Roberto Firmino takes his turn to deliver for Liverpool, as Adam Lallana suffers an injury scare in the early kick-off. Elsewhere, Troy Deeney and Diego Costa strengthen their CV’s with further points hauls. Here’s the Stock Check following Saturday’s action…
On the Rise
Roberto Firmino
He was under the microscope but responded in style.
Having missed out on the points in the 5-1 rout of Hull City in Gameweek 6, Firmino delivered with a 12-point tally via a goal and assist at Swansea City.
Interestingly, Firmino’s points followed a shift in personnel following Adam Lallana’s injury, with the Brazilian moved to the left to accommodate Daniel Sturridge. So, just as we saw with his brace against Leicester City, Firmino did not earn his points from the central striker role. He did, however, score with Philippe Coutinho on the pitch.
Leroy Fer
A fourth goal of the campaign for the Dutchman continued to defy his humble 5.3 Fantasy Premier League price tag.
Fer had suffered a loss of ownership heading into Gameweek 7 but will now likely earn further attention. Swansea’s fixtures remain testing, however. Arsenal and Manchester United lie in wait in the next four.
Diego Costa
Teetering on the suspension tightrope, Costa continues to tempt us.
His goal, assist and bonus at Hull City means that he’s now returned in six of seven Gameweeks and is the top scoring FPL forward.
Willian
With Eden Hazard drawing his fourth consecutive blank, Willian chipped in with his second goal of the season and claimed two bonus points.
He’s now scored seven goals since the start of last season, bettered only by Diego Costa in the Blues ranks.
Nacer Chadli
A third goal in four starts demonstrated Chadli’s attacking quality and boosted the Belgian’s mid-price appeal.
However, with Spurs, Liverpool, Man City and Leicester City to come in the next four, Fantasy managers are likely to keep their interest on hold.
Callum Wilson
Priced at just 6.4, we’d love Wilson to emerge as a consistent goalscorer. His header at Watford was his second goal of the season and his seventh from just 12 efforts on target.
With Bournemouth’s fixtures improving markedly over the next five Gameweeks, Wilson may yet prove to be a short-term striker option.
Troy Deeney
A third goal in his last four Gameweeks confirmed Deeney’s potential and justified his standing in our Watchlist.
With Middlesbrough, Swansea City and Hull City up next, Deeney has the platform to go on delivering exceptional value as the prime third striker option.
Jose Holebas
Watford are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, but the Greek offered another reminder of his attacking qualities, providing the dead-ball delivery for Issac Success’ goal against Bournemouth.
Dimitri Payet
A sublime solo effort provided a reminder of Payet’s undoubted quality on a day which saw his team-mate Michail Antonio suffer a successive blank.
West Ham are still failing to show the form that would warrant investment, but Payet’s goal and four assists in just four starts demonstrates that he demands to be monitored.
James Collins
Brought back into the defence by Slaven Bilic, it remains to be seen if Collins can cement his start once again.
West Ham’s teamsheet shuffle was so severe; it will likely take a couple more matches to gain clarity on the current thinking.
Jordan Pickford
OutstandinG once again for Sunderland, the young stopper made another six saves on his way to claiming a pair of bonus points against West Brom.
Pickford has returned two save points in four of five starts so far to underline his value as an active 4.0 keeper option.
Christhian Stuani
The Uruguayan has started five of the last six and has notched three goals for his paltry 5.1 FPL price tag.
If you’re considering a shift to 3-5-2, Stuani is a clear candidate to facilitate the move.
In Decline
Adam Lallana
Lallana was firmly in the ascent heading into the Gameweek 7 trip to Swansea but was cruelly de-railed by a first-half groin injury.
Jurgen Klopp’s solution was to introduce Daniel Sturridge – a move that shifted Philippe Coutinho to a deeper role and Roberto Firmino to the left of the front three. That may impact on both players should Lallana face a spell on the sidelines.
However, the Liverpool boss has stated that he hopes to have Lallana back after the international break for the Anfield meeting with Manchester United.
Alvaro Negredo
Once the most popular transfer target in the FPL, the Spaniard’s stock continues to spiral into rapid decline.
Dropped to the bench by Aitor Karanka at West Ham, those who were determined to hold to the ‘Boro man must now surely move to ship him out.
Only the injured Kevin De Bruyne has suffered more sales so far ahead of Gameweek 8.
Michail Antonio
It’s back-to-back blanks for Antonio now, despite being shifted to a role as the central striker against Middlesbrough.
Antonio was back on the right flank for the second period but failed to make an impression.
Sales have already set in, as FPL managers look to the likes of Son Heung-min and Theo Walcott as alternatives in Antonio’s bracket.
Patrick van Aanholt
Dropped to the bench by David Moyes, arguably Van Anholt’s stock took a significant dent with the Sunderland boss re-structuring his defence.
Van Anholt’s goal will have appeased his 5% ownership but, given the doubt surrounding his starting role, we can no longer invest with any degree of security.
Van Anholt eventually saw action in an advanced position on the left. Clearly, he is crying out to play as a wing-back but, until Moyes shifts to a three-man rearguard, his start and outlook look shaky.
Branislav Ivanovic
Another full-back dropped to the bench today; Ivanovic was a victim of Antonio Conte’s defensive reshuffle.
The Chelsea boss opted for a three-man defence, with Marcus Alonso and Victor Moses at wing-back. That saw Cesar Azpilicueta fielded on the right of the three centre-backs – denting his Fantasy appeal. Meanwhile, Alonso produced some impressive underlying numbers on his full debut.
As for Ivanovic, his security of start is now in question, perhaps not before time.
Abel Hernandez
With Hull City’s fixtures about to improve, Hernandez could have presented a budget third striker option.
However, Mike Phelan chose today to drop the Uruguayan to the bench, handing a start to Dieumerci Mbokani.
