Come one, come all and behold our Fantasy Football tips Gameweek 18 goalkeepers and defenders round-up!
Of course, we don’t know for certain what will happen in Thursday’s Premier League fixtures, so there’s a chance our Fantasy Football tips might not work out for you.
Rest assured though that, as educated guesses go, they are at least as educated as they are guessed.
Oh, and we also ought to point out that our Fantasy Football tips are based on the official Premier League version of the game, but the basic principles should apply across the board.
IMPROVE THE REST OF YOUR SIDE Try our midfielder and striker recommendations for gameweek 18
Ready? Then let’s begin…
Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 18: Goalkeepers and Defenders
Newcastle United continued their impressive run with a 3-0 win at Crystal Palace, who themselves had been looking solid of late.
The return of Fabricio Coloccini into an already improving defence has given the Magpies a steeliness that should serve them well when Stoke City come to visit on Thursday.
Mark Hughes’s side are going well themselves, unbeaten in four as they are, but we fancy Newcastle for another clean sheet here.
Goalkeeper Tim Krul remains a bargain at just £5.2m, while unfashionable centre-half Mike Williamson represents splendid value at £4.4m.
Right-back Mathieu Debuchy will set you back a little more at £5m, but his ability to pop up with points-spinning goals and assists could make the investment worthwhile.
Only a Bryan Oviedo own-goal prevented Everton from keeping another clean sheet in their 2-1 win at Swansea City, but they still have the Premier League’s best defensive record.
Séamus Coleman‘s price may have crept up to £6.3m, but he’s becoming damn near essential – his screamer at the Liberty was the right-back’s third goal in five games, and fourth altogether.
Coleman was our number 1 recommendation when we listed the top 10 Fantasy Football bargains in pre-season, so this writer is quite smug to see him topping the defenders category in terms of points.
The Toffees welcome bottom-of-the-table Sunderland to Goodison Park on Thursday, so their chances of a shut-out are worth gambling on.
If you’re strapped for cash then evergreen centre-back Sylvain Distin is still relatively nice and cheap at £5.3, albeit his goals are few and far between.
After a tough run of fixtures, Arsenal have a chance to reassert their newfound solidity at West Ham United – Laurent Koscielny is set to return from injury and is certainly worth a punt at £5.4, although we’re inclined to use up our permitted three Gunners on the midfield.
Finally, our 0-0 tip for the day is Norwich City v Fulham, maybe Aston Villa v Crystal Palace too at a pinch, so you may wish to avail yourselves of the various cheap options amongst that lot.