This article is part of our The Armband series.
If Fantasy Premier League isn't frustrating, you aren't playing the right way. A week after what I dubbed "the most unexciting double gameweek ever," 10 teams were held scoreless, including seven Saturday. It was set to be an all-time bad gameweek before Chelsea, Spurs and Man City came through. And when I say Chelsea, I mean everyone but Eden Hazard and Diego Costa (Hazard assisted, but he was outscored by seven of his teammates).
Sergio Aguero helped owners the most in Gameweek 35, but also lesser-owned players like Alvaro Negredo and Ashley Barnes found the back of the net, while Emre Can scored one of the best goals of the season and topped the midfielder list. It was Can's second goal of 2017 and not many were fortunate to benefit from it, with only 2.2 percent of fantasy teams at the official game having him.
Lucky for us (maybe?), Gameweek 36 is the start of a two-week stretch of doubles that starts with Arsenal (v. Man Utd, at Southampton) and Southampton (at Liverpool, v. Arsenal). That said, neither one of those sides has given much reason to back either of them in recent weeks (or months). The Gunners have just two goals in their last three away matches in addition to losing six of their last eight. The Red Devils travel to the Emirates on a 25-match unbeaten streak and Arsenal have failed to show up in any match against a relevant team this season. Southampton beat Liverpool in the League Cup two months ago and has since lost to any team in the top half of the table.
The Saints had at least been consistent, finding the back of the net until the Hull match last weekend, which turned everyone off the scent of Manolo Gabbiadini. Unfortunately, he may be the best person to back from Southampton, unless you still believe in Dusan Tadic, who has zero goals and one assist in his last seven matches. It's slightly more infuriating for Arsenal because main-man Alexis Sanchez has one goal and zero assists in his last six matches. Otherwise, the only other Gunner to consider may be Mesut Ozil, but neither one really stands out. It's the same situation if you want to focus on the back lines because neither Southampton nor Arsenal are a good bet for a clean sheet.
Some will turn to Liverpool and Man United, but Roberto Firmino may be the only name worth mentioning with Philippe Coutinho's injury and United's penchant for low-scoring matches.
And so, we're left looking for players to captain without a double gameweek, something that is rarely said. Aguero picked up a minor injury last match so that doesn't help, but Gabriel Jesus is expected to be one of the most-added players this week with a great upcoming schedule and cheaper price. Crystal Palace are strangely a better team on the road, but getting points at the Etihad will be difficult. Gabriel has scored in every match he's played more than 15 minutes in and is a better choice than Kevin De Bruyne in my book.
Chelsea are the other team in a nice spot, home against Middlesbrough. Hazard and Costa failed us last week, but it wouldn't be best to fade either of them. Marcos Alonso could be the differential captain everyone is looking for, as he has scored or assisted in two of his last three starts and, more importantly, Boro have just two goals from their last seven league matches on the road.
Of course, we can't forget about Spurs, who open the weekend Friday at West Ham. Most will be comfortable backing any of their studs, namely Harry Kane, who has seven goals and three assists in his last five starts. Dele Alli has scored or assisted in eight of his last nine and Christian Eriksen in six of his last seven. The main worry is that the Hammers are coming off two clean sheets and held Romelu Lukaku scoreless last time at London Stadium. Still, Spurs are rolling and West Ham have been one of the most inconsistent teams this season.
Speaking of Lukaku, he's on the road again, which means I'm staying away (one goal in his last eight road matches), even against Swansea. It's been a decent strategy this campaign so there's no reason to stop. There are a couple other places I'd rather turn, with Joshua King home against Stoke and Jamie Vardy at King Power against Watford. In addition to their good form, Stoke have lost five of their last six matches on the road, while Watford have been similarly bad, losing their last four by a 9-0 cumulative scoring margin. King hasn't slowed down in 2017, now with 12 goals, and Vardy has scored or assisted in eight of his last nine matches.
