Fantasy Football advice: Week 17

Well, that's a bit better! Our advice article for week 16 told you to pick Gary Hooper and Fernando Torres and the striking pair both found the net.

What's more, Cardiff City defender Ben Turner kept a clean sheet, while only an injury forced Everton youngster Gerard Deulofeu off the pitch early.

As for who to leave out, we felt that Tottenham Hotspur were the team to avoid. Thankfully, unless you are a Spurs fan, we were right as they were thrashed 5-0 at White Hart Lane by a Luis Suarez-inspired Liverpool.

So, as the Premier League enters the hectic festive period, here is who we believe is worth selecting and avoiding ahead of gameweek 17.

Who to pick

1. Wayne Rooney: There are few other clubs that Rooney likes playing against more than West Ham United, who visit Manchester United on Saturday afternoon. Since he arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2004, the striker has scored nine goals against the East Londoners. He's found the net eight times in the Premier League this term and many regard him to be in his best form for a number of years. The Hammers have shipped 19 goals in 16 outings so far and with that in mind, it would take a brave person to back against Rooney adding a goal or two to his season's tally.

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2. Gary Hooper: Staying with in-form strikers, Hooper has certainly found his feet at Norwich City. Following his move from Celtic during the summer, the 25-year-old picked up an injury during a pre-season friendly which stunted his progress at Carrow Road. However, he now has scored four goals in his last six appearances, which in turn has resulted in Norwich moving away from the relegation zone. This weekend the Canaries will travel to Sunderland, who have tightened up at the back of late, although Hooper has shown in recent weeks that he only needs one chance to find the net.

3. Simon Mignolet: For a few weeks, Liverpool were shipping too many goals for Brendan Rodgers's liking. There have been signs, though, in their last three matches that the leaky rearguard has been plugged. Goalkeeper Mignolet kept a clean sheet last time out away at Tottenham Hotspur and there is a fair chance that he could repeat that trick against Cardiff City at Anfield. After all, prior to Peter Whittingham's goal against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, Cardiff had not scored in 335 minutes.

4. Alvaro Negredo: The Spaniard has adapted positively to life in England with Manchester City, but at times he has been eclipsed by the goalscoring exploits of Sergio Aguero. Now, though, City need him to be their main striker, what with Aguero being sidelined for around eight weeks with a calf injury. The Citizens have been inconsistent away from home, but on Saturday they travel to face a Fulham team that have won just two of their previous eight matches at Craven Cottage, conceding 13 goals in the process. Negredo has scored eight goals in the top flight and will no doubt fancy his chances of adding one or two more against the Londoners.

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5. Marouane Chamakh: We will be the first to admit that we never thought the Moroccan would ever feature in this list. He scored just eight goals in 40 appearances for Arsenal and for a while did nothing to improve those statistics during his early days at Crystal Palace following his summer transfer. Right now, though, the centre-forward is in his best form since he arrived on English shores, having scored three goals in as many games. Tony Pulis has made Chamakh the focal point of Palace's attack so if they were to score against Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon, expect the 29-year-old to be involved.

Who to avoid

1. David Marshall: The Cardiff City goalkeeper pulled off a truly fantastic save to deny Shane Long at the weekend and in the process he sealed all three points for his side. That was pretty much the only effort of note that he had to deal with against West Brom, but one would anticipate that he will be much busier at Anfield on Saturday. Every time that Suarez takes to a football pitch at the moment, he seems to score, at least once. With Cardiff having conceded 22 goals this season, it wouldn't be a major surprise if he sent a couple more shots beyond the reach of Marshall.

2. Olivier Giroud: He may have started the campaign in fine goalscoring fettle, but since the beginning of November, Giroud has scored just two goals for Arsenal. On Monday, the Gunners face Chelsea in a London derby at the Emirates Stadium. The Blues may not be the defensive force that they previously were under Jose Mourinho, but they are still likely to make life hard for lone striker Giroud. What's more, he's also failed to find the net in the majority of Arsenal's bigger matches this season, against the likes of Man United, Liverpool and Man City.

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3. James Collins: West Ham is not the happiest place to play your football at this present moment in time. There is constant speculation over Sam Allardyce's future, some fans are unhappy with the style of football and at times it doesn't look as though the team could even buy a goal! So, the last thing you want to do is come up against a striker like Rooney, but that is what West Ham face on Saturday. Handed the job of attempting to tame the England international is likely to be Collins, who will probably be in for a busy afternoon.

4. Carlton Cole: The Hammers seem to be the team to avoid this weekend. While we have tipped them to concede a few goals at Old Trafford, we also don't expect them to score many either. Cole could be given the chance to lead the attack, but goals have been really hard to come by for West Ham. In fact, they've scored just five on the road all season. United may have looked beatable at home under David Moyes's management, but prior to tonight's League Cup tie against Stoke City, they've kept clean sheets in their last two matches.

5. Dimitar Berbatov: This is by no means a personal vendetta against Berbatov, who once again features among this selection. The Bulgarian is arguably one of the most naturally gifted footballers in the entire Premier League, but when it comes to putting in some hard graft, the 32-year-old is not overly interested. Fulham take on Man City at the weekend and it's highly likely that they will be without possession for large parts of the contest. Consequently, Berbatov may well be a spectator, unless Fulham are awarded another penalty - his last two goals for the Whites have come from the spot.