The Digest – Gameweek 30

Harry Kane’s armband battle with Sergio Aguero is becoming increasingly key to our Fantasy seasons. Bournemouth’s main men are already earmarked for 2016/17, whilst Everton’s progress to the FA Cup semi-finals looks set to play a significant part in our planning for the run-in.

The Player

A two-goal haul at Villa Park maintained Harry Kane’s recent momentum as Spurs keep the pressure on leaders Leicester.

After scoring only once in the first nine Gameweeks, there were fears that Kane was burnt out due to a summer playing for England’s Under 21s. With 18 strikes in the subsequent 21 league outings, Kane has emphatically answered the doubters and charged up the Fantasy rankings to spearhead Tottenham’s title tilt.

The recent return of Mousa Dembele seems to have helped smooth out a recent two-match barren spell. Tellingly, both Kane and Dele Alli failed to earn points in Gameweek 27-28 – which coincided with the Belgian’s enforced absence– but with Dembele back on board, normal service has resumed for the popular Fantasy pair. Kane has netted three of Spurs’ last four goals, whilst Alli has chipped in with a trio of assists.

Kane’s weekend double also came at a time when Sergio Aguero unexpectedly faltered away to Norwich. His recent levels of consistency suggest the Spurs man is now capable of rivalling the Argentine as an armband candidate in any given Gameweek and the captaincy competition between the pair is looking decisive to our run-ins.

Delving further into the data enhances Kane’s reputation as a Fantasy big-hitter. As a result of Aguero’s injuries, the duo have gone head-to-head in 22 Gameweeks so far this season – they have outscored each other on nine occasions and drawn the other four. In terms of both points per game (5.59 to 5.33 in Aguero’s favour) and percentage of Gameweeks with a goal or assist (46.6% to 45.4% to Kane) it’s clear that the Tottenham man is holding his own against a player many feel is peerless as a captaincy candidate.

Although Spurs have just eight matches remaining of the current campaign – thus reducing their appeal at a time where many sides are bracing themselves for one, two or even three double Gameweeks – Kane’s irresistible showings will have many thinking twice over parting company as he looks to continue his fine form and fire Tottenham to the title.

The Team

A 3-2 home win over Swansea took Bournemouth’s tally to ten points from the last four Gameweeks and all but clinched their top-flight survival.

The Cherries’ recent turnaround has been triggered by a change in formation thanks to the availability of Max Gradel and Josh King, with Eddie Howe’s decision to shift from 4-1-4-1 to a more attack-minded 4-4-1-1 proving pivotal.

Gradel’s return, in particular, seems to have offered last year’s Championship winners far better balance – they have now won four and drawn two of the seven matches that the Ivorian has started this term, including a victory over West Ham and draw against Leicester earlier in the season.

Whilst Gradel’s goal and assist against the Swans merely backed up his importance, there’s competition for Fantasy points within Howe’s flourishing midfield. King has notched in back-to-back matches thanks to his role in “the hole” and Matt Ritchie’s goal and five assists in the last seven suggests that the Scot has finally acclimatised to the top-flight.

With no double Gameweek on their agenda, though, and a dire run of matches that sees them face Spurs, City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Everton, West Brom and United in their final eight fixtures, investment in Bournemouth at this point may not be the wisest of decisions.

For next term, though, that midfield trio, along with the likes of Charlie Daniels and Benik Afobe, have already played their way onto our pre-season watchlists.

The Talking Point

Fantasy managers’ patience continues to be stretched to the limit as we eagerly await news of double Gameweeks. Despite the lack of fixture announcements, though, the weekend’s FA Cup results at least brought a little more clarity to the situation.

We now know, for example, that Watford’s Gameweek 35 clash against Norwich will need to be rescheduled as a result of the Hornets’ progress to the last four of the FA Cup.

Everton and Palace are also without a fixture in Gameweek 35 – the pair were due to go head-to-head that weekend but their respective progress to the semi-finals has also forced a postponement.

West Ham and United were already facing a blank that week, regardless of who progresses in their Upton Park replay – like Everton and Palace, they were due to square up that weekend, too.

Whilst Palace, West Ham, Watford and United are all set for two double Gameweeks apiece, then, Everton are bracing themselves for potentially three pairs of fixtures in a single Gameweek between now and the end of the season – a hectic scenario for Roberto Martinez’ men but one that could play a prominent part in Fantasy managers’ planning for the run-in.

Although the likes of Joel Robles, Ramiro Funes Mori, Seamus Coleman, Ross Barkley and Aaron Lennon will jostle for our attentions as we look to fill our quota of Toffees, there’s no denying that the jewel in the Goodison crown is Romelu Lukaku.

Having netted in three of his last four league appearances, the Belgian’s weekend cup brace against Chelsea continued his fine form and served a reminder of his fixture-proof potential ahead of back-to-back clashes with Arsenal and United.

Lukaku is shaping up to be one of the chief protagonists for the remainder of campaign and with a single goal in six, Jamie Vardy is looking the most dispensable amongst our forward lines. Furthermore, with those extra fixtures strengthening his captaincy claim, the Belgian also offers us another armband contender to those willing to overlook Aguero and Kane, adding another variable to the twists and turns of this most unpredictable of seasons.