Who we will be keeping our eye on for Gameweek 15

As we get ready for another weekend filled with EPL goodness I have made a short list of some of the players I would recommend keeping a close eye on. These are not players that you should be buying right now, just stay aware of them. The aim here is to get ahead of ‘the curve’ and not to be constantly purchasing players who have just finished their streak of form.

Haïdara

Haïdara has played a full 90 minutes in Newcastle’s last four games and is beginning to have an increasingly important role. In Newcastle’s last match 48% of their attacking play went down the left-hand side. Haïdara was involved the majority of these moves and it showed in his passing stats. The main concern for me is whether or not he can secure a reliable spot in Newcastle’s starting XI once Coloccini returns to the squad and this is certainly something I will be listening out for. At 4.3 (0.9 less than Janmaat) he has the potential to be a great benchwarmer and while his upcoming fixtures aren’t great he is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Sterling

Liverpool have had a decidedly poor start to this season but things seem to finally be on the up for them and, more importantly from an FPL point of view, Sterling’s form seems to be returning. During Liverpool’s 3-1 win against Leicester he had 6 successful take-ons from 8 attempted. In the previous four games he managed a total of 4 successful take-ons from 15 attempted. The calibre of Liverpool’s opponents certainly had an effect on this but even so, these stats tell a promising story. Finally it is worth noting that following Gameweek 17 Liverpool have an incredibly attractive set of fixtures: Bur (A), Swa (H), Lei (H), Sun (A), Vil (A), Whu (H). This definitely makes Sterling a man worth his cut-down price.

Fellaini

With ADM injured most people are turning to Mata to provide their teams with a presence in Man Utd’s squad, however I am going to argue that Fellaini represents by far the better deal. For a start he is 2.1 mil cheaper than Mata and has played every minute of the six previous games. I also think that there is some pretty sound logic in limiting the amount of money you invest in Man Utd’s players. With so much attacking talent you risk spending a large amount of money on a player who will not be the main creativity output on the side. Making sure you get your money’s worth is one of the key skills needed in FPL and so Fellaini’s 6.3 mil price tag seems a nice compromise.

Probably the greatest point in favour of Fellaini is that Man Utd seem to be playing more football on Fellaini’s side of the pitch. In the past two games against Hull and Stoke they have played 49% and 46% of their attacking plays down the right hand side, Fellaini’s side. Thus, I would encourage you all to pay close attention to Fellaini’s next few performances. Man Utd’s fixtures are very kind from Gameweek 17 onwards and if he maintains his current importance to Man Utd’s game plan I will be making him a part of my squad then.

Craig Dawson

I normally would not recommend purchasing a CB as you lose the extra scoring potential a wing back brings to your team but Craig Dawson is no normal CB. During his time as Rochdale, Dawson scored 22 goals in 94 games. To put this into perspective, in his last 3 seasons at Everton, Baines has scored 16 goals in 96 games including free kicks and penalties. Admittedly there is a pretty massive difference between 22 goals in leagues 1 and 2 and 16 goals in the premiership, but at 4.7 mil Dawson seems like a pretty decent bargain. For those of you who are still unconvinced, he has played every minute of every EPL game so far this season and has an average score of 3.5 a game. Pretty good stats for a potential benchwarmer.

Final Note

Finally I just want to mention Harry Kane and David Silva. I am sure you are already aware of Harry Kane but I do not want to be accused of leaving him out. Spurs have a great set of fixtures coming up, Kane has already shown great potential and he seems to have a solid starting position for Spurs. All of this and a price tag of 5 mil makes Kane an irresistible option for a third forward. As for Silva, he is at a slightly cheaper price that just before his injury and will soon be returning to a resurgent Man City. Although he will not be playing this weekend, he may make an appearance against Roma and could make a great differential choice, especially as he is 1.8 mil cheaper than Touré

OK that’s it from me I hope you enjoyed this article, any feedback is welcome.

Best of luck this weekend,

Michael Marriott