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The Premier League made an explosive return after a two-week hiatus, with every game having at least two goals in it. Surprisingly, seven of the 10 games saw teams keeping a clean-sheet. This mixture of goals and clean sheets saw the FPL points average soar to 56 points, with a lot of high-ownership stars delivering points.
Let's now look at our expert tips for the upcoming game week 13, segregated by position and price range.
NOTE: Stats updated up to 23 November 2017
Goalkeepers
Budget options
Nick Pope - Burnley (£4.6m)
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We mentioned him last week, and we're mentioning him again. Having added 2 more bonus points to his kitty, he is the keeper to have despite his recent price increase making him £0.1 dearer. Burnley have kept 5 clean sheets in their last 7, with Pope bagging an incredible 8 bonus points across these fixtures. Burnley go up against Arsenal this week, but we must keep in mind that they beat Chelsea and drew against both Spurs and Liverpool.
They sit pretty on the points table at 7th position, with 22 points to their name. With a run of 5 good fixtures after the Arsenal game, you can bank on Pope to collect a handy clean sheet, save and bonus points.
Player to watch: Heurelho Gomes - Watford (£4.5m)
If you haven't watched the Watford vs. West Ham highlights from game week 12 yet, do it now to see Gomes make some outrageous saves to frustrate David Moyes on his managerial debut for West Ham. You would not believe that the ex-Spurs keeper is now 36 years old. Watford face Spurs and United in the next 3 weeks, so it could be better to get him in for game week 16, after which they have a kinder run of fixtures. Monitor Watford's defensive performances until then!
Premium options
Thibaut Courtois - Chelsea (£5.4m)
Courtois is our top pick for premium goalkeeper options once again, and we think it's safe to say that he's going to be on top of the pile for a lot of weeks to come now. Afterall, the run of fixtures that Chelsea have until game week 27 is incredible. Back to back victories with a well-deserved 1-0 win against Manchester United followed by an incredible 4-0 thrashing at the Hawthorns could see the Blues gain some much-needed morale.
Chelsea are yet to concede a goal since their 3-0 thrashing at Rome. With the Blues facing the free-flowing Liverpool attack this week, it could make sense to push the Courtois transfer to next week though.
Player to watch: Ederson - Manchester City (£5.5m)
Manchester City have 8 easy fixtures in their next 10. With the run of form that they are in, no game is not easy for them though. They've conceded just 7 goals this season, which is second-best to only their Manchester rivals. Ederson has been excellent this season, and with a low ownership of under 5%, he could be a good differential goalkeeper to have on your team. However, Manchester City have been conceding some goals lately, so keep tabs on their performances over the next few weeks before making this transfer!
Defenders
Budget options
Scott Dann - Crystal Palace (£4.7m)
Crystal Palace are yet to keep a clean sheet this season. There is, however, a good potential for clean sheets now as they face Stoke, Brighton, West Brom, Bournemouth and Watford in their next five. Scott Dann has been a regular threat via set pieces this season and has been really unlucky to not have had his name on the scoresheet so far. He's had 14 shots so far, which is second to only Alonso amongst defenders.
With 3 goals in 23 appearances last season and 5 in 35 the season before that, he’s surely due a few this season as well. With an attractive run of fixtures coming up, it could be the right time to invest a reasonable £4.7 on him.
Players to watch: Alberto Moreno - Liverpool (£4.6m), Charlie Daniels - Bournemouth (£4.9m)
We mentioned the both of them last week and they didn't disappoint. It's the right time to get them both, as they have excellent fixtures coming up, and are also defenders with an attacking mindset.
Premium options
Sead Kolasinac - Arsenal (£6.0m)
Arsenal have adopted Chelsea's title-winning three-at-the-back formation from last year. This gives their wingbacks, Bellerin and Kolasinac a lot of freedom on the wings. Kolasinac has been a constant goal threat this season and has already mustered a goal and three assists.
Arsenal play only three tough games until game week 26 (which is all the way in February), and all of these tough games are at home where they haven't conceded too many. Kolasinac could be a great long-term investment if you have a steep £6.0 to burn.
