Diving in the Box: Fantasy Premiership Week 4

To prove I haven't gone the way of Special 1 TV being canned due to Setanta Sports going belly up, I'm back from my rather long vacation to resurrect Diving in the Box (shut up, administration!). What a week to make a return on, just as the Premier League resumes from the international break with three big matches: Manchester United going to unbeaten Tottenham, Manchester City also on a 100% record hosting Arsenal, and the first Birmingham Derby of the season. Meanwhile, let me just say it's surreal to see Argentina and Portugal on the brink of not qualifying for next Summer's World Cup. I reckon Portugal have a lifeline now that they've beaten second place Hungary in their group, but let's just say I had the slightest inkling that Diego Maradona was going to muck up the Argentina side. By the way, congrats to England for qualifying in style and in conquering some old demons too in knocking the snot out of Croatia. Get in!

I've been playing catch-up the last several weeks because honestly, I haven't watched much live Premier League football over my three week hiatus and that includes the Manchester United midweek upset at the hands of Burnley and the controversial United win over Arsenal, where Arsene Wenger's histrionics literally took center stage in stoppage time (to much hilarity). So, I've relied mainly on either match highlights on FootyTube or the full match replays on Fox Soccer Channel whenever I can find them. Anyway, some personal observations I've drawn over the first three or four weeks of the new campaign...

• First, let's have a little chuckle at Liverpool. Two defeats at Tottenham in their first go-round and a shocking 3-1 loss to Aston Villa at Anfield have put a bit of a dent in Liverpool's title credentials. Granted, it's early, but I think those two matches lend some insight into how Liverpool can do, without Xabi Alonso at the heart of the park. No Alonso means one of two things: Steven Gerrard having to do some custodian work in dropping deeper for the ball and Fernando Torres being isolated at the top. This was on full display in both defeats, as Liverpool lacked any real flow or bite in their attack. As for the rearguard, apparently they've forgotten their fundamental marking and outside of the game at Stoke, they have surrendered two or more goals in each of their matches, which also includes the comeback win at Bolton. Time will tell if this is more or less a dip in form that's attributed to early-season rust, but unless Alberto Aquilani pulls a rabbit out of his magic hat in more ways than one, Liverpool will have problems. At least, the Fat Spanish Waiter didn't bottle the whine, if you know what I mean.
• This diamond smuggling business has to stop. That's what you're muttering to yourself if you're a concerned Frank Lampard owner. That said, it seems that Lamps and Chelsea are adapting gradually to Carlo Ancelotti's diamond system, which generally isn't too successful in the English game, but it has held up OK so far. The opening match against Hull really put the fear of God into Chelsea fans and Lampard owners alike when it seemed that there was no room to operate with, which forced Lampard to give it to a non-playmaker such as Florent Malouda or to rush it up front to either Nicolas Anelka or Didier Drogba. Chelsea have looked steady in the first four matches, but aside from Michael Essien, nothing massively impressive to be gleaned from this stretch, except for the fact they're far and away, the best contender to United's title as things stand.
• The transfer deadline was a relatively predictable one and the biggest splash was Joleon Lescott's move from Goodison Park to Manchester City. To be honest, factoring in Everton's 6-1 bugaboo against Arsenal, David Moyes needed to find funds to bolster the defense which has no real spine with Phil Jagielka still sidelined. If Moyes couldn't come up with the funds on what he currently had, the obvious thing to do was to sell Lescott for a fat sum. A team can't possibly make do with Joseph Yobo and Tony Hibbert in the starting XI for the long haul. Moyes recouped in buying Johnny Heitinga from Atletico Madrid and Sylvain Distin from the Portsmouth fire sale and while I'm not bullish on Heitinga, Distin is a proven Premier League defender and should be a fine help for the Toffees. Meanwhile at Eastlands, Richard Dunne followed the revolving door out to Aston Villa, a side that I also thought were in serious need for aid at the back and alongside the experienced Dunne, Villa bought Blackburn's Stephen Warnock and West Ham's James Collins. It should be interesting to see if Everton and Villa have sufficiently met their defensive needs in the long run, with a move up the table.
• I've probably gone on record in saying that Turf Moor for Burnley could be what the Britannia had been for Stoke last season in their bid for survival. Sure enough, they pull off two big upsets of United and Everton on the same week, but they have yet to find the net away from Turf Moor and I reckon that such drought will be prolonged at Anfield this Saturday.
• What's with Manchester City and their bloody artwork propaganda? You know about the famous Carlos Tevez "Welcome to Manchester" ads and here's a stylized painting of Emmanuel Adebayor (I'm sorry, he looks like that wanker Tevez) dab smack in a Manchester shopping mall. Notice the City Store at the background with the graphics adorning their store windows. Like the Tevez campaign, this ad was created by City's marketing people, not City fans. Hmmm...
• Well, I have to admit that four games in, I like the fresh feeling to the start of the season; it feels quite different than in seasons past. With Liverpool struggling to get their footing, City off to a 100% start so far, and Spurs seeming to have put their best foot forward in challenging for a Champions League place, we might see the most unsettled top four race in quite a while if this keeps up. I'm still of the frame of mind that City will find a way to muck up their bid for a top four place, but I believe I'm most impressed with Spurs, especially with Wilson Palacios adding steel to that midfield, which makes Spurs a harder team to counter against. I don't believe they'll crack the top four still, but they'll be a tough out especially at White Hart Lane and for United this weekend.
• As for United, they have started out as I expected them to: sluggish despite the soft opening (outside of the five-star thrashing at Wigan), but that has hardened with an unconvincing win over Arsenal, Spurs this weekend, and the following week's Manchester Derby, the biggest derby in recent memory. The only thing I'll say at the moment is I hope that this is the year Wayne Rooney stays healthy throughout. Everything begins and ends with Rooney, which makes it all the more important for him to keep the dropping back and wandering to a tolerable minimum, such that his feet can hold up better over a long campaign. This is the inherent paradox with Rooney because his all-action play also helps United in a big way that's not reflected on the score sheet and the answer isn't as necessarily straightforward as taking that parallel of Fabio Capello using Wazza in a more straightforward central role and implementing that. Time will tell, of course, as Rooney is still a work in progress and the team sans Ronaldo is very much a work in progress.

