The Stock Check – Gameweek 25 – Sunday

Alfie Mawson nets his third goal in six Gameweeks, while Gylfi Sigurdsson rewards his Gameweek 25 transfer bandwagon with an assist as Swansea City sweep aside Leicester City. Earlier in the day, Pedro and Robbie Brady grabbed the goals as Burnley hold Chelsea at Turf Moor, as Diego Costa’s recent dip in form continued.

On the Rise

Alfie Mawson
It’s three goals in six Gameweeks now for the Swansea centre-half after Sunday’s volleyed opener at home to Leicester.

Although defensive team-mates Martin Olsson and Federico Fernandez provided a goal and assist respectively against the Foxes, Mawson continues to look the optimum route into Paul Clement’s defence.

Granted, a Gameweek 26 trip to Chelsea is likely to calm immediate investment, but the subsequent run of four fixtures (BUR, hul, bou, MID) looks too good to ignore. Swansea are one of just six sides currently guaranteed a fixture in Gameweek 28.

Priced at just 4.5 and owned by 0.3% of FPL managers, Mawson is becoming an increasingly key differential figure at both ends of the pitch in their battle to beat the drop.

Encouragingly for Clement, today’s fourth win in six also marked the Swans’ first clean sheet in ten attempts.

Gylfi Sigurdsson
Swansea’s playmaker somewhat justified the decision of 229,000+ FPL managers to draft him in ahead of this weekend’s deadline by providing the assist for Olsson’s strike just prior to the break.

Sigurdsson has now registered points in five of the six Gameweeks since the Welsh outfit parted company with Bon Bradley, producing three goals and as many assists over that period.

While a trip to Chelsea may be seen by many as a deterrent, it’s worth noting that the playmaker has already found the net against Antonio Conte’s men in Gameweek 8.

Indeed, with additional goals against the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City and Everton, and an assist against Manchester United, his fixture-proof appeal has served up points in encounters with six of the current top seven ahead of that trip to Stamford Bridge.

Pedro
While Eden Hazard and Diego Costa remain the favoured Chelsea options for FPL managers, the Spaniard served a timely reminder of his abilities with the opener at Turf Moor.

Pedro has now netted in three of his previous seven appearances and, having started for the fifth time in the last six Gameweeks, looks to have again cemented his role in the Blues’ front three ahead of Willian.

At a time where the Alexis Sanchez exodus is underway due to Arsenal’s blank Gameweek 26, Pedro – with three double-figure home hauls to his name already – could emerge as a real differential with Swansea visiting the Bridge next time out.

With a trip to West Ham also set for Gameweek 27 , the 5%-owned midfielder may well be worth a short-term gamble for those looking to navigate the postponements.

Would-be suitors should be aware that the Blues could yet be without a Gameweek 28 fixture (at home to Watford), though, if they progress to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup next weekend.

Robbie Brady
Handed a first start since arriving from Norwich City in the January transfer window, the Irishman’s cultured left foot denied Chelsea a fourteenth clean sheet of the season with a superbly-taken first-half free-kick.

Bearing in mind that Burnley current sit fourth when it comes to attempts from set-piece situations, Brady’s share of dead-ball duties could well see him emerge as a viable budget option for our five-man midfields.

Priced at 5.5, he’s owned by just 0.1% of FPL managers ahead of encounters with Hull, Swansea and Sunderland in the next four Gameweeks.

Like Chelsea, though, the Clarets could be without a Gameweek 28 fixture (away to Liverpool) if they clinch a place in the last eight of the FA Cup next weekend.

In Decline

Diego Costa
The third most-captained player in the Gameweek, the Chelsea frontman’s blank at Turf Moor means he has scored just three times in the last ten round of fixtures compared with 12 goals in the opening 15.

Costa has, admittedly, missed two of the Blues’ recent matches due to suspension and injury, yet there’s no doubt the Spain international’s impact has somewhat dried up – he has now netted just once in his last five away appearances.

Nonetheless, with Arsenal, Man City and Man United amongst the sides missing Gameweek 26, faith in the 35%-owned Costa is likely to remain strong as the league leaders prepare to host Swansea. Indeed, he’s already been transferred in by over 13,000 new owners since yesterday’s deadline.

In saying that, Costa struggles to convince as an explosive armband candidate at Stamford Bridge and has yet to bag a single double-figure haul in front of his own supporters this term. Meanwhile, Eden Hazard, whose blank on Sunday means he has netted just twice in the last 11 Gameweeks, has still managed to serve up 10+ points on five occasions on home turf.

Fernando Llorente
Replaced midway through the second-half, the Spaniard has been unable to build on his recent Gameweek 22 double at Liverpool.

When looking at our options up front ahead of Gameweek 28’s potential postponements, an in-form Llorente could have proven a problem-solver, yet today’s failure – his eighth blank in the last ten rounds of fixtures – hardly inspires confidence.

Of the six sides set to definitely feature in Gameweek 28, Bournemouth and Hull both have their first-choice forwards sitting on the sidelines through injury, while Andy Carroll missed out for West Ham with an ongoing groin problem on Saturday.

With Llorente and West Brom’s Salomon Rondon woefully out of form, it currently leaves Romelu Lukaku as the only appealing option right now.

Expectations are low ahead of the upcoming trip to Chelsea, then, leaving only a Gameweek 27 home clash with Burnley as his last opportunity to stake his claim as a viable short-term fix to cope with the imminent cup postponements.

Llorente’s situation is symptomatic of a dreadful Gameweek for FPL forwards – only two – Shane Long and Manalo Gabbiadini – have registered goals and that pair both miss Gameweek 26.