Week 9 - Player Picks

Before we start, a quick note on Liverpool.

After last night's defeat there's no denying they're in serious, serious trouble. The squad simply isn't strong enough, injuries are mounting, they could be going out of the Champions League &they have Manchester United this weekend, with their title challenge on the verge of being over in October.

But despite all this, I have a funny feeling that Benitez could find something to cause a bit of an upset on Sunday, especially if he can get Torres back & the crowd behind them. Whatever happens, it's sure to be an absolute cracker...I can't wait!

Now on to my player picks for Week 9, and as always there are plenty of options:-

KEEPERS
Given - I picked Shay up on the barndoor but still haven't decided whether to keep him. He'll make saves as always & has a nice home fixture but at almost 8 I'm wondering whether to go with a slightly cheaper option.
Jensen - Had a shocker vs Blackburn, looking uncertain for crosses and making some rash decisions, but this has led to his value dropping & we know Burnley are a different proposition at home. Wigan don't travel well so if you fancy the Beast to keep a clean sheet then he could be great choice for Week 9.
Gordon - My initial barndoor keeper pick, but I've now let him go for Given. I'm not that sure it was the right choice...Gordon is a really nice pick away to a struggling team, with Sunderland hitting form & Birmingham finding it really tough to score goals.
Myhill - Home to Pompey & only £3m. These are the games Hull MUST win & I have a feeling they will, so Myhill could be a bargain. Unlike Robinson he actually makes saves (hence the 4 points in a 2-0 defeat to Fulham), but it's always a risk.
Cech - If you have some cash lying around then Cech at £10m at home to Blackburn is probably the closest you'll get to a guaranteed clean sheet (no guarantee ;)

DEFENDERS
Vermaelen - Duh
Heitinga - Still not good enough for Everton IMO, but he keeps returning points (and get a few free kicks) so I'll probably hang on to him.
Carlisle - Affordable, scores good points & has a decent home fixture vs Wigan.
Mears - See Carlisle
Alexander - Averages less points than both of the above Burnley defenders, but also costs less & there is always a chance that Burnley get a penalty, which he would take, and he nearly always scores.
Bassong - Home fixture & cheap price, although I'm wondering what happens to him when King & Woodgate are both fit to play?
R. Johnson - Whether Birmingham lose by 1 or 3 goals, this man keeps returning excellent points. Sunderland at home isn't the worst fixture & he's still affordable...imagine what he could achieve with a clean sheet!
Sonko - Bargain filler with a home fixture to Pompey
Ivanovic - Bit of an outside bet, but there are rumours that Bosingwa could be out for a week or 2. If that's the case then don't sniff at the chance to have a Chelsea defender at home for Blackburn for under £8m
Richards - Guaranteed to start with Zabeletta suspended and is now under £6m...fantastic value with a home game for City vs Fulham
Bridge - Still under £8m and has the same good fixture as Richards
Finnan - Always a chance of some great attacking points for Steve Finnan. Pompey have been improving & may fancy something at Hull, so Finnan could offer an alternative that few others will pick up on.

