Our Premier League writer looks back on the weekend of English football and picks out the 11 best players including stars from Wolves and Tottenham
After weeks of taking the all too familiar backseat in Fantasy, defenders came roaring back in a big way in round seven of Premier League action. Five of them have made our Team of the Week for the first time since MW1. The position’s lower price makes the points they score all the more valuable so making you sure you have the right players at the back is still one of the best ways to gain ground in your Goal leagues.
So, which defenders stood out this week, and who will join them in our Team of the Week? Just keep reading!
GK: Rui Patrício – Wolverhampton – 1 Game, 6 Saves, 1 Clean Sheet = 10 Points
DEF: Harry Maguire – Leicester City – 1 Game, 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 1 Clean Sheet = 17 Points
Newcastle have hardly been prolific of late, but Maguire’s performance on Saturday was impressive nonetheless. His goal, assist, and clean sheet racked up an impressive 17 points, making him our Goal Fantasy Player of the Week. No defender has more goals than the player affectionately known as “slabhead” and, with a fairly easy schedule until December, few look better options in the short term.
DEF: Jonny – Wolverhampton – 1 Game, 1 Goal, 1 Clean Sheet = 14 Points
DEF: Danny Rose – Tottenham -1 Game, 1 Assist, 1 Clean Sheet = 10 Points
DEF: Matt Doherty – Wolverhampton – 1 Game, 1 Assist, 1 Clean Sheet = 10 Points
Wolves’ have proven to be a sneaky bastion of Fantasy value. The defence especially are starting to rack up points with three of their players (Willy Boly, Jonny, and Doherty) all ranked in the top 15 at their position. The latter has been a threat over the past three weeks with a pair of assists and clean sheets to his name. At the moment, he is literally the best value play as no cheaper player has as many points as Doherty.
DEF: Kieran Trippier – Tottenham – 1 Game, 1 Assist, 1 Clean Sheet = 10 Points
MID: Raheem Sterling – Manchester City – 1 Game, 1 Goal, 1 Assist = 11 Points
He’s currently top five in points in the Goal game and shows no signs of slowing down soon. Of games he’s played in, he’s blanked just once this season and that kind of reliability is hard to find. The only concern surrounding Sterling is rotation but, since squads lock after line-ups are announced, you can just switch him out if he’s not named in Guardiola’s team that week.
MID: Gylfi Sigurdsson – Everton – 1 Game, 2 Goals, 1 Penalty Miss = 11 Points
MID: Johann Berg Gudmundsson – Burnley – 1 Game, 1 Goal, 1 Assist = 11 Points
MID: Felipe Anderson – West Ham – 1 Game, 1 Goal = 8 Points
FWD: Harry Kane – Tottenham – 1 Game, 2 Goals = 12 Goals
Here’s a ridiculous statistic: Harry Kane has now scored more Premier League goals (4) at Huddersfield’s stadium, than any Huddersfield player. Saturday’s performance also saw him land three shots on target and score two goals, both league bests for MW7. The Tottenham man’s 8.4m price tag is joint highest in the goal game but, if he really has refound his form, it could soon prove more costly to not own him.