With this being the final week for Fantasy Premier League
managers to use their January Wildcard, we take a look at those players who
offer the best value for money ahead of the crucial second half of the season.
The January Wildcard can often make or break a manager’s season and well
informed decisions become crucial in the push for league supremacy.
Sergio Aguero (
Manchester City’s blistering forward is back in action after
suffering a knee injury against Everton early in December. Fantasy managers
were forced to look elsewhere for a captaincy candidate with Aguero having
spent five gameweeks on the sidelines. Few strikers in the Premier League can
compare to the highly-priced marksman, the £12.5m tag justified. While many
managers will feel that Diego Costa offers a superior option, being £1.3m
cheaper, topping the Fantasy ranks for forwards and currently three goals clear
in the race for the Golden Boot, he crucially fails to deliver bonus points
with the same regularity as Aguero. Statistics point to the Argentine
dominating in shots on target, goal attempts and the percentage of team goals
that he is involved in. Despite not registering against Everton (in a cameo)
and Arsenal, the striker is set for a pleasant run of fixtures and is a
no-brainer to captain your side.
Stewart Downing (£6.6m)
The move of West Ham’s midfielder Stewart Downing to a more
central role this season has certainly reaped rewards. The Hammers are sitting
in seventh spot after a brief spell in the top four and are only three points
off Arsenal in fifth. They are also a point above Liverpool, the club that
Downing left following two awful seasons that all but ruined his reputation.
Employed as a winger at the Reds and his subsequent season at Upton Park,
Downing appeared to be English football’s nearly man. But Big Sam has
engineered a masterstroke, shifting Downing into an advanced playmaker role at
the tip of West Ham’s fashionable midfield diamond. Downing has five goals and
seven assists this season and has started in all but one of the Hammers’
fixtures. At a cut price £6.6m, he’s a useful addition for any manager seeking
consistency in midfield.
James Ward-Prowse (
There was much murmuring at the beginning of the season
surrounding another of Southampton’s outstanding youth products. The Saints’
teenage production line that has unearthed the likes of Gareth Bale, Theo
Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Callum Chambers and Luke Shaw to name a few,
have managed to hang on to the services of Ward-Prowse; for this season at
least. Possessing killer dead-ball prowess and crossing that conjures images of
a young David Beckham, Ward-Prowse had spent three months on the sidelines
after breaking his ankle against Swansea in September. Making his comeback in
early December, the midfielder has since registered five assists in seven
appearances. At a budget £4.8m, Ward-Prowse may prove an ingenious move for
managers looking to offset the effects of cost players like Aguero and
Sanchez.
Jason Puncheon (
There is not much to attract Fantasy managers to Crystal
Palace but since the arrival of Alan Pardew at Selhurst Park, Jason Puncheon
can hardly put a foot wrong. Pardew seems intent on eschewing the defensive
sensibilities of Tony Pulis and playing with thrust, making Puncheon critical
to his plans. The midfielder landed on the radar of Fantasy managers last
season, scoring seven goals, many of them late in the season. Puncheon now has
two goals in two matches with an assist to boot and considering his solid
finish to last season, may be another price-friendly option for managers in
wildcard season. Palace face Everton, Leicester, Newcastle and West Ham in
their next five fixtures, giving Puncheon an excellent opportunity for returns.
Harry Kane (£5.9m)
Three 21-year-old strikers are currently regular starters in
the English Premier League this season, with two of them grabbing headlines
regularly. Romelu Lukaku has disappointed in his move to Everton and is well
and truly off of the radar for Fantasy managers, mainly due to his inflated
price. Saido Berahino has popped up with nine goals for West Brom this season
but with no assists to his name, is a hit-and-miss acquisition. Head and
shoulders above both youngsters is lanky Harry Kane. Spending most of the early
season on the bench, Kane has risen to prominence over the past twelve
gameweeks and now leads the line for Spurs week in and week out, edging the
likes of Adebayor and Soldado out of the side. Eight goals and five assists
shows his ability, while his tireless work rate ensures that he is always on
the brink of a points haul. Despite his price having inflated by almost £1.0m
since the beginning of the season, at £5.9m Kane is fantastic value in a three
striker Fantasy system.
Written by Rick John Henry for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
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