Virgil van Dijk and Adama Traore impress yet again
Tuesday 17 December 2019 15:38, UK
Which players starred during Gameweek 19 of Sky Sports Fantasy Football and how many of your side made this week's best XI?
Dean Henderson watched Jack Grealish's penalty hit the bar to keep a valuable clean sheet for Sheffield United, his sixth of the season. This now moves him up to pole position in the goalkeeping standings, racking up 98 Fantasy Football points this campaign. Henderson's points per £M stands at 15.31, which is only bettered by Caglar Soyuncu, proving a worthy choice between the sticks at just £6.4m.
Joe Gomez has made two consecutive starts for Jurgen Klopp's team; these are the only matches he has started since Liverpool's opening fixture against Norwich, but he certainly seems to be filling in accordingly. Selected by just 1.23 per cent of Fantasy Football managers, Gomez has accrued 19 points from his last two matches, with a clean sheet and tier two passing bonus points coming in both of these games. Perhaps a shrewd selection for the festive period?
It was Manchester City's first clean sheet in seven Premier League matches, and one which was badly needed. It was not for the want of trying, literally, with Nicolas Otamendi and City's back four rarely tested on their route to the clean sheet. The Argentine now has 23 Fantasy Football points in his last three games, with a goal and tier two passing bonus points (on two occasions) during this period.
Many were wondering where Virgil van Dijk was in the Fantasy Football charts, but his surge up the leaderboard is well and truly underway, with 46 points coming in his last five matches. The Netherlands international has two goals and two clean sheets in that time - he now finds himself on 108 points, the third highest-scoring defender in the game.
Even with nine points, Diego Rico claimed his highest point-haul of the campaign in Bournemouth's win at Chelsea, off the back of a shock clean sheet. This is perhaps highlighted with the minute 0.22 per cent of Fantasy Football bosses who have recruited his services, yet his points total allowed him to nip into the Fantasy Team of the Week ahead of Jan Vertonghen (£9.5m) and Kyle Walker (£10.1m) due to his superior value-for-money price tag across the week.
People are running out of superlatives to describe Kevin De Bruyne, and his performance against Arsenal did nothing but back that up. His double, combined with his assist for Raheem Sterling, sank Arsenal emphatically - this saw the Belgian crowned man of the match. It is little surprise to see 85.6 per cent of the top 1,000 players in Fantasy Football have de Bruyne in their side, as he is such a pivotal cog in the Manchester City machine. This is why he is the most expensive midfielder in the game.
Adama Traore caused Tottenham a ton of problems at Molineux and thumped home the equaliser, earning him the man-of-the-match award for his overall performance. He hit three shots on target to add an extra three points to his tally - this moves Traore onto 82 Fantasy Football points for the season, only bettered by four midfielders. Despite this, his selection rate stands at a lowly 3.27 per cent. Staggeringly, the winger has six man-of-the-match awards in only 14 starts.
John Fleck scored both goals in Sheffield United's 2-0 win over Aston Villa, fully justifying the selector's choice to award him the man of the match. The Scot has three goals and one assist in his last five matches, propelling him to 67 Fantasy Football points this season, with 39 coming during this spell. With only 0.22 per cent of Fantasy Football managers on board, could Fleck be a worthy differential for upcoming Gameweeks?
Chris Wood scored his seventh goal of the season, and the match-winner, in Burnley's win against Newcastle. The New Zealand striker is only selected in 0.88 per cent of Fantasy Football teams, yet has 81 points this term. Wood has posted a healthy 37 points from his last six, with managers expecting him to add to this total as Burnley face Bournemouth in their next outing.
Mohamed Salah was back to his brilliant best, scoring two superb goals against Watford, which saw him earn the man of the match for the second game in succession. The Egypt forward has recorded 34 points from his last two - which include his three goals, one assist and two counts of tier two shot bonus points - taking him to 116 points for 2019/20. Perhaps surprisingly, only 27.63 per cent of Fantasy Football bosses have overseen his upturn in points.
Neal Maupay scored the opener in the M23 derby on Monday Night Football, receiving the man of the match for a Brighton side that dominated proceedings at Selhurst Park. The former Brentford striker has gone under the radar this season, with a selection percentage of just 0.67, despite registering an impressive 35 Fantasy Football points from his last three matches. He extended his goal count to seven in his side's draw with Crystal Palace.
