The Stock Check – Gameweek 3 – Saturday

Saturday’s eight match feast of football saw some major swings in fortune for a cast of notable Fantasy assets, with Chelsea’s Eden Hazard topping the bill of those to boost their early season reputations.

Here’s the Stock Check following Saturday’s Gameweek 3 events.

On the Rise

Eden Hazard
The Belgian dazzled again, opening the scoring with a smart low finish against Burnley to ensure he has now delivered returns in each of the opening three Gameweeks. He’s also scored six of his last eight Premier League matches.

With funds scarce as a result of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s early impact, Hazard is now firmly established as the most reliable target for our big midfield spend. But consistency is key – with many of us forced to limit ourselves to one midfield heavy-hitter, Hazard must maintain his output to prevent us switching sights.

The early signs are more than encouraging and with over 25,000 new Fantasy Premier League owners, the Belgian was the most popular transfer target overnight. A 0.3 price rise over the international break could be on the cards.

Alexis Sanchez
We called it in Scout Mission earlier in the week – we knew Arsenal we’re full of prime Fantasy assets in waiting – it was only a matter of time before they made an entrance. Sanchez duly woke from his slumber at Watford to offer a reminder of just how punishing this season could be now that so many have concentrated their budget on their attack. The Chilean inspired a Gunners victory but was just one of three midfield assets to sparkle at Vicarage Road.

Mesut Ozil
The German playmaker was the second. Re-installed in the starting line-up after an extended pre-season, Ozil popped up in the box to head home a sublime Sanchez centre. Arsene Wenger stated post-match that he is looking for his chief architect to increase his goal power; us Fantasy managers are now wondering how we will juggle squad priorities should he oblige.

Santi Cazorla
The impish Cazorla completes the buoyant Arsenal trio. Starting in the double pivot but given freedom to push forward, the Spaniard confirmed himself as the designated Gunners penalty taker and underlined his potential as a cheaper route into Wenger’s midfield charges.

Jamie Vardy
The Leicester marksman finally boosted his stock with a confident half volleyed finish to set the Foxes on their way against Swansea. With Riyad Mahrez missing a second half spot kick, Vardy may even be re-instated as the designated taker to provide his 17% ownership further comfort. With Ibrahimovic blanking, this was a good day for those who kept the faith.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Handed a second-half cameo by Jose Mourinho, Mkhitaryan grabbed his opportunity to impress. The Armenian’s willingness to run at the heart of the Hull City defence unsettled Mike Phelan’s side and added a new injection of urgency for United. A first start is surely imminent – perhaps even in the Gameweek 4 derby clash.

Antonio Valencia
Whilst Luke Shaw earned the assist against Southampton in Gameweek 2, Saturday’s Hull City win saw Valencia take his turn to step up. Pouring forward down the right-flank, he amassed more open play crosses than any other player in the Gameweek. Ultimately, that statistic earned him three bonus points and saw him edge just ahead of Shaw once again. Jose Mourinho’s back four is the only defence to have earned two clean sheets from the opening three Gameweeks.

Scott Dann
A goal in midweek and a priceless injury time equaliser on Saturday. Scott Dann continues to present himself as a 5.5 option who promises consistent goal threat. Three Gameweeks in, no other defender has had more touches in the opposing area than the Palace man. If Alan Pardew’s men could somehow muster the resilience to keep clean sheets then Dann’s potential would rocket. Right now, that looks unlikely, but his stock continues to simmer thanks to the reminder of prowess when he rumbles forward.

Leighton Baines
Everton’s designated penalty taker remained a mystery heading into the season and, to some extent it still does. But Baines was given the nod in Saturday’s win over Stoke and would appear to be in the box seat once again. It remains to be seen if the miss dented the confidence or swung duties back to Ross Barkley or Romelu Lukaku. For now, Saturday’s events offered Baines a boost, just as his stock took a hit from Koeman’s recent shift to a back four.

Mason Holgate
Another impressive display, another bonus point. However, the young Everton defender appears to be fools gold. It seems inevitable that Seamus Coleman will be re-introduced at right-back once fit and that could be early enough in September to limit Holgate’s opportunities from this point on.

Jermain Defoe
After converting a second-half spot kick at Southampton, Defoe now has ten goals in his last ten away appearances as he continues to press home claims for consideration in our forward lines. David Moyes’ side are clearly still work in progress but in Defoe, they at least have an assured source of goals. With three in the next four at home, Defoe’s stock improves, although given his scoring streak on the road, the Gameweek 5 trip to former club Spurs may well be more profitable.

