January is a pivotal month for every active Fantasy Premier League manager, as it’s a time in which an additional wildcard comes into play, coinciding with promising new signings made by Premier League clubs. By now, a number of players have established themselves as the must-haves for fantasy managers and have become universally owned (Luis Suarez, Sergio Aguero, Aaron Ramsey…). However, in order to rise significantly in the world rankings and take advantage of poor gameweeks for those players with a high ownership, differentials (players with low ownership but high points potential) and fillers are essential. Now that the wildcard has come into play, fantasy managers have the opportunity to seek out these players and implement them into their plans. This article will attempt to discover some of these options, both expensive and cheap, to hopefully assist this enactment. Obviously, with how early in January it is, there have been no real signings, so the focus here will be on those players that have been around for at least the past 6 months. Not every player will have an incredibly low ownership rate, but will be treated as a differential to similar players at their club or in their position, that are much more expensive.
Expensive - £8.0m+
Christian Benteke – £8.7m – TSB: 9.1% - Much appreciated by fantasy football managers throughout most of 2013, Christian Benteke has struggled of late with not a single goal in his last 11 Premier League appearances. Whilst this doesn’t seem the best way to promote the Villa forward, the unfortunate news that Libor Kozak, who’d been keeping Benteke out of the first 11 in recent fixtures, has broken his leg, gives the Belgian talent the chance to become Villa’s main man up top again. With a few more games under his belt, Benteke will hopefully return to form soon. As the designated penalty taker and a man who scored 4 in 4 in difficult fixtures including Arsenal and Chelsea in the first few gameweeks of the season, there’s a good chance he’ll start firing again soon.
Oscar – £8.7m – TSB: 10.3% - The young Brazilian was presented at the beginning of the season as Jose Mourinho’s main man in the attack and he has not disappointed. His 6 goals and 4 assists so far this season could’ve been furthered if Mourinho rotated his attacking options, including Oscar, less. However, with Hazard becoming one of the most commonly owned players in the game at 30%+ and the most expensive midfielder, nearing £10.5m, it’s perhaps time to take a gamble on his less selected counterpart. With 1 goal and 2 assists in just 38 minutes at Southampton last time out, Juan Mata’s angry reaction to being replaced and thus the possibility of his sale to another club, Oscar may finally get the minutes his performances deserve.
Steven Gerrard – £8.7m – TSB: 4.4% - Criminally underrated as a fantasy football option as of late, Liverpool’s captain and leader is set to return from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the crucial fixtures at The Etihad and Stamford Bridge. With Daniel Sturridge returning and Luis Suarez at the very top of his game, Gerrard’s set-pieces are likely to see him achieve assists on top of his goals from the penalty spot. 3 goals and 7 assists in 15 games is a handsome total and his lack of rotation will bode well for those who choose to select him.
Daniel Sturridge – £9.1m – TSB: 11% - Before the return of the magical Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge was the main frontman for every successful fantasy football team at the beginning of the season. 9 goals and 2 assists in 12 games are returns only expected from world class forwards; perhaps Sturridge is beginning to fit that category after a difficult spell at Chelsea. With Suarez firing from all angles, there’s no suggestion here that he should be removed in order to fit the young Englishman in. However, doubling up on Liverpool frontmen could be very profitable with Jordan Henderson and Phillipe Coutinho in top attacking form behind them and Steven Gerrard returning. Sturridge’s comeback is set for the gameweek 22 match at home to out-of-form Aston Villa, and it could lead to a number of goals.
David Silva - £9.3m – TSB: 4.9% – Last in this category, but by no means least, is Manchester City’s fantastic Spaniard, David Silva. Though an expensive option, he could be viewed as an alternative to the in-form Yaya Toure. Toure’s form has come as a surprise to many, especially the consistency in which he gathers goals and assists. But in just 11 games, Silva has grabbed 4 goals and 6 assists, before his unnecessary suspension against Crystal Palace prevented him from building on that against Swansea City. With City looking dangerous up top, and with Aguero returning soon, it’s likely that Silva’s creativity will result in an abundance of goals and assists.
