Having scored four goals and provided an assist in his last two appearances, Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez is a significant mover in our rankings this week. Arsenal’s in-form Aaron Ramsey continues his ascent, whilst Georginio Wijnaldum is also on the rise as Newcastle prepare for four home matches in the next six.
With his streak of attacking returns now stretching to 10 matches, Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil is a non-mover at the summit. The Germany international registered his 13th assist of the season in the 2-0 win at Aston Villa, although he only created 11 chances in his last four appearances, compared to 23 between Gameweeks 9 and 12. The Gunners fixture list (MCI, sot, BOU, NEW, liv, sto) is mixed through the next month or so, with his 47% owners in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) hoping the 9.8-priced midfielder isn’t rested for either of the plum home fixtures against Bournemouth and Newcastle.
On the back of his performances against Swansea and Chelsea, Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez has now racked up 132 points in FPL this season, 18 points clear of his nearest challenger, team-mate Jamie Vardy. The Algerian has scored four times from seven shots from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, showing a real clinical edge in front of goal. Although the Foxes remain in the midst of a tough schedule (eve, liv, MCI, BOU, tot, avl), the 63%-owned Mahrez clearly has the form to keep on delivering.
Kevin de Bruyne’s omission from the City starting XI against Swansea was a blow, but the Belgian stays near the top of our ladder with hopefully less risk of rotation over the festive period (ars, SUN, lei, wat). Home matches against Everton and Crystal Palace follow in January, so the 10.9-valued midfielder remains one of the strongest midfield options available to Fantasy managers, given he, along with Eden Hazard, leads all midfielders for chances created (13) over the last four Gameweeks.
Newcastle’s Georginio Wijnaldum is a major climber in our latest update with confidence rising at St James’ Park following victories against Liverpool and Tottenham. The Dutch international, available at 7.0 in FPL, faces four home matches in six (AVL, EVE, wba, ars, MUN, WHM) and with all of his seven goals so far this season coming at St James’, he looks an enticing option. The former PSV man has only managed seven penalty box touches over the last four Gameweeks, though, and created just one chance over the same period.
Philippe Coutinho also moves up a couple of spots with Liverpool facing four pretty favourable fixtures (wat, LEI, sun, whm) over the festive period. The Brazilian has produced two of his three double-figure hauls on the road, so the prospect of three away matches shouldn’t be a concern, while the 8.5-rated playmaker looks the most secure route into the Reds attack, with rotation likely between Roberto Firmino, Christian Benteke and Daniel Sturridge, should he be fit, for the central attacking role.
Although Everton’s Ross Barkley has blanked in his last two matches, the 7.4-priced midfielder is a non-mover with three home fixtures in the next four (LEI, new, STO, TOT). The England international remains ahead of his team-mate Gerard Deulofeu in our rankings, although the Spain U21 international is a riser this week after bagging his eighth assist of the campaign in the 1-1 draw against Norwich. Barkley has a significant edge when it comes to goal threat, with nine goal attempts compared to none for the 6.4-valued Deulofeu over the last four Gameweeks. The former Barcelona man just about holds the upper hand for chances created over the same period, though, with eight to Barkley’s seven.
While it was another blank for Swansea’s Andre Ayew in the 2-1 defeat to Man City last weekend, the Ghanaian climbs a couple of places in our latest update with four home fixtures (WHM, WBA, cpl, mun, SUN, WAT) over the upcoming six.
After backing up his impressive 13-point haul against Sunderland with a goal and full bonus once again in the 2-0 win over Villa, Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey continues to zoom up our ladder. The Wales international has racked up 11 goal attempts (six from inside the box) in just 263 minutes of pitch time since he returned from injury, and with few alternative options available to Arsene Wenger in central midfield, the former Cardiff City man looks less prone to rotation than the majority of the other Gunners attacking assets. Setting us back 8.1 in FPL, and with his ownership standing at just 3%, Ramsey looks to have plenty of upside entering the festive period.
Bournemouth’s Junior Stanislas is promoted up our rankings. The former West Ham midfielder also has some hugely impressive underlying statistics given his 4.2 price tag in FPL, with 11 goal attempts and nine chances created over the last four Gameweeks. With only the trip to the Emirates standing out as a difficult fixture in the next six (wba, CPL, ars, lei, WHM, NOR) for Eddie Howe’s men, Stanislas looks another viable option for our cheap fifth midfield slot.
Although Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen kept things ticking over with an assist in the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle, the 8.5-rated Dane is a non-mover with his lack of goal threat hurting his prospects. Only one of his 10 goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks has been from inside the box, while he’s only scored in one match this season, when he grabbed a brace against Swansea in early October. The upcoming fixture list (sot, NOR, wat, eve, LEI, SUN) is generally positive for Spurs, though.
Eriksen’s Tottenham team-mate Dele Alli also holds station two spots below the former Ajax man on our ladder, with the England international still one of the stand-out options among budget midfielders. The 19-year-old, who comes in at 5.1 in FPL, registered two goal attempts against Newcastle and created once chance, and given his impressive fitness levels, should be a regular in the starting XI over the busy festive period.
Crystal Palace’s Yannick Bolasie sees his stock rise this week with the DR Congo international starting to find some consistency. The 6.2-priced attacker has scored three goals and provided an assist over his last five appearances, and with 13 goal attempts over the previous four Gameweeks, more than any other midfielder, he looks a major goal threat for the Eagles. The upcoming schedule for Alan Pardew’s side (sto, bou, SWA, CHE, avl, mci) is also pretty reasonable.
Southampton’s Sadio Mane continues to slide down our ladder. The Saints face two tough home fixtures against Tottenham and Arsenal up next, and on the back of disappointing home performances against Stoke and Villa in recent weeks, it’s hard to be overly positive about his prospects. The fixtures thereafter (whm, nor, WAT, WBA) are favourable though, so patience in the 7.9-valued Mane could be rewarded in the long run.
Rounding up our rankings, just as he did last week, is Stoke’s Marko Arnautovic. The Austria international is looking much more of a goal threat for the Potters over the last month or so, registering eight shots from inside the box in his last four matches, and will no doubt garner some interest as a differential given his current ownership of just 3% in FPL. Stoke’s fixtures over the next few weeks (CPL, MUN, eve, wba, NOR) are generally reasonable, but as the joint-lowest scorers in the top flight this season with just 13 goals, doubts remain over taking a punt on Potters attacking assets.
