Fantasy Football Tips for Gameweek 17 in the Premier League

The festive fixtures are upon us thick and fast over the coming weeks and it’s important to stay on top of your fantasy football teams during this period or risk losing serious ground on your rivals.

As always, the weekend’s fixtures have been examined and the tipster is back with more suggestions to help you enter Christmas in the best possible shape.

JEREMAIN DEFOE (SUNDERLAND)

With no money to spend in January, Sunderland’s dependence on Jermain Defoe has only intensified. The Black Cats are already preparing for another relegation battle and will need Defoe to continue his fine goalscoring form for the club to have any chance of beating the drop once more.

Defoe has been a revelation for Sunderland in 2016 and his goalscoring form this year has even led to arguments, although weak, that the 34-year-old should be back in the England reckoning. In fact, only Sergio Aguero (27) and Harry Kane (21) have scored more goals in the Premier League in 2016 than Defoe (19).

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The Sunderland striker has scored a staggering 48.7% of the Black Cats' league goals this calendar year and has reserved most of them for the Stadium of Light this term, despite scoring the bulk of his goals last season away from home.

David Moyes’ side host Watford on Saturday and will desperately be looking to secure a win that could lift them off the foot of the table for Christmas. The Hornets have lost each of their last three away league matches at an aggregate scoreline of 11-2, which should give Defoe confidence ahead of this must-win fixture.

AARON CRESSWELL (WEST HAM)

There hasn’t been a lot to cheer about for West Ham supporters this season but they have a real opportunity to put further distance between themselves and the bottom three when they host Hull at the London Stadium this weekend. The Tigers are winless in their last five matches, have lost each of their last six on the road and haven’t even managed a goal in their last 414 minutes of league action away from home!

West Ham are currently four points clear of the bottom three after their 1-0 win over Burnley in midweek and will be disappointed if they haven’t managed to extend that gap by the end of Gameweek 17. If the Hammers are to go down this season, then most of the blame can be directed at their summer recruitment, where they bizarrely neglected the need to strengthen defensively. However, Aaron Cresswell’s return has been a huge boost for Slaven Bilic’s side and the England left-back is crucial to the structure of the team, with few alternatives available to the West Ham manager.

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The 27-year-old has been one of West Ham’s most consistent performers in the last three years and that has been particularly noticeable this season. In fact, the Hammers have lost 66.7% of the league games Cresswell has not been available to start, compared to just a loss ratio of 28.6% when he has started this season.

Cresswell hasn’t been as effective in the attacking third this season, although the reason behind that may be down to the fact West Ham’s strikers have only scored one goal between them this campaign. However, Andy Carroll’s availability should boost Cresswell’s chances of improving in that area, with the reception of the toothless Tigers the ideal opponents to do so against.

CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN (TOTTENHAM)

Fantasy football is all about getting players in your team at the right moment and it certainly appears the right time to draft Christian Eriksen into your side. The Denmark international endured a poor start to the season but has now played a direct hand in seven goals in his last five matches in all competitions. Having only contributed towards five goals in his first 14 games of the season, it’s safe to say that Eriksen has finally hit his best form and you have to take advantage of that this weekend.

In fact, only Alexis Sanchez (8.47) has secured a higher WhoScored rating than Eriksen (8.32) over the last four Premier League matches and the 24-year-old should be confident of extending his fine form when Spurs welcome the worst away team in Premier League this weekend. No team has secured fewer points on the road in the Premier League this season than Burnley (1), who also only have one goal to show from their seven trips around the country!

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With Manchester City set to host Arsenal on Sunday, Tottenham have the perfect opportunity to gain ground on two rivals ahead of them in the league this season. Mauricio Pochettino’s side average 2.1 goals per game at home in the league this season and should be confident of bettering that return on Saturday, with Eriksen likely to be in the thick of the action in Spurs’ new 3-4-3 diamond formation.

ADAM SMITH (BOURNEMOUTH)

It was Bournemouth’s home form last season that almost proved their undoing in their bid to avoid relegation last season. Only Aston Villa (11) won more points from home matches than the Cherries (20), but Eddie Howe’s men have made immense strides in making the Vitality Stadium a fortress this time around. In fact, only Chelsea (21), Tottenham (20), Liverpool and Arsenal (both 17) have won more points on home soil than Bournemouth (16), who enter Saturday’s South Coast derby in fine form.

Adam Smith has been a real success under Howe since joining the club from Spurs in January 2014 and the 25-year-old now offers Bournemouth a different threat after being pushed further forward in their 4-2-3-1 system. This offers fantasy football users the opportunity to secure maximum points, as Smith, who will be registered as a defender, will not only pick up any defensive points Bournemouth earn but there is also a greater chance of securing points in the offensive third. Having played a direct hand in four goals (one goal, three assists) this season from right-back, playing in an advanced role should only increase the chances of bettering that tally.

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Bournemouth beat Southampton 2-0 in this fixture back in March and should be confident of securing a similar result here. Claude Puel’s side have been abysmal on the road this season. They have only won one of eight away league matches this season and have only managed to score six goals in that time.