Mid-price - £6.0m – £8.0m
Dimitar Berbatov – £7.0m – TSB: 3.1% - Fulham’s dire run of form has recently reformed into very hit and miss results. After a 6-0 drubbing by Hull, the Cottagers beat relegation rivals West Ham 2-1 at the beginning of 2014. What hasn’t been inconsistent though, is the form of Dimitar Berbatov. The statuesque Bulgarian has banged in 3 goals and assisted 1 in his last 4 games and will surely be key to Fulham’s hopes of beating the drop this season. Under Rene Meulensteen and his new backroom staff, Ray Wilkins and Alan Curbishley, new life may have been breathed into Fulham, and the signing of Clint Dempsey will only aid Berbatov’s goalscoring prowess. Dempsey, however, is just a tad pricier and he’ll have to be seen to be judged for the moment.
Leighton Baines – £7.4m – TSB: 13.8% - The best, and most expensive fantasy football defender, has finally returned from injury. Despite a relatively high ownership level, this is mainly from ghost teams that are no longer active and fighting for green arrows. Those teams still active have mostly opted for Seamus Coleman, Everton’s right-back, and he hasn’t disappointed. The issue with Coleman, is that he’s very expensive to own now if he hadn’t been brought in early, and paying the extra £0.7 or £0.8m for Baines secures an attacking left-back who takes all set-pieces. It might just be worth that extra value. A fixture at home to Norwich looms, and is the perfect opportunity to bring in Everton’s big-hitters.
Gary Hooper – £6.1m – TSB: 1.4% - Most football fans at the beginning of the season anticipated that out of Norwich’s two big up-front signings, Ricky van Wolfswinkel would be the man to steer the Canaries away from trouble. However, an injury-plagued start to his Norwich career, has left the door open for Gary Hooper to stamp down his authority as the main centre-forward at the club. 5 goals and 1 assist in his last 10 appearances represents a great return for a player at a struggling club. If Norwich begin to pick up form again, Hooper could be a shrewd acquisition for fantasy managers.
Wilfried Bony – £7.3m – TSB: 4.1% - Swansea are yet another team out of form, and perhaps one of the biggest disappointments for them this season, is that star signing Wilfried Bony hasn’t been firing as expected. An £8.0m rated striker at the beginning of the season, Bony’s value has dropped significantly as injuries took hold and he registered just 4 goals. But the New Year brings with it new promise, and Bony’s 2 fantastic goals against Manchester City suggest the stocky Ivorian may finally fulfil some of his potential.
Emmanuel Adebayor – £7.7m – TSB: 3.8% - The final mid-price option has been around the block numerous times. The ex-gunner, but now Spurs frontman, was left out of Andre Villas-Boas’ plans and could’ve left Tottenham in the summer. However, under new boss Tim Sherwood, Adebayor’s career seems to have taken off again. With 4 goals in 5 games, including a sublime header at Old Trafford, the lanky Togo striker looks to have cemented a starting place next to the misfiring Roberto Soldado. Soldado now looks to have fantasy potential too, and has penalty-taking duties, but is more expensive and doesn’t boast Adebayor’s current form.
Cheap – Under £6.0m
Laurent Koscielny – £5.4m – TSB: 6.9% - Arsenal currently boast the best defensive record in the league with 9 clean sheets already this Premier League season, and an infamous clean sheet in Dortmund. An integral part to that has been Koscielny, and his partnership with more expensive option, Per Mertesacker. Though Mertesacker has been fantastic, both in reality and for fantasy football points, Koscielny, and even Bacary Sagna, offer cheaper routes to the successful Arsenal backline.
Joel Ward – £4.1m – TSB: 4.3% - On the topic of cheap defenders, they don’t come much better at the moment than Crystal Palace’s Joel Ward. Under Tony Pulis, Palace have become a much harder team to beat, most well-represented by the fact that free-scoring Man City could only edge past them 1-0 at the Etihad before 2013 was up. Ward has been deployed in midfield at times recently, and is the perfect type of player to have as backup.
Jordan Mutch - £4.6m – TSB: 3.4% - Cardiff are a club in a total mess, with Malky Mackay unfairly being sacked and recently replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Despite the turmoil around the club, a few Cardiff players have still been impressive on the pitch. In addition to FPL favourite Peter Whittingham, Jordan Mutch looks worth a punt at such a cheap price, with 2 goals and an assist in his last 4 games. With home games against West Ham and Norwich in Cardiff’s next four, there’s high potential for Mutch to keep up his good run of form.