Player to watch: Andreas Christensen - Chelsea (£5.4m)
Though listed as a 'premium' owing to his price tag of £5.4m, he really is a bargain in a well organised Chelsea defence. Christensen seems to have cemented his starting berth for now, with Luiz reportedly having a fallout with Chelsea boss Antonio Conte. Chelsea have an excellent run of fixtures after Liverpool, and at £5.4m, he could provide a high return on points per million.
Watch his consistency in the starting eleven over the next few weeks before shipping him into your teams though, as he faces stiff competition for his place in the team from David Luiz.
Midfielders
Budget options
Ruben Loftus-Cheek - Crystal Palace (£4.5m)
After a brief injury spell, Loftus-Cheek has come back to provide two assists in his last three starts sandwiched between his debut for England in their international friendly against Germany. Crystal Palace face Stoke, Brighton, West Brom, Bournemouth and Watford in their next five. At a paltry £4.5m, the Chelsea loanee is the definition of a 'steal' in FPL. He could be a great asset to have on the bench. Don't hesitate to give him a run in your starting eleven if you've decided to spend big on your other players.
Player to watch: Fernandinho - Manchester City (£5.2)
Manchester City have been on a riot and look to be running away with the title as of now. They have scored a ridiculous 40 goals already, and it would be a sin not to have Manchester City players in our FPL teams. In Manchester city's perennially uncertain starting eleven, Fernandinho seems to be a constant. He is obviously a defensive-minded player but finds himself in the box on quite a few occasions. At £5.2m, he could make an excellent first substitute or even a fifth midfielder.
Premium options
Paul Pogba - Manchester United (£8.0m)
#Pogback. He's back and how! After a long 7 weeks, Pogba returned with a bang to score a goal and also provide a sumptuous assist for Tony Martial. His Influence-Creativity-Threat (ICT) index have been incredible, as he has found the back of the net thrice and assisted four times in his five starts. He is the only one in his price range worth looking at right now and is this week's highest transferred in player so far. If you believe in the top transfer curse, fear not for it has been broken! Salah scored a brace last week to end the long-lasting curse.
Player to watch: Mesut Özil - Arsenal (£9.3m)
The assist king seemed to have lost his glory with no assist until game week 9. However, he has since then racked up three assists and a goal. With a good run of fixtures over the long run, he could be an interesting differential to have on your team. It may be too soon though, so keep an eye out for the next few weeks before making the move.
Disclaimer: We have not named Salah as we're assuming that you have him on your team already. If not, get him in pronto!
Forwards
Budget options
Callum Wilson - Bournemouth (£6.0)
Callum Wilson scored a hattrick early last season and was out for the rest of the season shortly after that. His injury saw him miss the early third of this season too. His second start of this season saw him nab a hattrick again! This man is a natural goalscorer and is likely to be in the goals as long as he keeps his fitness. With fixtures of Swansea, Burnley, Southampton and Crystal Palace in the next 4, he could be an excellent third forward to have.
Premium options
Harry Kane - Spurs (£12.8m)
With a disappointing performance that saw him bag just one point against Arsenal, it's no surprise seeing FPL managers shipping him out in large numbers. He found the net against Dortmund in the Champions League with a princely finish on Thursday night.
Spurs find themselves out of the top 4 after a loss to their north London rivals. They need Kane to deliver more than ever now, and history has shown that he tends to perform when it matters. Facing a manager-less West Brom next, he could be in for some massive returns.
Word of caution: Niasse, who saw his price rise back to £5.0 this week, has been handed a two-match ban for his dive against Crystal Palace. Pep mentioned in his Champions League press conference that he has been forced to alternate between Jesus and Aguero due to Mendy's injury.
This would mean that we could see this Jesus-Aguero rotation happen for most of the rest of the season. With the 'lion' Zlatan making his shock return this week, it is going to be interesting to see if Mourinho starts both Zlatan and Lukaku, or if we see a Manchester City like rotation in the Manchester United lineup as well.
