With the deadline now almost upon us, we roll out our Gameweek regular and provide a trio of overlooked protagonists with favourable fixtures for your consideration. While a couple of our featured players come with a clear risk attached, we’ve high hopes for our headliner for this midweek and beyond:
Adam Johnson
There’s no doubt the winger endured a slow start to life at Sunderland following a summer transfer from champions City. Johnson’s first six appearances on Wearside failed to produce the Fantasy points as Martin O’Neill relied solely on Steven Fletcher to boost the Black Cats’ goal threat but as the season has progressed, a new-found consistency has brought him back onto Fantasy radars.
The last 16 Gameweeks have harvested four goals, six assists and nine bonus points and helped Johnson overtake Stephane Sessegnon as the top scoring Sunderland midfielder in Fantasy Premier League (FPL). In front of his own fans, in particular, the wide man has excelled – four of his last five appearances at the Stadium of Light have resulted in attacking returns, with goals against the likes of Chelsea and City indicative of his flourishing potential.
While a home clash with Swansea this evening looks enticing, Sunderland’s upcoming schedule suggests their main Fantasy assets could be worth holding for the foreseeable future. Over the next seven, they also play host to Fulham and Norwich and travel to Reading, West Brom and QPR – affording O’Neill’s men plenty opportunity to continue their recent climb up the table. Priced at a reasonable 6.7 in FPL and 5.9 in the Sky Sports game, Johnson – with a current ownership of under 3% in both games – looks a viable alternative to Fletcher for Sunderland coverage over this Gameweek and beyond.
Ryan Bertrand
Unlike Johnson, the Chelsea defender looks likely to appeal to those Fantasy managers scouring the market for a cut-price short-term fix. Costing a mere 3.9 in FPL and 4.8 in the Sky Sports game, Bertrand has already benefitted from Eden Hazard’s suspension and started on the left of the attacking midfield three in Sunday’s FA Cup draw at Brentford.
The downside, of course, is Rafa Benitez’s penchant for rotation. With Marko Marin and Yossi Benayoun also in the mix, in addition to the possibility of a quick return for Victor Moses (depending on Nigeria’s final group match in the African Cup of Nations against Ethiopia this evening), Bertrand’s acquisition is by no means risk-free. With a trip to Reading on the agenda tomorrow night and a weekend visit to Newcastle, he certainly has the potential to produce and if Hazard’s suspension is extended beyond the current three matches, Bertrand may well offer the possibility of a real out of position prospect. Waiting for Rafa’s team sheets is always likely to cause concern, though.
Charles N’Zogbia
A recent move to the role in “the hole” at Villa has brought the former Wigan winger back in from the cold. So often a consistent source of mid-price Fantasy returns at the DW, the Frenchman has been a bitter disappointment since moving to the midlands last season but, having started back-to-back league games for the first time since the first couple of Gameweeks of the current campaign, N’Zogbia seems to be nailing down a regular role under Paul Lambert.
With a pair of assists provided in the previous Gameweek away to West Brom, his creativity looks crucial to Villa’s chances of climbing out of the bottom three. A home clash against Newcastle looks enticing this midweek, while N’Zogbia also welcomes West Ham to Villa Park in Gameweek 26. Undoubtedly, he’s a real punt but FPL returns of 146 and 167 points in 2009/10 and 2010/11 serve a reminder of his displays in seasons gone by. Priced at 5.8 in FPL and 5.7 in the Sky Sports game, he could be worth a brief flutter before the fixtures turn nasty again.
