Wigan’s Victor Moses has dragged himself back into our consideration with a favourable run of fixtures on the horizon. The pacy winger was heavily backed by many Fantasy managers after netting five times for the Latics in pre-season, and, priced at just 5.0 at the start of the campaign, had looked a real proposition as a cut-price midfield alternative.
Sadly, by Gameweek 12 Moses had achieved a paltry 25 points as his play, while at times eye-catching, failed to deliver tangible returns. Fantasy managers began to question whether his parents had named him after the right Old Testament figure. Perhaps Noah, it was being muttered, would be more appropriate for a player who brings in the points two by two. Moses’ price resultantly dropped down to 4.7, with more than 60,000 Fantasy managers looking for better alternatives
Gameweek 13 saw an upturn in fortunes, with the winger notching an assist and bonus recognition at Sunderland, his first meaningful points of the season. In Gameweek 15 he went one better and emerged as a genuine Fantasy prospect when he scored, assisted and notched maximum bonus. More joy for Moses’s owners came in Gameweek 19 when he scored against Stoke and earned his fifth bonus point of the season. Just this week he added another assist, in Wigan’s tricky away fixture against Tottenham.
Over the last 11 Gameweeks, Moses, who also takes corner kicks, has accrued a healthy 45 points to bring his total to 70, second behind Swansea’s Nathan Dyer in the sub 5.0 midfielder category. He is also among the top ten midfielders in terms of goal attempts, quite an achievement considering his price.
With many Fantasy managers looking for a way to shoehorn in Robin Van Persie, Sergio Aguero and Demba Ba over the next few weeks, a cut-price midfielder may be the best route to explore. While Dyer, and the likes of James McClean offer alternatives, Moses’ schedule looks the most enticing. As our recent Watchlist article on Hugo Rodallega showed, Wigan, along with QPR, have arguably one of the best run of fixtures out of any Premier League side in the medium term (EVE, bol, AVL, SWA, nor, WBA).
Moses also has the strong backing of his manager, Roberto Martinez, who, during the winter transfer window, moved to ward off potential suitors saying:
“He is not for sale. Victor is one of the biggest assets at the football club – young with fantastic potential.”
Starts are also assured, with Moses missing just 71 minutes of Premier League action this season and playing the full 90 minutes on all but three occasions. With renewed confidence, his pre-season eye for goal restored and a sparkling set of fixtures over the coming week, many Fantasy managers may once again find themselves coveting thy neighbours’ Moses.
