Another exciting round of Premier League football is behind us and it was full of big wins. Huddersfield, Manchester City, West Ham, and Liverpool all won by three or more goals and, as such, those teams all placed at least one entrant into our Team of the Week. The Player of the Week conversation is a bit more complicated as four players all scored an impressive 14 points, whilst seven other players also hit double figures in the Goal game this week.
GK: Mat Ryan - Brighton - 1 Game, 6 Saves, 1 Clean Sheet = 10 Points
DF: Marcos Alonso - Chelsea - 1 Game, 1 Goal, 1 Clean Sheet = 14 Points
DF: Dejan Lovren - Liverpool - 1 Game, 1 Goal, 1 Clean Sheet = 14 Points
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No one has confused Dejan Lovren with a consistent defender anytime of late, but there is some Fantasy value here. This was obviously evidenced at the weekend as he notched both a clean sheet and scored a goal on a fearless diving header earning him a whopping 14 points, but it would still be dangerous to bring Lovren in ahead of the Arsenal match on Friday. That being said, he may be worth keeping tabs on considering this was Liverpool’s third clean sheet in the last five matches.
DF: Andrew Robertson - Liverpool - 1 Game, 1 Assist, 1 Clean Sheet = 10 Points
MF: Raheem Sterling - Manchester City - 1 Game, 2 Goals = 14 Points
MF: Aaron Mooy - Huddersfield - 1 Game, 2 Goals = 14 Points
Mooy was a pre-season darling for many Fantasy experts but has largely been disappointing thus far, failing to rack up points in 14 of 18 matches this year. His two-goal performance against Watford was a glimpse of his potential and was likely a joy for the few people (3.43%) that currently own him. While the Australian was great against Watford, he must earn points more consistently before becoming a viable Fantasy option.
MF: Philippe Couthino - Liverpool - 1 Game, 1 Goal, 1 Assist = 11 Points
MF: Ilkay Gundogan - Manchester City - 1 Game, 1 Goal, 1 Assist = 11 Points
MF: Manuel Lanzini - West Ham - 1 Game, 3 Assists = 11 Points
Lanzini racked up a hat trick of assists on Saturday, joining Philippe Coutinho as the only players to have done so this season. Stoke have been fairly generous opponents thus far but West Ham are clearly trending upward since bringing in David Moyes as the new manager. Unfortunately, during such a sterling performance, the Argentine is alleged to have dived and has been handed a retrospective ban that will keep him out for two matches. If Lanzini plays well on his return, he will be a very interesting option in his double game week at the start of January.
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FWD: Laurent Depoitre - Huddersfield - 1 Game, 1 Goal, 2 Assists = 13 Points
FWD: Roberto Firmino - Liverpool - 1 Game, 1 Goal, 1 Assist = 10 Points
This week was awful for most high-profile forwards with the five most owned attackers (Kane, Lukaku, Aguero, Lacazette, and Jesus) combining for a grand total of one goal. Firmino, on the other hand, got both a goal and assist in Liverpool’s casual win against Bournemouth. Rotation is a big concern for most Liverpool players but it will also be a concern for most teams over this busy Christmas period, and as such it may genuinely be worth downshifting to Firmino from one of the big-name strikers and reinvesting those funds into your midfield.
