Harry Kane’s serves a timely reminder of his goal-getting credentials with a treble as Tottenham run riot at Bournemouth. Sunderland are on the ascendancy under Sam Allardyce, whilst Everton’s eye-catching schedule looks set to bring their main men under close Fantasy attention.
The Player
A weekend hat-trick at Bournemouth finally saw Harry Kane reignite his Fantasy season after a stuttering start to 2015/16.
Elevated into the premium bracket on the back of 21 goals and seven assists in a last year’s breakthrough campaign, there were fears that Kane was suffering from second-season syndrome, that top-flight defences were beginning to figure him out. A summer playing for the England Under 21s ensured he was anything but fully refreshed as domestic matters got underway and, with just a single goal to his name in the opening nine Gameweeks, his price had understandably dropped from 9.5 to 9.2.
The underlying numbers suggested otherwise, though. Kane was getting the chances – he was just struggling to tuck them away. His treble against the Cherries will no doubt be a real morale boost and with the north London side now facing four home matches in six, beginning with a weekend visit from Villa, the scramble for his signature has seen over 60,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers bring him on board.
Granted, Kane does square up to the likes of Arsenal, West Ham, Chelsea and West Brom over the next six but, as we witnessed on numerous occasions last season, he’s fixture-proof when firing on all cylinders. With Mauricio Pochettino’s side now unbeaten in nine, including a 4-1 home thrashing of league leaders City, their main striker could well be set to reward us further as Spurs look to maintain their momentum and improve upon their current sixth place finish.
The Team
Sam Allardyce could not have wished for a better way to endear himself to the Sunderland faithful after a 3-0 win over Newcastle clinched a sixth successive victory over their bitter north east rivals.
Handed the reins after Dick Advocaat departed on the back of three points in the first eight Gameweeks, Big Sam lost narrowly at West Brom in his first match in charge before Sunday’s win over the Magpies at the Stadium of Light.
The weekend showing will certainly boost Sunderland’s confidence at both ends of the pitch going forward. Under Advocaat, they’d conceded 18 times and failed to keep a clean sheet – with Big Sam on board, that’s two goals against in as many matches. Costel Pantilimon served up ten points with his first shut out of the campaign, whilst Allardyce’s starting back-four all came in under 4.5 in FPL, highlighting their cut-price appeal.
In midfield, the 5.0-priced Yann M’Vila’s assist sees him lead the way, though Big Sam will also be looking to get the best out of wide men Jeremain Lens and Adam Johnson in his bid to beat the drop. Up top, Steven Fletcher – at just 5.0 – has two goals and an assist in three and could be another name to consider in the budget third striker slot if he can steer clear of injury.
Allardyce’s record of having never been relegated stands the Black Cats in good stead, then, and it’s clear his impact is already taking effect. The upcoming fixtures are mixed, though with a trip to Palace and home encounters against Stoke and Watford in the next six, the Wearsiders could be back on our radars before long.
The Talking Point
With a dire run of fixtures now finally behind them, Everton’s main men seem primed for investment as the schedule starts to ease significantly for the remainder of the calendar year.
From this weekend until Gameweek 19, the Toffees embark on a nine-match streak which sees them welcome Sunderland, Villa, Palace, Leicester and Stoke to Goodison and also pay visit to West Ham, Bournemouth, Norwich and Newcastle, boosting their prospects for points at both ends of the pitch.
Encouragingly for would-be suitors, Martinez’ main attackers have flourished in the first ten Gameweeks, despite going head-to-head with all of last year’s top eight over that period. The 8.4-priced Romelu Lukaku sits fourth amongst forwards, with five goals and a pair of assists, whilst Ross Barkley, at 6.8, offers a cheaper option in the centre of the park. Already, the latter’s three goals and as many assists have bettered his output from 2014/15, underlining his improving form as a viable Fantasy asset.
At the back, there’s no doubt that Phil Jagielka’s knee injury absence could prove detrimental to Everton’s chances of bringing in the clean sheets. The Toffees have managed three so far, though with just one shut out in the last six, the centre-half’s absence may persuade many to court caution here. Nonetheless, with Seamus Coleman racking up nine goals in the last two years and Leighton Baines edging towards a first-team return, there’s no shortage of options from back to front for those keen to invest in the Toffees’ chief protagonists as Martinez looks to take advantage of the schedule and steer his side further up the table.