Lastly, if you can sum up the last couple of weeks, it can be summed up with two big news bits. One, is the big transfer ban imposed on Chelsea for poaching Gael Kakuta from his former club Lens and therein provoking a breach of contract. That's a fairly big blow, considering that the African Cup of Nations this January will leave Chelsea devoid of Essien, Mikel, and Drogba. Obviously, the January window would have been used to bring in suitable fill-in talent to replenish a side that's also a bit up there in age. Of course, what we're seeing now is the likes of United as well as City and even Everton under the gun for making illegal signings of youths plying their trade in France. I'm more excited by the second bit myself, and that's the Eduardo diving incident. Why's that, you say? Well, it gave me some inspiration to create my Diving in the Box banner on my down time. The next poster children for the next few banners will be Steven Gerrard and Didier Drogba, but I'd ride the tide of public opinion and plaster Eduardo on there. For what it's worth, I believe he tripped and didn't dive intentionally, but one thing is for sure, that was a very soft penalty with Celtic's Boruc making very little contact. The billboard isn't much, but check it out anyway:

Just say the "Get up, Eduardo" bit much like the Special 1 TV Jose Mourinho puppet would say "Shut up, Eduardo" and I reckon it would be of greater comic value. At any rate, with that out of the way, let's get to the business at hand...

Forwards

Must-haves:

• Fernando Torres, Liverpool (v Burnley)
• Didier Drogba, Chelsea (at Stoke)
• Wayne Rooney, Manchester United (at Tottenham)
• Emmanuel Adebayor, Manchester City (v Arsenal)
• Jermain Defoe, Tottenham (v Manchester United)

Start:

• Darren Bent, Sunderland (v Hull)
• Robin van Persie, Arsenal (at Manchester City)
• Dirk Kuyt, Liverpool (v Burnley)
• Nicolas Anelka, Chelsea (at Stoke)
• Gabriel Agbonlahor, Aston Villa (at Birmingham)
• Kevin Davies, Bolton (at Portsmouth)

Risky business:

• Dimitar Berbatov, Manchester United (at Tottenham)
• Kenwyne Jones, Sunderland (v Hull)
• James Beattie, Stoke (v Chelsea)
• Michael Owen, Manchester United (at Tottenham)
• Robbie Keane, Tottenham (v Manchester United)
• Peter Crouch, Tottenham (v Manchester United)

Take a punt on:

• Benni McCarthy, Blackburn (v Wolverhampton)
• Tuncay Sanli, Stoke (v Chelsea)
• Cristian Benitez, Birmingham (v Aston Villa)
• Hugo Rodallega, Wigan (v West Ham)
• Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Hull (at Sunderland)

