Fantasy premier league – “ones to watch” midfielders over £6.0m – GW23

I’ve provided the following stats to support the player choices and to guide you in your decisions.

1.  Goals and assists this year.

2.  Time per point scored this year.  This is how many minutes it takes for a Barclays fantasy premier league point to be scored over the course of this season. The lower the better obviously.

3.  Rotation risk.  High, medium or low.  High is the greatest risk of rotation.

4.  Fixture ease ranking:  The link is at the bottom of the article but essentially I’ve ranked all the teams by the ease of the first 6 fixtures.  The team with the best ranking ie 1 will have the easiest next fixtures of any of the fantasy premier league teams over the next 6 games.

5.  Consistency:  The % of times that the player got a goal or assist  as a % of games played

6.  I’ve also ranked them in their categories as who I think is currently the best choice

7.  Last 5 return consistency rate:   Its now time to take into account recent form so I look at the amount of times a player has returned in the last 5 games played

8.  I’ve also add a couple of  punts from time to time.  These are people not showing great form or consistency  who you may want to roll the dice with

9.  Ive also added how many players are in the top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow

Midfielders

1.  Silva (£9.3m) (injury doubt)

• Goals and assists:  4 goals 7 assists.  Time per point scored:   13.8  mins .  Rotation risk: low.   fixture ease ranking: 6th.  Consistency 9/13   69%  Last 5 return consistency:  3/5   How many times in top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow:  7

Consistent performer who’s rested for the FA Cup and carrying a slight injury doubt.  Expect him to play though away to Spurs.  Has the best underlying stats of any midfielder.

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

Tottenham (A)
Chelsea (H)
Norwich (A)
Sunderland (H)
Stoke City (H)
Man Utd (A)

2.  Hazard (£10.6m)

• Goals and assists:  9 goals 8 assists.  Time per point scored:   13.6  mins .  Rotation risk: low.   fixture ease ranking: 8th.  Consistency 11/22   50%  Last 5 return consistency:  4/5   How many times in top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow:  10

Has great gametime security given the amount of attacking midfielders available to Mourinho.  In great form at the moment although over the season a little inconsistent.  Has very good underlying stats although not in Silvas class.  Excellent game next if for some reason you haven’t bought.

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

West Ham (H)
Man City (A)
Newcastle (H)
West Brom (A)
Everton (H)
Fulham (A)

3.  YaYa Toure (£10.1m|) (injury doubt)

• Goals and assists:  11 goals 4 assists.  Time per point scored:  13.6  mins .  Rotation risk: low   fixture ease ranking: 6th.  Consistency 13/21  62%          Last 5 consistency return rate:  3/5   How many times in top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow:  3

After another double digit haul I’m going to repeat what I said for the 3rd time.    Has never scored more than 6 goals in a season, plays in a deep position often protecting a vulnerable back 4 away from home and has no underlying shooting or creating chances stats whatsover.  Breaking all fantasy premier league precedents he’s now the highest scoring midfielder.  Even the top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow have now started to buy him.  Like Ramsey (who at least has some shooting stats and started playing further and further up the field) the amazing returns defy logic and precedent.  However they are fact and can’t be ignored.  Much as I’ve tried to.  For those who don’t own him and hoping he burns out.  4 of the 11 are free kicks.  Most teams wouldn’t score that from direct free kicks in a season.  2 of the 11 are pens.  Aguero will now take these.

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

Tottenham (A)
Chelsea (H)
Norwich (A)
Sunderland (H)
Stoke City (H)
Man Utd (A)

4.  Navas (£8.3m)

• Goals and assists:  4 goals 6 assists.  Time per point scored:  14.2  mins .  Rotation risk: medium  fixture ease ranking: 6th.  Consistency 7/20  35%          Last 5 consistency return rate:  3/5   How many times in top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow: 0

With Nasri out for 7 weeks Navas looks a pretty nailed on selection.   Has always created chances but getting better and better and now adding shooting to his game.  The Time per minute stats are a excellent if a bit distorted by the sub appearances.     The consistency rating is low distorted negatively by the sub appearances.  He’s started 11 games and returned in 5 with 3 goals and 4 assists which is very good.   Has improving underlying stats with creating chances getting better and starting to get shooting stats on the radar

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

Tottenham (A)
Chelsea (H)
Norwich (A)
Sunderland (H)
Stoke City (H)
Man Utd (A)

5.  Ozil (£10.0m)

• Goals and assists:  4 goals 8 assists.  Time per point scored:  14.8  mins .  Rotation risk: low.   fixture ease ranking: 13th.  Consistency 8/17    47%        Last 5 return consistency:  1/5   How many times in top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow:  8

No returns in his last 4 and a quiet game against Fulham who have one of the worst defences in the league.  Definitely a concern as they head into harder games.  Will be interesting to see how he’s treated by the 10 top fantasy premier league managers I follow.

