A Belgian duo light up Sunday’s pair of fixtures as Romelu Lukaku grabs his customary goal against West Ham, before Eden Hazard nets for the third successive Gameweek as Chelsea see off Southampton at St Mary’s.
On the Rise
Eden Hazard
There is no doubt that Chelsea’s move to 3-4-3 has handed Hazard the freedom to flourish.
Afforded licence to drift centrally when the Blues are in possession, the revived Belgian scored for the third consecutive league outing, bagging a goal and an assist in the 2-0 triumph.
After peaking at 10.3 in Gameweek 5, he has dropped to 9.8 in recent weeks, yet an explosive return to form – having notched against Leicester City and Manchester United – could now trigger a transfer scramble.
Sunday’s 14-point haul was Hazard’s highest of the season and takes him to just seven points off the top of the FPL midfield standings.
Romelu Lukaku
Second only to Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho for acquisitions ahead of Gameweek 10, Lukaku was also the most-captained player by the top 100 FPL managers.
The Everton striker justified that show of faith with a goal and assist against West Ham and is now the top scoring FPL forward.
His run of consistent displays under Ronald Koeman shows no sign of abating – Lukaku has served up points in six of the last seven Gameweeks ahead of next weekend’s trip to Chelsea.
Diego Costa
A superb second-half strike at St Mary’s maintained a remarkable run that has harvested FPL points in eight of Costa’s first 10 Gameweeks.
Yet again he kept out of trouble and remains on four yellows – impressively, Costa has been booked in just one of the last six league matches.
Although there’s been a recent clamour for 3-5-2 due to the number of high-scoring midfielders, the Costa, Lukaku and Sergio Aguero front line is becoming increasingly appealing for those prepared to invest big funds up top.
In saying that, Hazard is now only one point behind Costa and 0.5 cheaper.
Yannick Bolasie
After finding the net against Burnley in Gameweek 10, Bolasie is another player to shed his erratic form under Koeman.
An assist for Lukaku’s opener means he has now produced points in five of the previous seven Gameweeks.
Arguably the only guaranteed starter in the Everton attacking midfield three, his assist was the fourth of the season – already bettering last term’s tally of three while at Palace.
For those already holding Lukaku, though, Everton’s upcoming schedule – which hands them encounters with Chelsea, Southampton and Manchester United in the next four – may well deter a double-up.
Victor Moses
Handed a fourth straight start as a right wing-back by Antonio Conte, the Chelsea midfielder provided the assist for Hazard’s opener.
Moses was also amongst the goals in the Gameweek 8 win over Leicester City and seems to have cemented a regular role in the Blues’ 3-4-3 formation.
Priced at just 5.5 in FPL, the Nigerian international offered a decent goal threat throughout Sunday’s clash and, having convinced Conte of his worth, may yet emerge as a viable budget midfield option.
Cesar Azpilicueta & Marcos Alonso
It’s four clean sheets in as many matches for the Blues since the change of tactics.
Again, the Spanish defender’s suitability to the bonus points system prevailed and helped him to a pair of additional points at St Mary’s.
Impressively, Azpilicueta has been awarded bonus points in six of the first 10 Gameweeks and has collected at least one extra point on the five occasions that his side has registered a shut-out.
Sitting in 11% of FPL sides, he’s now climbed to joint-fourth in the defender rankings, level with Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin on 45 points.
Even so, with John Terry looming as a factor on the bench and Kurt Zouma soon to return from injury, it’s not yet clear if Conte will keep faith with his current back-three in the mid-term. Marcos Alonso, at left wing-back, therefore appears to offer a more secure option.
Ross Barkley
Barkley nudged back onto the radar with a finely taken volley for the Toffees’ second.
Unlike his fellow midfielder Bolasie, this was Barkley’s first attacking returns since Gameweek 2, when he earned an assist away to West Brom.
Having dropped to the bench as recently as Gameweek 8, Barkley is unlikely to clamber ahead of Bolasie for those eyeing up the Everton midfield. A price tag of 7.2 to the former Eagles winger’s 6.0 means that Barkley remains peripheral in our thoughts for now.
In Decline
Phil Jagielka
The Everton skipper went into Sunday’s match as their top scoring defender, having started all nine of the opening fixtures.
Dropped to the bench as Ramiro Funes Mori came in alongside Ashley Williams, Jagielka’s absence coincided with the Toffees’ first clean sheet in six Gameweeks.
Funes Mori earned a single bonus point to return seven points and stake a claim for regular inclusion, though the upcoming schedule hardly appears conducive to clean sheets.
Winston Reid
The West Ham skipper toppled off the Suspension Tightrope after earning his fifth yellow card of the season.
Reid had racked up 29 points in the previous three Gameweeks but now sits out the Gameweek 11 home clash with Stoke.
With Spurs, United, Arsenal and Liverpool in the subsequent four, clean sheets may well be in short supply for Slaven Bilic’s side.
