Here are our Premier League fantasy football picks for who you need, who you should drop and an Irish player to drive your team up the leaderboards.
Gameweek 28 deadline: Friday March 17, 6.30pm.
Who do I need this weekend?
Ben Chilwell (Chelsea) £5.9m
Having made a long-awaited return from a hamstring injury last month, Chelsea’s kind run of fixtures has the England full-back set to make an impact.
Chilwell has registered a goal and assist in his last two starts for the Blues, who have turned their season around with back-to-back league wins.
Despite missing a chunk of league games with injury, the 26-year-old still ranks highly among FPL defenders for goal contributions. Over 150,000 users have added him to their sides this weekend, making him the most-bought player of gameweek 28.
With Chelsea conceding just a single goal in their last four games at Stamford Bridge, coupled with a double gameweek next week, Chilwell looks like a clever buy to drive your side up the leaderboards.
Expertly done, Chilly! pic.twitter.com/bfgEfCXk36
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 11, 2023
Who should I drop?
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) £7.3m
The Liverpool right-back is currently undergoing his worst season for Liverpool in five years. He had racked up over 11 assists in three of his last four campaigns, but this term, has contributed just a single goal and two assists to date.
Alexander-Arnold has failed to make a goal contribution in any of his last four starts, despite playing 90 minutes in the Reds 7-0 demolition of Manchester United earlier this month.
He has only scored more than eight points in two out of 27 game weeks this term with his current form at 6.6. He is the most expensive defender in the game but is not producing the goods, and with Manchester City and Chelsea to come next, now is the time to part ways with the right-back.
Dark horse
Rodrigo (Leeds) £6.3m
Rodrigo was Leeds’ most prolific attacker prior to his injury with 10 goals in 18 starts. After six games on the sidelines, the Spaniard returned to make an appearance off the bench in last week's draw at home to Brighton.
Relegation-threatened Leeds take on Wolves on Saturday, in a crucial clash for their survival, while they enjoy a double gameweek against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest next week.
The forward’s 53 shots, 40 shots in the box and 20 on target are all team leading totals, while his 10 goals from midfield ranks highly amongst his league counterparts too.
An Irish pick
Gavin Bazunu (Southampton) £4.5m
With Evan Ferguson’s Brighton in FA Cup action this weekend, and Nathan Collins still out of favour at Wolves, this week’s Irish pick is the former Shamrock Rovers goalkeeper.
Despite a difficult season with Southampton at the foot of the table, Bazunu has proved his worth with some standout displays in wins over Chelsea, Everton and Leicester.
The Ireland shot stopper also pulled off several fine saves in a Man of the Match performance, to help the Saints to a scoreless draw at Old Trafford last weekend. With Ruben Selles’ side taking on an inconsistent Spurs, and an out of sorts West Ham next, Bazunu’s form could prove crucial as his side look to avoid the drop.
World class from Gav @Vitality_UK | #SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/EjNFF2kh3J
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) March 12, 2023
Who to captain
Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal) £5.2m
The left-back’s recent form coupled with Arsenal’s kind run of games makes Zinchenko a clever pick for the armband.
He has managed a goal, an assist and three clean sheets in his last four matches, with the Gunners on a run of five successive wins. Zinchenko has performed well with 32 points over their last five games, the second highest amongst his teammates.
His eight chances created and seven shots in that spell also rank highly. The leaders face struggling Crystal Palace and relegation-threatened Leeds next, with Zinchenko primed to make an impact again as Arsenal look to take one step closer to a first league title in 19 years.
Top Irish player
Chris Mooney’s side fared best amongst the Irish side last weekend with 122 points. The bench boost made the difference adding an extra 30 points, while Ican Toney and Harry Kane both found the net in attack. In midfield, Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma amassed 24 points as captain, with Luke Shaw and Kieran Trippier adding good scores in defence.
Gameweek 28 fixtures
Friday March 17
Nottingham Forest v Newcastle 8.0
Saturday March 18
Aston Villa v Bournemouth 3.0
Brentford v Leicetser 3.0
Southampton v Spurs 3.0
Wolves v Leeds 3.0
Chelsea v Everton 5.30
Sunday March 12
Arsenal v Crystal Palace 2.0