We’re back! After a fairly boring international break we’re going to be treated to some more Premier League football this weekend, and I couldn’t be happier. I can now watch something other than a shoddy England team managed by someone who has no idea what their job is (you’re the damn manager, Sam. You tell the players what to do). Thankfully Lallana’s last minute goal vs Slovakia means that we get to remain hopeful about this England team despite the fact that overall they were not impressive at all. But for now England have a 100% win rate under the reign of Big Sam so I can safely say that we’re going to win the World Cup; you might as well just hand us the trophy now.

I have high hopes for World Cup 2018.

Coming back down to reality, we’re going to look at the next game week of Premier League matches. I honestly don’t think anyone cares about any of the matches this week apart from the Manchester Derby. Utd vs City, Mourinho vs Guardiola, NYSE: MANU vs Mansour’s Financial Group (which we all know you can’t support).

Mate you can’t support a financial group.

It’s just a shame that we’ve been robbed of the Ibrahimovic vs Aguero narrative in all of this because Aguero decided to elbow Reid in City’s match against West Ham. The Argentine has been banned for three games (only two of which will be Premier League matches) for violent conduct. With that in mind: DO NOT PICK AGUERO IN FTSY! Don’t do it. Seriously. Some of you are going to pick him and waste one of your three picks on someone who will not get you any points. Don’t be that person. In FPL you might get away with keeping him in your squad if you have a strong 5th midfielder or favourable defensive matchups, but it might be worth using a transfer to bring in either Costa, Kane, or Lukaku. Or you can shuffle things around and use your new found wealth to bring in a premium midfielder, like Sanchez. Just make sure you have a plan to get Aguero back in your team in two weeks.

But enough about Aguero, let’s talk about everyone else.

1. Ibrahimovic

I said that I would stop recommending Ibrahimovic. I lied about that. I’ve decided to recommend him here because some people might be put off by the tough match up, I’m just saying that you shouldn’t be.

City’s defense has been good statistically so far, they’ve conceded the fourth least number of shots in total so far this season. However, they still haven’t kept a clean sheet. They haven’t had extremely difficult opponents so far either. Sunderland, Stoke, and West Ham are the kind of teams City should expect to beat, but so far they have only won due to their attacking prowess, not their defensive discipline. On the other hand, Man Utd are one of the best attacking teams in the league. Their average of 17.3 shots per game (8.3 of which are from within the box) is one of the highest in the league. The Manchester Derby is always a high stakes match. There are bound to be goals scored and I’m betting that one of them (and maybe the only one, given Mourinho’s love of 1–0 victories) is going to come from Ibrahimovic.

Ibrahimovic is one of the most popular players in all forms of fantasy football and he’s bound to have a low value in FTSY this week. But then again this is the Manchester Derby and I can’t resist betting on the outcome of this game. I expect him to hover around a value of 2 or 3, making him a safe bet. In FPL if you don’t have him yet then you’re behind. For those who do have him, he’s a solid candidate for this week’s armband.

2. Snodgrass

Hull are doing surprisingly well this season. They gained maximum points in their first two matches, and then narrowly lost 1–0 to Man Utd last week. That’s quite a strong record, and Snodgrass is a big part of that. He’s the man pulling the strings. His offensive stats are good, 2.7 shots per game is above average for a midfielder. Hull have made a bunch of desperately needed signings over the transfer window, and now have a team of more than 13 players! Go Hull! Great job guys. While this is good news for Hull, it might not be great for us fantasy managers. These signings will change how the team functions and Snodgrass’ role within the team might not stay the same. Hopefully it all works out for the better. Having a stronger team means more goals, and I expect Snodgrass to benefit from having better players around him.

Burnley have one of the worst defensive records in the league. They concede 21.7 shots per game on average. I believe that their 2–0 win over Liverpool was a fluke, and that their 3–0 loss to Chelsea was a regression back to their mean. I foresee a Hull victory, and Snodgrass is likely to play a key role in all of Hull’s attacks.

Snodgrass is currently valued at 9 in FTSY. That’s quite a return for a player playing one of the worst defenses in the league. If you want to gamble on a fairly unpopular pick, Snodgrass is your guy. I wouldn’t go for him in FPL. If you were to go for him it would be as a cheap 5th midfielder, but I think that Capoue is the best option for that slot in your team. He’s cheaper, so have more money to play with in the rest of your team. If you have to play your 5th mid, Capoue would suffice for the odd game here or there.

3. Kane

I think it’s time to take a punt on Kane again. He usually takes a bit of time to get going (a “fact” which I’m basing off of two seasons) and I think he’ll open his goal tally vs Stoke this week. Spurs’ have seemed a bit flat so far, this is mostly because of the suspension of Dembele. Spurs need Dembele, he is the heart of their team. He’s great at holding possession and passing, he has the strength and control to run the entire midfield by himself. Because of his suspension Eriksen has been drawing a lot more attention from the opposition’s defenders which leaves Kane alone and isolated. Dembele is still suspended, but Spurs’ (extortionately expensive) purchase of Sissoko on transfer deadline day sees them gain a backup for the Belgian. Sissoko will fill in for Dembele while he sees out the remainder of his suspension, and hopefully he’ll allow the rest of Spurs’ team to give Kane the service he needs to get on the score sheet.

Stoke ended last season in absolutely terrible defensive form, conceding 20 goals in their last 10 games. They haven’t managed fixed their defensive woes yet and are yet to win a point this season. They’ve conceded 6 goals in 3 matches so far, the most of any team in the league. All signs are pointing to Spurs scoring twice in this upcoming fixture (that’s how statistics work, right?).

After a rocky first few weeks it seems like people are staying away from Kane. He was once one of the most picked players in FTSY each week, but he has since fallen from those heights. The good thing for us is that his relative unpopularity means he’s got a high value. He’s sitting at a value of 6 at the moment, which is a great payoff for the current Golden Boot title holder going up against the last place team in the league. In FPL it might be worth looking at Kane if you’re shipping out Aguero during his suspension. Spurs have a good run of games against Stoke (A), Sunderland (H), and Middlesbrough (A). He could be a good differential to have for the few weeks that Aguero is out seeing as most people will gravitate towards Costa. Time to climb aboard the Kane Train.

So there you have it. We’ve all made it through the troubling times of the international break and are being rewarded with an exciting weekend of fantasy football. One final piece of advice: there is the odd chance that a player who has had to travel far during the break will be rested. This mostly applies to South American players, so someone like Lamela may not see action this game week. Chose your FTSY picks and FPL transfers accordingly.