This Much We Know – Gameweek 10

Sergio Aguero chalks up his highest haul of the season to quell concerns over his Fantasy potential under Pep Guardiola. Liverpool’s pair of Brazilians continue to make a case for a double-up, Eden Hazard is looking too good to ignore, whilst Joe Allen’s momentum shows no sign of slowing.

Aguero has earned the armband back…
So many words have been written on Sergio Aguero’s return to form and, doubtless, there are a few more to come.

But his importance to the Fantasy Premier League cause cannot be overstated.

While an ever-changing cast of midfield big-hitters vie for our attention and Diego Costa and Romelu Lukaku carry on winning our trust, we need the Aguero captaincy option to fall back on.

A two-goal salvo at the Hawthorns was timed perfectly to coincide with the weekend’s Etihad meeting with Middlesbrough and, once we can be sure on his minutes following the Barcelona clash, Aguero’s renaissance will be complete as he takes a big slab of captaincy faith into Gameweek 11

Hazard has put the midfield back in flux….
As for those midfield options, we now have to revisit the drawing board as a result of Eden Hazard’s own resurgence.

It’s not just the three goals in three Gameweeks; it’s the very nature of his displays in a revitalised Chelsea side.

The freedom granted to Hazard will surely only see him flourish and threaten the likes of Alexis Sanchez at the very top of the midfield standings.

Even with the hike to 9.9, Hazard’s price is starting to look attractive, given that he is also the only one of the midfield heavy-hitters assured of penalty duties.

Conte’s turning Azpilicueta into the biggest magnet of all…

Cesar Azpilicueta has always appeared to be tailor-made for the Bonus Point System – he wins tackles, lots of ’em, and that’s a big factor in the bonus point shake-up.

But the recent upturn in Chelsea’s defensive output has elevated Azpilicueta to a whole new level – he’s now fetched bonus returns in all five of Chelsea’s shut-out scenarios.

While we’re drawn to Marcos Alonso’s attacking promise, Azpilicueta reliability has us pondering our chosen Watchlist target.

Giroud has the makings of an impact sub….
There’s little doubt that Olivier Giroud adds a new dimension to the Arsenal attack – a suitable plan B when the opponent drops deep and shuts down the spaces for Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott to exploit.

However, despite his priceless two-goal intervention at Sunderland, it seems that Arsene Wenger has little intention of disrupting the current structure of the team.

Sanchez is set to remain up front, with Wenger talking up Giroud’s opportunities in a 4-4-2, which would force Ozil out wide.

With Aaron Ramsey now fit and pushing for a midfield spot, the shift to 4-4-2 seems most unlikely – what Wenger meant to say was that Giroud is destined for more appearances like Saturday’s, emerging from the bench once the bus is parked.

At least our mind is made up in goal…
With bewildering options available in midfield and an ever-changing list of priorities in defence, it’s reassuring to know that Tom Heaton has ended all the debate when it comes to the goalkeeping position.

The Burnley skipper has exceeded all our expectations – building on his stunning performances in the 2014/15 season to rise to the very top of the FPL keeper standings.

With Sean Dyche’s side showing robust organisation home and now away, Heaton has the platform to go on providing dividends and leave a crowd of more expensive options in his wake.

Spurs need Kane to fire…
With just two goals in the three matches since the superb 2-0 victory over Manchester City, it’s clear that Mauricio Pochettino’s side have stalled and are now desperate for Harry Kane’s return.

Son Heung-min blossoming form as a provider of goals seems to have faded, with the South Korean shifted to a flank role to make way for Vincent Janssen. Despite his converted penalty against Leicester City at the weekend, the Dutchman continues to toil and struggle to adapt.

Spurs will be willing Kane to be available for the Gameweek 11 trip to the Emirates; they will be even more desperate for him to hit the ground running on his return.

Kane scored back-to-back goals before his injury, hinting at the form that saw him challenge for the Golden Boot and fire 24 times last term.

Without his goals, Spurs look unlikely to maintain a title challenge.

In Fantasy terms, a firing Harry Kane can be a major factor in our seasons, that will break up the stranglehold currently in place via combinations of Lukaku, Costa and Aguero up front.

We all need twin Brazilians….
Liverpool’s latest triumph at Selhurst Park offered yet more evidence that we can ill-afford to ignore the concept of pairing their two sparkling Brazilian midfield assets.

Philippe Coutinho ran the show for Jurgen Klopp’s men, returning a pair of assists via corners but prompting and bursting into the box throughout, suggesting he was unfortunate to fail to return double-figures.

Firmino was in his shadow once again but emerged to provide an unerring finish to remind us of his qualities.

He is not only a provider of goals, when he gets opportunities, he is a far more natural finisher inside the box than Coutinho.

With 12 points between them, it would be natural to write off Firmino and opt for his compatriot as our weapon of choice but the appeal of pairing them up remains strong – even with Eden Hazard turning heads once again.

FPL managers love a midfield bargain….
Week to week, it seems a new low-to-mid price option comes to the fore and, every week, the masses jump upon the potential.

This week it was İlkay Gundogan’s turn to throw his hat into the ring, returning a stunning 18-point haul at the Hawthorns to signal a flood of new investors.

Gundogan looks too good to be true – a 5.5 midfield option, playing within a vibrant attacking Manchester City side, driven forward by Pep Guardiola’s philosophies.

It is perhaps fools good. We should remember that the German scored a single goal in 25 appearances for Borussia Dortmund last season. He was thrust into an attacking role against West Brom in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne, who was limited to a bench appearance.

Once the Belgian is restored, Gundogan’s starting role could be in question. Certainly, he seems unlikely to find himself given quite so much freedom to raid the box to repeat his showing against the Baggies.

But Joe Allen may just stick around…
Last night’s pair of assists and two bonus points against former club Swansea earned the Stoke midfielder a third double-figure haul in the last five Gameweeks.

Crucially, Allen has the underlying numbers to suggests he’s no Etienne Capoue Mark II – only Liverpool’s Coutinho has managed more efforts on target from the centre of the park over that five-match stretch.

Up next, Stoke now face a trip to West Ham’s obliging defence before a pair of home fixtures against Bournemouth and Burnley are sandwiched by a trip to Watford.

Allen has already climbed in price to 5.2 overnight, yet clearly has the form and fixtures to keep on delivering.