This week has been a busy one, work, baby, a trip to London and a mad dash back to get to the CBS on Tuesday, and a funeral yesterday means I’ve struggled to tee anyone up to go on the 5-a-side challenge this week.
With the 5-year-olds football training cancelled due to the snow, rain and wind this morning though, I’ve been able to come up with a slightly different take, and rather than getting someone to take part, I’m going to use the Rate My Team tool from the fantasy football scout members area to pick the 5 best options for GW13.
WHAT IS RATE MY TEAM?
Rate My team is a statistical model built specifically to assess every player in the Premier League and return their expected values for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points in a given Gameweek. The system is a complex and thorough one which, of course, plots the probabilities of a player’s time on the pitch, their expected number of goals, assists, bonus points, yellow and red cards, clean sheets, own goals, goals conceded and saves. The strength of the opponent they are facing in a given Gameweek is also crucial; so every team has a attacking, defensive rating, every player a probability of playing a given match with injuries, suspensions and international absence factored in.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at who the model predicts this week.
GK: Alisson
The model clearly likes Liverpools fixture at home to Southampton this week with the Brazilian stopper the first of 4 picks for the red men. With a projected output of 4.27 points this week, Alisson just beats out Emi Martinez (4.15) as the favoured selection.
DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent is in a league of his own, a king amongst mere men when it comes to defenders. The Model predicts 5.9 points for the right back this week, a full point ahead of his closest rival, Joao Cancelo
MID: Mo Salah
As Trent is to defenders, Salah is to everyone. Arguably the best player in the world right now. Projected output 8.1
MID: Sadio Mane
Completing the Liverpudlian Fab Four is the often overlooked Sadio Mane. With 7 goals in 12, if he played for any other team in the league he’d be deemed essential. RMT projects 6.45 points for Mane this weekend, ahead of Son Heung-Min (5.78)
FWD: Jamie Vardy
i wonder if this would’ve been Bobby Firmino if he was fit?
Vardy (5.85) is probably the first selection I’m struggling to see the logic with. Leicester take on a vastly improved Watford side, and Vardy is looking out of sorts. Kane (5.68) is second in the model, whilst the player I’d personally choose, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (5.05) comes in third