The two major movers among the midfielders this week are Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez and Newcastle’s Georginio Wijnaldum, who registered 21 and 14-point hauls respectively in Gameweek 15. Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey is also back in our thoughts after a goal and assist in the Gunners 3-1 win against Newcastle, but Southampton’s Sadio Mane continues his descent down our rankings after blanking against Aston Villa.
While Jamie Vardy’s 11-match goal scoring run captured a lot of headlines, Fantasy managers will be just as aware of the fact Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil has produced attacking returns in nine consecutive matches. The Germany international has four double-digit scores over that period, and with three hugely favourable fixtures in the next five (avl, MCI, sot, BOU, NEW), the now 9.6-priced midfielder is beginning to near that “essential” status, given his impressive level of consistency.
It’s no surprise that Man City’s Kevin de Bruyne hasn’t been able to topple Ozil at the summit then, but the Belgian does keep his position in second spot. He has only managed two less chances created (14) over the last four Gameweeks than the Arsenal man, and only has one difficult fixture over the festive period (SWA, ars, SUN, lei, wat, EVE), that being a trip to the Emirates in Gameweek 17. The former Wolfsburg midfielder has been transferred in by over 45,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) bosses so far this week, seeing his price rise to 10.9, and he could provide an armband differential this week up against struggling Swansea, with Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku currently leading our Captain Poll.
On the back of his hat-trick against Swansea, and with his ownership standing at almost 62% in FPL, it is a brave Fantasy manager who is happy to go without Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez (6.8) right now. The good news for those currently riding without the Algerian is that the Foxes upcoming schedule (CHE, eve, liv, MCI, BOU, tot) is particularly difficult, though bearing in mind that the Foxes have scored in every match so far, and Mahrez has played a part in 16 of their 32 goals, there’s every chance he’ll continue to bring home the points.
The 294,000+ FPL managers who transferred in Everton’s Ross Barkley were left frustrated by his blank in the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace, but the England international stays towards the top of our rankings with the Toffees fixture list remaining favourable over the next four Gameweeks (nor, LEI, new, STO). The now 7.4-valued midfielder has racked up a very reasonable 12 goal attempts over the last four (five from inside the box), and having bagged six goals and five assists so far this season, should come good over the next few weeks.
One mid-priced midfielder who did deliver in Gameweek 15 was Newcastle’s Georginio Wijnaldum, who bagged a goal, assist and full bonus in the 2-0 victory over Liverpool. The Dutchman can frustrate in much the same manner as Barkley, though, having blanked in eight of his 15 appearances. The Magpies upcoming fixture list (tot, AVL, EVE, wba, ars, MUN) is also mixed, although four of their next six after Gameweek 16 are at home – Wijnaldum has seven goals and an assist at St James’ Park, compared to two assists on his travels.
While Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho has returned to full training this week, with his place in the starting XI against West Brom on Sunday still not totally assured, he drops a few places in our latest update. Any lingering concerns over his fitness will also be a worry given the packed schedule (wat, LEI, sun, whm, ARS) over the next few weeks, but should our fears be allayed this weekend, the 8.4-priced Brazilian may well be one of the more sought-after midfielders over the coming period, given the friendly fixture list.
Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen stays around halfway up our ladder, with Spurs’ two favourable home matches (NEW, NOR) over the next three Gameweeks firmly in mind. The Denmark international, available at 8.5 in FPL, has blanked in four of his last five appearances, though, so while he has reasonable enough underlying statistics over the last four Gameweeks, with 11 chances created, he’ll need to deliver in the next few matches to really stake a claim for a place in our crowded five-man midfields.
With Crystal Palace’s upcoming schedule (SOT, sto, bou, SWA, CHE, avl) pretty favourable, we’ve moved Yannick Bolasie up a few spots on our ladder. The 6.1-valued attacker is another “feast or famine” option in midfield, though, with two double-figure hauls and 11 blanks in 14 appearances. The DR Congo international has registered an impressive 11 goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks,though (six from inside the box), and is a real differential candidate with his current ownership in FPL standing at 5%.
Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey returns to the Watchlist after a long spell on the Fantasy periphery. The Welshman looks a sure starter in his favoured central midfield position, given Santi Cazorla will be out for the next few months with a knee injury, and has logged an impressive eight goal attempts in his last two outings. With the Gunners already mentioned decent run of fixtures, Ramsey, available at a very reasonable 8.0 in FPL, looks sure to attract plenty of investment as we search for differentials in midfield, with his ownership currently standing at just 2%.
Heading in the opposite direction in our rankings is Southampton’s Sadio Mane. The Senegal international is currently struggling to convert his impressive statistics into attacking returns – he’s attempted eight shots from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, but failed to score since Gameweek 10. The Saints attacker also faces tough home match-ups against Tottenham and Arsenal in the next three, so in the short-term, at least, it’s hard to see a turnaround in form for the 7.9-rated midfielder.
Our two leading budget options for the often-troublesome fifth midfielder spot are currently Tottenham’s Dele Alli and Bournemouth’s Josh King. Alli climbs a few places in our latest refresh after scoring in the 1-1 draw against West Brom, where he once again played in the central attacking midfield role. Should he continue to be utilised in that position by Mauricio Pochettino, he looks an absolute steal at 5.0 in FPL.
King sits a few positions below Alli on our ladder, and, like the Spurs man, is benefitting from playing in a more advanced position – in King’s case as the lone striker for the Cherries. No other midfielder has more total goal attempts (13) or shots from inside the box (12) over the last four Gameweeks, so setting us back just 4.6 in FPL, the former Blackburn attacker certainly looks one to bear in mind, with Eddie Howe’s side facing four good fixtures (wba, CPL, lei, WHM) over the next month or so.
While he has been somewhat unfortunate not to have been awarded two assists in recent weeks, we’re keeping Everton’s Gerard Deulofeu (6.4) in our thoughts, with the Spain U21 international a non-mover towards the bottom of our ladder. The Toffees next four fixtures still look promising for the Barcelona product, who has one goal and seven assists to his name so far this season.
With Swansea having failed to score in four of their last five matches, it’s little surprise to see Andre Ayew continuing to plummet down our rankings. The Ghanaian also faces a trip to the Etihad this weekend, although home fixtures against West Ham and West Brom could offer the 7.1-priced midfielder the chance to return to form, particularly with a new manager likely to be in charge at the Liberty Stadium following the sacking of Garry Monk yesterday.
Following his 16-point haul in Stoke’s 2-0 win against Man City, Marko Arnautovic moves up to claim the final spot on our ladder. The Austrian has now registered five goals and two assists this term, and only faces one difficult fixture, a home clash against Man United, in the Potters next six fixtures (whm, CPL, MUN, eve, wba, NOR). A lack of goals from Mark Hughes’ men is a slight concern, having failed to score more than twice in any match this season, but coming in at 6.1 in FPL, and with an ownership of 2%, the former Inter Milan man does offer an alternative in midfield for Fantasy managers.