MIDFIELDERS
Fabregas - I'm going to hang on to Fabregas for the foreseeable future, as he becomes 1 of my 4 undroppables (along with Verm, Billy & Drogs). He faces a West Ham team who are nowhere near as bad as their league position, but if they decide to take the game to the Gunners (which Zola may well do) then they could be torn apart, with Cesc at the heart of everything.
Arshavin - With Walcott out & Rosicky suffering another knee injury, there is no risk of Arshavin being on the bench this week. He scored off the bench anyway.
Lampard - This is the first time I've recommended Lampard for a long while. He's playing deeper, hardly shooting, getting less corners & free kicks, but I've got a feeling he could break out of his slump vs a Blackburn team with zero away points this season. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was a penalty that does it.
Billy - I have him at £4m. He takes corners. He takes freekicks. He shoots. He stays.
Kranjcar - Now he's taking all corners & freekicks he represents one of the better midfield picks available. Home to Stoke is a game that Spurs should win, so even though he's costing close to £12m I feel he should return his value & possibly more.
Deco - Has stolen Lampard's corners & is playing just behind the strikers, so if he's rested tonight then he'll probably play on Saturday & he could be a great option at under £9m
Bullard - Hull need to start winning, they need some inspiration...step forward Jimmy. He's one of the great fantasy football point scorers & if it's confirmed he's ready to start vs Portsmouth then it's a tempting move.
Geovanni - If Bullard isn't ready then Geo is also in with a chance of a good week
Hunt - And if you can't afford those 2 then Hunt is a possibility, but has been scoring poorly in recent weeks.
Milner - Is in fantastic form & Villa will be on a high after the Chelsea victory. Wolves are struggling at home & I fancy a Villa win so Milner is someone I’ll be considering.
Martin Petrov - He's played 2 of the last 3 games, scoring 2 goals and getting 2 assists. I barndoored him but if Bellamy/Robinho return then I wouldn't be surprised if he lost his place. Would be harsh, but that doubt means I'll probably be getting rid.
Boateng - KPB was bound to score vs Spurs and really does seem to be the heartbeat for Pompey at the moment. He's a bit expensive now but if you have him at £7m it's difficult to drop him for the Hull game.
O'Hara - Will return after missing the Spurs game but may find himself playing deeper with Michael Brown out. Still, he'll take all set pieces so under £6m is a massive bargain.
Reid - His value is back below £10m and he has a decent fixture at Birmingham. Another set pieces taker who I’ll be considering for Petrov's place.
Ballack - Should be back from an ankle injury & always seems to grab goals in Chelsea's home games against lesser opponents.
N'Zogbia - Outstanding vs Man City & should cause Burnley some problems playing in a very attacking right wing role.
Cole/Zhirkov - Maybe a chance for one of them this weekend? Wait for team news before even thinking of getting them in.

STRIKERS
Drogba - Same every week no matter the fixture - unplayable, undroppable. And this week he faces Blackburn.
Van Persie - Pricey due to consistency, but he never seems to really "nail it" with a 25 point week. Capable of doing just that at Upton Park, but I'm probably going to drop him to strengthen elsewhere.
Adebayor - Capable of the sublime as he showed vs. Arsenal but also capable of total rubbish as we saw at Wigan before he decided he was injured & forced Hughes to sub him. No coincidence the first performance was at home & the recent one away, so as City face Fulham he has to be in your thoughts, especially now his price is below £14m.
Crouch - With Defoe suspended for 3 games expect, expect him to really try and grab his opportunity, starting with a goal or 2 vs Stoke. Fantastic value at just £9m.
Tevez - Hasn't completely taken off yet, but he'll want to impress in front of the home fans. He'll run Fulham ragged & could offer a good alternative to Adebayor.
Bent - I keep on not picking him & he keeps on scoring. You can't deny he's been impressive so far with goals vs Liverpool & Man Utd, so with a game at Birmingham there's no reason for him not to continue his goal per game ratio.
Keane - Hasn't been particularly impressive but his 4 goals vs Burnley masked this. However he's guaranteed to start up front and his trickery on the floor may cause Stoke's giant defenders more problems than Crouch's height. Plus he'll take penalties.
Yakubu - I'm wondering whether Moyes might think about starting The Yak at Bolton after a couple of disappointing draws. If so he's a steal at just £7m, but wait for team news.
Saha - If not, Saha isn't a bad bet.
Bellamy - Missed last week's game with another injury but could be back & is in great form.
Agbonlahor - Scary pace will cause Wolves plenty of problems
Diamanti - Doesn't matter how he plays, he'll keep picking up points with his set pieces & "shoot on sight" mentality. Takes penalties too.
Rodallega - Has been shifted out to the left wing to accommodate the surprisingly impressive Jason Scotland, but that hasn't stopped him impressing & will cause Burnley problems along with N'Zogbia.
Rooney - What could he do to a fragile Liverpool this weekend? He'll probably score...but he could just as easily get sent off.

So those are the FIFTY players in consideration this week, but remember this is written well in advance of any team/injury news so don't click "Save Changes" just yet. Anyone you feel I've missed out in my list above?

A reminder to anyone who missed out on the first 4 Blog Leagues that Blog League 5 is now open in preparation for the new Cup competition due to start in the next 2 weeks...click here for details.

Cheers,
AM