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

Southampton (A)
Crystal Palace (H)
Liverpool (A)
Man Utd (H)
Sunderland (H)
Stoke City (A)

6.  Eriksen (£7.3m)

• Goals and assists:  3 goals 3 assists.  Time per point scored:  16.1  mins .  Rotation risk: low  fixture ease ranking: 17th.  Consistency 5/13  38%          Last 5 consistency return rate:  4/5   How many times in top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow: 1

3 goals and 2 assists in the 6 games since returning to the team when Sherwood became manager.  Has a good share of set pieces and played centrally against Swansea when Sherwood played with a lone striker which is even more encouraging.  Tough fixtures now though.

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

Man City (H)
Hull City (A)
Everton (H)
Newcastle (A)
Norwich (A)
Cardiff City (H)

7.  Oscar (£8.9m)

• Goals and assists:  6 goals 4 assists.  Time per point scored:  14.1  mins .  Rotation risk: medium   fixture ease ranking: 8th.  Consistency 7/20  35%          Last 5 consistency return rate:  2/5   How many times in top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow: 0

Capable of big hauls but very inconsistent.  Amazingly for a number 10 gets very little shots in the box and doesn’t create chances.  Game time is ok but has been a sub in 6/20 games.    Patience is a must.

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

West Ham (H)
Man City (A)
Newcastle (H)
West Brom (A)
Everton (H)
Fulham (A)

 8.  Gerrard (£8.8m)

• Goals and assists:  5 goals 7 assists.  Time per point scored:  15.9  mins .  Rotation risk: low  fixture ease ranking: 18th.  Consistency 11/18  61%          Last 5 consistency return rate:  4/5   How many times in top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow: 0

Gerrard is about about free kicks and  pens.  Does create  creating chances for others but not incredibly so.  Very consistent.   If you strip out the first 5 games when he didn’t return he’s returned in over 11/13 games since then.   Returned with 2 pens in 2 games after injury.

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

Everton (H)
West Brom (A)
Arsenal (H)
Fulham (A)
Swansea (H)
Southampton (A)

9.  Cabaye (£7.2m)

• Goals and assists:  7 goals 4 assists.  Time per point scored:  15.7  mins .  Rotation risk: low  fixture ease ranking: 20th.  Consistency 10/19  53%          Last 5 consistency return rate:  2/5   How many times in top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow: 1

2 goals against West Ham emphasised his recent prominence.  It seems Pardew is going to play him more regularly behind the striker rather than deeper in a 4-4-2.  Before when you were relying on set pieces and pens only you’ve got an advanced midfielder as well.  Again not much in the way of underlying stats but the combination of set pieces and an advanced position is bringing the returns

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

Norwich (A)
Sunderland (H)
Chelsea (A)
Tottenham (H)
Aston Villa (H)
Hull City (A)

10.  Mirallas (£7.2m)

• Goals and assists:  5 goals 4 assists.  Time per point scored:  18.1  mins .  Rotation risk: medium  fixture ease ranking: 15th.  Consistency 7/22  32%          Last 5 consistency return rate:  2/5   How many times in top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow: 0

Only the extremely patient could own Mirallas as you can see from his consistency stats.  Has very good shooting and creating chances stats they just don’t seem to be consistently converted.  However, is in his own version of a rich vein of form scoring in 2 consecutive matches.  Unfortunately if history shows anything from this it’s that it will be a good number of games before he registers again.  Also has the shadow of Deulofeu coming back at the end of next week to cloud the issue.  At the moment though everything is rosy as he’s playing behind Lukaku with Barkley injured.  A buy for those with extreme patience

