We often talk about superstars and “must owns” in Fantasy. Obviously, you have to spend big money to get the best Fantasy players into your team. The downside of that is having to figure out what to do when big name or big price players aren’t delivering the goods for your team. To that end, today we will be discussing a player at each position that has underperformed thus far, and if they will break out of their slump soon, or continue to struggle.
FOR: Gabriel Jesus - Manchester City, £7.9m, 11 points
There were always going to be questions about Jesus' playing time with Sergio Aguero clearly the starter, but he’s carved out a decent role for himself. Despite playing over an hour just once this season thus far, he still has managed to put eight shots on target - the second most in the league.
With that kind of shooting rate and the fact that Pep has seemingly gotten more comfortable playing with two up front, Jesus will surely find the net again sooner rather than later. The schedule looks kind over the coming weeks so buying in on Jesus now, while his stock is low, looks a prudent investment.
MID: Mesut Ozil - Arsenal, £7.2m, 6 points
In 2015-16, Ozil led the Premier League in both chances created (144) and assists (19). Since then, he’s declined in both of those categories year-on-year with last season’s totals (74 chances created, 8 assists) roughly half of his output from 15-16.
Sonia Canada
That trend has continued this season as in three starts he’s managed just three chances created and no assists, ranking him 117th and 70th respectively. An argument could be made that he’ll return to the mean and at least be a usable Fantasy option but, for now, he’s decidedly not.
DEF: Ben Davies - Tottenham, £6.3m, 3 points
Davies was one of the most popular defenders heading into the season, but his performances have already scared many owners away. Just three points through four matches is certainly not what people expected when they paid Davies' premium price.
Getty
Part of the issue is that, despite his seven assists last season, he really wasn’t as creative as people may have thought with just 4% of his crosses resulting in goals. With tactical switches and Danny Rose being reintegrated into the squad, Davies costs more than he’s worth.
GK: David De Gea - Manchester United, £6.5m, 9 points
At time of writing, De Gea is still the most owned goalkeeper in the Goal game, so plenty of people still have faith. He won the Golden Glove last season with 18 clean sheets, his highest total since joining Manchester United. As for this season, the defence in front of him is not great and, through four matches, the Spaniard has allowed seven goals already - 25 per cent of his 2017-18 total.
He has not looked great thus far but considering his talent level and upcoming opponents he may put up some solid Fantasy points. Whether or not you want to spend 6.5m on him is up to you.
