Another victory for Chelsea reminds us of their potential heading into Double Gameweek 37, while Crystal Palace differentials stake a claim as Leicester City’s “on the beach” options hit a low.
Chelsea’s win, and winner, at Swansea City had minimal immediate impact in Fantasy terms.
Cesc Fabregas’ smart finish, from Eden Hazard’s equally clever assist, brought in points for only a select band of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers.
The Spaniard, who earned two bonus points, is owned by 3.0%, the Belgian marginally more popular on 6.2%.
But it could have repercussions for what’s left of the season, with Chelsea assets back on our radar for a Double Gameweek 37 involving home fixtures with Liverpool and Huddersfield.
The match against the Reds is now an almighty clash that, should Chelsea win, would ensure the battle for a top-four place will go to the final day of the season – if the Blues also see off the Terriers, that is.
Antonio Conte’s side appear to have rediscovered their mojo.
Saturday’s 1-0 win was their second consecutive clean sheet in all competitions – they’d managed just one shut-out in ten Gameweeks previously – which kept their most popular player, Cesar Azpilicueta (20.6%) at the top of the defensive standings.
And the use of Olivier Giroud up front has woken Hazard from his late-season slumber. The midfielder now has a goal and an assist from his last three Gameweeks after producing just one assist from the previous five.
Hazard enjoys playing off the big Frenchman up front, although that has come at the cost of Willian’s involvement.
The Brazilian was sold by 42,000+ ahead of the Gameweek 36 deadline but is still part of 866,000+ squads, which made his benching at Swansea tough for his 14.6% ownership to swallow.
He did at least make it on to the pitch for a token one-point, whereas the 2.2% who have stuck by Andreas Christensen had to endure a third Gameweek in four in which the defender has been unused on the timber.
The young Dane might play a part in Gameweek 37, with Chelsea’s defensive options increased further by the return from suspension of Marcos Alonso (15.8%) for the double.
Alonso will be expected to return to the starting XI for the visit of Liverpool, though he may yet give way to Emerson for the second Gameweek fixture with Huddersfield. That will be a concern for those managers who have held the Spaniard and will likely be enough to deter new investors.
Alonso has lost 235,000+ in ownership over the last two Gameweeks. He is now part of less than a million squads for the first time since Gameweek 19.
Conte – and his opposite number Jurgen Klopp – will surely look to field full-strength sides for their meeting next Sunday.
And should Chelsea prevail, Conte will be driven to keep his line-up strong for Huddersfield’s visit. Whether that includes Alonso and Willian remains to be seen.
But it would seem likely to promote Hazard and Giroud (2.2%) as differentials, albeit pricey ones, for the season’s final fixtures.
Swans swim in choppy waters
Results elsewhere kept Swansea well and truly embroiled in the relegation battle, and their schedule (bou SOT STK) is tailor-made for some fraught final fixtures.
The Swans’ Double Gameweek 37 has kept their assets in our thoughts, with striker Jordan Ayew (6.7%) the team’s most popular buy heading into Saturday’s deadline.
He blanked for the second straight Gameweek, having fired seven goals from his previous 14 outings, but will hope for easier pickings against the accommodating defences to come. Ayew is the currently the fifth most signed player as we approach Gameweek 37.
And back-to-back home matches with Southampton and Stoke City should promote interest in Swans defenders, with injuries leading to a first start for Connor Roberts at right wing-back (4.0) yesterday.
Zaha the reasonably-priced star
Crystal Palace players have been in a generous mood of late, rewarding those managers able to see past their lack of a Double Gameweek 37 with a slew of points.
Wilfried Zaha was a lucrative case in point in the 5-0 hammering of Leicester City.
The 7.0-priced midfielder, again used in a striker’s role, scored one goal, set up another and took home maximum bonus for a second 14-point haul in three Gameweeks.
He now has four goals and an assist from his last four starts and has blanked only twice in seven Gameweeks since returning from injury.
His ownership has increased by 188,902 since Gameweek 33, with 31,000+ bringing him in for the Foxes clash.
The win surely secures the Eagles’ Premier League status, which in turn may impact on motivation for their final two fixtures.
But a schedule of Stoke Cty away and West Brom at home offers the potential for more points from a side in form – they’re unbeaten in four matches now – and with ten goals and back-to-back clean sheets to their name as well.
James McArthur matched Zaha’s output against Leicester, but missed out on bonus in his 11-point tally, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Patrick van Aanholt and Christian Benteke were also among the goals.
The Dutch defender’s third strike in eight Gameweeks helped him to a season’s-best 13 points, while Benteke’s strike had an unwanted impact on Palace’s most owned asset, Luka Milivojevic (14.2%).
The forward played only four minutes yesterday, which turned out to be just enough time to score a penalty graciously given to him by the usual spot-kick taker Milivojevic.
That denied the Serb’s ownership a fifth haul in six Gameweeks which, in turn, has made him the fifth most sold player heading into Gameweek 37.
Palace’s other assists came from substitute Jeffrey Schlupp and centre-half Mamadou Sakho, who earned 12 points as a result – his best haul of the campaign.
Foxes frequently quit
Leicester’s capitulation confirmed the growing sense that their players are on their way to the beach with three fixtures still to be honoured.
