The Digest – Gameweek 23

Gameweek 23 is put to bed with a look at Jon Walters’ prospects, the plentiful options at the Emirates and the battle between Sergio Aguero and Daniel Sturridge for our attention in the premium forward bracket.

The Player

Having been backed in the Scout Picks, there were high hopes for Walters heading into a home showdown against travel-sick QPR. Few could have imagined what was to follow, though, with the 5.2-priced Stoke midfielder scoring all three goals in a 3-1 win in Harry Redknapp’s final match in charge of the visitors.

Walters had started the Potters’ previous Premier League encounter at Leicester as a lone forward, due to Peter Crouch’s lack of form and Mame Biram Diouf’s unavailability due to the African Cup of Nations. The Republic of Ireland international duly provided the assist for Bojan’s winner in a 1-0 victory. Diouf returned to the bench against the R’s alongside Crouch and with Bojan suffering a season-ending knee injury in the FA Cup against Rochdale, Mark Hughes decided to continue with the 4-2-3-1 formation, with Stephen Ireland handed the role in “the hole” behind Walters.

Given the fact Diouf had started ten of the last 11 Gameweeks prior to departing for international duties, though, he could well return to the starting XI for Sunday’s trip to Newcastle – which leaves Hughes with a dilemma. Walters, could, potentially, be set for a move to the right wing in order to accommodate the Senegal international again; indeed, Hughes shifted him to the flank after throwing on Crouch as a sub against the R’s just after the hour mark.

The next seven Gameweeks do offer Stoke a pretty favourable schedule, with home matches against Man City, Hull, Everton and Crystal Palace, allied with trips to Newcastle, Aston Villa and West Brom. Snapped up by over 40,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers this week, Walters certainly looks amongst the pick of the budget midfielders right now and with seven goals to his name, is just strike away from equally his most prolific season for the Potters. So far, he’s netted 35% of his attempts on goal and whilst it’s debatable whether he can sustain such ruthlessness, those upcoming fixtures look too good to ignore for many.

The Team

Following the resounding 5-0 victory against Aston Villa, confidence in Arsenal’s Fantasy assets has never been higher as the fixtures smile kind for Arsene Wenger’s side. After Saturday’s north London derby, the Gunners have home matches against Leicester, Everton and West Ham coupled with trips to Palace and QPR and, with viable options throughout the team, many would surely look to get more than three Gunners in their 15-man squads if permitted.

Impressively, Sunday’s emphatic win came without the hamstrung Alexis Sanchez, with Santi Cazorla continuing his sensational recent form with a goal and two assists to earn a 17-point return. Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott both scored for the second successive match in all competitions as Wenger’s midfield tore the midlands outfit apart, whilst Olivier Giroud’s five strikes and an assist in his last six appearances highlight a real upturn in consistency since returning from injury.

Arsenal’s rearguard also offers us several options. Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker offer the security of starts, but it’s David Ospina and Hector Bellerin who have come to the fore as cheaper, if slightly riskier, routes into the Gunners backline. The 4.8-priced Ospina has overseen clean sheets in each of his three league outings as the new number one, whilst Bellerin’s goal and subsequent 12-point return looks to have staved off the threat of Calum Chambers at right-back in the absence of Mathieu Debuchy. Picking the right three looks key, though given their form at both ends of the pitch, Wenger’s charges – as evidenced by the Gameweek 21 win at City – look capable of producing in any given Gameweek right now.

The Talking Point

With Diego Costa still suspended for another two matches following his stamp on Emre Can, a straight swap to Sergio Aguero looked the most obvious option for most. However, Daniel Sturridge’s lively introduction from the Liverpool bench against West Ham on Saturday may have given some pause for thought.

Certainly, Aguero has the fixtures. With Hull, Newcastle and Leicester in the next five, many will be looking to hand him the armband, never mind draft him into their starting line-ups. The Argentine lacks form, though; four appearances in all competitions without a goal is his longest barren streak of the season and he’s yet to rediscover the displays that saw him rack up 14 goals prior to his injury against Everton in Gameweek 15.

The case for fit-again Sturridge is compelling. Coming in at 11.1 to Aguero’s 12.7 in FPL, he looked sharp right from his introduction on 67 minutes at Anfield and his smart control and finish for the hosts’ second showed little sign of rustiness. There is no doubt he faces a tougher schedule (eve, TOT, sou, MCI) in the short-term and with Brendan Rodgers confirming he isn’t ready to start, the case for his immediate inclusion is somewhat lessened.

As we saw on Saturday, though, his predatory instincts have remained very much intact in spite of being sidelined since late August. Bearing in mind the Reds have fired more shots and attempts on target than any other side over the last eight Gameweeks since moving to a 3-4-2-1, Sturridge will continue to be handed chances in spite of Rodgers’ intentions to ease him back into action.

So far, Fantasy managers have sided with Aguero – over 84,000 have snapped him up this week, more than any other player in the Gameweek. Sturridge’s display has also turned heads and, with over 54,000 opting for the Liverpool man so far, it’s clear our faith in both is on the rise right now. With Costa set to return to the fray in Gameweek 26, we’re set for a fascinating battle, where all three big-hitters could slug it out for our affections over the final few months of the season. Choosing the correct option or the right window to switch allegiance, could well be the deciding factor throughout mini-leagues and the overall standings.