Toss out:

• Carlos Tevez, Manchester City (v Arsenal)
• Robinho, Manchester City (v Arsenal)
• Jo, Everton (at Fulham)
• Louis Saha, Everton (at Fulham)

Topping the must-haves is what I'd call the Holy Trinity of fantasy strikers (thus far), Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba, and Wayne Rooney. The fact that Liverpool play host to Burnley is just kerosene to the fire for Fernando Torres, which makes him heads and shoulders above the rest, as the man to have this week amongst elite strikers to have in the fold of your fantasy teams. Torres had a downer of an opener at Spurs, which spurred on cause for concern if Torres is to be left on an island in the future with that all-important bridge at the middle of the park missing. Alonso's absence is cause for concern for Liverpool, but apparently, that's less of a worry for your fantasy team because Torres has laid waste to his next three opponents: Stoke, Aston Villa, and Bolton in having put together three goals (having struck in each of those games) and an assist in this short span. If you're buying in and have some change to upgrade to Torres, then that's a highly advisable move.

Second to Torres for fantasy potential this week is Drogba and while a trip to the Britannia normally entails a physical game in which Stoke tries to take the visiting teams out of their element, Chelsea tend to fancy a physical game and Drogba is a striker who doesn't mind being a physical force. Only the Ivory Coast hitman and Rooney are double digits in shots on target thus far. In Drogba's case, the diamond makes him the pivotal man of which the Chelsea attack emanates from, as he's a menace with his relentless shooting and given that he can interchange with Nicolas Anelka out wide, Drogba has some assist potential and he already has a couple to his name. Yours truly has had Drogba since the opening week before he went bonkers on Hull with a two-goal brace, for a mere bargain of 10.66 million quid in the Yahoo game, and needless to say, he's too good of a value to be selling. If you're buying in, Drogba can be had for 13.69 million, which is still a pretty decent price for a top striker, especially in light of Torres and Rooney being close to the 20 million mark.

Speaking of Rooney, the prospect of Spurs at White Hart Lane might sound daunting, especially in light of how Wilson Palacios and company were able to keep Liverpool at bay by dismantling their break at the middle of the park. The United midfield aside from Darren Fletcher has underwhelmed and their service wasn't quite so good against Arsenal last time out until a better second half sparked more life in the United attack going forward. With that out of the way, everything runs through Rooney and just about every goal scored for United has had the imprint of Wazza all over it.

The other big match this week takes place on the Blue Half of Manchester, as Manchester City welcome Arsenal, and the main storyline here is Emmanuel Adebayor's first game against his former club. Outside of the obvious quest to gain a measure of revenge against his old mates, and in particular, Arsene Wenger and the Gunners fans, Adebayor is off to a cracking start, having struck three goals in his first four matches. The Togo hitman seems to be the go-to man in putting the ball in the onion bag for City and while he's a bit pricey for my liking in Yahoo (15.42 million), if you have him at some discount, he can still reap big rewards against his former side. Last of the elite must-have strikers is Spurs forward Jermain Defoe, who is tied with Wayne Rooney for the most goals in the league with four. The matchup against United seems risky, but I'd say it's riskier to let Defoe go. I can't see United keeping a clean sheet, even with Rio Ferdinand back in the fold, and Defoe is a confidence striker; he can go on a goal scoring rampage with the best of them. The England international has rediscovered the golden touch, now reunited with Harry Redknapp and of course, lest we forget, at this time last year, Defoe was going bonkers for Pompey of all teams. Keep him in, lads.

Defoe's former mate, Darren Bent, looks to be the best mixture of reward for the price. DBent is priced at 9.38 million in Yahoo and he is off to another solid start, with two goals bagged through the first four. Granted, Bent's strike rate is quite low given that Sunderland's service can be lacking at times, but he can make up for that in a big way against a porous Hull side that is now without centerback Michael Turner, who made the move to Sunderland. If I had to choose between Bent and his strike partner Kenwyne Jones, it would be Bent, seeing how Jones could be tired after serving his international duty with Trinidad & Tobago over the international break.

Robin van Persie might just be the unluckiest sod among all strikers. The Dutchman has yet to scratch on a goal and was close a couple of times against United in finding the goal. RVP is in terrific form, however, and he has three assists to his name. Remember that van Persie takes the majority of set pieces, is the spot kicker, and with no Arshavin in the lineup for at least this week, you have to feel that the burden is on van Persie to score. City are likely to trot out Joleon Lescott for his first start, but don't be led to believe that the Blues can keep a donut in their goals allowed record, as Arsenal have the firepower to breach Shay Given's goal for the first time this year.

