FPL Bargain Bin: Gameweek 20 Value Picks

FPL Bargain Bin: Gameweek 20 Value Picks

This article is part of our FPL Bargain Bin series.

We've officially made it through half of the Premier League schedule, and while we've seen a number of players who were lower-priced to begin the year that have appropriately risen in price, there are still plenty of cheaper options on a weekly basis that can make an impact.

Scanning this week's fixture list, there are a few lopsided matchups including Manchester United traveling to Stoke City, Manchester City hosting Sunderland, West Ham welcoming West Brom and Leicester City trying to grab at least a point against Liverpool at Anfield. The slight issue is that many of the better teams in those matchups have mostly expensive options, though they're not exclusive, which is why we'll focus there for good fantasy values in Gameweek 20.

Goalkeeper

Adrian ($4,900 DraftKings, $8.1m MondoGoal) v.

West Ham have struggled in their last two matches, losing 2-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and then 2-1 to Arsenal at Upton Park, but they celebrate the New Year with a home match against West Brom, who have scored just five goals in their nine road matches this season, a total that trails only Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa (four). And for leagues that still give points for allowing just one goal, Adrian had allowed multiple goals just once in his previous seven matches before the Chelsea and Arsenal losses.

Defenders

James Collins ($2,000 DraftKings, $4.3m MondoGoal) v.

We've heavily promoted on the RotoWire Fantasy Soccer Podcast the strategy of pairing goalkeepers and defenders, and this week is no different. The clean sheet potential for West Ham is strong against an in-transition West Brom side, but the value comes from Collins, who is expected to get the start in place of starting centreback James Tomkins, who is suspended for the match after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season last Sunday against Arsenal. Collins came on as a sub against Leicester City before Boxing Day and had one tackle and four clearances in 21 minutes, then started against Chelsea and finished with one tackle, two interceptions and eight clearances in a full 90. While Aaron Cresswell ($5,000 DraftKings, $8.3m MondoGoal) is the highest upside play from an offensive standpoint, Collins' price is just too good to pass up.

Alberto Moreno ($3,900 DraftKings, $7.4m MondoGoal) v.

If we're talking about clean sheets, Liverpool have a solid opportunity Thursday against a Leicester City side that have scored just five goals in 10 Premier League matches this season. Moreno was inserted back into the starting XI for Monday's match against Swansea City, who he scored against while also making two key passes and three tackles. Kolo Toure ($3,200 DraftKings, $6.5m MondoGoal) is another option for the Reds, though he provides very little offensive promise and may not start after sitting Monday's match out.

Midfielders

Adam Lallana ($6,400 DraftKings, $8.7m MondoGoal) v.

The defensive options are solid for Liverpool, but don't sleep on the attack, as Leicester have allowed 16 goals on the road this season, with Newcastle, Burnely and QPR the only clubs allowing more while away from home. Lallana has finally appeared to have cemented a spot in the starting XI, and he showed Monday against Swansea City why he deserved it, scoring twice in a 4-1 win. He has been very active of late, taking nine shots (four on goal) in his last three Premier League matches, and with a price that's $2,500 (DraftKings)/$3.3m (MondoGoal) cheaper than Raheem Sterling, Lallana should provide more value per dollar in a possibly lopsided scoreline in favor of the Reds.

Willian ($5,600 DraftKings, $10.3 MondoGoal) v.

The plan last Sunday was for Willian to rest due to the condensed holiday schedule, but after Andre Schurrle struggled to get much going, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho went back to his regular starting right-side midfielder, with Willian taking two shots and drawing four fouls in his 45 minutes on the pitch. He'll likely get back into the starting XI for the Blues' trip to White Hart Lane to face a Spurs side that Chelsea dominated 3-0 in their previous matchup earlier this season. Willian took three shots in that game, with all landing on target, and he drew three fouls. His active play should cause fits for a Tottenham defense that is tied with Arsenal for the most home-goals allowed by teams in the top-nine of the table.

Forwards

Didier Drogba ($6,300 DraftKings) v.

Sticking with the Blues, Drogba's value is obviously very dependent on how much playing time he gets, but with Diego Costa having started all three of Chelsea's holiday matches, he becomes a great candidate to be rested for the New Year's Day game. Drogba's last Premier League start came against Tottenham, this weekend's opponent, and he posted a goal and an assist in a dominating 66 minutes. Drogba took three shots, with two on goal, while also drawing three fouls, making him a very attractive option at White Hart Lane.

Ayoze Perez ($7,500 DraftKings, $7.6m MondoGoal) v.

With Papiss Cisse suspended after being charged with violent conduct for a few elbows thrown the way of Everton's Seamus Coleman, Perez will have the Newcastle scoring load on his shoulders this week at home against Burnley. Perez netted against Everton for his fifth goal in 18 Premier League appearances, and he'll be looking to add to his total against a Burnley side that has allowed the second-most away goals this season. Perez has put at least one shot on goal in four straight league matches, while drawing nine fouls over that span. Given his recent attacking form, he could be just the offensive spark Newcastle need.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew M. Laird
Andrew is a former RotoWire contributor. He was the 2017 and 2018 FSWA Soccer Writer of the Year. He is a nine-time FSWA award finalist, including twice for Football Writer of the Year.
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