As the season unwinds over the final two months, the goalkeeper position for many Premier League outfits continues to prove volatile. With injuries and poor form blighting most top-flight sides between the sticks, few stoppers have afforded a consistency of game time quite like Jussi Jaaskelainen. The West Ham number one is one of just four goalkeepers – along with Simon Mignolet, Asmir Begovic and Joe Hart – to start every game for his club so far and as the only member of that quartet with a double Gameweek on his hands, the Fin makes his way onto Fantasy radars.
As a result of his guaranteed game time, it’s no surprise to learn Jaaskelainen is the second most popular stopper in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, with an ownership of 18% bettered only by Begovic’s 24%. There’s no doubt the Hammers’ start played a part in quickly acquiring new suitors; three clean sheets in the opening four Gameweeks highlighted his cut-price potential, with Villa, Fulham and Norwich all repelled in rapid succession. By the time Gameweek 11 was done and dusted, Jaaskelainen had also helped nullify the threat of City and Newcastle – five clean sheets by early November saw an initial FPL price of 4.5 climb to 5.0.
The next few months were tough on Allardyce’s side, though. A brutal schedule resulted in a loss of form which saw defensive returns hard to come by – the next 14 Gameweeks harvested just a single clean sheet (away to West Brom) and, having peaked at 5.3, Jaaskelainen began to shed owners. Nevertheless, a recent defensive revival has resulted in a couple of clean sheets in the last five (SWA, sto) and with doubts over the likes of Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble and Joe Cole, it seems that Allardyce is prepared to keep things tight and simply grind out results to clinch his side’s survival.
From here on in, Jaaskelainen has an enticing run of home games which is sure to earn him further investment. Factoring in his double Gameweek 33, the remaining Upton Park schedule reads (WBA, sot & MUN, WIG, NEW, RDG), leaving just three fixtures as problematic – Gameweeks 32, 35 and 37, where the Hammers travel to Liverpool, City and Everton respectively. For those already holding Begovic, this works perfectly – Stoke entertain Villa, Norwich and Tottenham over those matches. Although Norwich, Reading, QPR and Newcastle also look rotation alternatives for the Hammers stopper, all but QPR currently have question marks over their number one spot.
With 109 points accrued thus far, Jaaskelainen sits fifth in the FPL keeper standings and first in the West Ham pecking order with 10 matches remaining. Granted, he may be pricier than his defensive team mates but the Fin’s saves consistently boost his appeal – a total of 118 edges Mignolet into second and sums up his importance to the Hammers’ cause. With George McCartney returning to fitness, question marks now hang over the full-back berths and with Allardyce subbing off James Collins for James Tomkins with 30 minutes remaining of the last league game against Chelsea, only Winston Reid seems to vie with Jaaskelainen for security of starts. Sitting 23 points behind his keeper, though, the Kiwi makes a far less persuasive case by comparison.
