Our coverage of Gameweek 36 concludes as we run the rule over the key individual, the team and talking point to catch our attention.
Dusan Tadic keeps Southampton’s survival bid alive, and an impressive Crystal Palace sweep aside a hapless Leicester City to dismiss their own relegation concerns.
Meanwhile, Manchester City’s in-form attack stake a strong claim for the captaincy in Double Gameweek 37 as Harry Kane’s toils continue.
The Player
Like Adel Taarabt before him, Dusan Tadic is one of those players who never quite delivers on the underlying numbers.
Aside from Gameweek 8 of 2014/15, where he famously served up a goal and four assists in an 8-1 win over Sunderland, the Serbian has frustrated Fantasy Premier League (FPL) backers all too often.
Yet, as evidenced by his output at home to Bournemouth, the recent arrival of Mark Hughes has revived Tadic’s potential.
A brace in last weekend’s win means that the playmaker has scored three of his side’s five goals in five matches since the new manager arrived – equalling his output for previous boss Mauricio Pellegrino in the opening 31 Gameweeks.
Again, Tadic ticks all of the statistical boxes. Under Hughes, he leads all team-mates for key passes (12) and efforts in the box (seven), while he’s joint-top for shots and efforts on target.
Encouragingly for Hughes, Saturday’s vital win over the Cherries means that his side have netted twice in three of their last four, which includes hauls against Arsenal and Chelsea.
Now just a single point behind fourth-bottom Swansea, Southampton travel to the face the Welshmen in the second match of Double Gameweek 37, with a visit to Everton beforehand.
Given that they face Man City on the final day of the season, Tadic’s displays over those next two matches could determine the Saints’ survival plight.
Involved in 50% of Saints’ goals since Hughes took charge, he could be equally valuable to his recent Fantasy investors.
So far almost 34,000 managers have put their trust in more returns, with Tadic simmering at just over 100,000 owners making him an intriguing differential ahead of Friday’s deadline.
The Team
Similar to Tadic, Crystal Palace served a timely reminder that the relegation battle can play a major role in our thinking at this point in the season.
Largely ignored by FPL managers due to the lack of a Double Gameweek, the Eagles’ 5-0 thrashing of Leicester City was made all the more remarkable on a Saturday where seven of the first 12 teams to feature all failed to find the net.
With five individuals all getting on the scoresheet, as many as four Palace players delivered double-figures. Once again, Wilfried Zaha was the star of the show, claiming a second 14-point return in the space of three Gameweeks.
Roy Hodgson’s decision to switch the Ivory Coast international up front alongside Andros Townsend in Gameweek 31 has proved a masterstroke.
While Zaha has supplied four goals and two assists in that run, Palace’s team numbers underline their overall threat – across the last six matches, they rank among the top four sides when it comes to shots on target (30), big chances (18) and goals (13).
Understandably, with 12 teams playing twice in the next round of fixtures, many will again overlook the Selhurst Park side when it comes to investing for Double Gameweek 37.
Yet with clashes against Stoke and West Brom to finish the season, Hodgson’s regulars have the momentum to continue racking up the points and finally secure their top-flight safety.
Zaha is the obvious target, though fellow midfielder James McArthur looks has great potential for those shopping in the sub-4.5 price bracket. That’s before we even consider Luka Milivojevic who – via his dead-ball prowess – is second only to Mohamed Salah for points per million value (26.4).
Meanwhile, Patrick van Aanholt has once again justified his reputation as a provider of attacking points from the back. The Dutchman has claimed three goals in eight Gameweeks and is ranked top for shots (11) among defenders over that period.
The Talking Point
When Double Gameweek 37 was initially confirmed, Harry Kane was immediately locked in as the obvious choice for the armband and remaining Triple Captain chips.
A trip to West Brom, followed by the visit of travel-sick Newcastle, seemed tailor-made for the Spurs striker as he looked to chase down Mohamed Salah in the race for the Golden Boot.
We only had to look back to last season, where Kane scored five times in Double Gameweek 37, following that up with a final-day hat-trick against Hull, to remind ourselves of his explosive ability.
However, it seems like Kane didn’t get the memo.
After scoring six times in as many matches over Gameweek 23-28, he’s netted three goals in the subsequent eight.
Indeed, at Spurs alone, that’s a tally matched by Christian Eriksen and bettered by Son Heung-min and Dele Alli, with four goals apiece.
While many will point to the controversies surrounding Kane’s goal award at Stoke and the recent FA tweet, his lethargy dates back further than either furore; the striker has managed just a single double-digit return in his last 15 league outings.
On the plus side, Monday’s goal at home to Watford means that Kane heads into Double Gameweek 37 having scored in back-to-back matches for the first time since Gameweek 28.
Now just four goals behind Salah, he’s still very much focused on his battle to finish top scorer for the third successive season.
“It’s something I want to win – every striker in the country wants to win the Golden Boot, and I’m no different.
It’s nice to be back on the goal trail and I’m looking forward to the last three weeks of the season. I’ve got two in my last two Premier League games and my ankle feels good”.
Yet with Man City’s attack looking to chase down Premier League records, Kane no longer looks the automatic go-to option.
At a time where Raheem Sterling has 10+ points in each of his last three and Gabriel Jesus has scored in four successive league outings, our armband decision for this penultimate round of fixtures could prove decisive to mini-league success.
Not for the first time this season, Kane has failed to put minds at rest.
