Week 3 - Strikers

With plenty of strikers having great fixtures this week it's really tough to call, especially with so many in form & at reasonable prices. I've written a short analysis on a selection below that I hope will help you (and me) make some decisions.

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Drogba - The guy has started the season in unplayable form. He's quick, he's shooting from distance, he's linking up the play & he's scoring goals. As the highest point scorer so far & at under £13.5 million he should be in everyone's teams for the game vs Burnley. Top pick for this week.

Defoe - Readers will know what I think of Defoe. When he gets on a hot streak he scores for goals for fun. He's looking as sharp as I've ever seen and again represents fantastic value considering his points return so far & a home fixture vs Birmingham. Spurs have 4 strikers so I expect him to be rested in the Carling Cup tomorrow night, but he'll be back this weekend. Great pick.

Torres - He's not playing well for a team that have started badly, yet he's scored 2 in 2 and is the 5th highest points scorer. I believe he's the best striker in world football and he has a nice fixture at Bolton. However, I would not recommend him at his £18.25 million as there are better options. I have him at £15 million so he's easier to keep, but that doesn't mean I definitely will.

Rooney - Dropping Rooney after the Burnely game could prove to big one of my biggest mistakes. He has a tough fixture vs Arsneal and I fully expect him to pick up a booking due to the nature of the rivalry between the 2 sides, but I wouldn't put it past him to score a couple in his current form. Again, not someone I'd go for at £18.99 million but if you've had him since the beginning at around £16 million then i'd probably be keeping him.

Adebayor - The classic 1 shot, 1 goal striker. He'll probably score vs Portsmouth but he doesn't get involved as much as other top forwards. He's still a great pick but I've decided that Defoe was more likely for a higher points return.

Robinho - Now here is a pick I really like for Week3. Despite the fact he's playing left wing I have a feeling he could explode vs Portsmouth. Unlike Adebayor he picks up points for crosses, multiple shots from distance, corners won & he'll take free kicks & penalties. I regret not grabbing him at £13 million but even at his current price he still represents fantasic value. If I drop Torres for anyone then it'll be Robinho.

Tevez - The least exciting of the City strikers for me, but because of his price at under £10 million it makes him an interesting option if you want to invest more in your midfielder or a premium striker.

Anelka - Never a bad pick but I never pick 2 strikers from the same team. Seeing as Drogba is cheaper & in better form, Anelka isn't on my radar. Remember the people who picked Arshavin AND Fabregas last weekend? All your eggs in one basket almost always backfires.

Bent - Not for me this week. Almost went for him last week and glad I didn't after his 0.5 points return. At £10million he's not the worst option but there are better & an away game at Stoke is always tough.

Jo - An interesting outside bet for Week 3. Everton will win a league game soon and it'll probably be at Goodison. Wigan go there on the back of a hiding & I just have a feeling that Jo could get a couple this weekend. I don't think I can fit him in but if you're looking for a sub 10 striker and don't fancy Tevez then he's a decent gamble pick.

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I hope that's given you something to think about & maybe helped a bit. From the comments on this week's posts it seems a lot of people are picking very similar teams with only 3 or 4 different players.

For that reason I'm not going to go in too much detail on Defenders as pretty much everyone has a combination of Givet, Vermaelen, Wikinson, Bassong & Richards...but I will be writing a similar post looking at Midfielders tomorrow.

Cheers,
AM