I'm a bit leery of the next four starts I recommended for reasons that are somewhat beyond me. I've never really been a Dirk Kuyt apologist, seeing how I'd wish for my strikers to have a bit more skill than being opportunistic. However, if you're on a budget and are looking to capitalize on Liverpool's appetizing home matchup of Burnley, Kuyt is worth a go. Nearly 16.5 million is a bit too steep to be spending on Anelka, for a guy who's best served playing out wide and deferring the out-and-out role to Drogba, but the fact remains that he and Drogba can interchange their roles, making the Elk a target man. I'd rather save more than a pretty penny on Drogba instead although I felt like saying it was kosher to start Anelka on the matchup alone. Gabriel Agbonlahor, as I've said countless times, is like lightning in a bottle: he's lightning-quick but in fantasy terms, he flashes with a huge week at the risk of being nonexistent in the next four weeks. Gabby scored last time out against Fulham and this time around, Villa head cross town to St. Andrews for what's usually a heated derby against Birmingham, which isn't quite as favorable a matchup as one might think, seeing how Birmingham almost had gone four games without yielding two or more goals, had it not been for a late Spurs winner. Bolton's Kevin Davies might have some promise of scoring against a Pompey rearguard that has surrendered 7 goals thus far.

If I can help it, I want nothing to do with the "Risky Business" folks. Dimitar Berbatov is normally lining up with Rooney in United's starting XI, but the Michael Owen factor off the bench adds a wrinkle to his fantasy stock, although he like Adebayor, has some motivation of making good against his former team at his old stomping grounds. I'm also saying no thanks to Peter Crouch when his role is best off the subs bench and no thanks to Robbie Keane when Defoe (and even Aaron Lennon) has been the one making paydirt. James Beattie doesn't have a really promising prospect of scoring against Chelsea, which makes him risky for even a sub-10 striker. I'd definitely wave goodbye to that wanker Carlos Tevez, who is set to sit this week but could return for the Manchester Derby and Robinho is a possible injury doubt with a knock he picked up in the World Cup qualifier against Argentina. Also, with Fulham known to contain the Craven Cottage pitch well, I'd forgo any Everton attacker that won't be likely to outproduce his value.

There are two cheap buys that might be worth your while this week. One is Birmingham striker, "Chucho" Cristian Benitez, who figures to get Alex McLeish's blessing to make his first start with the Blues. Martin O'Neill has made quite an overhaul with his Villa rearguard, but could still be vulnerable and on derby days, you can toss away the script sometimes. Benitez is fairly cheap at roughly 6m and can be worth your while; I'd probably start him over Wolves' Sylvan Ebanks-Blake for a similar price. The second is Stoke's new signing, Tuncay Sanli, and while I've ascertained that Stoke will likely have troubles in breaching the Chelsea goal, one can have the Turkish international for a measly pound. Yes, 1m pound. This means I can squeeze in a striker who with better luck could have been packing his bags to Anfield to pair up with Fernando Torres for a measly 1-something while spending the rest on Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, and Drogba. If Tuncay can bag a goal or two, what a bonus that would be. Do yourself a favor and head to your 99 cent store to pick up Tuncay off the shelf. Just know you're running the risk of having a no-show in your lineup for a measly buck if Tuncay is coming off the subs bench.

If neither Chucho nor Tuncay are your cup of tea, then I think the next best cheap forward matchup is Rovers' Benni McCarthy in a rather appetizing home matchup against Wolves. You can also plug in Wigan's Hugo Rodallega for the prospect of coming big in a lukewarm matchup or take a shot on the new boy from Celtic, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink who is set to make his Hull debut against Sunderland.

