Picks of the Week - Gameweek 11

For Picks of the Week, I'll look into the gameweek's matches & form a team using £55mil budget. This can be a useful guide for those who are looking for a short-term transfer, or for captaincy choices.

Note: This picks are only for this gameweek & may not represent good value in the long-run.

Man City will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing loss against Ajax midweek, and they'll be back in their Etihad Stadium stronghold against Swansea, who went scoreless in 2 of 3 away PL games this season. As usual, I'll be recommending the safest player in their starting 11, Joe Hart.

Fulham might look vulnerable in their travels, but their last season's away form netted them 6 clean sheets, tied-3rd best with Man City & Newcastle. It might be time for their 1st away clean sheet as they travel to Reading. John Arne Riise, top fullback in Today Fantasy League with 19pts, looks likely to benefit from an opponent who only managed to score 8 and conceded 14 this season.

With the return of Bacary Sagna, Carl Jenkinson might use this last opportunity in order to impress the manager. Arsenal is facing bottom dwellers QPR, who have yet to win a game this season. However, there is the risk of Jenkinson being substituted before 75 mins, which means no clean sheet points, so Thomas Vermaelen might be a safer (though costlier) choice in centreback.

As mentioned in my weekly TODAY column, Stoke players are value-for-money due to their upcoming fixtures & their defensive strength. With their opponent, Sunderland, relying on just 1 player to provide scoring, as long as Robert Huth & company can shut him down, Stoke is likely to rack up another clean sheet.

Against a WBA side who has scored 3 away goals this season, Newcastle might be a good bet to keep a clean sheet at home tonight. Steven Taylor may not be a confirmed starter as he started in the midweek Europa fixture, but he's the best goal threat among Newcastle defenders.

The Guardian has an interesting article on Santi Carzola, which speaks about his impact in La Liga. QPR manager Mark Hughes warned his team on the backlash from Arsenal's poor week, and the Spanish playmaker will be the main threat in pulling the strings for the Gunners' attack.

I've already highlighted Gareth Bale & Demba Ba potential in my weekly TODAY column, hence I'll skip the description over here.

West Ham travels to Wigan, who have conceded 2 goals in each of their home game. Having scored 4 goals with 2 assists, captain Kevin Nolan will be a key player in West Ham's attack, and will likely be involved in the Hammers' goals, if any.

Dimitar Berbatov might not have scored last week, but he contributed to 3 goal attempts inside the penalty area. Against a Reading side who let in 6 goals in 3 home games, look for the Bulgarian to be in the thick of action for Fulham tonight.

Lastly, it might be hard to predict who Mancini might field for Man City with his constant tinkering, but Carlos Tevez have started for all but one Premier League game this season. Also, he had a 20 minute cameo in their midweek Champions League tie, hence he is the likeliest starter against a Swansea team who failed to keep a clean sheet in their past 6 games.