The Watchlist – Leighton Baines

Leighton Baines is like an expensive pair of jeans. You know the stitching, the cut and street-credibility are all better than the rest, but the price tag just seems that little bit too steep. Perhaps, you tell yourself, that pair from Primark isn’t that bad after all.

With a price tag of 7.8, the left-back is seen as a luxury that Fantasy managers can ill afford but, as Everton settle into the second half of the season in familiar resurgent fashion, Baines is starting to look worth every penny of his hefty price.

So what are Fantasy managers getting with Leighton Baines? First of all, starts are assured; last season he played every match, a feat he is set to once again achieve this term after failing to miss a single game. In terms of creativity, he notched up 11 assists in the previous campaign but, rather surprisingly, he has just two assists this time round, as Everton’s front men have too often failed convert his regular supply from the flank.

Instead, you are getting a considerable goal threat. Incredibly, for a defender, he is Everton’s top Premier League scorer with four goals to his name, just one less than his tally last season. Baines’ spot-kick duties, allied with his share of free kicks, have seen him notch some of the Premier League’s most spectacular goals in recent campaigns, most recently during Everton’s Gameweek 30 clash away to Swansea. His wonder free kick in last week’s win at the Liberty Stadium helped him accrue 15 points – a third double-digit haul of the season. Indeed, for defenders, only five-goal Thomas Vermaelen has proven more prolific in front of goal than the Toffees left-back.

Purchasers of Baines are also getting the added potential of clean sheets. An upturn in defensive performance has seen David Moyes’ side concede a single goal in their last four at home, snuffing out the likes of Chelsea, City and Tottenham. Further analysis of the stats shows Everton have conceded more than a single goal just three times since Gameweek 12 and, with a mere 32 goals against, have the fourth most impressive defensive record in the league to date.

With a favourable fixture list until the end of the season (WBA, nor, SUN,sto, man, FUL, wol, NEW) there is clear potential for Baines to increase his defensive returns, with perhaps only the trip to United in Gameweek 35 set to provide a stern test for Everton’s rearguard.

Bonus points also come with a Baines purchase. His bonus point tally of 15 is the highest of any defender in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game. He also has the pedigree to avoid flagging at the end of the season. As Chris Glover’s recent Fantasy Football Scout article A Season Of Two Halves, showed there were only two top performers from the first half of the previous season who equalled and/or bettered their display as the season reached its end; Baines and City’s Joe Hart. With 124 points on the board, he may struggle to overhaul his 2010/11 total of 178 but he is, nonetheless, firmly on course to finish as the top scoring defender once again, currently sitting just one point behind Benoit Assou-Ekotto in the rankings.

With Everton in form and new boy Nikica Jelavic, in particular, looking capable of finding the net on a regular basis, Baines’ attacking output clearly has the potential to increase. There’s no doubt the Croatian’s keen eye for goal has already bolstered the Toffees frontline and, with someone of a more clinical nature converting his supply from out wide, Baines could be afforded plenty opportunity over the final couple of months to boost those paltry two assists.