Fantasy Premier League, Gameweek 18 tips: Marcus Rashford best bet for captaincy; Liverpool miss out through Club World Cup

Just 10 days remain until we’re officially done with the 2010s. It’s a time for remembrance, a time to huddle around the fireplace and reminisce on moments good and bad from years gone, a time to cherish your loved ones and be grateful. That is if you’re able to look away from your phone for long enough. With a whopping 39 fixtures scheduled to take place in the next 13 days, there’s going to be precious little time for FPL managers to research their teams, and it’s more than likely you’ll miss a deadline or two if you’re not careful. Fear not, however, because we at Firstpost have your back, so just read on to know everything you need to whip your team into shape ahead of Game Week 18 of the Fantasy Premier League: [caption id=“attachment_7809371” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Premier League Gameweek 18 fixtures.[/caption] Top picks for GW 18: Marcus Rashford (£9.1m): Up against bottom-ranked Watford, a resurgent Manchester United could easily score a few goals, and at the moment, Marcus Rashford is their primary threat in front of goal. The England striker has five goals and two assists to his name in his last six Premier League appearances, and he also scored against Colchester in United’s midweek League Cup fixture, making him a must-have in a week where many other top attackers could struggle. Harry Kane (£10.9m): Over the course of his career, Jose Mourinho has excelled at bringing the best out of players, and he’s doing it yet again with Harry Kane. Kane has been in incredible form on home turf, scoring five goals in six appearances in all competitions. On Sunday, Tottenham play host to Chelsea, who have only kept three clean sheets all season, none of which have come in away games. Kevin de Bruyne (£10.3m): After a slight slump in form, Kevin de Bruyne served up a reminder of his ability with a match-winning performance against Arsenal last week, scoring two goals and setting up one for Raheem Sterling. The Belgian midfielder has a knack for coming up with the goods in important matches, and with City playing second-placed Leicester City, he could be vital yet again. Risky business:  Raul Jimenez (£7.5m): After starting the season on a slightly disappointing note, Raul Jimenez has become a steady source of points for FPL managers in recent weeks, scoring at least five points in eight of his last ten appearances in the league. While he hasn’t been scoring goals at the rate he was last season, he has turned provider, chipping in with five assists. There is a slight catch though. With Wolves’ next match against Norwich, followed up by back-to-back fixtures against Manchester City and Liverpool. Martin Kelly (£4.4m): The logic behind getting in Martin Kelly is pretty simple — he’s cheap as dirt and Crystal Palace have some very good fixtures lined up. The next four teams they play against are Newcastle, West Ham United, Southampton and Norwich, all of which have notoriously inconsistent attacks. You don’t have to play Kelly if you’re bringing him in to free up funds elsewhere, but he has scored 22 points over the last four Gameweeks, so it couldn’t hurt. Jack Grealish (£6.2m): Aston Villa must act now if they hope to reinforce their hopes of survival. The Claret and Blue’s next three fixtures are against the only three teams that are below them in the Premier League standings at the moment — Southampton, Norwich and Watford. Three wins from these three matches could see them pull away from the relegation zone, and if that were to happen, Jack Grealish is almost definitely bound to play a role. His tally of four goals and four assists means that he has been directly involved in over a third of Villa’s goals this season, making him a sensible buy. Deadweight: Chelsea’s momentum from earlier on in the season appears to have fizzled out, and results in recent weeks have been poor, to say the least. Three defeats in the last four matches have seen them drop from second to fourth, and with matches against Tottenham and Arsenal on the horizon, it might be time to phase out any Chelsea players you have in your squad. If you do, however, have your heart set on having one of the Blues in your starting XI, make it Tammy Abraham (£8m). O Captain, my Captain! This week’s choice for the armband is a bit perplexing, to put it mildly. Liverpool players Sadio Mane (£12.2m) and Mohamed Salah (£12.2m) are halfway around the world in sunny (completely suitable for football) Doha at the Club World Cup, while Manchester City face Leicester and Spurs take on Chelsea. With all the favourites either ruled out or unlikely to bring in huge returns, Marcus Rashford against a shaky Watford defence is probably your most safe bet. If you’re willing to take a risk, Harry Kane and Dele Alli (£8.7m) could bring home the bacon if Spurs hand an already-reeling Chelsea a thrashing.