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

Liverpool (A)
Aston Villa (H)
Tottenham (A)
Crystal Palace (H)
Chelsea (A)
West Ham (H)

11.  Willian (£7.5m)

• Goals and assists:  2 goals 2 assists.  Time per point scored:  19.5  mins .  Rotation risk: medium  fixture ease ranking: 8th.  Consistency 4/13  31%          Last 5 consistency return rate:  2/5   How many times in top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow: 0

Started 5 of the last 7 although new signing Salah could be a threat.  1 goal and 2 assists in those 7 but looks to be adjusting every game.  Not much of a shooter , more of a creator of chances and as yet no underlying stats to back up the perception he could be starting to return.  A gamble but home to West Ham is a good time to do that

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

West Ham (H)
Man City (A)
Newcastle (H)
West Brom (A)
Everton (H)
Fulham (A)

12.  Lallana (£7.6m)

• Goals and assists:  5 goals 6 assists.  Time per point scored:  16.7  mins .  Rotation risk: low   fixture ease ranking: 16th.  Consistency 9/22  41%          Last 5 consistency return rate:  3/5   How many times in top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow: 5

A player who plays centrally and in an advanced position and is the attacking fulcrum of the Southampton side so ticks all the traditional boxes.  Does tend to go in spurts though so you have to be patient.  Also has no underlying stats to give you comfort in the lean spells. No set piece duties either.Home to Arsenal is maybe not the time to buy

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

Arsenal (H)
Fulham (A)
Stoke City (H)
Hull City (A)
West Ham (A)
Liverpool (H)

13.  Adam Johnson (£6.5m)

• Goals and assists:  5 goals 4 assists.  Time per point scored:  16.4  mins .  Rotation risk: low  fixture ease ranking: 14th.  Consistency 4/20  25%          Last 5 consistency return rate:  2/5   How many times in top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow: 0

75% of his season returns so far have come in the last 2 games.  His goal in GW22 should also have been saved by Boruc.  In 18 games before the last 2 he had scored 1 goal and 1 assist.  Is a miraculous change around coming?  Difficult to say.  History says he’s never scored more than 6 in a season but his time has been limited at City.  Last year he only scored 5.  However he does look dangerous everytime he gets the ball and he also now has a good share of set pieces.  He has Stoke at home and then Hull at home in his next 3 games.  To me its worth a punt , but it really is a punt.  Has a blank gameweek in GW28 by the way

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

Stoke City (H)
Newcastle (A)
Hull City (H)
Man City (A)
Arsenal (A)
Gameweek 28  N/A

And the punt is

Mata (£9.4m)

• Goals and assists:  0 goals 2 assists.  Time per point scored:  27.6  mins .  Rotation risk: low  fixture ease ranking: 9th.  Consistency 2/13  15%          Last 5 consistency return rate:  0/5   How many times in top 10 fantasy premier league managers I follow: 0

Man Utd and Chelsea as I write this have agreed a fee but its still subject to a medical and personal terms.    However assuming that the Mata transfer happens its  very interesting.  Despite terrible returns this season he is creating chances er minute only bettered by Silva.  On a per minute basis he is creating more than Ozil.  However when Torres is one of the targets for your chances created it’s no surprise his returns are low.  I imagine he will play as an advanced midfielder for United behind Rooney and take the set pieces.  If Rooney and RVP are ever fit at the same time again I imagine he will play behind them as a front 2 in some way or in a front 3.  Whatever I imagine he will have a dominant advanced creative role.  You have to rate his conversion chances far higher with Rooney and RVP as targets than Torres.  Lets remember Chelsea player of the year last year and 11 goals and 18 assists.  Couldn’t have a better start, home to Fulham and Cardiff in the first 3.  Will he start though given intermittent gametime this season.  That,s difficult but hard to think he wont be by the Fulham game  and has the potential to make an impact from the bench anyway

Next 6 fantasy premier league fixtures:

Cardiff City (H)
Stoke City (A)
Fulham (H)
Arsenal (A)
Crystal Palace (A)
Gameweek 28 – N/A

Here’s my article analysing 10 top fantasy premier league managers:  You’ll find it very interesting to see what they’re doing with their midfielders

Fantasy premier league – analysing 10 top fantasy premier league managers teams – GW22

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