.67
Chadli	Tottenham	West Brom	102	1.47
Lennon	Tottenham	West Brom	17	0.75

 

Strikers

Elite

Surname	Team	Opponent	YTD	FPR
Costa	Chelsea	Man City	119	1.53
Aguero	Man City	Chelsea	107	1.41

 

Near Elite

Rooney	Man Utd	Leicester	83	1.44
Austin	QPR	Stoke	109	1.45
Kane	Tottenham	West Brom	90	1.28

 

Must Starts

Giroud	Arsenal	Aston Villa	42	1.18
Ings	Burnley	Sunderland	81	1.37
Lukaku	Everton	Crystal Palace	75	1.18
van Persie	Man Utd	Leicester	84	1.25
Pelle	Southampton	Swansea	97	1.36
Defoe	Sunderland	Burnley	5	2.00

 

Low End #2/ Flex Options (Ugh Striker is not a deep position)

Benteke	Aston Villa	Arsenal	36		1.08
Sanogo	Crystal Palace	Everton	9		0.75
Naismith	Everton	Crystal Palace		69	1.00
Ulloa	Leicester	Man Utd	78		1.05
Gomis	Swansea	Southampton	33		0.50
Berahino	West Brom	Tottenham	88		1.14
Carroll	West Ham	Liverpool	54		1.17

 

Shoot for the Moon

Barnes	Burnley	Sunderland	55	0.84
Gayle	Crystal Palace	Everton	54	0.60
Perez	Newcastle	Hull	62	0.86
Vargas	QPR	Stoke	47	1.00
Crouch	Stoke	QPR	64	0.80

 

Shoot for the Basement?

Weimann	Aston Villa	Arsenal	56	0.76
Sagbo	Hull	Newcastle	3	0.00
Vardy	Leicester	Man Utd	53	0.72
Nugent	Leicester	Man Utd	41	0.84
Falcao	Man Utd	Leicester	46	1.00
Riviere	Newcastle	Hull	21	0.46
Zamora	QPR	Stoke	40	0.68

 

The Costa Zone

Drogba	Chelsea	Man City	38	0.38
Remy	Chelsea	Man City	22	0.64

 

Question Marks with Massive Upside

Sturridge	Liverpool	West Ham	10	1.33
Jovetic	Man City	Chelsea	55	0.92
Dzeko	Man City	Chelsea	31	0.58
Sakho	West Ham	Liverpool	72	1.50
Valencia	West Ham	Liverpool	64	0.89

 

Question Marks with Upside

Agbonlahor	Aston Villa	Arsenal	51	0.80
Vokes	Burnley	Sunderland	3	0.00
Jelavic	Hull	Newcastle	58	1.18
Hernandez	Hull	Newcastle	38	1.00

 

Question Marks with Limited Upside

Fletcher	Sunderland	Burnley	52	0.76
Wickham	Sunderland	Burnley	48	0.81
Campbell	Arsenal	Aston Villa	4	0.00
Akpom	Arsenal	Aston Villa	1	0.00
Campbell	Crystal Palace	Everton	42	0.00
Lambert	Liverpool	West Ham	35	0.61
Balotelli	Liverpool	West Ham	22	0.67
Borini	Liverpool	West Ham	17	0.50
Wilson	Man Utd	Leicester	14	0.71
Zarate	QPR	Stoke	25	1.29
Oliveira	Swansea	Southampton	3	0.50
Adebayor	Tottenham	West Brom	38	0.91
Anichebe	West Brom	Tottenham	33	0.83
Krameric	West Ham	Liverpool	1	0.00

 

As always good luck this week and hit me up on the twitter link below with any questions!