Fantasy Tennis Insider: The life of Pablo

Well, compadres, it’s all about putting the finishing touches on your team now. With only four Game Weeks to go, make every decision with an eye for the ATP and WTA finals. Some players might be attractive for one week, but if they are not in line to compete in the big 1000s or Premier 5s then it’s more or less a waste of a trade.

So who, and who aren’t, those players? As always, read on to find out…

Stuck on which captain to select for Game Week 34? Watch out for Fantasy Tennis Insider’s Saturday Captain’s Corner Column

ATP: The Life of Pablo

Juan Martin del Potro ($8.9m, 8.6% owned) is scheduled to play in Stockholm, a tournament he won last year, but given his injury history I wouldn’t be surprised if he pulls out. Unless you’re really desperate stay way.

David Goffin ($8.8m, 10.6% owned) is almost averaging 60 Fantasy Tennis points in his last three Game Weeks and is scheduled to play in Antwerp. If you didn’t get on him two weeks ago, I’d still consider paying the extra coin to get him now. The Belgian has shown he laps up tournaments with weak competition and with Richard Gasquet and Diego Schwartzman the only real threats Antwerp is exactly that. Goffin has been extremely busy since the US Open playing in the Davis Cup, Moselle Open, Shenzhen Open, Rakuten Open and the Shanghai Masters 1000 consecutively without a break. Just be cautious and follow me for late withdrawal information.

Grigor Dimitrov ($10.5m, 33.9% owned) and Pablo Carreno Busta ($8.3, 3.7% owned) round out the other worthy options. The former is too hit-or-miss to justify his hefty price tag while the latter has some merit considering he has an easy road to the final in Moscow and won the tournament last year.

Follow the Fantasy Tennis Insider for late withdrawal updates and scheduling changes

WTA: Time to bring Svetlana out of Fantasy Tennis retirement?

Svetlana Kuznetsova ($6.7m, 3% owned) is averaging 15.7 Fantasy Tennis points from her last three Game Weeks and 19 from her last five. She is currently at her lowest price and considering she is competing in the Kremlin Cup – a tournament she has won the last two years – now might be the time to jump on board.

You need to bring in Jelena Ostapenko ($10m, 3.5% owned). Aside from Caroline Garcia, the Latvian is probably the in-form woman of the tour with an 11-2 record since the US Open. She is young, so her legs won’t get tired, and she has qualified for the WTA Finals in Singapore, so you can keep her in your squad for the rest of the year. Her ownership percentage is a crime.

If you’re looking for long shots but can’t afford Ostapenko and/or don’t trust a 32-year-old Kuznetsova, any of Dominika Cibulkova ($6.6m, 5.6% owned), Johanna Konta ($4.5m, 11.9% owned) or Angelique Kerber ($5.3m, 15.1% owned) are solid options. Of that bunch, I’d take Konta because she’s 1. The cheapest and 2. Has a lot to play for as she attempts to secure her spot in the WTA Finals.

And, because ‘Why not?’, Kristina Mladenovic ($1.4m, 6.8% owned) is an option. The Frenchwoman’s struggles have been well documented but because she is dirt cheap, well rested and has some pedigree, there’s really no reason not to. That is, if you have a trade to burn.

TL;DR: In order, Ostapenko, Kuznetsova, Konta are the best options for Game Week 34.

Splitting hairs

• David Goffin or Pablo Carrena Busta? Carrena Busta
• Kristina Mladenovic or Dominika Cibulkova? Mladenovic 
• Svetlana Kuznetsova or Juan Martin del Potro? Kuznetsova
• Jelena Ostapenko or Grigor Dimitrov? Ostapenko 
• Kevin Anderson or Nick Kyrgios? Anderson
• Albert Ramos Viñolas or  CoCo Vandeweghe? Ramos Viñolas

Buy/Sell

Buy: Kristina Mladenovic – have you seen that price?!
Sell: Kevin Anderson – see Mladenovic, Kristina.