Our Friday evening regular makes a welcome return after another fortnight’s interruption due to international fixtures. Last time round, Juan Mata produced the goods, following on from Peter Crouch the previous week – let’s hope our trio of overlooked contenders can live up to our expectations again:
Adel Taarabt
While his consistency and application have been (quite rightly) called into question, there’s no denying the Moroccan is capable of brilliance on his day. Granted, an off-form Taarabt can be no more than a liability but if QPR are to climb the table and claw their way out the relegation zone, his contribution could well be key.
Dropped after the 5-0 opening day hammering at the hands of Swansea, he failed to feature again until Gameweek 6, a victim of Mark Hughes’ continual first-team tinkering. Climbing off the bench at West Ham, Taarabt gave the R’s a brief glimpse of hope with an outstanding finish before fellow-sub Samba Diakite’s dismissal swung the game back in the hosts’ favour. Handed a start in the following game, he again produced, grabbing another eye-catching goal in the narrow 3-2 defeat at the Hawthorns.
This weekend Taarabt squares up to an Everton defence with just one clean sheet in their last six matches – as Hughes looks to arrest a run of games that has produced just two points all season, his reliance on the Moroccan to fire his side to victory at Loftus Road could hardly be greater. Priced at 5.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and 5.2 in the Sky Sports game, and with an ownership of 1% in both games, Taarabt looks an intriguing proposition heading into this weekend’s round of matches.
Olivier Giroud
Having rolled out a Watchlist article earlier in the international break, our faith in Arsenal’s summer signing from Montpellier shows little sign of wavering. Handed a first start since the Gameweek 3 trip to Liverpool last time round, Giroud vindicated Arsene Wenger’s decision by grabbing a goal, assist and the maximum FPL bonus points in the Gunners’ 3-1 comeback win at Upton Park. Factor in a last-gasp equaliser in France’s midweek draw in Spain and it seems he’s finally hitting the form that produced 21 goals in Ligue 1 in the previous campaign.
Earlier today, Wenger praised his compatriot’s recent performances, going on to say:
“There are two things when you are a striker. First, I’m always worried when a striker doesn’t have chances. In his case, he always had chances in every single game and couldn’t convert them into goals. The conversion rate goes in cycles. Once a player starts to score, suddenly he takes off for a while and suddenly it stops again [and] nobody has really found out why. I hope he’s at the start of a good cycle.”
Certainly, the omens look good. The north London outfit travel to Carrow Road tomorrow to face a Norwich side that has shipped nine goals in their last two matches before playing host to QPR the following weekend. Priced at 8.4 in FPL and 8.7 in the Sky Sports game and with an ownership of 1% in both games Giroud looks a real differential contender over the next couple of Gameweeks and an ideal acquisition for those Fantasy managers looking for something different for their three-man forward lines.
Leon Osman
Today’s confirmation that Marouane Fellaini will miss the trip to Loftus Road has played a part in our final selection. Osman’s recent central midfield role has somewhat curtailed his attacking endeavours – so far, he’s found the next just once, with Fellaini and Steven Pienaar hogging the midfield limelight around Goodison way instead.
The Belgian’s absence at Loftus Road, however, could prove the spark Osman needs to fire his Fantasy season back into life. With the role in “the hole” behind Nikica Jelavic now up for grabs, Osman may well be the one to move forward and provide the Croatian with support. Priced at 6.3 in FPL and 7.5 in the Sky Sports game, he is owned by less than 1% of Fantasy managers in both games; there’s no doubt he’s a major punt but, bearing in mind QPR have conceded 16 goals already, Osman could pay off for those who fancy a real gamble.
