Blackburn managed to tame the Premier Leagueβs second top scorers Arsenal on home soil this weekend- frustrating Arsene Wengerβs men at the Emirates with a determined display. Although Steve Keanβs men perch just 2 points above the relegation zone, with strong confident performances like Saturdayβs and a fairly promising run of fixtures to come (BIR eve MCY BOL whm MUN wol) β Rovers look likely to steer themselves out of trouble.
It is surely no coincidence that their first clean-sheet in four games corresponded with the Phil Jonesβ first start since mid-December. The highly praised England U21 starlet had been on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury against West Ham, but his re-emergence in the holding midfield role seems to be the calming influence that Blackburn have missed.
The combination of a newfound defensive confidence, good fixtures and a need for points, give Rovers players plenty of Fantasy potential, with Jones looking a worthy consideration once more having first caught the eye on breaking into the side early in the season.
Although listed as a defender on the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, Jones often plays in a deeper central midfield role. Yet to score or assist in this season, Jones is nonetheless and influential figure who has threatened the opponents goal when pushing forward. Priced at a mere 4.2 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, Jones would slot nicely into any Fantasy defence and offers increased creativity and goal threat in a more advanced role, in addition to clean-sheet potential.
Roversβ captain Chris Samba is certainly a big fan of Jones and what he brings to the Rovers effort…
βIt is a great boost to have Jonesy back. We are going to need his enthusiasm, his character. He is a player who has that fire and never lets anything go, in any situation. He may be a young player but I think he is important for us, as are all the other young players. Now it is about who wants more to stay in this league. He is someone who works hard and never stops. He never stops running and I think he is sort who can go and make a tackle and the others will follow in his example.β
Samba is not the only one to notice Jonesβ importance, the FPL Bonus Judges have thrown 9 points his way so far this term and last season, in just 9 appearances he grabbed a total of 7. The odd Bonus Point may not seem like much but, as the season draws to a close, such points can make the difference, particularly if clean sheets continue to be hard to come by within our Fantasy rearguards.
Holding an ownership of just 2.1%, Jones also offers excellent βdifferentialβ capabilities ahead of a run of three home matches in four for Rovers. While Samba (5.1) holds a higher ranking in our Watchlist with a significant goal threat, Jones is a cut-price solution that, coupled with cheap defensive options like Villa’s Kyle Walker, offers strong fixtures with a hint of attacking promise. Crucially, that helps to liberate funds for investment elsewhere in our squads at a time when double gameweek heavyweights look tempting.