Midfielders

Must-haves:

• Steven Gerrard, Liverpool (v Burnley)
• Frank Lampard, Chelsea (at Stoke)

Start:

• Matthew Taylor, Bolton (at Portsmouth)
• Ashley Young, Aston Villa (at Birmingham)
• Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal (at Manchester City)
• Nani, Manchester United (at Tottenham)
• Stephen Hunt, Hull (at Sunderland)
• Yossi Benayoun, Liverpool (v Burnley)
• Jordi Gomez, Wigan (v West Ham)
• Michael Ballack, Chelsea (at Stoke)

Risky business:

• Aaron Lennon, Tottenham (v Manchester United)
• Stephen Ireland, Manchester City (v Arsenal)
• Shaun Wright-Phillips, Manchester City (v Arsenal)
• Antonio Valencia, Manchester United (at Tottenham)
• Gareth Barry, Manchester City (v Arsenal)

Take a punt on:

• Kieran Richardson, Sunderland (v Hull)
• Nenad Milijas, Wolverhampton (at Blackburn)
• Michael Kightly, Wolverhampton (at Blackburn)
• Morten Gamst Pedersen, Blackburn (v Wolverhampton)
• Clint Dempsey, Fulham (v Everton)
• Niko Kranjcar, Tottenham (v Manchester United)
• Jason Koumas, Wigan (v West Ham)
• Charles N'Zogbia, Wigan (v West Ham)

Toss out:

• Andrei Arshavin, Arsenal (at Manchester City)

Isn't that the worst fist pump picture you've ever seen? Yes, I'd be stoked about England clinching a place in next season's World Cup while dispatching a Croatia side that less than two years ago denied England qualification for Euro 2008, but I'm guessing that Steven Gerrard is also stoked for me believing that amongst he and his England midfield mate, Frank Lampard, that he has the top spot for this weekend's games. If you had to pick one between Stevie G. and Lamps, it would have to be the Liverpool skipper being the better play this weekend. What you see is what you get from Gerrard: he takes all the set pieces, the penalties, and has maintained a healthy strike rate for Liverpool. As for Lampard, he has struggled a bit in adapting to the diamond and hasn't been quite his dynamic self in full. On the pure matchup alone, Burnley should be turning on a light bulb for you to give Gerrard the nod here. If you could squeeze in Lamps and Stevie on the same side (as I have managed to do in both my Yahoo and EPL teams) without hurting too much elsewhere, here's a fine week to do so.

Of the recommended start options, I like Bolton's Matthew Taylor the best of the lot. Matty has maintained a healthy 11.33 point weekly average in the Yahoo game despite the fact he has yet to crack the score sheet. The Bolton winger has done most of his damage on successful crosses and for his efforts in winning corners and spot fouls. Taylor is practically the attack for Bolton and against a Portsmouth side devoid of Sylvain Distin moving to presumably greener pastures in Everton, this might be a big game for Matty.

I'm not a massive fan of Ashley Young this week, to be honest, more or less because he's inconsistent and defenses tend to hone in on him more, being Villa's main creative source; I'm not sure if Young's decision making is up to scratch when the opposition attempt to lock and close down on him. That said, the matchup at Birmingham is decent enough to consider, only because of his set piece involvement increasing the incidence he'll provide something of value. Likewise, I'm not really a Cesc Fabregas fan in fantasy terms because of the nature of his two-way role and he only has one shot on target since bagging a two-goal opening brace. He seems fit based on his midweek outing for Spain and no Andrei Arshavin might mean some onus is on Cesc to get a bit more involved in the Arsenal attack.

Then, you have your potential value options who have a good shot at starting for you week in and week out. Nani can be had for under 10 million in the Yahoo game and in the games he's played in, he's either produced up to value or exceeded it. He's not a pure scoring winger, but I see a bargain version of Aaron Lennon out of him (more on Lennon in a bit) and Spurs haven't kept anyone out of the net just yet in this young term. His quick pace and trickery can induce fouls from the opposition and give you some effort points for what he might lack in scoring panache. Hull's Stephen Hunt isn't short on said panache, mainly because he's had to poach goals for a Tigers side that can't manage to get goals up front. The former Reading mid has had the magic touch for the Yorkshire side, with two goals and an assist, and now with veteran keeper Craig Gordon a doubt for Sunderland, Hull can nick a goal perhaps. Besides, Hunt's sub-10 value makes him worth keeping and better yet, if you retained him for much cheaper. I also like Yossi Benayoun as a cheap winger with some reward for a big game against Burnley, as he often enjoyed down the stretch last term. Wigan's Jordi Gomez leads all midfielders in fouls won and because of his involvement in Wigan's run of play as well as on set pieces, Gomez is too good to drop for the price. Michael Ballack has poached the odd goal twice thus far and is coming off his best game against Burnley. In a game that might be fought through aerial set pieces, Ballack will be one of the trees to try and put a head on goal.

