The Digest – Gameweek 22

Sergio Aguero’s one-man demolition of Crystal Palace brings Fantasy managers racing to acquire his services. Newcastle’s recent upturn in attacking potential also arrives on our radar, whilst Riyad Mahrez’ stock is on the decline after another miss from the spot sees him stripped of Leicester’s penalty duties.

The Player

A 16-point haul at home to an out-of-sorts Palace, courtesy of two goals, an assist and maximum bonus points, showed why Sergio Aguero remains peerless amongst premium-priced frontmen across the Fantasy games.

In a week where the likes of Harry Kane, Diego Costa and Wayne Rooney all gathered up the points, it was the Argentine’s virtuoso display that has many non-owners reconsidering their stance.

Gradually eased into action by Manuel Pellegrini over the winter period, Aguero welcomed Alan Pardew’s side on the back of two goals and a pair of assists in four matches across all competitions.

That weekend brace means Aguero has scored every 108.1 minutes this season – substantially quicker than any other frontman and not far off last term’s 101.6 minutes, where he netted 26 times.

In a season where only one of the top five scoring FPL midfielders is priced over 7.5, budgetary issues certainly shouldn’t be a concern when freeing up the cash to draft in the Argentine. Also bearing in mind that City’s most popular Fantasy pick Kevin De Bruyne has now scored just once in the last eight Gameweeks, it’s difficult to overlook a fully-fit Aguero as the primary source of attacking points from the Premier League’s most prolific scorers.

Already subject to a price rise since his weekend endeavours, Aguero has been drafted into 80,000+ FPL sides, with his ownership sitting at 20% and rising.

Providing Pellegrini can keep his star striker out of the treatment room from this point onwards, Aguero’s weekend output sounded an ominous warning for those brave enough to still overlook his talents from this point onwards.

The Team

A 2-1 win over West Ham boosted Newcastle’s survival bid as Steve McClaren’s charges finally show some signs of their attacking capabilities.

Having salvaged a 3-3 draw with United in midweek, the Magpies put an end to the Hammers’ eight-match unbeaten run thanks to talisman Georginio Wijnaldum, whose goal and assist took him to third in the midfield standings. Like Aguero, the Dutchman has also been subject to a price hike and at just 6.9, he looks an ideal candidate for our five-man midfields as the Tyneside team step up their efforts in the final third.

Although Wijnaldum’s output has justified the underlying numbers, Aleksandar Mitrovic is bubbling under as a cheap third forward – the Serbian has scored just once in the last six Gameweeks but has registered more efforts inside the box (20) than any other striker.

Indeed, over the last two Gameweeks, Newcastle have produced 23 shots inside the box – a tally bettered only by Spurs and City, with 24 apiece, whilst in terms of efforts on target, they sit at the summit with Tottenham on 16.

Further back, Daryl Janmaat’s assist against the Hammers arrived on the back of Paul Dummett’s last-gasp leveler against United on Tuesday evening, as McClaren’s full-backs start to benefit from a more offensive style of play.

With new boy Jonjo Shelvey pulling the strings in central midfield, there’s a growing sense of optimism that the St James’ Park outfit now have the confidence to stave off the threat of relegation. Upcoming clashes against Watford, Everton and West Brom offer a platform to maintain their momentum and play their way into our Fantasy plans.

The Talking Point

A second unsuccessful spot-kick in the last three Gameweeks by Riyad Mahrez has Fantasy owners considering their options as Leicester’s toils in attack continue.

Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Villa means that the Foxes have scored just twice in the last five Gameweeks, with Mahrez drawing blanks on each occasion. Given that Jamie Vardy has scored once in eight league outings, the Algerian’s ability to earn assists has also taken a real turn for the worse – indeed, he has created just one goal in nine Gameweeks.

Frustratingly, if Mahrez had tucked away his penalties, there’d be no issue of concern and we’d be revelling in his essential status. Instead – as confirmed by Claudio Ranieri yesterday – we’re now faced with a situation where the most popular player in the FPL game has been stripped of spot-kick duties in light of his recent failings.

Still sitting in over 65% of FPL teams, Mahrez’ winter malaise isn’t quite on a par with Eden Hazard’s fall from Fantasy grace, though the removal of penalties clearly dents his appeal, given that four of his 13 goals have arrived from the spot. Conversely, Vardy owners will be hoping his record of three successful spot-kicks in the top flight this term can bolster his own flagging campaign.

One look at the fixture list suggests the upcoming period could be a defining one in Mahrez’ season. The Foxes are set to face Stoke and Liverpool at the King Power before making their way to City and Arsenal – that’s three of the league’s top five defences in the next four Gameweeks.

Whilst we’re not writing off a player who has served up nine double-figure hauls in 21 appearances, there’s no doubt that his downturn in output needs to be monitored. Should Mahrez’ early-season form fail to resurface over those next few matches, many may well be looking elsewhere as the competition for our five-man midfields intensifies over the run-in.