Spot the Differential – Gameweek 36

Our Saturday morning scour for some overlooked Fantasy options sees us focus on a trio of players who also have a double Gameweek 37 on their agendas. Chelsea’s fit-again Belgian leads the way on the back of his brace at Bournemouth, whilst we also call upon Watford and Sunderland forwards to get amongst the points.

Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard (10.8) announced his return to the starting XI in style last Gameweek, notching a brace in a 4-1 win at Bournemouth. In the wake of Chelsea’s triumph on the south coast, Guus Hiddink asserted that last year’s PFA Player of the Year is back to his best both physically and mentally, alerting the Fantasy community to his differential potential in the lead up to the Blues’ double Gameweek 37 (sun & liv).

Hazard’s prohibitive valuation renders him a high-risk gamble, yet it’s one that could deliver high rewards at a time when Fantasy managers are jostling for position with predominantly identikit teams in their mini-leagues. Although rotation remains a concern in light of Hiddink’s pledge experiment in the latter stages, one would imagine that he’ll be attuned to Hazard’s desire to clock as much pitch time as possible ahead of the Euros.

Next on the agenda for Chelsea is a home encounter against Tottenham Hotspur, who might lack that psychological edge if Leicester City are able to seal the title on Sunday. Notwithstanding the goalless draw in the reverse fixture, this derby has typically been an end-to-end affair across the past four seasons, with 15 goals shared between the teams in their previous four meetings. Indeed, Hazard netted in both league starts against the Lilywhites last term so will fancy his chances at Stamford Bridge.

Fabio Borini

Looking ahead to Sunderland’s double Gameweek 37 (CHE & EVE), Jermain Defoe (8% ownership) – by virtue of his three goals in six outings – has been pinpointed as their prime source of attacking coverage, propelling him into the top ten with regards to “transfers in” this week. Conversely, Fabio Borini (5.4) is attracting minimal attention and currently sits at 0.2% ownership, despite notching

two goals in seven appearances and producing some eye-catching underlying statistics.

On that note, Borini – despite a role on the right- ranked joint-fifth among all forwards for attempts (13) across his previous four starts, while only six of his counterparts mustered more shots inside the box (nine). In addition, the Italian marksman displayed a strong capacity for assists, charting joint-top for crosses (nine) and top for successful crosses (three) among forwards in the last four Gameweeks.

Considering that Stoke City shipped four goals in each of their last three match-ups, a Black Cats offense that places eight for goals scored in away fixtures (22) is well positioned to inflict further misery on the Potters’ embattled defence. Moreover, Stoke managed a solitary clean sheet in 13 match-ups, which bolsters our faith in Sunderland avoiding a fourth blank in five league ties.

Troy Deeney

Although Watford are desperately short of attacking form – having mustered a mere six goals since Gameweek 24 – a home clash against Aston Villa could serve as the ideal catalyst to recalibrate their sights before double Gameweek 37 (liv & nor). Laying claim to two goals in six starts across all competitions, Troy Deeney (5.2) presents a stronger case for investment than Odion Ighalo, who’s recorded ten consecutive blanks in the league and doesn’t benefit from spot-kick duties.

Delving into the data, Deeney tallied twice as many shots on target (four to two) and key passes (four to two) than his strike partner over their last four outings. Furthermore, the former Walsall frontman registered significantly more touches (198 to 132) and received passes in the final third (52 to 36) during that time frame, perhaps highlighting his greater influence.

Ultimately, the Villains’ obliging defence acts as the most compelling reason to invest in the Hornets forward. Aside from shipping the joint-second-most goals (11) across their previous quartet of fixtures, Villa surrendered the third-most shots inside the box (37) and joint-second-most big chances (12). Taking the campaign as a whole, no team has amassed fewer clean sheets (five) or conceded as many goals (69).