Having failed to find the net in each of his previous five Gameweeks, Steven Fletcher picked the perfect occasion to get his bandwagon up and running ahead of Sunderland’s strong upcoming schedule. A goal and assist at Fulham finally ended the drought that had seen the Scot fall off Fantasy radars but his return to scoring ways at the Cottage last Sunday has led to plenty new investment this midweek:
With the Wearsiders set to welcome four teams to the Stadium of Light in the next four, including a double Gameweek 16 also on the cards, the appeal of a forward who has had a hand in 70% of his side’s goals is obvious. Granted, the Black Cats have only notched 10 times but with six goals and an assist to his name, Fletcher has averaged six Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points per game since moving to the club from Wolves last summer.
Indeed, the lack of goalscoring alternatives amongst Martin O’Neill’s charges makes Fletcher all the more enticing an option. Every time he’s found the net, he has also picked up maximum bonus points – a total of 15 is the equal of Robin Van Persie and has been bettered by just one player, Carlos Tevez (16), over the opening 12 Gameweeks of the season. This has boosted Fletcher’s FPL total to 60 points – considering John O’Shea is his closest outfield rival at Sunderland, with 35 points, it’s fair to say that the forward stands head and shoulders above his team mates right now.
While O’Neill is desperate to address the lack of attacking edge that has mustered just three goals in four fixtures at the Stadium of Light this term, the defensive form of their upcoming visitors affords optimism. West Brom and QPR roll up next and, with neither side managing an away clean sheet so far, Sunderland will be confident before a tricky trip to Norwich, given the Canaries’ recent resolve at the back. Chelsea and Reading then arrive in double Gameweek 16. Similar to West Brom and QPR, the Royals have conceded in every away fixture so far, while Chelsea have failed to keep out their opponents since Gameweek 5.
Priced at 7.0 in FPL and 7.7 in the Sky Sports game, Fletcher offers an intriguing mid-price alternative to the likes of Dimitar Berbatov and Rickie Lambert over the short-term, at least. O’Neill’s side could hardly wish for more obliging opponents over the next few home fixtures and if the Black Cats are to scramble up the table, it’s more than likely that Fletcher will have a significant say.
