The Stock Check – Gameweek 31 – Wednesday

An electric Eden Hazard and a late bonanza from a Spurs trio provide the headlines on a goal-drenched night of Premier League action.

Sergio Aguero also shines, but Alexis Sanchez is out-flanked and Costa’s expensive drought continues.

Here’s the Stock Check.

On The Rise

Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Son Heung-min
The trio that kept Spurs’ title hopes alive did much the same for many a Fantasy manager – but boy did they leave it late at Swansea City.

The 32.%-owned Alli is the star turn, with 12 goals and four assists over the last 14 Gameweeks – that’s 118 points accrued since Gameweek 17.

Over the same period, Eriksen (16.4%) has played a fine supporting role, with two goals and nine assists for 83 points. The Dane has also hit two goals in his last three matches after going 11 Gameweeks without.

And now Son has emerged to steal a scene or two. Having managed just the one goal in nine matches from Gameweek 19, he’s now hit two in two as he duels with Vincent Janssen for the lone striker spot in the continued absence of Harry Kane.

The South Korean, you suspect, has done enough to start at home to Watford on Saturday lunchtime, with Kane surely unlikley to figure, despite reports of rapid progress with his ankle injury.

Spurs still await confirmation of a double Gameweek amid a generally kindly run-in.

The case for doubling up on their midfield assets grows stronger.

Sergio Aguero
Manchester City continue to defend by attacking, with Aguero as the focal point.

The Argentine’s strike at Chelsea means he now has four goals and an assist from his last six Gameweek starts – and nine from nine in all competitions.

Many of us brought him in for the Gameweek 27 double, when he disappointed, but we’ve not quite been able to let him go – as planned – ever since.

City have a great run-in and a likely double Gameweek involving West Brom at home, making Aguero potentially undroppable for the rest of the season.

And in the short-term, he’s a major captaincy candidate for Saturday’s home match with Hull City.

Eden Hazard
Just over 4% of managers captained the Belgian last night and were rewarded with a scintillating 13-point display.

His missed penalty took a touch of shine off it all, but Hazard is clearly a force to be reckoned with – at home.

He has four goals and three assists from his last eight matches at the Bridge and just one goal and two assists from his last eight on the road.

Choosing between Chelsea’s two big-ticket attackers is now all Hazard and no Diego Costa – the Belgian has six double-figure returns at home, the Spain international none.

He also has more bonus points – 26 – than any other FPL midfielder, with seven maximums to boot.

Philippe Coutinho, Divock Origi
Coutinho was sick at half-time in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, but his seven-point return was easy enough to stomach for the 236,000+ new managers who made him the Gameweek’s most popular purchase.

The Brazilian now has back-to-back goals and should be recovered in time for the Reds’ Saturday trip to Stoke.

More than 92,000 took a punt on Origi to fill the Liverpool void left by an injury to Sadio Mane and the Belgian delivered.

He has two goals and as many assists from his last five appearances – most of which have been from the bench – and has blanked only twice in his last eight starts, recording four goals and three assists in the process.

Origi is deceptively consistent, providing the goals that his main rival for a central role, Roberto Firmino, can barely buy at the moment.

The Brazilian has five assists in six starts, but has found the net only once.

There’s no double Gameweek for Liverpool, but their run-in almost demands we invest in at least one of their attacking threats.

Theo Walcott
While Alexis Sanchez has started to offer precious little bang for his mega-buck price, Walcott is on a roll.

The England midfielder’s goal against West Ham made it consecutive strikes in the league and five from his last six starts in all competitions.

Arsene Wenger has started him in all but one of the Gunners’ last six league matches and Walcott is responding to that faith.

He’s a massive 4.4 cheaper than Sanchez and offers major differential potential, while still owned by just 4.9%.

Arsenal’s run-in involves nine matches and two double Gameweeks, with matches away at Spurs and home to Manchester United the only truly tough tests.

How to exploit that schedule is the question – Walcott is starting to look like another solution.

Josh King
Nine goals from his last ten starts and returns from trips to Everton, Man United and now Liverpool – the Bournemouth midfielder continues to highlight his fixture-proof credentials.

That’s just as well when the Cherries have Chelsea and Spurs up next, but King’s form and Bournemouth’s excellent final five fixtures make a strong case for his 13.3% ownership base to leave well alone.

And priced at just 5.8, a midfielder with 76 points from those ten Gameweeks is well worth a look for those not already on the King train.

James Ward-Prowse, Maya Yoshida
Southampton have two double Gameweeks to come and a pair of budget options well-placed to benefit.

Yoshida is the rock in an otherwise fluctuating defence. He’s started all but one of the Saints’ last 13 matches and chipped in with his first goal of the season yesterday to make it a very profitable 18 points in five days for his 1.9% ownership.

His 4.3 price is also appealing, Southampton’s consistency less so – they have just three clean sheets in eight matches since Virgil Van Dijk’s injury.

No such worries for Ward-Prowse, who scored for the second time in three Gameweeks in the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace.

The midfielder is cheap (5.0) and major differential material (0.9%-owned) and should have nine matches to build on his excellent form.

But while the Saints’ schedule is packed, it’s also tough – they still have five of the top six to play.

Still, at those prices…

Christian Benteke
Never mind the opposition, look at the goals.

Crystal Palace might have the run-in from hell, but Benteke is fast becoming no respecter of reputations. Having netted at Stamford Bridge, the Belgian scored again at St Mary’s last night.

