Vardy scoring continues as Leicester offer differential options

West Ham and Leicester proved they are still relevant to the end of season Fantasy Premier League picture with their draw on Saturday.

The Foxes attack got back to its best after a disappointing loss to Newcastle, while things remain eventful at both ends of the pitch for the Hammers.

We take a look at what these two clubs can offer in the final three Gameweeks of the season in this latest Scout Notes article.

West Ham United 2-2 Leicester City

Goals: Michail Antonio (£6.8m), Lucas Pérez (£6.1m) | Jamie Vardy (£9.0m), Harvey Barnes (£5.5m)

Assists: Mark Noble (£4.8m), | Ben Chilwell (£5.1m), Youri Tielemans (£6.1m)

Jamie Vardy (£9.0m) remains a decent differential option after he continued his scoring run at West Ham on Saturday afternoon. His second-half strike against the Hammers was his sixth in as many Premier League matches; no forward has more in that time with only Ayoze Pérez (£6.1m) level with the Leicester City man.

After a limp defeat to Newcastle in Double Gameweek 34 and a poor first half at the London Stadium, it might have been easy to think Leicester’s relevance to the Fantasy scene was on the wane for the season. However, the Foxes were much better in the second half against West Ham, and Vardy’s form cannot be ignored. In the last four matches, no player in the whole league has been afforded more big chances than him, which means his team-mates continue to create excellent opportunities for him.

“I think it shows that mentality in the squad, which is very important. There’s lots of areas in the game that we can be better in. “In the first half, we were too passive, but in the second half, we played with a lot more energy and a lot more tempo to our game and we looked a real attacking threat. So I was very pleased with the second half and there’s lots to get better in with the first half.” – Brendan Rodgers

Crucially, the remaining fixtures for Vardy might look difficult on paper, with Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea to come, but they are the often the sides that bring the best out of him. It is well-documented that the pacey forward thrives on the space typically left behind the defences of the top six, more so than can be found at the smaller clubs with more defensive tactics. That’s why Vardy has six goals in seven Premier League starts against Arsenal, four in eight starts versus Manchester City and three in eight against Chelsea. The combination of his form and those fixtures should make him a powerful differential in the closing weeks.

Also offering reliable returns, which could continue even in Leicester’s final three matches of the season, is midfielder Youri Tielemans (£6.1m). It was him who provided the assist for Harvey Barnes‘ (£5.5m) stoppage-time equaliser at West Ham, his fifth of the season in just 10 appearances. Since arriving in January on loan, Tielemans has blanked in just three Premier League matches.

Barnes finally got his first Premier League goal after a prolonged spell of producing a barrage of shots since returning from loan at West Bromwich Albion. However, it is hard to tell if he can truly act as a differential option in the last few games of the season. He was named on the bench for the first time since Gameweek 22, so it is not clear if he will be a regular starter going forward.

“He was on the bench today for probably the first time in a while. It is strange he has got his first goal coming off the bench. He has been brilliant since he came back. He has always looked a threat and been lively in every game. He has missed quite a few chances and people may say he needs to improve on that but he is a young boy who has excellent talent. Now the first has gone in I am sure he will back it up with many.” – Harry Maguire

Meanwhile, West Ham seem to be coming back from the beach a little more with each passing game. After they lost somewhat limply to Everton and Chelsea it looked as the Hammers’ season was over but they have now produced two spirited performances against Manchester United and now Leicester.

Their poor form in recent weeks, especially at the back, has influenced transfer plans for Fantasy managers, with some backing Spurs, Southampton and Watford assets for the season run-in, their final three opponents. While West Ham were hardly commanding in defence against Leicester, the goals they conceded were easily avoidable, they have made some slight improvements. They were in the bottom two for shots in the box and big chances conceded in the last six matches, but in the last four, they have risen out of the bottom four for both.

Where the Hammers seemed the most vulnerable against Leicester was in wide areas, with both assists for the goals they conceded coming from the flanks. That could bode well for those looking at wide players from Spurs, Southampton and Watford.

“Our defending was not good for the second goal but for the most part of the game, we played well. We made some mistakes, especially with the second goal. There was too much space in our defence for minute 93 so that allowed them to draw but most part of the game, I think we played well. ” – Manuel Pellegrini

West Ham United XI (4-1-4-1): Fabianski; Masuaku, Ogbonna, Balbuena, Zabaleta; Rice; Anderson, Snodgrass (Obiang 73′), Noble (Wilshere 85′), Antonio; Arnautovic (L Pérez 78′).

Leicester City XI (4-4-1-1): Schmeichel; Chilwell, Maguire, Evans, R Pereira; D Gray (Iheanacho 84′), Tielemans (Mendy 90+5′), Ndidi, Albrighton (H Barnes 64′); Maddison; Vardy