Manchester City and Arsenal players shine the brightest of the double Gameweek assets, although single fixture stars also catch the eye. Meanwhile, rotation carnage at Southampton makes for a decidedly mixed Saturday for Bench Boosting managers.
Here’s the Stock Check from Saturday’s events.
On The Rise
David Silva, Leroy Sane
Kevin De Bruyne was the main midfield target for City’s Double Gameweek 37, but he was overshadowed by a pair of team-mates against Leicester City.
Silva managed two goals in the first 35 Gameweeks. He’s now doubled that total in just two starts since then as he finds some prime run-in form which has also included three assists in his last six appearances.
We highlighted him as a differential candidate this week, and he’s delivered for the 2.7% of managers preferring the 8.6-priced Spaniard to the richer (10.5) delights of De Bruyne.
Sane, meanwhile, continues to exert ever-greater influence on City’s attack, providing the assists for both goals yesterday.
That was the first time he’s played a part in more than one goal in a league match this season, confirming the trust Pep Guardiola continues to show in the German.
The notoriously capricious coach has now used Sane in every match since Gameweek 22, with only one of those appearances from the subs’ bench, and he will surely stick to his guns with Champions League qualification within reach.
Gabriel Jesus
The young Brazilian was Fantasy Premier League’s most popular new signing for the second successive Gameweek, and he delivered an eight-point return to justify that faith.
He now has five goals and two assists from just six starts, and the fact that he scored against Leicester from the penalty spot – despite Yaya Toure being on the field – merely adds another string to his already impressive bow.
Jesus topped our captaincy poll this week, with more than 25% of the votes. Another good showing at home to West Brom on Tuesday and the striker will have proved a very lucrative double Gameweek asset.
Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez
Disgruntled Arsenal fans might have it in for Arsene Wenger in general and Ozil in particular, but the German is putting together a strong late-season case to silence the doubters.
Three goals and as many assists over the last nine matches was solid enough, but his more recent output seems to confirm he’s finally got to grips with the the new 3-4-3 system the Gunners are employing.
A goal at Stoke City yesterday followed a midweek assist at Southampton as the 7.5%-owned midfielder emerges as a double Gameweek differential.
Sanchez, meanwhile, continues to reward the patience of a 28.7% ownership base that must have been tempted to ditch him during a three-match run of blanks.
He’s now produced back-to-back double-digit returns for the first time since Gameweek 14, much to the relief of the 10.65% of FPL managers who made him yesterday’s most-captained asset.
Tellingly, the Chilean was also handed the armband by 57 of the top 100 managers, while more than 70,000 of us lesser mortals triple-captained him.
A 12-point haul was the result, and there’s the prospect of more where that came from when Sunderland arrive at the Emirates on Tuesday.
The only worry was a kick to the thigh that prompted him – in a very un-Sanchez move – to ask to be subbed.
But Wenger seemed unperturbed post-match, which suggests we should feel the same way.
Olivier Giroud
Three goals from his last 94 minutes of pitch-time have propelled the Frenchman back into the thoughts of many.
His brace at Stoke were his first goals as a starter since Gameweek 21 which, when added to his strike off the bench at Southampton, could mean a late rush to secure the services of the 3.4%-owned forward.
What is not clear is whether Wenger preferred Giroud to Danny Welbeck due to the more physical demands usually expected of a trip to the bet365.
Should he start again on Tuesday, we will have our answer to that.
Marc Albrighton
The Leicester winger now has two goals and five assists in ten appearances under Shakespeare.
His 5.0 price tag made Albrighton a low-key choice as a budget enabler for Double Gameweek 37 and he duly delivered in what could be the more difficult of the Foxes’ two fixtures.
A visit from Spurs on Thursday sounds tough, but the league title is now beyond Mauricio Pochettino’s men, and they will have precious little to play for but pride once their final match at White Hart Lane is done and dusted this afternoon.
Fernando Llorente, Gylfi Sigurdsson
A number of players scored well to justify the risk of relying on single Gameweek assets, with the Swansea City pair among them.
Llorente made it three goals from his last four as the Swans continued their impressive late flight from the relegation zone.
The Spaniard was drafted in by over 43,000 for the Gameweek and has now scored in three of his last four while clearly flourishing in a new two-man frontline.
Sigurdsson, meanwhile, moved up to sixth in the midfield standings with another assist to please his 10.4% ownership.
The Swans’ final-day home match with West Brom could be either vital or a procession, depending on how Hull City fare today. Either way, the Swansea duo have developed a taste for late-season returns.
Junior Stanislas, Josh King
Back-to-back goals for Stanislas put him firmly in the last-day mix.
The midfielder has tended to score in clusters this season – he hit three across Gameweeks 6-8 – and, at 4.6, could be an interesting Gameweek 38 punt when the Cherries travel to Leicester.
As for King, woe betide those among his 19.1% ownership who benched him in favour of players with double Gameweeks.
The midfielder continued his prolific run with the winner against Burnley – that’s just one blank since Gameweek 26 for the Norwegian international now.
Sam Vokes
Four goals in as many appearances has finally secured a regular starting role for the Welshman.
He has even helped Burnley cure a touch of their travel sickness – Vokes has hit two of those four away from home.
The Clarets entertain West Ham on the final day, so the 5.6-priced striker offers value as well as form.
But if nothing else, he’s looking like one to watch as a budget enabler for next season, given that he scored just five times in the first 32 Gameweeks before this impressive late burst.
In Decline
Sergio Aguero
He might be FPL royalty, but the most-captained Man City player for Double Gameweek 37 couldn’t find a place in the starting XI against Leicester despite recovering from the injury that sidelined him for the 5-0 rout of Crystal Palace.
He had scored in six of his previous seven matches but had to make do with a second-half appearance from the bench yesterday, and a yellow card promptly provided his 17.6% ownership with precisely zero points.
He will surely feature at home to West Brom on Tuesday.
Whether that is from the bench again remains a distinct possibility which, when you’re priced at 12.7, is far too little pitch-time for a lot of outlay.
Manolo Gabbiadini
We resisted the temptation to lump the entire Southampton team into this final entry given Claude Puel’s decision to make seven changes to the side for the trip to Middlesbrough.
Instead, the Italian striker bears the brunt of our distaste.
Any number of Saints assets were drafted in for Double Gameweek 37, only for many of them to be benched. But while the likes of Jack Stephens and Dusan Tadic can be expected to return for the midweek home match with Manchester United, things aren’t so clear-cut with Gabbiadini.
The forward is out of form, with three consecutive blanks earning him his ousting from the squad yesterday, and has competition – Jay Rodriguez scored and Shane Long provided an assist in the 2-1 win at the Riverside.
The injury-prone Irishman did pick up an ankle injury, but Charlie Austin’s four-minute cameo following his own lengthy spell on the sidelines clouds the Gabbiadini issue even further.
Some 8.5% of managers will be desperately hoping the Italian is back – and producing again – when United hit town on Wednesday evening.
Kieran Gibbs
Signed by over 53,000 as a solution to cover Arsenal’s defensive potential, Gibbs’ new owners were left disappointed by his absence at the bet365 stadium. He missed out with a calf injury and, while he could realistically return to the fray to face Sunderland on Tuesday, there are question marks over his pitch-time to come.
Nacho Monreal excelled at left wing-back and appears to offer more in that role, while another impressive display from Rob Holding as part of the back three may just have cemented his starting berth, allowing Wenger to keep Monreal in the more advanced position.
