Birmingham’s fixtures are strong enough to promote all their players into our thoughts for the next few gameweeks. The three home games against West Ham, Blackburn Rovers and the meet with Fulham in gameweek 13 to come next – all look decent candidates for returns at both ends of the field. In between that they pay trips to Wolves and Wigan – again, these look to be kind opponents. It could be time to consider some options from an unlikely source then…
To be fair, the raw statistics show a need for caution. Birmingham have scored just 3 goals in their last 5 games at St Andrews. However, McLeish has recently made the shift to 4-4-2, installing a partnership of Benitez and Jerome up front which appears to be growing in stature. Both returned their first league goals of the season in the 2-2 draw at Anfield, giving them the perfect platform of confidence from which to build from over the next five games. With Garry O’Connor’s recent need for surgery leading to a possible four months out – the pair also appear to offer the security of assured starts.
Crucially, like all of Birmingham’s squad, both Benitez and Jerome are available in the budget bracket. Jerome is currently the bargain option on the Watchlist, coming in at just 4.4 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game. You’ll struggle to find a regular starter for the same price, let alone one that promises goals in the next month.
At 5.5 in the FPL, little more investment is required for the Ecuadorian but that’s understandable. “Chucho” as he is known, has a decent reputation (read more on this in Foch’s Scout Report here) and has sparkled of late, without notching fantasy points. His returns at Anfield changed that and threaten to get a bandwagon rolling should he put Fulham or Wolves to the sword over the next two.
For me, both players offer strong alternatives to mid-price options such as Bent and Defoe, if you’re looking to free up cash for investment elsewhere. The problem here is that, with Gerrard still nursing an injury and Lampard out for three weeks, it’s unlikely that many fantasy managers need to consider budget purchases right now. That would explain the very modest interest in both Benitez and Jerome to this point. Given form and fixtures however, we shouldn’t discount the possibility that both could start getting some interest due to their actual returns rather than the flexibility that their price offers. A handy differential is on offer for those willing to gamble on early investment.
Get a full view of the current Watchlist, recommending players for the next five matches, right here.