Two Gameweeks left, then. Mini leagues are on the line now and with many Fantasy managers loading up on last week’s double Gameweek options, plenty will be scouting the market as they look to freshen up their squads. With so much still on the line at the top and bottom of the table, we turn to a trio of players with everything still to play for..
Adel Taarabt
With a Gameweek 38 trip to the Etihad unlikely to harvest no more than a hammering as City go for the title, QPR’s final home game of the season may well determine their survival. Mark Hughes’ outfit sit fourth from bottom on goal difference alone and points will be essential this weekend if they are to have any hope of avoiding the drop.
A look at their recent form at Loftus Road offers the R’s plenty hope. Four back-to-back victories, with Liverpool, Arsenal, Swansea and Spurs all tasting defeat, suggests Stoke are in for a tricky time when they arrive on Sunday afternoon. One player more than any in Hughes’ squad has stood head and shoulders above the rest in that winning run – Adel Taarabt.
Back from a one-game suspension after receiving two yellows in the Gameweek 35 win over Spurs, the Moroccan has much to atone for. Producing a total of two goals, three assists and nine bonus points over those afore-mentioned fixtures, with his Fantasy Premier League returns reading (5, 9, 12, 8), the 5.8 priced midfielder will need to step up once again if QPR are to get the better of the Potters. Owned by just 3.1% of Fantasy managers heading into the weekend, Taarabt is afforded the perfect platform to demonstrate his ability to produce the goods, just when it matters most.
Javier Hernandez
It’s been a frustrating season for the young Mexican to say the least. Thirteen goals last term and an instant up front understanding with Wayne Rooney had suggested he’d be an automatic first-choice pick, but the campaign hasn’t gone quite to plan.
Danny Welbeck’s return from a loan spell at Sunderland last term has seen Hernandez take a back seat on far too many occasions. Despite starting just 17 games, though, the 9.9 priced forward has still managed to find the net on 10 occasions – Welbeck, in comparison, has scored nine goals from 23 starts.
With Nigel De Jong’s challenge at the Etihad on Monday evening putting paid to Welbeck’s chances of making this Sunday’s home clash against Swansea, Hernandez seems set to step up once again as United go hunting for goals. Sir Alex Ferguson will surely revert to a 4-4-2 and his side will attack from the first to the last whistle in their attempt to whittle down City’s eight goal advantage – with a mere 2.9% ownership, Hernandez could be an inspired differential this weekend.
Emmerson Boyce
While many are eyeing up Victor Moses and Shaun Maloney ahead of Wigan’s trip to Blackburn and home clash with Wolves, we’re opting for someone a little more left field. Boyce has recently flourished in his role as a wing-back for the Latics – with Moses pushing forward on the right wing, the 4.3 priced defender has been afforded plenty space to operate in a more advanced role and picked up a goal and assist in his last couple of appearances.
Handed a chance to seal their survival against the bottom two clubs, Roberto Martinez’s in-form side arrive at Ewood Park on the back of a 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle – the Magpies’ recent run of seven wins in the last eight puts that firmly scoreline into perspective. With three back-to-back clean sheets at the DW, Boyce offers potential at both ends of the pitch for Wigan’s last couple of Gameweeks and, with a mere 0.7% Fantasy ownership, could well be worth a punt ahead of Saturday’s deadline.
