The Digest – Gameweek 31

Eden Hazard ups his output as Chelsea edge closer to the title. Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen keep a Harry Kane-less Spurs in pursuit of the Blues, while the return of Danny Welbeck casts a worrying shadow over Alexis Sanchez’s Fantasy potential.

With less than 48 hours until yet another round of fixtures, here’s our summary of the Gameweek gone by.

The Player

As Diego Costa’s influence on Chelsea’s title tilt continues to wane, the return to form of Eden Hazard could hardly be timelier for both Antonio Conte and Fantasy managers alike.

The Belgian could even afford to miss a spot-kick in last night’s win over Man City and still serve up a 13-point haul – his highest since Gameweek 11 and only the second time this term that he has scored more than a single goal.

Over his last six league outings, Hazard has now delivered three double-figure returns, producing a goal or assist on five of those occasions. As a result, he has earned more transfers in than any player in the Gameweek ahead of the Blues’ weekend jaunt to Bournemouth.

Costa, meanwhile, is second only to Liverpool’s injured Sadio Mane for transfers-out since Tuesday evening’s deadline passed.

Still owned by 35.8% of FPL managers, the Spain international has managed a mere two goals (and pair of assists) in eight. At a time when both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Christian Benteke are finding form ahead of double Gameweek 34s for United and Palace, Costa, for many, is now deemed surplus to requirements.

Antonio Conte’s side still have eight matches remaining over the final seven Gameweeks in a run that also includes clashes against Middlesbrough, West Brom, Sunderland and Watford.

Yet with Chelsea’s defence also limping towards the finishing line – they are now without a clean sheet in eight – Hazard is looking increasingly difficult to ignore.

Having struck the title-winning goal in each of the last two seasons, the Belgian’s penchant for the big occasion looks set to play a prominent part in many managers’ plans for the run-in.

The Team

They left it late at the Liberty, but Spurs still seem the likeliest to halt Chelsea’s apparent march towards the Premier League crown.

Despite the continued absence of Harry Kane, Mauricio Pochettino’s attack remains a potent source of Fantasy points, with Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen both serving up double-digits to send Swansea spiralling into the drop zone.

Ranked third and fourth respectively in the FPL midfield standings, the argument for a double-up continues to look a strong one as Mauricio Pochettino’s side prepare to face eight fixtures in seven, which includes showdowns with Watford, Bournemouth and Palace in the next three Gameweeks.

Twelve goals and four assists in his last 14 outings shows just why Alli is the most popular midfielder in FPL, yet the explosive potential offered by Eriksen – with nine lots of 10+ points hauls – cannot be overlooked.

Son Heung-min’ goal last night means that he has netted in back-to-back Gameweeks for the first time this term, but with recent reports suggesting that Kane could even return in time for next weekend’s clash with the Cherries, the South Korean is clearly an unnecessarily risky pick.

For those who refuse to go all-in on their attack, Spurs boast the most resilient rearguard in the league, with a mere 22 goals against.

Yet with Spurs still hopeful on a Danny Rose return – thus placing question marks over the security of starts offered by his deputy Ben Davies on the left – Pochettino’s decision to rest Kyle Walker against Burnley is somewhat concerning as we look for the most appealing route into their defence.

Assessing the schedule, a Gameweek 34 match against Palace could be the one hot spot should their manager consider rotation – that clash with Big Sam’s side falls between an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea and the Gameweek 35 derby with Arsenal to produce three fixtures in eight days.

The Talking Point

While Hazard and the Spurs pair show no ill-effects from the punishing schedule, Alexis Sanchez has cut a somewhat forlorn figure in recent matches.

Shuffled onto the Arsenal left flank amidst growing speculation over his future, the Chilean has managed just a goal and assist over the last four Gameweeks as Arsene Wenger turns to Danny Welbeck to lead the line instead.

Delving into the data certainly underlines the issue.

Sanchez has managed just six shots (two in the box) in 257 minutes from the left flank when named in the same first XI as Welbeck over those recent matches. By comparison, he has fired 32 shots (19 in the box) over 528 minutes from the left flank when starting with Olivier Giroud.

Despite remaining the top scoring player in FPL, Sanchez now resides in just 27.6% of squads – third in midfield popularity behind both Alli (32.2%) and Hazard (28.2%).

As one of only three sides set to play nine times in the final seven Gameweeks, Arsenal players are understandably pencilled into many wildcard plans, with Sanchez the star attraction.

Yet with Theo Walcott back amongst the goals and Mesut Ozil delivering his highest haul of 2016/17 against the Hammers last night, Arsenal’s other midfielders are now belatedly staked a claim for consideration.

Previously looked upon as essential for the run-in, Sanchez suddenly seems a little less appealing in light of his displays on the wing alongside Welbeck. With the competition for places in our second wildcards intensifying, his output against Palace, Middlesbrough and Leicester in the next three rounds of fixtures will be very closely scrutinized.