A reformed and relentless Costa, a wing-back gift from the Fantasy Gods, the inconvenient return of Fantasy royalty and a two-goal slice of humble pie for Anichebe sceptics. We’re considering this and more as a result of Gameweek 12…

Costa may just avoid that ban…
It’s now six without a booking for Diego Costa. More to the point, it’s five goals in his last six Gameweeks as the Spaniard continues to set the pace among Fantasy Premier League forwards.

Costa has seven more Gameweeks to navigate before we’re free of the one-match suspension as a factor but we surely have to consider banishing that as a concern.

With our forward lines under increased scrutiny, Costa’s consistency is becoming a powerful and all too influential factor that, from Gameweek 15, may just be too much to ignore.

The Hazard away day theory still lingers…
Given his current outstanding form, there’s little need to harbour doubts on Hazard’s potential or place in our squads.

And yet the numbers show that the age-old theory regarding the Belgian’s struggles to produce on the road may still have some legs.

Hazard’s blank at Middlesbrough was hardly damaging to his reputation as an asset but does raise questions on our confidence when it comes to future Gameweeks. While Costa’s FPL returns are split 50/50 home and away, Hazard has scored just 28 of his 86 points on his travels.

Is that enough for us to discount him as a captain away from home? Hazard needs another return to banish such doubts.

Alonso is almost too good to be true…
Anyone watching yesterday’s Riverside encounter would be forgiven for wondering who was playing left-wing for Chelsea.

Alonso is a newcomer to the Chelsea line-up and yet appears to be a key figure as part of waves of attacks down the left flank. Given that Hazard shifts to this side, that’s a major factor that appears to be ensuring that Alonso is earning space to exploit.

His end product is disappointing but, given the amount of ball he’s seeing in the final third, coupled with a presence at set-pieces, it seems that we’ve been handed an incredibly effective defensive asset which is legitimately fixture proof given his attacking potential.

Like Hazard ahead of Gameweek 12, we’re struggling to see an argument against acquiring Alonso.

Kane is a convenient solution…
Five goals in his last four Premier League starts is, in truth, a misleading statistic.

That spell was broken up by injury and, even over those matches, Kane has still struggled to reach the heights of his previous two seasons.

Like Spurs themselves, Kane is feeling his way back to his best but, in typical style, has found a way to keep his tally ticking and turn the heads of Fantasy managers.

We’re buying into it.

The three home fixtures to follow the Gameweek 13 trip to Chelsea are just so strong, it seems more difficult for Kane to avoid earning points, such is his influence in Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

With both Everton and Manchester City suffering testing schedules, Kane’s own fixtures scream for attention.

It might seem too convenient, but it’s a difficult argument to ignore.

Yaya has made Gundogan a no-no…
On one hand, there was some pleasure to be gained from seeing Yaya Toure return to the Manchester City line-up and roll back to his halcyon days of the 2013/14 campaign.

His languid brilliance is always good to watch and, when he’s nestled in your midfield, he has been reassuring and explosive midfield asset.

But the 2016/17 version looks likely to be little more than an irritant in our seasons – an asset rolled out by Pep Guardiola to disrupt Ilkay Gundogan’s starting role and deprive us of a genuine mid-price prospect.

We could be wrong – Toure could seize his second life and earn a prolonged run of starts to see off the German. However, the chilling words of rotation from Pep appeared to confirm our fears: Toure will time share with Gundogan, ensuring that neither can be a lasting factor from this point on.

The Allen option may be dead to us too…
Joe Allen’s stock suffered two sizeable blows in the defeat to Bournemouth, as injuries shifted him from a number ten role and a fifth booking took him out of Gameweek 13.

While the Gameweek 14 home clash with Burnley offers respite, should he return to his advanced position, Stoke’s schedule to follow is nothing short of evil, suggesting that Allen’s potential as a fourth midfielder could now be limited.

Mata may save us from returning to Zlatan…
Juan Mata’s sweetly taken goal against Arsenal reinforces the opinion that he may just prove pivotal to Manchester United’s season. Like Toure, his best years as a Fantasy asset may be behind him but, should Jose Mourinho’s men ignite in the coming weeks, Mata seems likely to be a factor and present a potential coverage option.

With Zlatan Ibrahimovic returning to the fray for Gameweek 13, the Swede has the opportunity to begin building a case for consideration. But, in Mata, we may just have a new short-term solution that allows us to remodel our forward lines without revisiting the United talisman.

Lukaku needs a south coast return…
The Gameweek 13 trip to Southampton is now vital to Lukaku’s Fantasy season.

Back-to-back blanks against Chelsea and Swansea City have raised the pressure and with Kane, Costa and Defoe turning heads, the Toffees striker simply has to rediscover a consistent streak.

