The Digest – Gameweek 12

Romelu Lukaku’s ascent up the Fantasy standings brings the Everton forward onto many a radar ahead of some kind upcoming matches. Palace find their form at Anfield, whilst Sergio Aguero’s imminent return is set to have a major say in our winter planning.

The Player

There was almost an air of inevitability about Romelu Lukaku’s leveler at Upton Park last Saturday.

The Everton striker does, after all, love playing against the Hammers. Lukaku had netted six times in as many matches against the London outfit prior to the weekend and delivered the goods yet again, bagging a goal and two bonus points to climb to second in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) forward standings.

Encouragingly for Roberto Martinez and Fantasy managers alike, the Belgian international seems to have developed some consistency to his top-flight displays in recent outings. Lukaku produced points in just two of his first six matches but has since blanked just twice in the subsequent six – only United and Arsenal have kept him at bay.

Already, he’s closing in fast on the previous year’s attacking returns. Lukaku has scored seven times – only three less than 2014/15 – whilst his tally of four assists is edging towards last term’s six.

One look at the next seven Gameweeks (AVL, bou, CPL, nor, LEI, new, STO) underlines just why he’s the most sought-after striker in FPL this week. Over 67,000 managers have acquired Lukaku’s services since that Upton Park strike and with his confidence on the up, the Belgian’s perfect blend of form and fixtures is looking hard to resist.

The Team

A 2-1 win at Anfield on Sunday brought Jurgen Klopp back down to earth as Palace chalked up a third straight victory against a resurgent Liverpool outfit.

Ahead of back-to-back home matches against Sunderland and Newcastle, Alan Pardew’s side served a timely reminder of their options at both ends of the pitch.

The 4.0-priced Wayne Hennessey continues to look secure between the sticks and with Joel Ward benched for the Anfield clash, Scott Dann showed just why he’s the priciest defender at Selhurst Park. The centre-half bagged a second goal of the season to climb to fifth in the defender standings – only Aleksandar Kolarov has earned more bonus points (11 to nine) at the back than the 5.1-priced Eagles centre-half.

Yannick Bolasie’s second goal in the last five also brings him back onto our radars. Handed a role up top against the Reds, the DR Congo international’s appeal is boosted by the fact that Yohan Cabaye and Wilfried Zaha are teetering on the Suspension Tightrope, with four yellow cards apiece.

Connor Wickham’s return off the bench also bodes well for Palace’s attacking midfield three, with the former Sunderland man offering a real physical focal point up front. There’s no doubt that the Eagles have toiled without Wickham’s presence in the final third – they won 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in his last start and had scored just four times in seven matches prior to their weekend win.

If Sunday’s showing is anything to go by, then, it seems that the Eagles are starting to finally return to form in time to take advantage of a kind upcoming schedule which also hands them clashes against the likes of Everton, Stoke and Bournemouth in the next six rounds of fixtures.

The Talking Point

After seeing his side fail to find a way past Villa last Sunday, Manuel Pellegrini sent Fantasy managers’ plans into overdrive by revealing that Sergio Aguero could be in line for a Gameweek 13 return against Liverpool.

Only yesterday, the Argentine’s tweet on his recovery from a hamstring injury afforded further reason for optimism as we prepare to welcome him back into the fray.

Since Aguero limped out of action in the previous international break, most of us have restructured our squads and used the money to strengthen our attacks. Plenty have opted for eight strong options in midfield and up front, leaving us weekly headaches when it comes to decide who to bench. Aguero’s return could change all that as we look for ways to free up cash to acquire his services.

Yesterday’s confirmation that Dimitri Payet will be sidelined for around three months will be seen by many as the first step in restructuring, with the likes of Manuel Lanzini and Gerard Deulofeu offering cut-price alternatives to the Hammers playmaker. Furthermore, Mesut Ozil – at 8.8 – is challenging the 11.6-priced Alexis Sanchez as our go-to Arsenal option, having delivered points in eight of his 11 appearances. In a season where the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and Odion Ighalo all offer exceptional value for money, finding a route back to Aguero shouldn’t be too difficult.

The question for most, though, is when to make the move? Much could depend on the City situation. Given that Wilfried Bony limped off on 24 minutes at Villa Park, the league leaders currently boast youngster Kelechi Iheanacho as their only fully-fit striker. If Bony is ruled out for any length of time, Pellegrini will certainly be tempted to call upon Aguero quicker than he previously anticipated as he looks to reignite his side’s title bid.

In saying that, there’s no doubt that Pellegrini will court caution with his star striker’s fitness and it’s unlikely Aguero will be afforded 90-minute run outs on his immediate return.

Having signed off for domestic duties with a five-goal haul against Newcastle in just 64 minutes back in Gameweek 8, though, Aguero’s explosive potential looms large. Down in price to 13.0, owned by just 10% of FPL managers, he now has four home matches in the next six. If he’s passed fit for the Liverpool encounter, dare we go without him?