Leighton Baines finally delivers the Fantasy points. A brace from Robin Van Persie sees Norwich taste defeat, Yakubu is also at the double in a six-goal thriller at Wigan, United grab their third 1-0 win in a row and Micah Richards plunder the points as City end Newcastle’s unbeaten run.
Leighton Baines
Finally, he picked up the points his stats have deserved. Subject of a Members article last week, Baines’ attacking threat was clearly unlucky not to have been rewarded and yesterday at Goodison, he bagged his first double-figure haul of the season. The left-back had returned 8 points over the previous seven gameweeks and thanks to his set-piece and penalty duties, grabbed an assist and goal in the 2-1 win over Wolves. Maximum Fantasy Premier League (FPL) bonus points will surely follow.
Phil Jagielka
The centre half bagged a goal against Mick McCarthy’s side and with Everton facing a favourable run of fixtures, served a reminder of his Fantasy potential. Priced at 5.3 to Baines’ 7.8, Rodwell is neck and neck with the left-back on 37 points, though with a single clean sheet so far, the Everton defence are clearly needing to produce attacking points to justify their selection- two goals and an assist in his first eleven games is a decent return so far.
Jamie O’Hara
After a 15 point return in the previous gameweek, the midfielder was granted another chance in the hole behind Kevin Doyle at Goodison as Mick McCarthy kept with a 4-5-1 formation. His only telling contribution, however, was a yellow card that will see him miss the trip to Chelsea next weekend. Stephen Hunt, scorer of Wolves consolation from the spot, will also be absent from the Stamford Bridge game after his fifth booking of the campaign.
Robin Van Persie
His phenomenal Fantasy form shows no signs of abating. Van Persie has netted 12 times in his last seven games, returning double figures in six of those fixtures. As we mentioned in last night’s Knee Jerk, the Dutchman has now scored 31 goals in twenty-nine league games this calendar year- previous years have seen him sidelined with niggles all too often but clearly, an injury-free Van Persie is a goalscoring machine who almost demands the captain’s armband week-in, week-out.
Steve Morison
The Norwich forward continued his recent goalscoring streak with the opener in the 2-1 home defeat by Arsenal. Morison was fielded as a lone striker yesterday as Paul Lambert benched Grant Holt once again and found the net for the third game in succession against the Gunners. Robin Van Persie’s brace will have hogged the headlines but the Welshman, priced at just 4.9, is proving fantastic value for money and with a home game against QPR up next, looks good to extend that run of goals.
Jonathan Walters
The Irishman backed up our decision to select him for the Scout Picks with another home goal for Stoke yesterday. Walters has scored four goals in six games at the Britannia, with only Man United and Chelsea managing to stop him finding the net and is averaging seven points per game in front of the Potters faithful. He’s starting to catch the eye of Fantasy managers, jumping up in price by 0.4 in the last three gameweeks but priced at just 6.4 and classified as a midfielder, he clearly has the consistency to come under consideration.
Asmir Begovic
Despite his horror show at Bolton last time round, news that the Bosnian was dropped for the home clash with QPR still came as a surprise yesterday, with Tony Pulis praising his abilities in midweek. Maybe it was just a wake-up call but his 14.1% of Fantasy owners will be on alert- Begovic is the fith-most owned goalkeeper in the game and the situation clearly needs monitoring. Replacement Thomas Sorenson shipped three goals in the surprise home defeat, despite the return of Ryan Shawcross at the heart of the Potters back four. Stoke have conceded 14 goals in their last four games and look a world away from the secure unit that conceded just eight goals in the first eight fixtures.
Heidar Helguson
Drafted into the first-team back in gameweek eight, Helguson has shown a consistency that has surprised us all. Two goals in yesterday’s 3-2 win means he has now scored 5 in his last five games, despite games against the likes of Chelsea, Spurs and Man City. With an assist and four bonus points thrown in for good measure and the maximum bonus haul looking likely for his performance at the Britannia, his 5.2 price is looking a real bargain. In spite of his August squad additions, it seems Neil Warnock had the answer to QPR’s goalscoring problems under his nose all along.
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Okay, he didn’t do anything other than return two points yesterday but the official match report on the QPR official website suggests Wright-Phillips could be an out-of-position contender. Wright-Phillips played up front alongside Helguson in a 4-4-2, with Jamie Mackie picked wide right in the midfield. Armand Traore is another who took up an unexpected position yesterday- the former Arsenal player was taken out of defence and fielded on the left wing, with Clint Hill picked at left-back- Traore duly returned an assist in the win.
