Was last week our first glimpse of normality? The home sides dominated for the first time all season and an early Aguero injury was certainly a familiar sight as well, and offered little comfort to those of who captained him.
It’s tough to pick out players each week who can be called a ‘bandwagon’. This week proved to be difficult in particular. We are far enough into the season now that we have some previous form to go on, so we don’t jump on a player at the first possible opportunity. Take Everton’s Steven Naismith, for example. He scored a hat trick at the weekend and looks set to start again and I wouldn’t be surprised if he bagged some more attacking returns the way this season is going. However, with little enthusiasm to draft him in I have had to forego him from the article.
Dimitri Payet (7.6)
Featuring previously in my article following Gameweek 2, Payet looked a great option. He has since backed that up with a brace, silencing those who questioned his goal threat. Or has he? Taking a look at the underlying stats, you can see he has only registered eight goal attempts over his five games, with just four shots inside the box. Furthermore, he has only had three shots on target (S0T); all of which beat the keeper leaving him with a total of three goals from just as many SoT. One could argue he doesn’t get many chances, but in contrast he takes the ones he gets. The jury is out for me on whether he will prove to be a reliable goal scorer.
Of course, he isn’t renowned for his goals. Payet is a ‘magician’ creating chances left, right and centre. Impressively, he has made 45 crosses so far, the second best of any midfielder. Sadly though, only 13.3% of these were successful. He also sits fourth in the rankings for chances created (16).
After the City game this weekend, West Ham have some excellent fixtures. Norwich (H), Sunderland (a), Palace (a), Chelsea (H), Watford (a), Everton (H), Spurs (a) and West Brom (H) are there next eight. The Hammers look like they could really do some damage over this period, and with a 40% involvement rate, you would bet that Payet will be involved.
Verdict: Seems likes a very solid option over their kind run. His ownership remains low, below 10% at the time of writing, largely due to him having City away up next. For many, they would class this as a differential. He looks a great pick for those looking to replace injured players like Pedro or who want a solid, reliable player who has both form and fixtures.
Phillipe Coutinho (8.1)
Growing in popularity after returning from suspension, Coutinho is a favourable pick for those looking to replace the likes of Pedro who is set to miss Chelsea’s Gameweek 6 clash with Arsenal through injury. Coutinho looked in good form before getting sent off against West Ham, picking up a goal in the opening week of the season.
In the four weeks he has featured, Coutinho has registered 18 goal attempts, a figure that is bettered only by Alexis Sanchez. Many will argue that he shoots a lot from outside of the box, which he does, but over his run he has also managed eight shots in the box, the fourth best of any midfielder (bettered by Sanchez, Andre Ayew and Riyad Mahrez). His shots on target (4) are a little less impressive, but beat the tallies of David Silva and Yaya Toure to name a few.
Liverpool’s run over the next few weeks looks kind. Many are hoping that Coutinho and other Liverpool assets such as Benteke will deliver over this period, despite the Reds not showing much form as of late. They play Norwich and Villa at home over the next two weeks which should see some rewarding returns for the Brazilian playmaker.
Verdict: Could be a great short term differential with Liverpool’s fixtures. He looks a good pick for those seeking a Pedro replacement; although I think Payet will outscore him over the next month or so. Time will tell, but I’d possibly give Liverpool a few games to find their form. By that time however, the best of the fixtures will have passed.
Craig Dawson (5.0)
West Brom have the best fixtures (clean sheet wise) over the next couple of months and with a question mark around which of their 4.5 keepers will be the favorite between the sticks, we are forced to dish out a little extra if we want one of their defensive assets over their kind run. Jonny Evans has just joined, but showed his fragility going off in the 85th minute at the weekend. For a little extra, you can get Dawson, who looks a much better pick.
He has registered the third most goal attempts (6) after Aleksandar Kolarov and Branislav Ivanovic so far, as well as four shots in the box, bettered only by Sir Aleks himself. Dawson has been utilised at both CB and RB this season, with some good attacking displays when fielded at the latter (as he has been for the last four gameweeks). The issue lies with bonus points; he only managed three in the whole of last season.
Some are willing to take a risk on Evans, which may show to be a good move. The former United man hasn’t been as shy around bonus points in recent years as Dawson has and also boasts a decent goal threat. As previously mentioned though, his injury record is uninspiring. He was forced off in his first game for the Baggies, albeit with cramp, but it could be a sign of things to come.
Verdict: With West Brom’s fixtures, most managers are looking to bring in a defensive asset of theirs. With the first choice GK conundrum, and Evans the notorious troll, Dawson looks the safest pick of the bunch. I’d certainly look at bringing him in over the coming weeks; he looks to be the ideal for our 3rd/4th defender slots.
