After the success of last week’s punts article, which you can see here, I have compiled another trio of players I believe are worth taking a punt on. Last week’s selections were Andrew Robertson, Phillippe Coutinho and Steven Naismith. Two of the three came off, with Robertson and Naismith managing seven and nine Fantasy Premier League points respectively. This week’s article takes the usual format of one defender, one midfielder and one striker. All ownership figures were correct as of August 20th.
Aly Cissokho
Team: Aston Villa
Position: Defender
Price: 4.5m
Ownership: 0.8%
Aston Villa’s defensive line was a revelation in the last Gameweek. Away to Stoke City, not many people expected returns, but they delivered. Against a much improved Stoke frontline the Villains managed an impressive, well organised shut-out. Ron Vlaar will be the main man as his experience from the World Cup meant he organised the Villa back-line in a way we are not used to seeing. However, Vlaar has limited attacking returns so Cissokho may be seen as a better investment, especially as members look for an alternative to Arsenal’s rotation-threatened Callum Chambers.
His opponents this Gameweek, Newcastle, struggled against champions Manchester City. Their creativity was promising but ultimately their final product was disappointing. Without last season’s star striker Loic Remy, Cissokho should profit from a clean sheet.
Cissokho’s attacking intent has been much improved since joining Villa. His touches in the opposition half were impressive and he is certainly looking to get forward under Lambert. Whilst Vlaar may be a danger from set pieces, in open play it is hard to look past Cissokho. Newcastle put a lot of focus through the middle, which could leave gaps for Cissokho to slip trough.
James Ward-Prowse
Team: Southampton
Position: Midfielder
Price: 5m
Ownership: 1.9%
New Saints manager Ronald Koeman’s first game in charge produced an interesting new formation with Ward-Prowse playing in an advanced position on the wing, and benefiting too. Despite the exodus this summer the Saints performed well against Liverpool and a home fixture against West Brom will give them a good chance to get three points on the board.
Many Fantasy Football managers invested in Steven Davis as a 5.0 midfield option but Ward-Prowse looks the better deal among Southampton’s budget ranks. He played longer than Davis and his productivity in the opposition half was much better than his teammate’s. Ward-Prowse more than doubled Davis’ touches in the opposition half as well as completing more successful dribbles. Ward-Prowse has been on Fantasy radars for a while, and with his say on free-kicks and advanced position, this could be his year.
West Brom pose an easier task than Liverpool for Southampton. Under their new management team, West Brom’s attacking threat has improved but they are still shaky at the back. Ward-Prowse has strong assist potential from set pieces and this is increased by his freedom on the wing. It seems inevitable that he will add goal-scoring as another attribute with the confidence his manager has in him, and that could be this weekend.
Steven Naismith
Team: Everton
Position: Forward
Price: 5m
Ownership: 7%
Firstly, sorry for being boring! I chose Steven Naismith as my forward punt last week but I cannot look past him again. West Ham’s Enner Valencia and QPR’s Loic Remy were the other two strikers I considered but Valencia is very unlikely to start and Remy is so popular he doesn’t justify being on this list. Since I believe Naismith can hit a run of form, he is arguably no longer a punt, however many continue to overlook him so I will again endeavour to bring him to your attention.
With Ross Barkley out with injury, Steven Naismith has taken to his role rather snugly. His outstanding form means that Martinez would be wrong to drop him, so as an Everton fan I can assure you he is nailed on. His goal and overall performance against Leicester were outstanding and he will look to build on that again this weekend as the Toffees welcome Arsenal to fortress Goodison. Everton have only lost one game at home since the start of 2013 and thumped the Gunners 3-0 at home last season, with Naismith on the score sheet. Everton have become much improved against top sides and Naismith’s creativity and eye for goal means that he could rack up the points again this week, despite facing one of the division’s better sides.
During Everton’s game against Leicester, Naismith was pivotal in the Toffees’ moves. He picked the ball up in both halves as well as having twice the number of attempts on goal as Romelu Lukaku. His playmaker roll makes him a bonus-point magnet, and if he can score on a regular basis, he might not just be a great punt, but a genuine option too.
