West Ham’s revival under David Moyes gathers pace, the Burnley defence takes another clean sheet into a testing double-header, while Watford and Brighton assets give cause for concern.
Manuel Lanzini was front and centre of West Ham’s impressive 3-0 win at Stoke City.
The midfielder produced a hat-trick of assists to earn maximum bonus and 15 points.
He now has five assists for the season – his best ever return – and all have come in the past six Gameweeks.
The Argentine’s first at thebet365 Stadium, however, might come with a sting in the tail should his theatrical part in the penalty dispatched by Mark Noble be deemed worthy of retrospective action.
Diafra Sakho came off the bench to score West Ham’s third, while Marko Arnautovic predictably enraged his former ‘fans’ with a goal at his old club.
New Hammers boss David Moyes has been using the Austrian in a more advanced role and Arnautovic is thriving, with two goals in three matches for the 6.8-priced midfielder.
Both he and Lanzini are found in just 0.8% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) squads, but have the form and fixtures to inspire a growth in ownership over the next few Gameweeks.
At present, however, it is centre-half Angelo Ogbonna who is turning heads, with 19,000+ making the centre-back the fifth most popular purchase of Gameweek 19.
West Ham have now kept three consecutive clean sheets, with the 4.4-priced charms of both the Italian and Arthur Masuaku very much on the radar.
Ogbonna is arguably the more secure in terms of starts – particularly while Moyes perseveres with a three-man defence. The underlying statistics also suggest that he offers the greater bonus potential, but Masuaku does hint at attacking returns from his advanced role on the left.
Behind that pair, goalkeeper Adrian (4.3) is also well worth considering now he seems to have seen off Joe Hart for the number one spot.
All three have been quietly picking up new owners since Gameweek 16, with the Hammers’ fixtures set fair until Gameweek 28.
The blank and double Gameweek 22 are, of course, the key factors. Owning Adrian and/or perhaps one of Moyes’ backline looks a worthy strategy. Meanwhile, both Arnautovic and Lanzini could be in our thoughts at that point should they continue their current ascent.
The Hammers have their EFL Cup quarter-final at Arsenal on Tuesday, with interest in their assets perhaps best parked until that has been played out.
Clarets braced for bigger tests
Burnley made it three successive clean sheets with a 0-0 draw at Brighton, but they needed their fair share of luck along the way.
Recent injuries have forced many a reshuffle by Clarets boss Sean Dyche – and his Fantasy counterparts – with FPL’s second most popular defender, Stephen Ward, the latest to miss out.
Ben Mee did return after a two-match absence, while Matthew Lowton was fit but left on the bench.
But the actions of the 6.1%-owned James Tarkowski yesterday could well complicate matters further.
The defender was so incensed by his challenge on Glenn Murray being deemed a penalty – a spot-kick the Brighton striker then missed – that he appeared to dish out some personal justice on the veteran forward.
His off-the-ball elbow to Murray’s chest was missed by the match officials, but retrospective action could well be forthcoming.
The threat of a possible ban is not slowing the market in Tarkowski, however. He was bought by 121,000+ before the weekend and a further 15,000 have made him the seventh most purchased player ahead of Gameweek 19.
Worries over the severity of Ward’s knee injury, meanwhile, have made him the fourth most sold, with Burnley’s tough schedule (TOT mun hud LIV cry MUN) another factor behind the exodus.
Only Man United have kept more clean sheets than Burley’s nine, but the prospect of further shut-outs now appear reduced, in the short term at least.
The productivity of their defensive assets remains undeniable, however.
Goalkeeper Nick Pope is now top for points per million overall, on 17.4, while Ward is still the top defender for that statistic, with 14.9.
Gross points blank sparks sales
The stalemate with Burnley saw Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross’ dry spell continue.
It’s now five starts and six Gameweeks without a goal or an assist for FPL’s favourite budget midfielder.
The 5.9-priced asset is found in 18.8% of squads, but has lost more than 150,000 owners since Gameweek 15 and sales (13,000+) are ongoing again.
Gross had no shots and created just two chances against Burnley, although the Seagulls’ schedule (WAT che new BOU wba) does offer the potential for a revival.
Elsewhere, defender Shane Duffy picked up his fifth booking of the campaign and will miss the home clash with Watford.
His centre-back partner Lewis Dunk fared better as he claimed maximum bonus, along with keeper Mat Ryan.
Dunk recorded 17 clearances blocks and interceptions – the second best total of the Gameweek – and a weekend-leading 15 recoveries on his way to an eight-point haul. However, he also picked up a fourth booking and must now navigate past Gameweek 19 to avoid a suspension.
Hornets fall flat
Watford assets have earned plenty of attention ahead of the festive period, but Marco Silva’s side appear to have timed a worrying bout of form to coincide with their attractive fixtures.
The Hornets have taken just one point from the last 15 and their home form is particularly poor.
The 4-1 loss to Huddersfield Town at Vicarage Road was the second time in three matches that they have shipped four goals in front of their own fans and they’ve recorded just two clean sheets in nine home starts now.
That was a blow to the 34,000+ who bought Christian Kabasele in for Gameweek 18 – his ownership has leapt from 23,000 to 147,000+ in just three Gameweeks – as the centre-back served up zero points (and just three in as many matches now).
The team’s two most popular players, Richarlison (19.8%) and Abdoulaye Doucoure (15.4%), fared little better against the Terriers.
The latter did produce seven points thanks to a superb half-volleyed goal, but he also picked up a fifth caution of the season and will now miss Gameweek 19’s trip to Brighton.
Indeed, ill-discipline continues to curse Silva’s men.
Tom Cleverley will be back at Brighton after his own one-match suspension, but club captain Troy Deeney will now be banned for four matches for a straight red yesterday on top of a previous FA charge.
Richarlison, with just three yellows to date, is an angel by comparison, but his form is anything but devilish.
The Brazilian had a goal disallowed yesterday and now has just two assists from the last six Gameweeks as his fourth midfielder status comes under increasing pressure from the likes of Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha.
FPL managers are certainly getting twitchy – Richarlison lost a net 41,000 of them going into the weekend and both he and Doucoure are in the top 12 for Gameweek 19 transfers-out.
Sales will surely accelerate if Watford fail to prosper from the Brighton trip and the home matches with Leicester City and Swansea City that follow.
Mooy and Depoitre impress
Huddersfield had scored in just one away match all season – on the opening weekend – prior to yesterday’s goal fest at Watford.
Aaron Mooy offered a reminder of his early season bandwagon with a brace, his first returns since Gameweek 9, as the 5.8%-owned midfielder brought in 15 points.
The Terriers seem to have turned a corner in recent weeks, with two wins from their last three matches, and that looks like a well-timed burst of form ahead of an excellent schedule (sot STK BUR lei WHU stk).
Striker Steve Mounie (5.7) caught the eye with two goals against Brighton in Gameweek 16, but his fellow forward Laurent Depoitre (5.2) is also emerging as a potential budget enabler.
The Belgian followed up his last-gasp goal from the bench against Chelsea with a start, another successful strike and two assists yesterday.
His pitch-time might not be guaranteed, but his output (four goals and two assists now) is beginning to blossom when handed the opportunity to shine.
