Fantasy preview

Chris Burton mulls over the best options for this weekend

Last updated: 20th November 2008

jermain defoe portsmouth

Defoe: Tipped to tame Tigers

TOP TIPS
Bring in: Jermain Defoe (£6.9m) Rory Delap (£3.3m) Anton Ferdinand (£3.6m)
Leave alone: Didier Drogba (£8m) Emmerson Boyce (£3.6) Theo Walcott (£4m)
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It is with an air of apprehension that I pen this week's Fantasy Football preview as, having avoided this task for several weeks, my select XI have been making positive inroads in the skysports.com office league of late.

It appears that with the weight of expectation which accompanies doling out transfer advice lifted from shoulders; my managerial credentials have taken an unexpected turn for the better.

In a manner which vaguely mirrors Harry Redknapp's arrival at Tottenham, all of a sudden a side which languished perilously close to the precipice of weekly ridicule is now firing on all cylinders and, whisper it softly, is closing in on top spot.

Fortunately, unlike Redknapp, I am not in a position where calamitous keeper Heurelho Gomes can spoil my upward trend with his comical capers, and I remain confident that my recent resurgence will not disperse as quickly as it arrived.

So from my lofty perch close to the top of our office league, here are a few suggestions ahead of the weekend.

First up, fresh from helping England to victory over arch-rivals Germany on Wednesday, I believe Jermain Defoe (£6.9m) will be brimming with confidence heading into the weekend.

With that in mind, and having already found the target on six occasions in the top-flight this season, the diminutive Portsmouth front-man is a good bet to tame the Tigers on Saturday.

Hull City have failed to win any of their last four outings and will not relish a trip to the claustrophobic surroundings of Fratton Park - never mind the prospect of facing Pompey's little and large partnership of Defoe and Peter Crouch.

Slipping back into midfield, Stoke's long-throw expert Rory Delap (£3.3m) has proven to be a consistent provider of telling assists this term and will hope that trend continues.

Expect the Republic of Ireland international to once again be peppering the penalty area in search of towering Potters heads, with West Brom's shaky defence the latest to come under his line of fire.

Moving into the back four and I feel Anton Ferdinand (£3.6m) will prove to a shrewd acquisition for anyone willing to take a punt on the Sunderland centre-half.

The Black Cats welcome misfiring West Ham to the Stadium of Light on Sunday, making them good bets to emerge with a clean sheet on home soil.

Ferdinand will also have the added incentive of facing his former employers and will be desperate to shut out those he once played alongside.

That is about it for this week, but I will sign off be urging you to steer well clear of Chelsea talisman Didier Drogba this weekend - with the Ivorian set to start a three-match ban following his recent coin-throwing escapade against Burnley.

Wigan defender Emmerson Boyce is another who must serve a suspension, so leave well alone, while Arsenal winger Theo Walcott and Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton are both sidelined through injury.

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