Robert Snodgrass – £5.9m – TSB: 3.4% - It’s a statistic that has been seen all over twitter recently…Snodgrass has created the most chances without having an assist in the Premier League this season. The lack of reward for the ex-Leeds midfielder’s endeavour has led to a significant price drop. Nevertheless, Gary Hooper has started firing well and it’s surely not too long until Snodgrass grabs his first assist of the season. Last season, he had 6 goals and 9 assists to his name by its end, and that potential needs to be monitored.
Kelvin Davis – £3.9m – TSB: 11.2% - Davis signifies the cheapest of the cheap when it comes to FPL. For a while after first-choice Southampton goalkeeper Artur Boruc got injured, it wasn’t apparent whether Davis or Gazzaniga would be the man to step in between the sticks for the Saints. Mauro Pochettino finally seems to have opted for experience over youth, as Davis played both against Everton and Chelsea recently. Davis’ purchase lends the opportunity to invest heavily elsewhere in squads, but with Boruc’s return unknown, it’s wise not to rely too heavily on the veteran goalkeeper.
Vito Mannone – £4.4.m – TSB: 5.5% - When signed from Arsenal, it appeared likely that Mannone would immediately be the first team goalkeeper under Paolo Di Canio. Unfortunately for him, Kieran Westwood took that role until he suffered an injury. Since Mannone has had to step in for the Irishman, he’s been nothing short of fantastic for fantasy managers who’ve owned him, collecting 5 clean sheets in his last 10 starts, as well as bonus points along the way. A revitalised Sunderland side have found much more stable form, especially defensively, under Gus Poyet, and so it may be worth investing in.
Nicolas Anelka – £5.1m – TSB: 2.8% - The final man to look at is Le Sulk, Nicolas Anelka. Fantastic with his feet, but not so much with his head, the ex-Chelsea star hasn’t had the best start at West Brom. After storming out of a Baggies training session early into the campaign, Anelka finally returned from out of the blue, with two important goals in a draw at West Ham. Despite an investigation for a supposed anti-Semitic gesture, West Brom have announced that Anelka will still be selected for games, and backed that up by selecting him for West Brom’s home victory against in-form Newcastle United. He’s certainly a man to observe over the next few games.
I hope to write an article at the end of January evaluating the potential of any new signings, which will be more geared towards plans after the wildcard, so free transfers and the like. Keep your eyes peeled and I hope this was an interesting read. I appreciate I’ve missed a few and a lot of these are gambles, but that’s what has to be done occasionally to keep rising in the rankings. Good luck with your transfers!
@FPLDiscussion
Expensive - £8.0m+
Christian Benteke – £8.7m – TSB: 9.1% - Much appreciated by fantasy football managers throughout most of 2013, Christian Benteke has struggled of late with not a single goal in his last 11 Premier League appearances. Whilst this doesn’t seem the best way to promote the Villa forward, the unfortunate news that Libor Kozak, who’d been keeping Benteke out of the first 11 in recent fixtures, has broken his leg, gives the Belgian talent the chance to become Villa’s main man up top again. With a few more games under his belt, Benteke will hopefully return to form soon. As the designated penalty taker and a man who scored 4 in 4 in difficult fixtures including Arsenal and Chelsea in the first few gameweeks of the season, there’s a good chance he’ll start firing again soon.
Oscar – £8.7m – TSB: 10.3% - The young Brazilian was presented at the beginning of the season as Jose Mourinho’s main man in the attack and he has not disappointed. His 6 goals and 4 assists so far this season could’ve been furthered if Mourinho rotated his attacking options, including Oscar, less. However, with Hazard becoming one of the most commonly owned players in the game at 30%+ and the most expensive midfielder, nearing £10.5m, it’s perhaps time to take a gamble on his less selected counterpart. With 1 goal and 2 assists in just 38 minutes at Southampton last time out, Juan Mata’s angry reaction to being replaced and thus the possibility of his sale to another club, Oscar may finally get the minutes his performances deserve.
Steven Gerrard – £8.7m – TSB: 4.4% - Criminally underrated as a fantasy football option as of late, Liverpool’s captain and leader is set to return from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the crucial fixtures at The Etihad and Stamford Bridge. With Daniel Sturridge returning and Luis Suarez at the very top of his game, Gerrard’s set-pieces are likely to see him achieve assists on top of his goals from the penalty spot. 3 goals and 7 assists in 15 games is a handsome total and his lack of rotation will bode well for those who choose to select him.
