Top 3 Performers
Billy Jones – Sunderland – Defender – 15 points
Talk about a surprising performer for this week! Billy Jones came from nowhere to put in a very solid score of 15 points this week as Sunderland defeated Newcastle 3-0. Jones even got in on the act, scoring an important goal. He’s hardly the kind of player that you can rely on week in, week out though, especially given Sunderland’s leaky defence. A nice performance, but look elsewhere.
Almen Abdi – Watford – Midfielder – 11 points
Almen Abdi was another lesser player that had an outstanding match last weekend. He contributed a goal in Watford’s quality 2-0 win over Stoke. Abdi is priced at a tempting 4.7m, however he just hasn’t been consistent enough to warrant selection in your team. Watford also have a pretty tough run of games coming up, so its hard to see Abdi keeping up the good form
Laurent Koscielny – Arsenal – Defender – 10 points
Laurent Koscielny was another defender that got into the goal scoring action last weekend. He scored once in the Gunners’ 2-0 win over Everton. After a fairly average start to the season, Koscielny is beginning to come good again, as he has scored 17 points over the last two matches. It especially helps that Koscielny plays in an Arsenal defence that is ranked joint first in goals conceded this season. I’d be jumping on Koscielny now, if you’re in search of a reliable defender.
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Hero of the Week
Finally! Harry Kane broke out of his funk last weekend to score 17 points on the back of his hat trick against Bournemouth. It was beginning to seem like the Harry Kane from last season was gone for good as the young English international has struggled so far this season. It won’t get too much easier for Kane either, as Tottenham play Arsenal and West Ham in two of their three next matches which will present some challenges. Here’s hoping that Kane is back to his form of last season and can continue to score goals.
Bottom 3 Performers
Alexis Sanchez – Arsenal – Midfielder – 2 points
Alexis Sanchez was always due to come back down to earth after some blistering early season form. In the two weeks prior to the last matchday, Sanchez had scored a combined 26 points. He was rather quite in Arsenal’s victory over Everton, which saw him subbed off in the 88th minute. He’s worth hanging onto however, given his ability to perform in big matches, which Arsenal have a few of in the coming weeks.
Anthony Martial – Manchester United – Forward – 2 points
Anthony Martial is such a tough one to evaluate for FPL purposes. He has made a huge impact on this Manchester United team since arriving, however has a combined six points in his last three outings. Some blame has to go to United’s generally defensive and possession heavy game style also. I’d be sticking with Martial though because he has the ability to change game’s of football very quickly. Just look at his pass to Jesse Lingard last week which almost netted the young Frenchman an assist.
Diego Costa – Chelsea – Forward – 1 point
It has mostly been a sad and sorry season for Diego Costa as Chelsea have struggled mightily. Costa seemed like he may have rediscovered his spark last week as he scored in Chelsea’s victory over Aston Villa. He couldn’t follow it up however, and was blanketed in Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to West Ham. Costa has been extremely inconsistent this season and at his price, is hugely repulsive as an FPL prospect.
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Give Me Something!
Romelu Lukaku is the subject of this week’s bake, given the inconsistent nature of his form over the last few weeks. He was huge in matchdays 7 and 8, however has hugely failed to perform in the last two weeks, with a combined total of just 4 points over that period. In fairness to him, he’s come up against two of the best defence’s in the league in the last two weeks, as Everton have lost to both Manchester United and Arsenal. He has no excuse this weekend however, as Everton will be facing lowly Sunderland at home.
Captain’s Pick
Last week’s pick of Chris Smalling as captain was a little controversial, however I was ultimately vindicated by Smalling’s performance. I wasn’t vindicated by his points allocation, as he only scored six points for the match, as he helped Manchester United to a clean sheet against Manchester City. He probably deserved a few more points, however that’s all in the past now. This week, there’s only one train rolling into town and that is the Kane-Train. After his hat trick against Bournemouth, I’ve bought all of the Kane stock on the market. I’m convinced that he’s shaken off his rust and is ready to have a big impact, especially against the worst team in the league in Aston Villa. Make the easy call this week and give the captain’s armband to Harry Kane.
Sports Banter FPL
She was only XI remains at the top of the Sports Banter Fantasy Premier League, as their score of 44 points for the week took the overall total to 539 points. Only two points behind and now outright second is Inner West Ham, whose score of 43 points took their total to 537 points. Cesc and the City rounds out the top three, with their score of 47 points for the week taking their overall total to 536 points. It’s very tight at the top! lies_the_rub had the best score for the week, with an effort of 73 points.
Here’s a snapshot of our Sports Banter Fantasy Premier League with the top 25: