Our hunt for a lesser-appreciated difference-maker in Gameweek 31 tilts our antennae towards Villa’s once-forgotten winger, United’s resurgent Belgian midfielder and the Swans’ French marksman.
Marouane Fellaini
Marouane Fellaini is finally turning out performances of an ilk that came to typify his final season at Everton. The Belgium midfielder has been a key factor in Manchester United’s upturn in form in the last two Gameweeks, particularly during their 3-0 home win over Tottenham Hotspur (arguably United’s most accomplished performance of the campaign) in which he tallied a goal and an assist. Some might attribute this – in part – to the 4-3-3 formation Louis van Gaal has adopted in the absence of Robin van Persie, enabling Fellaini to push forward in support of Wayne Rooney, where he can bully defenders with his physicality.
United’s next fixture pits them against Aston Villa at Old Trafford, which should play into the hands of the hosts in light of the West Midlanders’ dreadful away record – the Villains have netted fewer goals (eight) on their travels than any other league outfit. Considering Villa have failed to keep a clean sheet in all but one of their last 13 matches and Fellaini comes into this encounter having netted three goals in two starts for Belgium over the last fortnight, the 6.3-priced midfielder is shaping up to be an enticing prospect.
Scott Sinclair
Following an ill-fated two-and-a-half year spell at Manchester City, Scott Sinclair (5.2) is finally being handed a platform to showcase his talents under the stewardship of Tim Sherwood. Although Sinclair’s haul of one goal in five league starts is nothing to write home about, a further two strikes in all competitions illustrates his goalscoring potential. Moreover, it’s manifest that Sherwood’s attack-minded 4-4-2 set-up affords its wide men the license to drive infield and increase their goal threat; the ex-Swansea winger has stuffed the stat sheet of late, with only David Silva (seven) fashioning more shots on goal than Sinclair (five) in the last couple of Gameweeks amongst midfielders. Furthermore, Sinclair’s seven shots inside the box in his last four league outings has been bettered by just three other midfield options.
Despite Gabriel Agbonlahor and Christian Benteke staking greater claims to be drafted in as coverage for Villa’s double Gameweek (both boast three goals in as many outings), Sinclair represents an interesting alternative for those Fantasy managers already content with their forward line. A Red Devils rearguard that’s recorded three shut-outs in four matches might be a step too far, but a home tie against QPR four days later promises to offer up a wealth of chances for Villa’s attacking contingent – only Leicester have conceded more big chances (10) than the R’s in the last four Gameweeks.
Bafetimbi Gomis
In the wake of Wilfried Bony’s transfer to Man City, Bafetimbi Gomis was the man earkmarked to fill the Ivorian’s void. So far that vision hasn’t materialised (the French marksman has only notched two goals in his previous 12 starts) yet Gomis’ underlying stats in the past two Gameweeks suggest he’s growing accustomed to the unique rigours of the Premier League. Only three strikers (including Sergio Aguero and Wilfried Bony, whose figures are skewed by their one-sided contest against the 10 men of West Brom) have racked up more goal attempts (eight) than the former Lyon hitman over the last two, while only Aguero (five) has tested the opposing shot-stopper on more occasions than Gomis’ four.
Although the Swans schedule turns nasty from Gameweek 36 onwards (ars, MCI, cry), a quintet of agreeable fixtures (HUL, EVE, lei, new, STO) in the lead up to that trio encourage investment in the 6.5-priced forward. With Harry Kane already locked into a striker berth in many manager’s squads, though, it takes a leap of faith to eschew the likes of form frontman Olivier Giroud and latent game-changers like Sergio Aguero to pursue mid-priced forwards like Gomis. With his form on the up, though, he may well be worth a gamble.
