Our rundown of yesterday’s three fixtures sees plenty of mid-price midfield options stand out amongst others. Jamie O’Hara leads Wolves to a vital win despite the efforts of Ali Al-Habsi, Stoke endure a Euro hangover thanks to Chris Eagles and Ivan Klasnic, while Gareth Bale hints at a new-found consistency with another double figure return.
Jamie O’Hara
A goal, two assists and 3 bonus points helped the Wolves midfielder to a 15 point Fantasy haul this weekend. The recent Carling Cup tie with Man City inclusive, O’Hara has now scored in the last three home games in a row for Mick McCarthy’s side. With Steven Fletcher injured, Big Mick has been playing a 4-5-1 and has moved O’Hara into a more advanced position, with the former Tottenham player tucking in just behind Kevin Doyle- yesterday it paid dividend and may give McCarthy food for thought when Fletcher returns to action.
Stephen Ward
The Wolves left-back grabbed his second goal of the season yesterday, netting for the first time since the opener at Blackburn. An ever-present in the Wolves side, Ward is second only to John Terry when it comes to goalscoring defenders and is the best “value” outfield player of any at the Midlands club, returning 41 points to date from a price of 4.6.
Ben Watson
While Victor Moses and Hugo Rodallega conspire to miss chance after chance for the Latics, Watson continues to be their main source of attacking points. With 2 goals and 2 assists to his name, the midfielder has played a part in 4 of the 7 goals his side have scored this season. His spot-kick duties undoubtedly help, though Watson was rather fortunate to slot home a rebound after Wayne Hennessey had saved his initial effort.
Ali Al-Habsi
Though his heroics between the sticks failed to prevent Wigan from slipping to their eighth straight defeat, Al Habsi is still, nevertheless, picking up the Fantasy points. His 7 saves at Molineux was indicative of his performances and with 45 points on the board, despite no clean sheets since gameweek three, is joint-second top goalkeeper so far- only Michel Vorm has returned more.
Gareth Bale
So often a source of frustration for Fantasy managers, Bale’s goal, assist and maximum bonus points in the 3-1 win at Fulham is the third time in six matches he has returned double figure hauls. The Welshman has been upping his game of late but mainly due to the performances of Rafael Van der Vaart, has been cruising along nicely without hogging the headlines. Bale has now bagged 4 goals this season, just 2 less than Van der Vaart and has returned only 12 points less overall. With Spurs still facing a favourable run of fixtures, he could be in for plenty investment over the next few weeks- already he has been transferred in by over 24,000 Fantasy managers ahead of gameweek twelve, more than any midfielder.
Aaron Lennon
Having been out of action for a couple of months with a groin problem, Lennon returned in gameweek nine and has stepped up in the last couple of matches. Yesterday’s 12 point Fantasy haul at the Cottage means Lennon has grabbed a goal, 3 assists and 3 bonus points in his last two games, outscoring Rafael Van der Vaart by 21 to 12. He could prove to be a decent differential over the next few gameweeks- owned by just 1.6% of Fantasy managers and priced at 7.2, he’s looking nailed-on form a right wing spot in an on-song Tottenham team.
Ivan Klasnic
A return to the Bolton starting lineup saw Klasnic serve a reminder of his early-season potential. His brace in yesterday’s 5-0 romp over Stoke means he has returned 5 goals and 3 assists from the six games he has started for the Trotters, netting against the likes of Man City and Liverpool, and surely secures his place in the first XI ahead of a trip to West Brom in gameweek twelve. With home showdowns against Everton and Aston Villa to follow, albeit with a visit to Spurs sandwiched in between, Klasnic is not too bad a punt at just 5.8.
David Wheater
The centre-half seems to have established himself at the expense of Zat Knight in the Bolton back line in recent weeks. At just 4.4, Wheater- one of our featured defenders in the “Building a Budget Defence” Members article- grabbed an assist, clean sheet and single bonus point against Stoke yesterday. Wheater has returned 13 Fantasy points in his last four starts now- compare this to 5.3 Gary Cahill, who has returned the same tally over his last ten starts.
Chris Eagles
With Martin Petrov another Bolton player who has seemingly fallen from favour, Eagles is stepping up as the main midfield source of points for Owen Coyle’s side. His 2 goals, clean sheet and 2 bonus points led to 15 points against Stoke- this was his second double figure haul in the last four gameweeks- indeed, Eagles has returned 35 points over those four weeks, with the likes of David Silva picking up 26 points over the same period. Whenever Bolton have won a game, Eagles has played a significant part; the Trotters have recorded three victories and Eagles has scored (9, 13, 15) in each of those respective triumphs.
