Fantasy Premier League’s second most popular goalkeeper is benched as Newcastle United fight back to earn a draw, while Brighton’s ‘derby’ with Crystal Palace ends in a stalemate.
A parlous run of just one clean sheet in nine matches prompted Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez to “drop” Rob Elliot to the bench for last night’s trip to West Brom.
The switch to Karl Darlow didn’t exactly pay off as the match ended in a 2-2 draw, but the decision caused significant shockwaves for the 26.4% of Fantasy Premier League managers with Elliot in their squads.
The 4.2-priced stopper has been a cheap source of returns, albeit generally meagre ones, all season and if he doesn’t immediately reclaim a starting berth for the weekend trip to Chelsea, it will likely prompt a reshuffle across many squads.
Certainly, Elliot’s owners should consider holding fire for now. Benitez is, after all, known for his tinkering ways and his comments post-match hinted that the changes – that also included benching midfielder Jonjo Shelvey – might not be permanent.
“When you play two games in a row in a few days you need fresh legs. Everybody has to make sure they will be part of the team this season and help the team. Now everybody knows they can play.”
It’s also notable that Darlow seems aware of a long-term shift in the goalkeeping duties based on his post-match reaction. .
“The manager rotates quite often, so you have to be ready each week, and I’m just pleased to be back and playing for Newcastle. I was happy. I knew I needed to manage myself through my first game back after not playing for a while, but I felt good. I felt like I did alright, so we’ll see what kind of team he picks on Saturday!”
A number of managers had briefly enjoyed the prospect of a cut-price pairing of Elliot and Julian Speroni (4.0 and 4.0%), only for the Palace stopper to also fall out of favour – he’s failed to start either of the last two Gameweeks.
Losing one starting goalkeeper is unfortunate, losing two untenable. Elliot’s owners will now be considering an upgrade to reliable, but pricier, alternatives.
Burnley’s Nick Pope (4.6) is a likely benefactor. He has been outstanding since becoming established in the Clarets line-up back in Gameweek 5, returning five clean sheets and earning save points and bonus points at a faster rate than any other stopper. However, while his short-term fixtures remain prosperous enough (lei WAT STK bha), Burnley’s Turf Moor schedule will soon stiffen considerably. That, together with the eventual return of Tom Heaton in the New Year, may cause some to look elsewhere. As a sidenote, Pope appears to be on the verge of another price rise to 4.7 prior to a Gameweek 15 visit to Leicester City.
In terms of one-stop shops, Manchester United’s David de Gea (5.8) has obvious appeal, though with just a single clean sheet in four Gameweeks following Phil Jones’ injury, the Spaniard’s stock has taken a dent.
Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois (5.4) is arguably the best option on offer, with the Blues’ schedule simply untouchable from now, right up to Gameweek 27.
Our Watchlist rankings – available in you slide-in menu or sidebar – have been updated to reflect the situation and our current thinking.
Ritchie shines in fight-back
The 2-2 draw at The Hawthorns snapped a four-match losing streak for the Magpies and was all the more encouraging as they had to come from two down to achieve it.
Matt Ritchie was front and centre of the revival, earning his sixth and seventh assists of the season with crosses for a Ciaran Clark header and a Jonny Evans own goal.
They were Ritchie’s first assists since Gameweek 9, ending a run in which he’d managed just one in eight starts, prompting his ownership to fall from a peak of 318,000 to 169,000 ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. Only David Silva (eight) has provided more FPL assists this season.
A fine overall display also included five shots from Ritchie, though enthusiasm for the midfielder will likely be cooled by trips to Chelsea and Arsenal and a visit from Man City over the next six Gameweeks.
As for West Brom, Gary Megson’s brief tenure as caretaker manager has involved two draws of differing quality.
Should Alan Pardew now take over as expected, he’ll adopt a defence that is without a clean sheet since Gameweek 5 and a schedule with Liverpool and Man United looming, all of which continues to make The Hawthorns a Fantasy no-go area.
Sakho the high-flying Eagle
The eagerly-awaited grudge match between Brighton and Crystal Palace ended up being a bit of a south coast snore fest.
But it proved to be another notable evening for Eagles defender Mamadou Sakho.
Fresh from his maximum-bonus winning-goal performance against Stoke City, the centre-half helped Palace to their first clean sheet of the season in a towering display involving 11 recoveries and seven clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI).
All of that earned him a second successive three bonus points on a night when Roy Hodgson’s men once again failed to score on the road.
Christian Benteke’s recall to the side didn’t compromise Wilfried Zaha’s role as part of a front two. However, it also kept Ruben Loftus-Cheek on the flank rather than in a No 10 role that is potentially more suited to his game.
Palace’s away goal drought meant a fifth clean sheet of the season for Brighton, though only a second at the Amex Stadium.
All their defenders, however, missed out on bonus points, with keeper Mat Ryan picking up two for his four saves on the night.
Bonus magnet Pascal Gross also failed to earn extra points for only the second time in five matches.