As mentioned in our Stock Check, those who snapped the Belgian up early for 9.0 will still consider clinging on, but Everton’s testing fixtures are worrying, as is Lukaku’s history of running dry.

While Aguero needs to breach fortress Turf Moor…
Similarly, Aguero’s blank at Selhurst Park has put his Gameweek 13 trip to Burnley into sharp focus. Hardly the optimum fixture or venue to restore our confidence, should the City striker fail to deliver, he will then be exposed to a clear shift in fixtures for both Diego Costa and Harry Kane that could just provide the catalyst for change.

It seems almost unthinkable to consider Aguero’s departure so soon after his devastating blast at the Hawthorns and yet, with Pep Guardiola constantly switching personnel, City appear to have stuttered somewhat as an attacking force. Nine goals in six fixtures is hardly scintillating scoring form for title contenders, particularly when four of those goals arrived at the aforementioned West Brom fixture.

With a toughening schedule awaiting City and Aguero, we need a convincing display and output from the Argentine to silence the doubts.

We may need a Sunderland striker…
Those are words that rarely combine to form a sentence. We remarked on the potential in last week’s “This Much…“, with tongue planted in cheek. One week on, and suddenly our words are no longer guarded or laced with irony.

Anichebe’s performance against Hull City was his second successive unplayable display and, having chained together double-figure returns, there has been an inevitable interest from those desperate to seek out value.

Experienced Fantasy managers may still treat Anichebe’s form as a curiosity, knowing that he is likely to break down and fail to maintain fitness and form.

But the combination with Jermain Defoe may just have legs. Certainly, Defoe is benefitting.

Already a factor in our seasons, he looks even livelier now, with an extra gear. Back to back assists were not expected but, with an able strike partner alongside him, suddenly there’s a new dimension to Defoe.

He’s the FPL’s form striker – he’s also returned the best value so far. We might hold reservations on Anichebe, but Defoe makes a convincing case.

Jenkinson offers a tempting dalliance…
At a time when Hector Bellerin owners are eyeing up the similarly priced Marcos Alonso or Kyle Walker as alternatives, Jenkinson has emerged as a short-term differential option for our five-man defences.

Those getting rid of Bellerin for Chelsea or Spurs defenders will forego Arsenal’s next three fixtures, which hands them home clashes with Bournemouth and Stoke, in addition to a trip to West Ham.

The two Emirates fixtures certainly stand out as a strong source of points and, if you have no pressing transfers needed further up the park, Jenkinson – at just 5.0 – could prove a decent temporary acquisition as cover.

Arsenal are waiting on Santi…
It’s perhaps no coincidence that Arsenal’s downturn in form has coincided with the Spaniard’s stint on the sidelines due to an Achilles issue.

Arsenal won all six of Cazorla’s last league outings, scoring 16 times in the process. From then on, they’ve managed one victory and three draws, netting more than one goal on a single occasion.

Tellingly, Alexis Sanchez has served up three blanks in four without Cazorla, while Theo Walcott has failed to produce points in all three recent appearances.

Arsene Wenger and FPL owners need the little Spaniard back on board quickly to reignite their points potential and take advantage of those above-mentioned fixtures. Sadly, the recent noises from Arsenal offer limited hope on his imminent return.

Liverpool aren’t Liverpool without Lallana…
Saturday’s goalless draw at Southampton means that Liverpool have now failed to score in each of the two league matches that Adam Lallana hasn’t started.

For all the slick interplay of the Reds’ front three, Lallana’s energy, high pressing and ability to drive forward from deep and join the attacks were clearly missed at St Mary’s.

Jurgen Klopp has cast doubt over the midfielder’s availability, suggesting he could “possibly” miss the next two or three matches.

While we would still expect the Merseysiders to profit against Sunderland, Bournemouth and West Ham over that period, our hopes for bumper hauls from the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane may be slightly curtailed if Lallana fails to recover to slot alongside them.

Cedric is right back in the reckoning…
A timely return to from injury on Saturday saw Cedric Soares help Southampton to a first clean sheet since Gameweek 7 thanks to a goalless draw against visitors Liverpool.

With Ryan Bertrand, Virgil van Dijk and Jose Fonte all setting you back 5.4 in FPL, the 4.9-priced Soares immediately appeals as a cheap route into the Southampton defence ahead of some kind looking fixtures.

Claude Puel’s side have now earned a clean sheet in each of the last four matches Soares has started – by comparison, they conceded in all four fixtures with him on the sidelines.

Getting on board the Saints defence certainly looks a valid tactic once this week’s clash with Everton is out of the way.