Controversial to say Aaron Lennon is risky business? Well, here's the thing: let's give the England winger props for scoring two vital goals for Spurs thus far and he has surely picked up from where he left off last year with continued improvement. Lennon even supplied a picture-perfect cross to Gerrard last Wednesday to double England's lead over Croatia in an emphatic 5-1 rout. His crossing skill has improved a great deal in that he has developed a range of crosses, which can only accelerate his fantasy stock. He has fantastic pace, fine body control on the occasion he needs to turn on a dime, and his ball control is close and compact. However, he's not quite a goal scorer yet or proven that he can be and for fantasy purposes, he's a bit overvalued right now, especially in the Yahoo game. You likely bought in at 10-11 million on the ground floor, which is quite pricey for a winger of Lennon's caliber and now, he's going in the mid-13 range, which makes for a harsher buy-in. Lennon caused Patrice Evra a host of problems in the Carling Cup final and in the first half of Man United's 5-2 comeback victory over Spurs, but Evra has looked better on a fresher bill of health. If you feel like you have Lennon for good value, then fine, go right on and keep him. Buying in? Well, I'd put that off for another week, I say, and maybe prices will normalize.

I'm not too big on spending double digits for the City trio of Shaun Wright-Phillips, Gareth Barry, and Stephen Ireland. First, with regards to Barry. I know much of his value hinges on his penalty kick tacking, which he surely has at Eastlands. However, with Barry, you're essentially paying for custodian's work at the center of the park. The former Villa man makes most of his hay on tackles, passes intercepted, and the fouls won when he's usually making challenges on the ball. Just remember that you should focus on midfielders who are more likely to give you something of value going forward, even though tacklers can come useful as well. SWP tends to be a fouls magnet, but has posted a pedestrian points average because he hasn't gotten as many fouls and granted, it's difficult when you have more players on your side that demand more of the ball. Finally, Ireland hasn't done much of note on the attack since coming through with an insurance goal to hand City an opening day win over Blackburn. This might have to do with the Adebayor effect, but if you feel he'll get something forward soon enough, as soon as this weekend, then spend the low 12's price on Ireland. He's a bit risky for my liking, but see it as good risk for what he can pitch in with a prospective goal or an assist.

To prove I'm not being a total homer, I'm staying away from United winger Antonio Valencia, who has been somewhat disappointing so far this year. His brilliant pace has been on display for everyone to see, but his crossing has seemed a bit off and he's been far from unflappable when he's given a golden chance to bag a goal.

There's a couple of pricey punts with some interesting matchups: Morten Gamst Pedersen of Rovers against Wolves, Clint Dempsey of Fulham against Everton, and the injured Luka Modric's possible stand-in, Niko Kranjcar. Still being somewhat of a cheapskate, I'll advise the Wigan duo of Jason Koumas and Charles N'Zogbia with a somewhat promising, otherwise lukewarm matchup against West Ham, as well as the Wolves duo of Nenad Milijas and Michael Kightly on the road at Rovers. Kightly, in particular, could be fit enough to feature against Blackburn and is slightly cheaper than Milijas, with Championship pedigree under his belt; he was essentially a double-double winger in goals and assists. Something to keep in mind, no? Kightly was one of my big preseason sleepers and could be worth a trot. Lastly, Kieran Richardson has yet to get off the mark, but is given the chance to shine against a Hull side that make fundamental errors, which can bode well for a set piece-intensive mid like Richardson.

Defenders

Must-haves:

• Glen Johnson, Liverpool (at Burnley)
• Ashley Cole, Chelsea (at Stoke)
• Ryan Shawcross, Stoke (v Chelsea)

Start:

• Jose Bosingwa, Chelsea (at Stoke)
• Thomas Vermaelen, Arsenal (at Manchester City)
• Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Liverpool (v Burnley)
• Jamie Carragher, Liverpool (v Burnley)
• Gael Givet, Blackburn (v Wolverhampton)
• Matthew Upson, West Ham (at Wigan)
• Gary Cahill, Bolton (at Portsmouth)
• Roger Johnson, Birmingham (v Aston Villa)
• Andy Wilkinson, Stoke (v Chelsea)
• Sebastien Bassong, Tottenham (v Manchester United)

Risky business:

• Michael Turner, Sunderland (v Hull)
• Joleon Lescott, Manchester City (v Arsenal)
• Leighton Baines, Everton (at Fulham)
• Fabio Aurelio, Liverpool (v Burnley)
• Kolo Toure, Manchester City (v Arsenal)
• Gael Clichy, Arsenal (at Manchester City)
• Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United (at Tottenham)

