This article is part of our FPL Bargain Bin series.
Gameweek 14 is upon us and it brings about our first set of midweek league matches. Certainly teams have been playing midweek before this, but unless you find yourself in a Fantasy Champions League, they did not really matter much to your fantasy id.
One of the key aspects to the midweek match is the short turnaround time. Typically a player would have six or seven days to recover from any sort of knocks they pick up during the previous match. Obviously this is not the case in Gameweek 14, as some teams will be playing with only two days of rest between matches.
That makes for interesting decisions for players like Wayne Rooney, who got a little banged up during Saturday's victory over Hull City. While there are reports that he will be ready to go, it would be no surprise to see his playing time restricted. This is especially true with Robin van Persie in form and Falcao coming back from injury. It is this sort of situation that led me to rank van Persie ahead of Rooney in our Gameweek 14 rankings.
Just be sure to keep an eye on the submitted lineups when setting yours, and see if there are any changes in team setup that you can exploit to your advantage. Especially keep an eye on the goalkeeper situation, as there are plenty of good reserve options in the daily set up that could see some time in Gameweek 14.
Goalkeeper
Robert Elliot ($3,000 – DraftKings; $3.5M – Mondogoal) at Burnley
Elliot is one of those keepers that is assured a start as Tim Krul is expected to miss six weeks because of injury. Burnley have looked spry lately, but at the cost you cannot really pass up the chance to start a goalkeeper against a team that has been held scoreless in six of their 13 league matches this season. Burnley do not typically attempt many shots, so Elliot may not be asked to do too much to keep a clean sheet.
Notes: If anyone can be considered defensively in the West Brom v. West Ham match, it's the home side. At $4,000 in DraftKings and $6.1M in Mondogoal, Ben Foster could be a potential option for cheap. Even counting the matches Christian Benteke has played, Aston Villa have scored only three goals in their previous nine league matches. Should Julian Speroni ($3,500 Draft Kings, $5.7M Mondogoal) find some of his magic from last season, he could be a good candidate for a clean sheet this week.
Defender
Angel Rangel ($3,500 – DraftKings; $7.1M Mondogoal) vs Queens Park Rangers
Rangel and Swansea City will be home to face a Queens Park Rangers side that has scored just one goal in their last three road league matches. In fact, QPR have just two goals in six away matches this season. There are plenty of stats that show QPR are far from prolific away from Loftus Road. One is that they average only 2.17 attempts on target per away match this season. They are also very inaccurate in their attempts, as only 22 percent of QPR's shots find the target in away matches. Meanwhile, Swansea City do a great job of limiting the shots their opponents are able to get on target each week. Opponents are averaging just 3.4 attempts on target in matches played in Liberty Stadium. The clean sheet potential is nice for all Swansea defenders, but the peripheral stats are what make Rangel valuable this weekend. He leads all Swans defenders in shots and assisted shots this season, and he also has the second most blocked shots.
Notes: If you are able to pick guys from the Sunday matches, Sylvain Distin ($8.7M Mondgoal) has been in Everton's starting XI the last three matches and gets a great matchup against struggling Hull City. If Elliot is a good play at GK, then so too is Paul Dummett ($3,600 Draft Kings, $7.8M Mondogoal) in defense.
Midfielder
Steven Gerrard ($6,600 – DraftKings; $8.9M Mondogoal) at Leicester City
It's hard to imagine a world in which Gerrard could be considered a bargain, but after just two goals and one assist this season, Gerrard has seen his price dip in the daily games. Now might be the time to pounce on the veteran midfielder. In the month of November he actually led Liverpool in shot attempts (seven). Sure, none were on target, but he is far too good to go that long without making the goalkeeper work. There is another aspect of Tuesday's match that could also make Gerrard intriguing: Leicester City lead the league in fouls committed per game. Their sometimes sloppy defensive play has led to allowing two penalty kicks this season. Gerrard put up great numbers last season thanks to his strikers' ability to draw fouls in the box and his ability to convert the penalty. If there was ever a chance for him to find some of that good fortune this season, against Leicester City may be that opportunity.
Notes:Mile Jedinak ($6,400 Draft Kings, $8.5M Mondogoal) has five goals in his last eight appearances after converting a penalty this past weekend, and he gets a home match against struggling Aston Villa on Tuesday. The home side in the West Brom v. West Ham matchup has averaged two goals per match during the last six meetings. Chris Brunt ($5,300 Draft Kings, $5.8M Mondogoal) has four assists on the year and gets plenty involved in the Baggie attack.
Forward
Ayoze Perez ($7,300 – DraftKings; $7.8M Mondogoal) at Burnley
Even in their recently-found good form, Burnley are still allowing goals. Though the Clarets have picked up seven points over the last three matches, they have kept just one clean sheet and still allow an average of 1.6 goals per match. Ever since Perez was inserted into Newcastle's starting XI back on Oct. 26, the Magpies have won five of their last six and Perez has tallied three goals. In the month of November, Perez has been extremely accurate, putting six of his eight shot attempts on target. Burnley have allowed 16.7 shot attempts per match this season, which gives Perez a great opportunity to find the back of the net for a fourth time this season.
Notes:Christian Benteke ($8,200 Draft Kings, $6.6M Mondgoal) returns from his suspension and should be considered a bargain at his cost against Crystal Palace. Jamie Vardy ($5,900 Draft Kings, $5.8M Mondogoal) has been Leicester City's most active attacker recently and Liverpool's defense has not been giving the most confidence of late.