Danny Rose
Like Shaw and Valencia, Tottenham boast two full-backs battling for Fantasy superiority. Rose’s equalising goal against Liverpool helped him make up ground on Kyle Walker, who himself was dented by his early withdrawal due to illness. However, rotation threat around Champions League ties remains the key factor with the Spurs full-backs, with Rose arguably the more vulnerable with Ben Davies on standby.

Leroy Fer
A Gameweek 1 winner was followed up by a consolation goal at Leicester which nonetheless highlighted the Dutchman’s talents when raiding the box. Fer’s long-term potential in Francesco Guidolin’s Swansea is still in question – he failed to score once in 11 appearances last season. However, with price bracket peers Nathan Redmond and Andros Townsend, blanking, he strengthened his case for serious consideration.

Josh King
Another potential answer to our midfield puzzle – even before the trip to Palace, King had stood out as Bournemouth’s most likely. Saturday’s strike at Palace demonstrated his eye for goal and saw him take another stride away from Jordan Ibe and Max Gradel as the weapon of choice in Eddie Howe’s side.

Roberto Pereyra
Introduced from the bench as Watford chased a lost cause, the Hornet’s new signing delivered a goal amidst an eye-catching cameo. The international break will see the Argentine firmly installed in Walter Mazzarri’s side and a start next time out looks inevitable. Given the need for mid-price midfield assets, we will be monitoring his progress with interest.

In Decline

Harry Kane
Events seem to be conspiring against the Spurs striker. Kane lead the line against Liverpool, with Vincent Janssen dropped to the bench following his Palace start. But Kyle Walker’s injury saw Mauricio Pochettino introduce the Dutchman, forcing Kane back to a withdrawn role. While he conjured six shots against Palace from that position in Gameweek 2, Kane failed to register a single atttempt on Saturday. Without a goal in his first six last season, the 10.9 asset has now blanked in ten league matches in August.

Riyad Mahrez
Boosted by spot kick duties following Gameweek 1, the Algerian conspired to miss a second-half penalty against Swansea to cast new doubts on that role. Mahrez has now missed three of his last four – a statistic that will surely worry Claudio Ranieri and his now dwindling 26% ownership. With Hazard blooming and a cast of Arsenal midfielders waking up, this was a dark day for Mahrez.

We suggested that Gameweek 3 would see a swing between Mahrez and Hazard and that proved to be the case, with the latter clearly prevailing. No player suffered more FPL sales overnight than Mahrez.

Ross Barkley
A notoriously frustrating Fantasy asset, true to form, Barkley failed to produce in a favourable Goodison Park fixture against Stoke. Talk of spot-kick duties following pre-season were also quashed by Baines’ miss, as Barkley’s stock took a slight knock, despite another encouraging display. Swelled by almost 300,000 new FPL owners heading into the Gameweek, those managers will hope that Barkley can step up and exploit his favourable fixtures to come, whilst also clinging to the hope that Baines relinquishes penalty duties once again.

Ramiro Funes Mori
A first Everton start for Ashley Williams saw Ronald Koeman opt to drop the Argentine to the bench as he kept with a four-man backline. Funes Mori’s goal threat as a 5.0 option now looks set to play a minor role in our season unless the Everton boss reverts to a three-man setup.

Gerard Deulofeu
Another victim of Koeman’s teamsheet shuffle – the Spaniard started the season as a prospect playing up front and now, three Gameweeks in, he seems resigned to adopt a familiar role as an impact sub.

Shane Long
Dropped to the bench by Claude Puel, the Southampton striker appears to have slipped down the pecking order below converted winger Nathan Redmond. With the Saints closing in on the signing of Sofiane Boufal, Long’s prospects as a 6.5 option suffered a significant blow.

The Southampton Defence
With two plum home fixtures against Watford and Sunderland in their first three, Claude Puel’s rearguard looked well place to offer some early value. But the Saints have now wasted both opportunities and with tough opposition on their travels to come, it seems we need to steer clear and look elsewhere for our mid-price defensive targets.

Bojan
Re-classified as a midfielder this team, we had high hopes for the Spaniard. Dropped to the bench at Everton to make room for a rare Peter Crouch start, Bojan is another who seems unable to cement a steady platform to flourish as a Fantasy asset.