If he can continue to defy the odds, Palace’s simply horrific schedule – five of the top six, three of them away – won’t matter to his 6.2% ownership base.

It’s a tough call, but a double Gameweek 34 is getting close, even if it involves a trip to Anfield and then Spurs at home.

Palace continue to fight for their survival against the odds and Benteke remains a perilous punt.

But he has form on his side, at least.

Alvaro Negredo
Form has been nowhere near Negredo in a long time.

A goal in the 4-2 loss at Hull City was only his second strike since Gameweek 17 and Middlesbrough are increasingly looking like making it a north-east double for relegation this season.

But Boro have another more immediate double in their favour – a Gameweek 34 involving Bournemouth away and a visit from Sunderland.

That, and Saturday’s home clash with Burnley, offer the tiniest ray of hope for Boro fans and a last chance for Negredo to be considered a part of our Fantasy plans.

Since the departute of Aitor Karanka, only City’s Aguero – by 15 to 14 – has managed more efforts on goal than Negredo over the last three Gameweeks for FPL forwards.

As a sidenote, the enigma that is Adama Traore finally earned his first attacking return of the season last night.

Predictably for a man with pace to burn and passing to bin, we don’t think he meant it as his ‘cross’ for Negredo’s goal was actually a shot gone wrong.

And then right again.

Harry Maguire
Finally Maguire got his goal…

Since he came into the side in Gameweek 15, big Harry has had more shots on goal (25) than any other FPL defender.

A headed strike against Middlesbrough was as huge as he is and was only spoiled somewhat by him limping off with a knee problem shortly afterwards.

That puts him in doubt for Saturday’s potential hiding to nothing at Man City, but a good run follows that, even without a double Gameweek for the Tigers.

In Decline

Diego Costa
The Costa exodus continues, unsurprisingly for a premium-priced striker with just two goals from his last eight starts.

Chelsea are staggering towards the league title at the moment, while Diego is even more off the pace than his team.

In fact, the only thing flowing with the Spaniard is sales out – he currently sits second in that category, behind the injured Sadio Mane.

Costa has never been an explosive asset this season, scoring more than once in a match on just one occasion. His consistency was his strength and even that is now eluding him.

Chelsea’s run-in is attractive and they have a double Gameweek yet to be arranged, so Costa still has the potential to come good.

At 10.6, however, that’s a lot of money invested in potential alone.

Alexis Sanchez
Arsene Wenger’s four-match experiment starting Danny Welbeck up front has produced one win, a draw, two defeats and one goal for the Englishman.

It’s also stalled the attacking phenomenon that was Sanchez, who has a goal and an assist from those four Gameweeks.

The Chilean has produced before from a role on the left, but in the three matches he’s started with Welbeck, Sanchez has managed only six shots, with a mere two coming from inside the box.

Theo Walcott has also out-shone Sanchez for both touches in the opposition’s penalty area (15 vs 13) and shots in the box (six to two).

Many of us were planning to use our Triple Captain chip on Sanchez for one of the Gunners’ two double Gameweeks yet to come.

That plan is starting to look somewhat compromised.

Gylfi Sigurdsson
It’s now three blanks in a row for the Swansea City star and he’s not scored since Gameweek 24.

Last night’s defeat to Spurs was a crushing affair from which the Swans might struggle to recover.

Paul Clement’s men still have a good set of fixtures to come, but they’ll need Sigurdsson to start delivering again if they are to take advantage.

The Icelander’s 17.7% ownership are in the same boat.

Raheem Sterling
Just 57 minutes and two points from his last two Gameweeks has been tough to take for the 11.8% of managers who have made Sterling Man City’s most popular midfielder.

Dropped to the bench at Chelsea, the only hope is that Pep Guardiola will unleash the winger for the rest of City’s attractive run-in.

A goal an four assists from Gameweeks 23-27 prompted a surge in ownership. Four miserable matches later and one of this season’s more fruitless exercises – second-guessing Guardiola’s intentions – is trying the patience of many yet again.

Robert Snodgrass
West Ham are struggling, their manager seemingly in many minds over the Scottish midfielder.

In and out of the team over the last eight Gameweeks, Snodgrass has produced just one assist and was dropped to the bench for Michail Antonio’s return in last night’s loss at Arsenal.

Antonio’s half-time illness got Snodgrass another 45 minutes, but he needs immediate returns from the Hammers’ kindly schedule over the next four Gameweeks to placate his 8.6% ownership.

Ryan Fraser
A run of 12 straight starts, producing two goals and four assists, earned the Bournemouth midfielder a spot on the bench at Anfield last night.

Eddie Howe’s decision was presumably based on the player’s need for a rest, although he’s done little of Fantasy note since Gameweek 26 despite some lively recent performances.

With Chelsea and Spurs up next, Fraser’s chances of decent immediate returns look minimal.

Ryan Bertrand
A number of FPL managers viewed the England left-back as their way into a Southampton defence ahead of the Saints’ two double Gameweeks.

A hamstring problem could scupper those plans.

Bertrand missed last night’s win over Palace and he remains a doubt for Saturday’s visit by West Brom.

Four assists and two clean sheets from his last six starts provided his backers with 36 points.

The worry now is that his hamstring issue might only clear up in time for Southampton’s matches with Man City and then Chelsea.