Premier League Fantasy Football: Who's Hot & Who's Not in Gameweek 18

With Christmas right around the corner, the time for celebrating is now very much upon us. And, as always, we have a festive feast of Premier League action to look forward too - with it all very much to play for in the wonderful world of fantasy football.

All 20 teams are in action, with the weekend sure to be headlined by struggling Manchester United's trip to Cardiff on Saturday afternoon. The Red Devils, now under the temporary management of club icon Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, will be looking to bounce back in style following last weekend's humbling 3-1 defeat at Liverpool, and the dismissal as manager of Jose Mourinho.

Elsewhere, league leaders Liverpool travel to in-form Wolves in the Premier League's Friday night fixture, with Manchester City getting their right of reply the following day when they take on Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium. With the fantasy stakes continuing to rise each week, it's time to settle back and run the rule over who's hot and who's not in gameweek 18.

Goalkeepers

Who's Hot

Lukasz Fabianski - West Ham's recent winning streak has now extended to four games after victory over Fulham last week, though last week's clean sheet owed much to the performance of Fabianski. His shutout hasn't gone unnoticed either, with over 50,000 players drafting him in ahead of this weekend's clash with Watford - making him the most transferred in goalkeeper this week.

David de Gea - This season has been an unmitigated disaster at Old Trafford. Cut adrift in sixth place, it seems as though things can't get much worse for Manchester United. So, in time honoured tradition, surely a United resurgence is on the cards now Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has arrived? That remains to be seen, but what isn't in question is that United have a nice run of fixtures coming up. Be brave and get ahead of the game by drafting in De Gea.

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Who's Not

Ederson - Manchester City may be continuing to set the Premier League alight with the goals they score, but there is one facet of their game that has continually let them down recently. Conceding sloppy goals. The Citizens let another poor goal in against Everton last weekend, meaning it's four games without a clean sheet for Ederson. With Liverpool coming up in a few games time, it may be a good idea to forward plan and axe the Brazilian.

Defenders

Who's Hot

Lucas Digne - Everton supporters are probably starting to think they got somewhat of a bargain when they snapped up Digne from Barcelona for an initial fee of £13.8m in the summer. The 25-year-old has not only shown his class defensively, but going forward also, having scored a goal and contributed an assist in his last two games. With more crosses to his name than any other player in the Premier League, he seems destined to be a defensive points merchant.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka - A win at the weekend was just what the doctor ordered for Crystal Palace last weekend, and so was a third clean sheet in five games. And that's exactly what Roy Hodgson's boys delivered against Leicester at Selhurst Park, with Wan-Bissaka again putting in a solid display at right back. The England Under-21 international is a fantasy football snip at £4.3m - almost 30% of players have already picked him up, and you should too.

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Who's Not

Marcos Alonso - For the second time this season, Chelsea's point grabbing left back finds himself tumbling into the 'not hot' category. His £7.0m price tag probably has something to do with it, as Alonso does take up a considerable amount of your fantasy transfer budget. Without an assist in six games, he's done enough to put off over 25,000 players who no doubt selected him for his ability to rack up mega points. Time for you to do the same?

Midfielders

Who's Hot

Robert Snodgrass - Having been farmed out to Aston Villa on loan last season, it really did look as if there was no future in the east end of London for Snodgrass. However, the wide midfielder has been a revelation for West Ham in recent weeks, notching an incredible 35 points in his last four Premier League outings. There is no hotter player in the league right now, with the £5.4m drafted into over 65,000 squads already this week.

Leroy Sane - There's no getting away from Manchester City's front line. If Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero don't score against you, then Sane most probably will. Six goals and nine assists is now the German's return in the Premier League this season, and he has looked electrifying in recent weeks. The £9.7m midfielder's value is rising all the time though, so if you want him, make your move now.

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Who's Not

Ryan Fraser - Bournemouth's excellent start to the season has curtailed in recent weeks, with last weekend's defeat to Wolves following a home trouncing by league leaders Liverpool the week before. Fraser's form has been a ray of sunshine for the Cherries this season, but with his team having lost five out of their last six league games, it may be time to look elsewhere for your goals and assists.

Forwards

Who's Hot

Danny Ings - Southampton have a new manager and perhaps have a new lease of life after last weekend's 3-2 victory over Arsenal at St Mary's. The victory coincided with a return from injury for Ings, with his pair of headers enough to set the Saints on their way to a much needed three points. At just £5.4m, Ings really is a fantasy bargain - and he could end up firing you to success if you take a punt on him.

Raul Jimenez - After overcoming a slight wobble in form, Wolves are very much back in the groove after winning four games on the spin. They owe much of their recent good work to Jimenez, with the Mexican striker now up to five goals for the season. He has six assists to his name too, which isn't bad for a striker who costs just £6.2m.

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Who's Not

Aleksandar Mitrovic - It's been a funny old season for the 24-year-old striker. At least in fantasy land it has. You never quite know what you're going to get from the Fulham striker, with his performances leading him to yo-yo between the 'hot' and 'not' categories on several occasions. This week, it's very much 'not hot' as Mitrovic finds himself as the most transferred out striker of the week - and for that reason, you're probably best off giving the £6.8m-rated Serb a miss.