Star Players
Gareth Bale – Tottenham – defender – 7.1m; 11 points Twenty-eight per cent of fantasy coaches know Bale is a must-have and he keeps on delivering. Bale’s strike in the 1-0 win over Fulham means he grabs the goal and the clean sheet to fulfill everyone’s faith in him. Star.
Wayne Rooney – Manchester United – striker – 22m; 10 points It has been a while since Rooney appeared in this section of our weekly round-up but his goal and assist against West Bromwich proved decisive. He’s also been finding a fair amount of form lately and would be a worthy acquisition after his slow start to the season.
Kenwyne Jones – Stoke City – striker – 16.4m; 10 points Jones’ powerful header in the 2-0 win over Everton was crucial, but to add to that an assist makes him one of the standouts this weekend. Probably not prolific enough to warrant signing him up, but for those 2 per cent of coaches who’ve got him, they’ll be happy.
Disappointments
Petr Cech – Chelsea – goalkeeper – 11m; -3 points Just when you thought the Chelsea defence might be sorted, after keeping a clean sheet in the 1-0 win over Bolton, they go and let in three goals in the 3-3 draw against Aston Villa. Cech wasn’t really at fault for any of them, but as a keeper he cops a fair whack for three goals and that’s frustrating for those 11 per cent of fantasy coaches who still own him.
Carlos Tevez – Manchester City – striker – 21m; 5 points Maybe it’s just me getting picky, but when 21m-rated striker Tevez missed a penalty, I get cranky. Okay he still scored 5 points in the 1-0 win over Blackpool, but for a guy as good as him, it’s a bit of a disappointment to see him waste a spotkick. Harsh?
Brad Friedel – Aston Villa – goalkeeper – 9m; -5 points It’s been a pretty ordinary festive period for Villa shot-stopper Friedel who conceded three in the 3-3 draw at Chelsea. Following on from a flood of goals in games against Tottenham and Manchester City, it’s hardly what those fantasy coaches who own the American would have been hoping for.
Special mentions
Goalkeepers
Joe Hart – Manchester City – 9.5m; 7 points (the best value keeper going around)
Heurelho Gomes – Tottenham – 10.3m; 7 points (consistent but too expension for me)
Lukasz Fabianski – Arsenal – 8.3m; 7 points (coming into his own)
Defenders
Joleon Lescott – Manchester City – 6.9m; 6 points (clean sheet and in-form)
Midfielders
Rafael van der Vaart – Tottenham – 17.8m; 8 points (returns and is good again, get him)
Samir Nasri – Arsenal – 18m; 9 points (outstanding)
Adam Johnson – Manchester City – 16.8m; 9 points (finding some form, needs opportunities)
Matthew Etherington – Stoke City – 14m; 8 points (consistently decent)
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