This article is part of our Ball Watching series.
Francly Speaking
Olivier Girioud may be the best striker right now, but Loic Remy is the best value. The budget-priced ($5.4 on ESPN & £7.1 on FPL) Chelsea striker scored last week while Diego Costa limped off the pitch after only 11 minutes of second-half action. With that being said, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been known to throw a curveball or two at the striker position, which means Didier Drogba may get a couple runs at the top of the Chelsea attack, but Remy is still the better option considering that the Blues have a double-fixture in Gameweek 34.
Not Buying Everton's Defensive Resurgence
The Toffees' maligned defense has only conceded one goal in the past three matches. That's the good news. The bad news is that they're still the Everton defense of 2014/15 -- and the Merseyside club, now safely midtable, have three matches against clubs facing relegation: Aston Villa, Sunderland, and Burnley. Normally this would be more good news. However, it's not. Any questions about motivation playing a factor in games down the stretch have been answered in the performances by midtable clubs like Newcastle and West Brom against their relegation-fighting opposition in Sunderland and QPR, respectively.
Speaking of QPR and Villa...
Both clubs played to a 3-3 match chock full of haymakers, and both clubs rewarded fantasy owners who invested in their players who had a double fixture in Gameweek 31. Christian Benteke scored four goals for Villa while Matthew Phillips netted once and provided three assists for QPR. Charlie Austin also had two goals and an assist for the Super Hoops. One thing that was clear was that both clubs have decided to go after goals, even if it leaves them open at the back. If they both keep throwing caution to the wind, expect these high-scoring games to continue, so take advantage.
Tottenham Taking Advantage
The first club to utilize taking advantage of the offensive-minded QPR is Tottenham. Christian Eriksen hasn't scored in eight games and has only managed two assists over that span. Even more surprising, Harry Kane didn't score last week against Burnley. And yet, even more surprising, the Tottenham defense kept a clean sheet! Needless to say, there will be regression back to the mean; Kane will likely score, Eriksen will play his part with at least an assist, and QPR will manage at least one goal to spoil the mood of anyone investing in the inexpensive Spurs defensive options.
Eagles Flying High
Glenn Murray bagged a goal and an assist in Crystal Palace's trademark home victory over Manchester City. Furthermore, Jason Puncheon looked dangerous all game and scored an impressive free kick while Yannick Bolasie and the former Manchester United prodigy, Wilfried Zaha, haunted the "noisy neighbors" in Manchester with their pace down the flanks, with the former missing a golden opportunity in the opening moments of the game. This will neither be the first nor the last time the Eagles' attacking options will be mentioned as value options with games against Sunderland, Villa and Hull upcoming. Like N'Sync famously sung, "Buy, Buy, Buy!" ....bye bye (until next week).