Daniel Sturridge – £9.1m – TSB: 11% - Before the return of the magical Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge was the main frontman for every successful fantasy football team at the beginning of the season. 9 goals and 2 assists in 12 games are returns only expected from world class forwards; perhaps Sturridge is beginning to fit that category after a difficult spell at Chelsea. With Suarez firing from all angles, there’s no suggestion here that he should be removed in order to fit the young Englishman in. However, doubling up on Liverpool frontmen could be very profitable with Jordan Henderson and Phillipe Coutinho in top attacking form behind them and Steven Gerrard returning. Sturridge’s comeback is set for the gameweek 22 match at home to out-of-form Aston Villa, and it could lead to a number of goals.
David Silva - £9.3m – TSB: 4.9% – Last in this category, but by no means least, is Manchester City’s fantastic Spaniard, David Silva. Though an expensive option, he could be viewed as an alternative to the in-form Yaya Toure. Toure’s form has come as a surprise to many, especially the consistency in which he gathers goals and assists. But in just 11 games, Silva has grabbed 4 goals and 6 assists, before his unnecessary suspension against Crystal Palace prevented him from building on that against Swansea City. With City looking dangerous up top, and with Aguero returning soon, it’s likely that Silva’s creativity will result in an abundance of goals and assists.
Mid-price - £6.0m – £8.0m
Dimitar Berbatov – £7.0m – TSB: 3.1% - Fulham’s dire run of form has recently reformed into very hit and miss results. After a 6-0 drubbing by Hull, the Cottagers beat relegation rivals West Ham 2-1 at the beginning of 2014. What hasn’t been inconsistent though, is the form of Dimitar Berbatov. The statuesque Bulgarian has banged in 3 goals and assisted 1 in his last 4 games and will surely be key to Fulham’s hopes of beating the drop this season. Under Rene Meulensteen and his new backroom staff, Ray Wilkins and Alan Curbishley, new life may have been breathed into Fulham, and the signing of Clint Dempsey will only aid Berbatov’s goalscoring prowess. Dempsey, however, is just a tad pricier and he’ll have to be seen to be judged for the moment.
Leighton Baines – £7.4m – TSB: 13.8% - The best, and most expensive fantasy football defender, has finally returned from injury. Despite a relatively high ownership level, this is mainly from ghost teams that are no longer active and fighting for green arrows. Those teams still active have mostly opted for Seamus Coleman, Everton’s right-back, and he hasn’t disappointed. The issue with Coleman, is that he’s very expensive to own now if he hadn’t been brought in early, and paying the extra £0.7 or £0.8m for Baines secures an attacking left-back who takes all set-pieces. It might just be worth that extra value. A fixture at home to Norwich looms, and is the perfect opportunity to bring in Everton’s big-hitters.
Gary Hooper – £6.1m – TSB: 1.4% - Most football fans at the beginning of the season anticipated that out of Norwich’s two big up-front signings, Ricky van Wolfswinkel would be the man to steer the Canaries away from trouble. However, an injury-plagued start to his Norwich career, has left the door open for Gary Hooper to stamp down his authority as the main centre-forward at the club. 5 goals and 1 assist in his last 10 appearances represents a great return for a player at a struggling club. If Norwich begin to pick up form again, Hooper could be a shrewd acquisition for fantasy managers.
Wilfried Bony – £7.3m – TSB: 4.1% - Swansea are yet another team out of form, and perhaps one of the biggest disappointments for them this season, is that star signing Wilfried Bony hasn’t been firing as expected. An £8.0m rated striker at the beginning of the season, Bony’s value has dropped significantly as injuries took hold and he registered just 4 goals. But the New Year brings with it new promise, and Bony’s 2 fantastic goals against Manchester City suggest the stocky Ivorian may finally fulfil some of his potential.