Take a punt on:

• Sam Ricketts, Bolton (at Portsmouth)
• Stephen Warnock, Aston Villa (at Birmingham)
• Habib Beye, Aston Villa (at Birmingham)

You couldn't dream of a better start if you're Liverpool fullback Glen Johnson, who already has two goals to his name in the Premier League campaign and is coming off a wonderful performance for England against Croatia. You figured that with a better setting, this attacking fullback would jump up in value handsomely and to date, he has been heads and shoulders the best fantasy defender, with the fifth-best overall point total in the Yahoo game (to Drogba, Torres, Rooney, and Gerrard in that order). GJ should be in line for a clean sheet with Burnley heading to Anfield, a team that has yet to score away from Turf Moor. The other expensive fullback in the must-have category is Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole, who busted out with a goal and clean sheet against that very same Burnley side. Stoke are the type of side that can run out of ideas on the attack rather swiftly, which also puts Cole in fine shape for a clean sheet and a possible odd offensive contribution. On the other side of the Britannia pitch, I put Ryan Shawcross as a must-have if you have him for a nice discount, but the buy-in is a bit on the steep side in Yahoo (mid-10's) and if you want in on Shawcross at that price, you should really look elsewhere.

Like Ashley Cole, Jose Bosingwa can pitch in a little on the attack and can be had for a few pounds cheaper than Cashley. I already mentioned that Burnley makes for a mighty fine clean sheet target and Jamie Carragher can be had for a fairly reasonable price in the mid-8's, but I'm steering clear for Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Liverpool's new defensive signing, who can be had in the high 6's. Investing in Carragher is a bit steep still when Liverpool has conceded goals to relatively anemic sides, but nonetheless, I like their chances to snatch a clean sheet. So, if you can spend a few more pounds on Glen Johnson, that's not a bad idea. Otherwise, I'd play the failsafe for cheaper with Kyrgiakos over Carra. The other premium defender I'd roll with this week is Thomas Vermaelen of Arsenal, if you have him on discount, and even then, for under 8, that's not a bad price to pay, but I don't see City coming up empty against Arsenal at the weekend.

A couple of fine bargain clean sheet options to list here and I'll start with Rovers' Gael Givet, who can be purchased in the mid-6's and if you've had him on discount for say, 4.60 since opening week like I do, all the more reason to hang on to him. Blackburn's rearguard has noticeably tightened it some under Big Sam's tutelage and Rovers might be able to frustrate Wolves into either a 1-1 or 0-0 draw. Either way, Givet is a cheap gamble for a possible clean sheet. I also fancy West Ham's Matthew Upson away to a Wigan side, who have already gone through the motions four weeks in. Personally, I'd start my granny at center back against Portsmouth (no offense Pompey fans), which can give good reason to acquire Bolton's Gary Cahill for slightly cheap. I'd stick to my guns when it comes to Birmingham's Roger Johnson (eck, that sounded bad), Stoke's Andy Wilkinson, and Spurs' Sebastien Bassong in spite of the prospect of a tough go for either of them. The latter two, Wilkinson and Bassong, figure to be fit and should start.

Second to Glen Johnson, as the most valuable Yahoo defender, is Everton's Leighton Baines, who had a belter of a 34 point week against Wigan with the game-winning goal and assist. The big week skews his value and price (14.5m) in a big way, which puts him in Glen Johnson territory (actually Baines is priced higher than Johnson) and although Fulham are a relatively tame attacking side, they've been known to find their scoring boots at home while Everton have still conceded goals following that thumping at the hands of Arsenal. I would have been more bullish on Sunderland's Michael Turner to enjoy a clean sheet at the expense of his former boys, Hull, but he seems pricey with an inexperienced keeper a possibility between the pipes over either Craig Gordon or Marton Fulop, who are both question marks with regards to their match fitness. Fabio Aurelio's return to the Liverpool side is still a bit sketchy while I'm not a fan of the City defense, namely new boys Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure, against Arsenal who stand more than a good shot of snapping City's clean sheet streak. It's also too pricey for a United defender to be played, given the stern test at White Hart Lane, especially the returning Rio Ferdinand.

As far as who I'd take a punt on, I'd go with Bolton's Sam Ricketts against an anemic Pompey side and Ricketts can also pitch in with attacking stats. New Villa boys, Stephen Warnock and Habib Beye, aren't too bad for the price, especially Warnock who like Ricketts, can go forward.

