Referred to by some as the “Berlin Wall” the mountain of a defender known as Robert Huth may need a new nickname – one to emphasise his attacking abilities rather than (or at least in addition to) his imposing defensive stature. Huth has emerged as Fantasy gold in the first half of the season – 4 goals, 2 assists, 5 Bonus Points and 4 clean sheets in 21 games, adding up to an impressive 76 FPL points.
Prior to his recent suspension for 5 yellow cards, Huth’s score had climbed to 5th highest amongst all defenders. He’s dropped slightly after sitting out a game and a 1-point performance against Man United, but Huth still ranks as the 9th defender overall and ranks 6th amongst all defenders in terms of value (his current 5.3 price translates into 14.3 FPL points per pound) trailing only to Everton’s Seamus Coleman, Sunderland’s Phil Bardsley and Elmohamady and Fulham’s Aaron Hughes and Brede Hangeland.
Stoke have quietly climbed to 10th place after a run that includes 5 wins and 2 draws in their last 10 games. Not surprisingly the Potters’ recent results have been tied to improved defensive performances that bode well for Huth and the rest of Stoke’s defensive players. Needless to say a total of 5 clean sheets on the season is far from impressive, but the more recent statistics show 4 clean sheets in the last 9 games tell a different (and more promising) story. Given the slow start, Stoke will not match last season’s total of 14 shut-outs, but there is every reason to believe that the past two months are more indicative of what we can expect the rest of the way from Tony Pulis’ defence.
There was some sell-off when he hit his suspension, but Huth has seen a deservedly steady flow of “transfers in” over the past two months. He is now owned by 8.5% of FPL teams and has seen his price increase to 5.3. By contrast teammate Ryan Shawcross started the season as the Stoke defender of choice and is still owned by 9.4% despite selling off that has seen his price drop to 4.7. It would be foolish to disregard Shawcross entirely given the price differential hat has developed between them. However, there is no denying that Huth has dominated so far and should continue to be a constant presence in the attacking area on corners, set plays and long throws.
The only reason Huth is not higher up the Watchlist at the moment is a mixed run of fixtures over the next month (BOL, ful, liv, SUN, bir/ars, WBM, whm, NEW). But this schedule provides some prospect for clean sheet returns and Huth’s attacking exploits make him available for Fantasy play even if defensive returns are unlikely. In terms of other considerations, FPL is still not awarding or deducting point for facial hair so that is a non-issue, but Huth does remain the subject of rumors about a potential January transfer. Stoke are saying that they do not need to sell and would seem unlikely to accept a £5m offer that is less than what was paid for Huth in the summer of 2009 but, in any event, a move would likely not hurt Huth’s Fantasy prospects this season even if it did occur.
