West Ham’s summer signing from Marseille signals his intent with a deadly double. Leicester show their mettle with a stunning King Power comeback, whilst the wealth of in-form options in the mid-price bracket may be the solution to our captaincy conundrums.
The Player
A home clash with struggling Newcastle proved the perfect opportunity for Dimitri Payet to bring the curtain down on Gameweek 5 in style.
Having played a part in just two of West Ham’s nine goals in the first four fixtures, the Frenchman benefitted from a tactical tweak by Slaven Bilic last night. After being utilised on the left away to Liverpool in the previous Gameweek, Payet was shifted into the role in “the hole” as Slaven Bilic opted for a 4-2-3-1 system – tellingly, this was both the position and formation that he excelled in for Marseille last term.
Granted, his second strike in a 2-0 win was more down to Victor Moses’ inability to finish, though with maximum bonus also thrown in, Payet served up a a 16-point haul, catapulting him to second in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) midfield rankings.
Last night’s result means West Ham have now scored 11 times – joint-top in the Premier League along with City and Leicester. Wins away to Arsenal and Liverpool have already underlined their fixture-proof appeal and whilst a weekend trip to the Etihad should prove a short-term deterrent, Payet then faces Norwich, Sunderland, Palace and Watford in the following five fixtures to remain prominent in our planning.
The Team
A 3-2 comeback win over Villa helped Leicester into second spot in the Premier League last weekend, as the club’s superb start under Claudio Ranieri shows little sign of abating.
The canny Italian has reined in his Tinkerman tendencies and afforded the Foxes a sense of continuity, with the King Power club now unbeaten in nine league outings over the last two seasons. Ranieri’s arrival has catapulted Riyad Mahrez into the must-have Fantasy bracket after the Algerian took his tally to four goals and two assists at the weekend – just a trio of assists short of matching his output under Nigel Pearson in 2014/15.
Whilst Ranieri’s approach has proved somewhat detrimental to his side’s defensive appeal, with the Foxes yet to earn a single clean sheet, they’ve already scored 11 times this term. Aside from Mahrez, Marc Albrighton has dazzled on the flanks, whilst new boy Nathan Dyer made an immediate impact with a debut winner against Villa.
Up top, Jamie Vardy is proving one of the most consistent forwards around. Still sitting in just 7% of FPL sides, his weekend strike means he’s served up a goal or assist in all but one of the first five Gameweeks. Whilst Mahrez leads the way overall, Vardy’s 25 points sees him placed third amongst forwards as the Foxes go from strength to strength under their new manager.
Looking at the fixtures, there’s every chance Leicester’s form will continue for the foreseeable future. Ranieri’s charges now square up to Stoke, Norwich, Palace, West Brom, Watford and Newcastle in the next eight before the schedule takes a significant turn for the worse in Gameweek 14.
The Talking Point
Whilst the big hitters continued to disappoint in yet another underwhelming Gameweek, there’s no shortage of options in the mid-price or budget brackets for those looking to take a punt with their captaincy calls.
Mahrez has now managed fourth double-figure return in five appearances, with his only blank arriving in Gameweek 4, after he was subbed off through injury. The likes of Payet, Ross Barkley and even Norwich playmaker Wes Hoolahan all racked up points at home to struggling defences in a Gameweek that saw Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez head and shoulders above anyone else in the Captain Poll, despite producing a single goal between them in the first four fixtures.
As Tottenham’s Harry Kane demonstrated last year, price tags can be irrelevant when it comes to backing form players. Indeed, one look at the FPL standings highlights this fact – out of the 12 players that have managed 30 or more points, only Yaya Toure started the season priced higher than 7.5.
Granted, the general consensus of opinion is that it’s only a matter of time before most of the big hitters start to finally justify their lofty valuations. Until they find their feet, though, backing those in-form alternatives who are riding high on confidence, rather than basing our calls on reputation alone, seems the sensible move in order to navigate through the most erratic season in memory.
