After assessing our favoured options in Defence over the next four-to-six rounds of fixtures, we now turn our attentions to the centre of the park. There’s no surprise to see the double Gameweek teams dominate, though the likes of Arsenal, West Ham, Liverpool, Man City, Newcastle and Everton have more than one protagonist vying for our consideration.
Despite blanking in his last three matches, Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil remains at the summit due to the Gunners very favourable upcoming schedule (WAT, whm, CPL & WBA, sun, NOR). The German recovered from an ankle knock to play against England last night and appears, along with Alexis Sanchez, to be less prone to rotation during the run-in. The former Real Madrid playmaker is available at 9.7 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), and should provide a steady stream of attacking points over the next month or so, perhaps offering a more reliable option than Sanchez at a cheaper price. The latter, meanwhile, is slowly returning to form over the past few weeks having registered a goal and two assists over the last three Gameweeks. The 10.8-valued midfielder still looks somewhat short of his best form and has been nowhere near as consistent as Ozil but his explosive potential is summed by a haul of 46 points in three matches between Gameweeks 7 and 9.
Philippe Coutinho climbs all the way to second spot this week by virtue of Liverpool’s hugely favourable run of fixtures over the next six Gameweeks (TOT, STO, bou & EVE, NEW, swa, WAT & CHE). The Brazilian has scored once and registered three assists in his last two starts in the league, and looks nicely priced at 8.1 in FPL. Should Roberto Firmino recover from a hamstring injury, though, the former Hoffenheim attacker – who has four double-figure hauls to his name over his last eight appearances – is likely to be the stronger option for us to consider from the Reds’ midfield, though a double up on the duo looks potentially prosperous for the run-in.
It’s a similar story when assessing Man City midfielders, with Yaya Toure currently our pick ahead of DGW34 (che & new), with pretty favourable home clashes against West Brom and Stoke either side of the double. Priced at 8.5, though, the Ivorian has blanked in seven of his last eight league appearances and pulled out of Ivory Coast duties due to a recurrence of his heel injury. Should Kevin de Bruyne (10.2) prove his fitness in time, the Belgian – who has averaged 5.5 points per appearances this season – could well be worth that extra outlay.
Ross Barkley is one of the main climbers this time around due to Everton’s trio of upcoming double Gameweeks. The 7.1-priced playmaker has struggled for form, though, and produced points in only two of his last 12 league outings but his security of starts is key ahead of an enticing run from Gameweek 33 onwards (wat & cpl, SOT & liv, blank, BOU, lei & sun). Aaron Lennon offers an alternative to Barkley at just 5.6 in FPL. The winger has scored four goals and bagged an assist over his last six matches, and while he might be slightly more at risk to rotation with Roberto Martinez having several options in the wide positions, the 1.5 saving between the two players may make many FPL bosses seriously consider the former Tottenham midfielder as an enabler.
Newcastle’s Georginio Wijnaldum returned to form with an assist and full bonus points in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Sunderland, and therefore moves up several places on our ladder ahead of a generally favourable run of matches (nor, sot, SWA & MCI, liv, CPL, avl), including that double in Gameweek 34. Priced at 6.8 in FPL, the Dutch international looks great value given he’s racked up nine goals and five assists so far this season, although it’s worth noting he did start the Tyne-Wear derby in a deeper central midfield role alongside Jonjo Shelvey. Team-mate Andros Townsend (5.8) is a little lower down but could be worth a flutter – he created seven chances in Rafa Benitez’ two matches in charge and netted in the recent loss at Chelsea.
West Ham’s Dimitri Payet looks certain to be a popular choice for many of our five-man midfields given the Hammers face two doubles (lei & WAT, SWA & MUN) before the end of the season. Slaven Bilic’s side do face a blank in Gameweek 35, but with 14 total goal attempts (five from inside the box) and 17 chances created (joint-second among midfielders) over the last four matches, the former Marseille man looks well worth his 8.3 price tag in FPL. Michail Antonio is a cheaper alternative at just 5.4. The former Nottingham Forest winger has scored six goals and provided five assists over his last 13 league appearances, and his home displays, in particular, ensure he earns the nods ahead of team-mate Manuel Lanzini (4.9) as our budget Hammers’ midfielder. Antonio has racked up double-figures in four of his last six at Upton Park and plays in front of his own fans in each of the next three Gameweeks (CPL, ARS, lei & WAT) and also faces a pair of home clashes in double Gameweek 37.
Palace’s Yannick Bolasie is boosted by back-to-back doubles in Gameweek 33 (NOR & EVE) and Gameweek 34 (ars & mun). Despite missing nine matches due to injury, the DR Congo international has equalled last year’s four-goal haul and looks the man most likely to pick up the points from Alan Pardew’s midfield.
Elsewhere, the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Gylfi Sigurdsson all fall in this week’s refresh despite their impressive recent showings. The lack of a double Gameweek is the obvious reason here, as we look to take advantage of the schedule, though Mahrez remains relatively high in our estimations – having already racked up 11 double-figure hauls, the Leicester wide man has shown time and again he could well outscore those players with a pair of fixtures.
