Watford concede two goals in the dying minutes to throw away the points at Selhurst Park, but for Fantasy managers, it is injury concerns over Richarlison and Kiko Femenia that prove most troublesome.
Marco Silva’s side bossed the first period against Crystal Palace and it was Richarlison who inevitably proved the catalyst.
The Brazilian was a livewire on the Watford left, running at Timothy Fosu-Mensah and raiding the box with regularity.
His evening started with a sixth assist of the season when his deep cross was met smartly by Daryl Janmaat. That ended a run of three Gameweeks without attacking returns, to give him a goal or an assist in eight of his last 12 appearances.
Once again, Richarlison could and should have fetched a bigger tally. He provided Troy Deeney with a big chance later in first half, then missed an easy opportunity himself after the break – one of three shots on goal in Tuesday’s encounter.
But more significantly, he appeared to suffer a tweaked groin late on and was replaced with six minutes remaining.
There’s little or no information on the injury, though he did attempt to run it off and took his place on the Watford bench once withdrawn.
Silva had talked of the need to protect Richarlison before the Palace clash, hinting that he may hand the starlet at rest at some stage.
“We need to manage him if we feel he’s too tired. He doesn’t look tired but he cannot play a high level every time. We expect a player with his skills to play at a high level all the time but it is not possible. We need to take care of him, as he’s 20 years old.”
However, his performance before the injury was not befitting of a player suffering fatigue. Richarlison was full of running and always a danger to the Eagles defence.
We can now only await Silva’s update before the Gameweek 18 meeting with Huddersfield Town.
Femenia return short lived
Richarlison’s late replacement was full-back Kiko Femenia, who returned from a muscle injury to line up among the Watford substitutes.
However, the Spaniard played just over 11 minutes before pulling up and walking off the field of play.
It was a bizarre and unwanted appearance for his 303,000 owners, who lost their auto-sub and gained zero points.
The right-back had been cited as the optimum route into Watford’s defence over a period of improving fixtures.
Crucially, Femenia offered attacking potential and a propensity to gain bonus points – he has earned bonus in each of Watford’s five clean sheets so far.
But with no word on this latest injury, we can only presume that he has aggravated his muscular problem once again, potentially ruling him out of Gameweek 18.
That will force us to switch our sights when contemplating the Hornets rearguard.
Janmaat is a temptation given his similar potential to raid forward, illustrated by that goal at Selhurst Park – a second of the season.
But with little information on Femenia’s term of absence, Christian Kabasele appears to be a more secure avenue to explore.
The Belgian centre-back is cheaper at 4.6 and has started every match since Gameweek 3. With two goals this season, he also poses a threat at set-pieces.
Marvin Zeegelaar – at just 4.4 – is certainly the other consideration once he returns from his ban for Gameweek 20. That’s just in time for back-to-back home matches with Leicester City and Swansea City when he will be expected to oust Jose Holebas at left-back.
The supporting cast of Adrian Marriappa (4.1), Sebastian Prodl (4.3) and Miguel Britos (4.4) could all offer alternatives, but the security of their starts is still in question.
Palace feel Sakho absence
Wilfried Zaha was undoubtedly the most notable Palace asset on show from an attacking perspective. The winger conjured both their late goals, earning an assist for James McArthur’s winner following his run and cross.
But with our midfield slots so in demand, it was the Eagles defence that had provoked more recent interest.
With Mamadou Sakho sidelined through injury, Roy Hodgson’s rearguard was breached early and struggled to cope with Richarlison and the Watford attack.
The Frenchman’s calf injury is set to keep him sidelined into the New Year, so the prospects of the Eagles defence from a Fantasy perspective has to be questioned, including the viability of Julian Speroni (4.1) in goal.
Our concerns are hardly eased by an injury to Fosu-Mensah and a fifth booking of the season for midfield enforcer Luka Milivojevic, who will miss the Gameweek 18 meeting at Leicester.