Throw in increasing doubts as to the future of coach Claude Puel and the team is doing a more than passable impression of a group with nothing – not even pride – to play for.
That is burning those managers who had been holding on to their key assets for Double Gameweek 37 (WHU ARS) before a final-day trip to Spurs.
Wes Morgan returned to the backline after missing out on a clean sheet in the reduced slate that was Gameweek 35, although his zero-point haul yesterday merely added insult to injury for his 3.0% ownership.
But it is the team’s star turns – Riyad Mahrez (9.6%) and Jamie Vardy (23.4%) – who are doing the most damage.
The 8.8-priced Algerian has now blanked for five straight matches and has just two goals and an assist to show from the last 11 Gameweeks.
Vardy (8.9), meanwhile, has followed up goals in four straight Gameweeks with back-to-back blanks.
The pair’s price tags are at least sufficiently lofty for managers to be able to use them as leverage to bring in considerably more committed players from the likes of Spurs and Man City for next week’s round of double fixtures.
Because keeping faith in them now could prove to be a risky – and costly – decision.
Time for Tadic
Southampton won at home for the first time in the league since November to keep their faint hopes of survival alive and promote interest in their players ahead of Double Gameweek 37 (eve swa).
Chief among them could be Dusan Tadic (6.2), who followed up his goal against Chelsea in Gameweek 34 with a brace in yesterday’s 2-1 win over Bournemouth.
Maximum bonus brought in 15 points for his 1.8% ownership – only his second double-digit haul of the campaign – to single him out as a differential for the crucial pair of matches to come.
The Saints will certainly not lack for motivation in those fixtures as their last match of the season involves a visit from Man City, so any relegation-evading business will surely have to be done by then.
Midfielder Mario Lemina produced his first assist of the season as Mark Hughes rolled the dice by fielding Charlie Austin instead of Shane Long up front, only for the Englishman to blank.
The coach also opted to keep Jack Stephens, back from his three-match ban, on the bench as he retained his faith in Jan Bednarek as part of a three-man defence which couldn’t replicate last week’s clean sheet at Leicester.
But Alex McCarthy rewarded his minimal 0.5% ownership with two save points – the only keeper who managed that feat across Saturday’s fixtures.
As for Bournemouth, the side is safe from relegation and the players even safer from serious Fantasy consideration.
Goalless draw a win-win
For most FPL managers, Burnley’s 0-0 draw with Brighton was the best result on offer.
The five most popular Clarets picks are defensive options, while Pascal Gross (16.1%) and Glenn Murray (6.4%) might be the most owned among Brighton’s players, but keeper Mat Ryan and defenders Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk have been in many Fantasy squads for a while now.
Then again, a clean sheet was not exactly a given – yesterday’s stalemate was only Burnley’s second shut-out in 15, while it was a first in 14 for the Seagulls.
The outcome was welcome, though Ryan’s 10-point was likely a frustration for many. A key Bench Boost target ahead of Gameweek 34, some 70.7% of Ryan’s 203,000+ owners have him on the bench for Gameweek 36.
Meanwhile, Seagulls’ boss Chris Hughton decided to bench Murray, creating a concern for those still holding the 6.0-priced striker for Double Gameweek 37. Murray was given a 23-minute run-out, got booked and returned zero points.
As for Burnley assets, their single match in Gameweek 37, away at Arsenal, could prompt sales among owners seeking double returns, particularly those with the Bench Boost active.
However, their budget options in defence, along with Ashley Barnes up front, could be retained as back-ups for their final day home fixture with Bournemouth.
Terriers tamed
If Brighton thought they had it tough for Double Gameweek 37 (MUN mci), Huddersfield are definitely running them close.
The 2-0 home defeat to Everton could land them in a whole lot of relegation hot water as they’ll face trips to Man City and Chelsea next, before concluding their season at home to Arsenal.
All of which makes their assets a Fantasy no-go.
Everton’s players, with no double to come, aren’t much further ahead in the queue.
Cenk Tosun at least ended a run of four blanks with a superbly taken opener at the John Smiths.
Theo Walcott followed up his winning goal against Newcastle on Monday with the assist, while Leighton Baines rolled back the years with a 12-point return for his 3.8% owneship.
The left-back set up Idrissa Gueye’s clincher and also recorded a clean sheet.
That’s now three shut-outs in four for the Everton defence, with Baines delivering 28 points over that spell.
His appeal, however, was mainly as a Free Hit differential in Gameweek 35, as interest in both Everton and Huddersfield players has effectively faded for the season.
Baggies still battling
The same could be said for most of the players on display at St James’ Park.
West Brom continued to cling to the thinnest rope of hope as caretaker coach Darren Moore made it eight points from his four matches on the deck of the Titanic.
Yesterday’s 1-0 win came courtesy of Matt Phillips’ second goal of the season, set up by Jake Livermore.
That, in turn, spoiled the chances of a Newcastle clean sheet – the Magpies had conceded just three goals in their last six home matches, and their defensive options had attracted investment ahead of a Double Gameweek 37 involving trips to Watford and Spurs.
Having said that, it was striker Ayoze Perez who was the most signed player in action in Saturday’s afternoon matches.
He was bought by 83,000 and had scored 19 points from his previous two home outings.
A second successive blank ensued, and interest in Newcastle players is likely to be subdued, at best, from here on.
