It’s time once again to roll out this week’s trio of overlooked options ahead of tomorrow morning’s deadline. Two of our three protagonists once lit up the Mestalla with their silky playmaking skills, while our final selection is a little closer to home, having previously plied his trade at Molineux…
David Silva
There’s no doubt the champions have struggled for goals this season. While this time last year City were finding the net with ridiculous ease, their current total of 18 after 10 Gameweeks is already eight less than leaders United. It’s only when you analyse the stats that the importance of David Silva becomes so apparent, though; in the five games Silva has started, City have grabbed 12 goals and scored three times on three occasions, whereas without Silva in their first XI, they have scored six goals in five matches.
With Roberto Mancini absent from this afternoon’s press conference, a somewhat spiky David Platt revealed Silva, along with Joleon Lescott and Maicon, is “available for selection at this moment in time”. Barring any training ground mishap, then, the stage looks set for Silva to return to first-team duties against Spurs this Sunday, having missed the last three with a hamstring injury.
Bearing in mind he produced six goals, 17 assists, 21 bonus points and a total of 184 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points, Silva’s current tally of two assists and 18 points sum up a dramatic lack of impact. Now down to 9.3 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) from a starting price of 10.0 (and 9.0 in the Sky Sports game), Silva holds a mere 4.4% FPL ownership and with clashes against four of the top six in the next six Gameweeks, his return will be vital as Mancini’s side look to replicate the swashbuckling style of play that pipped United to the title last time round.
Pablo Hernandez
The former Valencia man had a somewhat inauspicious start to life at the Liberty Stadium. Hauled off on 45 minutes and 62 minutes respectively in his first two starts, Hernandez was also handed a couple of sub appearances in his first four matches under Michael Laudrup, as Swansea’s sensational start to the season quickly became a distant memory.
Having finally nailed down a regular role on the right of the Swans’ front three at the expense of Nathan Dyer, Hernandez has stepped up in performance as Laudrup’s raft of foreign imports begin to gel as a team. The Spaniard has now notched in two of his last three league fixtures, providing crucial strikes in a 2-1 win over Wigan in addition to a late equaliser against Chelsea. Such displays have helped him to 20 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points since the end of Gameweek 7 – not only does this leave Wayne Routledge’s tally of six points over the equivalent fixtures trailing in his wake on the opposite flank, it also exceeds Michu’s 12, despite the latter moving to the lone forward role.
Despite his undoubted talents, Hernandez was never a prolific scorer in his native country – he managed five goals and six assists on two of his four seasons at the Mestalla – but, under Laudrup’s guidance, he is evolving into a pivotal player at the Liberty. Priced at 6.1 in FPL and 6.5 in the Sky Sports game, he looks an intriguing mid-price midfield option for those seeking an alternative to the far more popular Michu. With an ownership of under 1% in both our featured Fantasy games, Hernandez travels to St Mary’s tomorrow, with a showdown against the weakest defence the top-flight has to offer the perfect opportunity to keep his recent momentum flowing.
Michael Kightly
His summer arrival from Wolves was afforded little fanfare but the wide man has quickly become an integral part of Tony Pulis’ preferred first XI. Starting all 10 of Stoke’s fixtures so far, Kightly has ousted former Fantasy favourite Matthew Etherington onto the Potters’ periphery and has offered us a steady, if somewhat unspectacular, source of points.
While the 5.5 priced midfielder’s FPL total of 39 points may not instantly grab our attentions, it compares highly against similarly priced options – indeed, only Wayne Routledge has scored more points in the sub 6.0 bracket of any midfielder or forward. Kightly’s tally has also equalled that of team mate Jon Walters, though the latter’s 6.4 valuation is far less budget-friendly.
With a couple of goals and five FPL bonus points already to his name, Kightly’s haul has also been boosted by six clean sheet points, with Pulis hauling him off towards the end just before Stoke’s opponents have scored on a couple of occasions. Priced at 4.5 in the Sky Sports game, his bizarre classification as a defender also helps his appeal, given the Potters’ resilience at the back. With a strong run of fixtures to follow, starting with tomorrow’s game at home to QPR, Kightly’s 3% FPL ownership makes him a solid differential candidate for our five-man midfields over the next few Gameweeks.