Goalkeepers

Must-haves:

• Jose Reina, Liverpool (v Burnley)
• Petr Cech, Chelsea (at Stoke)
• Shay Given, Manchester City (v Arsenal)
• Ben Foster, Manchester United (at Tottenham)
• Joe Hart, Birmingham (v Aston Villa)
• Thomas Sorensen, Stoke (v Chelsea)

Start:

• Paul Robinson, Blackburn (v Wolverhampton)
• Robert Green, West Ham (at Wigan)
• Brad Friedel, Aston Villa (at Birmingham)
• Jussi Jaaskelainen, Bolton (at Portsmouth)

Risky business:

• Trevor Carson/Craig Gordon/Marton Fulop, Sunderland (at Hull)
• Carlo Cudicini, Tottenham (v Manchester United)
• Mark Schwarzer, Fulham (v Everton)
• Tim Howard, Everton (at Fulham)

Take a punt on:

• Boaz Myhill, Hull (at Sunderland)
• Chris Kirkland, Wigan (v West Ham)
• Wayne Hennessey, Wolverhampton (at Blackburn)

Toss out:

• Manuel Almunia, Arsenal (at Manchester City)
• Brian Jensen, Burnley (at Liverpool)

Of the Big Four keepers, I like Jose Reina and Petr Cech's potential to come up with clean sheets against their respective opponents, but of the two, I'd go with Reina for the fact he's about 4 million pounds cheaper than Cech. Both are drab plays for those who want to live dangerously at keeper and make up for it elsewhere in the attack. I dislike the matchups for Shay Given, Ben Foster, Joe Hart, and Thomas Sorensen but there's also a great likelihood that you have either of them for a considerable discount and for that, they're all worth hanging on to this week.

Why does it always rain on me, says Paul Robinson, and if that picture isn't the very embodiment of the lyric, "Raindrops keep falling on my head, but that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red", then I don't know what will. At any rate, I had dire luck in recommending Robbo on the occasion I felt he was a worthy play, but with the new season, I hope my fortunes turn around some here. For what it's worth, Robbo can be had for just 3.31 million and while Wolves have looked enterprising at times, that hasn't materialized in goals. With Blackburn looking more rigid at the back than last season, put a little more confidence in Robbo, why not. Of the other pricey keepers, I think Robert Green of West Ham and Brad Friedel of Aston Villa, have a fair shot of playing up to value, but if you're skittish about the Robbo experimental route and don't want to pay top dollar on a keeper, then consider Bolton's Jussi Jaaskelainen for the svelte mid-6 price.

I want no piece of the Sunderland goalkeeper carousel, that's for sure. The matchup against Hull is gold, but Craig Gordon still has that more than nagging thigh injury while his #2, Marton Fulop, is also subject to a fitness test. That leaves the relatively inexperienced third-stringer (if you want to call him that), Trevor Carson, who is actually about nearly double the price tag of Gordon and Fulop, respectively. Too much risk for even the sum of 3-6 million, lads. The matchup doesn't really fare well for Spurs keeper Carlo Cudicini, as the Spurs matches against Manchester United have generally been open-ended games and Tottenham have yet to record a clean sheet this season. I also see Mark Schwarzer and his opposite number, Tim Howard, as below their value this week.

Sometimes, what goes unrealized in selecting goalkeepers is that most folks are enamored with clean sheets and the like while they tend to overlook saves or the probability of tacking on a high saves count. Think of the keepers who are likely to see a lot of shots, but also think smartly about their chances of limiting the damage to just a goal allowed. Enter Hull's Boaz Myhill, who is tied for the Premier League saves lead with Birmingham's Joe Hart with 21, and the Hull #1 can be had for under 4 million. Sunderland aren't necessarily the most explosive team nor the most thrilling attacking side, which gives some credence to taking a punt on Myhill as a fairly good move. For just a bit more, you can also consider Wigan's Chris Kirkland and Wolves' Wayne Hennessey against relatively toothless Blackburn.

Don't think about Burnley's Brian Jensen with Liverpool looming large obviously and Arsenal's Manuel Almunia hasn't lived up to value in a big way, losing points in the process, and don't expect his fortunes to turn on a dime for the good.

That'll be about it for this week. Check out Monday's new and revamped Premiership recap. I'm high rolling in Vegas next week, but I'll write a very early Diving in the Box for the following week's matches, so you don't lose a beat. Alright there, until then, keep your clothes on...

-Ray