Micah Richards
A goal and assist in the 3-1 win over Newcastle emphasized Richards’ increased attacking potential this season. Roberto Mancini’s side are far from secure at the back right now- they’ve conceded six goals in the last five games and have failed to record a clean sheet since gameweek seven. Richards has played just one of City’s Champions League games, with Mancini tending to utilise him domestically, with Pablo Zabaletta preferred for European occasions- as a result, he has missed just one league game this term. Richards now has 5 assists for the season, more than any City forward and only two less than David Silva- at 6.2, he is second only to Edin Dzeko in terms of FPL “value” for City so far.
Mario Balotelli
Handed his first start since the gameweek nine rout of Man United, Balotelli grabbed a goal, albeit a penalty, as City ended Newcastle’s unbeaten run at the Etihad. His ability is unquestioned but Balotelli’s game time is the cause of endless frustration for Fantasy managers- yesterday was just his fourth league start of the season but the Italian has scored every time he has been selected for the City first XI. Sergio Aguero earned a start and scored his first goal in three games, while Edin Dzeko missed out altogether, perhaps an indication of Mancini’s thoughts ahead of the midweek trip to Napoli.
Demba Ba
The Newcastle forward was again amongst the points yesterday. Ba’s assist for his side’s late consolation means he has either scored or assisted in all but one of Newcastle’s last seven league games- the only blot on his record was-bizarrely- the home game against Wigan in gameweek nine.
Yakubu
The Nigerian clocked up his fourth and fifth goals of the campaign at Wigan – an admirable return given that Yakubu has started just six league matches. Three consecutive starts have returned three goals, and with spot-kicks in his locker, there’s clear indication that the striker offers potential and strong value at just 5.5 in the FPL. This is something we’d previously highlighted earlier this month, via a Numbers Game article for Members.
Blackburn visit Stoke next – a side who are shipping goals and on an alarming slide. Following that, Rovers have three home games in four with Swansea, West Brom and Bolton at Ewood Park. While Junior Hoilett offers potential with three goals and three assists this term, Yakubu, at 0.5 cheaper, provides an extremely viable alternative.
Javier Hernandez
United and the Mexican are certainly not firing on all cylinders and, of all the attacking talent on show in the United ranks, Hernandez is emerging as the best prospect. Wayne Rooney, despite being, pushed up front in the absence of the injured Danny Welbeck, continued to come deep to dictate play and help provide extra cover in the United midfield, leaving Hernandez to play off the last defender. Rooney has registered just a single assist in his last six league appearances.
Nani’s current form is no better – the winger has also fetched just a single assist in his last six outings and with threat of rotation looming now that Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia are both available, his Fantasy stock is in decline.
Phil Jones
The former Blackburn man started his third successive game and returned a third clean sheet. The United back four have won their last three league games 1-0 following on from the 6-1 defeat to City – clearly Alex Ferguson has instilled a new, defensive resolve in his side, perhaps at the cost of attacking verve.
Fantasy managers will surely be pondering the switch from United’s attacking players to their defensive assets then, with Jones the most likely candidate for consideration. Priced at 6.2 in the FPL, his ownership is increasing and, with his role in the United defence looking fairly assured, that’s set to continue.
United face Newcastle at Old Trafford next, followed by a trip to Villa. Neither will be easy, although from gameweek 15 onwards, they are presented with a favourable run of opponents that offer even stronger potential for defensive returns.
Zoltan Gera
The Hungarian was handed his first start of the season for the Baggies and he duly delivered an eye-catching performance that saw him return an assist for Jerome Thomas’ opener in the in over Bolton. Gera was played up in support of Shane Long and staked a claim for that role long-term with his display. Peter Odemwingie’s return to fitness will put Gera under threat but, if he can go on delivering, he could retain a start in Roy Hodgson’s lineup and present value as a 5.5 midfielder in the FPL.
Shane Long
The Irishman returned to fitness ahead of schedule and popped up with a smart glancing header to win the game for West Brom. Long had showed encouraging form before his injury setback and at 5.7 in the FPL, will come into the equation as a budget consideration as West Brom’s fixtures begin to improve.
Ivan Klasnic
The Croatian struck his sixth goal of the season from the spot to drag Bolton back into the game at the Hawthorns. With Kevin Davies missing spot-kicks this season, it appears that Klasnic may have taken over duties in Owen Coyle’s lineup. That adds an extra string to his bow and boosts his appeal as a 5.8 option up front. Klasnic has scored his six goals for the Trotters this term, despite only starting seven games. Only Demba Ba of Newcastle has offered better value so far this season in the FPL.