Emmanuel Adebayor – £7.7m – TSB: 3.8% - The final mid-price option has been around the block numerous times. The ex-gunner, but now Spurs frontman, was left out of Andre Villas-Boas’ plans and could’ve left Tottenham in the summer. However, under new boss Tim Sherwood, Adebayor’s career seems to have taken off again. With 4 goals in 5 games, including a sublime header at Old Trafford, the lanky Togo striker looks to have cemented a starting place next to the misfiring Roberto Soldado. Soldado now looks to have fantasy potential too, and has penalty-taking duties, but is more expensive and doesn’t boast Adebayor’s current form.
Cheap – Under £6.0m
Laurent Koscielny – £5.4m – TSB: 6.9% - Arsenal currently boast the best defensive record in the league with 9 clean sheets already this Premier League season, and an infamous clean sheet in Dortmund. An integral part to that has been Koscielny, and his partnership with more expensive option, Per Mertesacker. Though Mertesacker has been fantastic, both in reality and for fantasy football points, Koscielny, and even Bacary Sagna, offer cheaper routes to the successful Arsenal backline.
Joel Ward – £4.1m – TSB: 4.3% - On the topic of cheap defenders, they don’t come much better at the moment than Crystal Palace’s Joel Ward. Under Tony Pulis, Palace have become a much harder team to beat, most well-represented by the fact that free-scoring Man City could only edge past them 1-0 at the Etihad before 2013 was up. Ward has been deployed in midfield at times recently, and is the perfect type of player to have as backup.
Jordan Mutch - £4.6m – TSB: 3.4% - Cardiff are a club in a total mess, with Malky Mackay unfairly being sacked and recently replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Despite the turmoil around the club, a few Cardiff players have still been impressive on the pitch. In addition to FPL favourite Peter Whittingham, Jordan Mutch looks worth a punt at such a cheap price, with 2 goals and an assist in his last 4 games. With home games against West Ham and Norwich in Cardiff’s next four, there’s high potential for Mutch to keep up his good run of form.
Robert Snodgrass – £5.9m – TSB: 3.4% - It’s a statistic that has been seen all over twitter recently…Snodgrass has created the most chances without having an assist in the Premier League this season. The lack of reward for the ex-Leeds midfielder’s endeavour has led to a significant price drop. Nevertheless, Gary Hooper has started firing well and it’s surely not too long until Snodgrass grabs his first assist of the season. Last season, he had 6 goals and 9 assists to his name by its end, and that potential needs to be monitored.
Kelvin Davis – £3.9m – TSB: 11.2% - Davis signifies the cheapest of the cheap when it comes to FPL. For a while after first-choice Southampton goalkeeper Artur Boruc got injured, it wasn’t apparent whether Davis or Gazzaniga would be the man to step in between the sticks for the Saints. Mauro Pochettino finally seems to have opted for experience over youth, as Davis played both against Everton and Chelsea recently. Davis’ purchase lends the opportunity to invest heavily elsewhere in squads, but with Boruc’s return unknown, it’s wise not to rely too heavily on the veteran goalkeeper.
Vito Mannone – £4.4.m – TSB: 5.5% - When signed from Arsenal, it appeared likely that Mannone would immediately be the first team goalkeeper under Paolo Di Canio. Unfortunately for him, Kieran Westwood took that role until he suffered an injury. Since Mannone has had to step in for the Irishman, he’s been nothing short of fantastic for fantasy managers who’ve owned him, collecting 5 clean sheets in his last 10 starts, as well as bonus points along the way. A revitalised Sunderland side have found much more stable form, especially defensively, under Gus Poyet, and so it may be worth investing in.
Nicolas Anelka – £5.1m – TSB: 2.8% - The final man to look at is Le Sulk, Nicolas Anelka. Fantastic with his feet, but not so much with his head, the ex-Chelsea star hasn’t had the best start at West Brom. After storming out of a Baggies training session early into the campaign, Anelka finally returned from out of the blue, with two important goals in a draw at West Ham. Despite an investigation for a supposed anti-Semitic gesture, West Brom have announced that Anelka will still be selected for games, and backed that up by selecting him for West Brom’s home victory against in-form Newcastle United. He’s certainly a man to observe over the next few games.
I hope to write an article at the end of January evaluating the potential of any new signings, which will be more geared towards plans after the wildcard, so free transfers and the like. Keep your eyes peeled and I hope this was an interesting read. I appreciate I’ve missed a few and a lot of these are gambles, but that’s what has to be done occasionally to keep rising in the rankings. Good luck with your transfers!
@FPLDiscussion