Fantasy Premier League Tips: Is the Vardy Party back on?

Five to like

Trent Alexander-Arnold - £4.5m. This isn't just jumping on the bandwagon after his wonder goal in the Champions League qualifier on Tuesday night. I looked at the Liverpool right-back last week but didn't like the match-up of Watford away in the early Saturday kick-off. They would of course go on to concede three times. With Crystal Palace at home this week though, that is much more enticing for a fantasy manager. A great chance to get a £4.5m clean sheet.

Manchester United - various. Beating West Ham 4-0 is all good and well but that isn't the bit that excites me. It was the way they won and more importantly, the two late goals. Last year they struggled to hold on to leads late in the game. In their opening match this time around they kept raiding forward wanting to score more. With Henrikh Mkhitaryan (£8.1m) grabbing two assists from the #10 role and Paul Pogba(£8.0m) scoring to go along with Romelu Lukaku's (£11.6m) brace, that is worth buying into. Swansea away this week means a chance for more fantasy points.

Manchester United are currently trading at 5.90 for Any Other Away Win in the Correct Score on the Exchange

Jamie Vardy - £8.6m. The England striker isn't up against Arsenal's abject back three this weekend but what he showed us last Friday night is Leicester are back to playing to his strengths. Time and again the ball was popped over the top for Vardy to chase on to and if they continue to play like that, he's very much an option for your second or third striker. Brighton at home is a good opponent for those who want to buy now.

Spurs - various. I could just copy and paste a paragraph about Spurs' attacking talents each week but I really love them in the first big clash of the 17/18 Premier League season. Harry Kane (£12.5m) didn't score on Sunday but looked lively enough. Christian Eriksen (£9.5m) came up with two assists and Dele Alli (£9.5m) grabbed a goal. Chelsea look all at sea and won't have Gary Cahill available in defence. I like Mauricio Pochettino's men to score multiple times and you can pick and choose which options you like.

Burnley and West Brom defenders - various. Every so often you look at a fixture and straight away think '0-0' along with 'this will be last on Match of the Day' and this very much ticks that box. I know Burnley scored three times at Chelsea last week but West Brom are a very well marshalled defence. The Baggies though don't have much attacking prowess themselves. So many games at Turf Moor last year lacked excitement and goals, this should just be another to add to the list. The likes of Stephen Ward, Matt Lowton and Ben Mee (all £4.5m) are tempting. This goes with Ahmed El-Sayed Hegazi (£4.6m), Allan-Roméo Nyom and Craig Dawson (both £5.0m) on the away side.

The 0-0 scoreline in the Correct Score market is currently trading at 8.60 on the Exchange..

Five to dislike

Man City midfielders - various. This is solely because it isn't easy to pick which players Pep Guardiola will start. Bernardo Silva (£8.0m) was praised to kingdom come by his manager throughout pre-season but didn't get the nod at Brighton on Saturday. Leroy Sané (£8.5m) also looks on the outside looking in with City now playing three at the back. If you are able to pick the right players you'll do great but it is oh so risky.

Arsenal's defence - various. We have seen this story before. Stoke might not be the bruisers that they were under Tony Pulis but whenever you think of Arsenal's deficiencies then these are the types of fixtures you go to first. I wouldn't be shocked if Peter Crouch started and Jese Rodriguez could even make his debut. This isn't a game I think the Gunners will keep a clean sheet in, so a week to avoid the likes of Héctor Bellerín (£6.0m) and Nacho Monreal (£5.5m).

Steve Mounie - £6.0m. The Beninese front man hit the back of the net twice on opening day and has seen an uptick of selections within the fantasy game. As of the time of writing 3.3% of teams have brought in the cheap Huddersfield centre forward. The match-up is good this week (Newcastle at home) and the next few weeks are decent as well. Still I try not to jump on to the hot hand until it is clear they are worth it. It feels a bit like putting in an extra slip after a ball has flown through the gap. I want to see more before I'm sold.

If you think I'm wrong, he's currently 3.35 to score at anytime in Sunday's match on the Exchange

Wayne Rooney - £7.5m. It felt good to see Rooney grab the winner is his return to Goodison Park. I'm not convinced that he'll be a success this season though and he is about to run the gauntlet in terms of opponents. Man City, Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester United are the next four games for the Toffees. So even though I've made this about the record breaking England goalscorer, this could be about the Everton side as a whole. Time to bench or move out Ronald Koeman's men until September but one new bluenose needs a whole section about himself...

Gylfi Sigurdsson - £8.5m. For the second week in a row I'm keeping the Icelandic international in this spot. It has nothing to do with my feelings towards the player but I'm not sure he'll go straight into the Everton side and if he does, a trip to the Etihad on Monday night is not the week to bring him in. Stay away until he shows how he's going to fit into that XI. He is a fantasy heavyweight but he might not be worth picking up for several weeks.