The Stock Check – Gameweek 9 – Saturday

Liverpool’s midfield share the profit once again, while Arsenal’s attacking assets hit the buffers on a day which saw defences dominate. Here’s the Stock Check from Saturday’s action…

On the Rise

Sadio Mane & Philippe Coutinho
It was Mane’s turn to shine at Anfield as the Senegal speedster claimed a 12-point return with a goal and assist combination – all three of his four goals this season, and both his assists, have arrived in home matches. Mane had suffered a loss of more than 50,000 owners over the past two Gameweeks – today’s returns should help halt that decline.

In contrast, Philippe Coutinho ownership has continued to grow and his fourth goal of the campaign, together with maximum bonus points, boosted the Brazilian’s stock further.

Elsewhwere, Roberto Firmino’s owners were forced to comfort themselves with some strong underlying statistics and an assist – his third of the campaign, while Adam Lallana returned to the starting XI but blanked. He has now offered points in only one of his last five appearances, although he’s made just three starts in that spell.

Xherdan Shaqiri
A superb brace from the Swiss international in Stoke City’s win at Hull City saw him overshadow both Joe Allen and Marko Arnautovic. In doing so, Shaqiri submitted a convincing application for consideration ahead of the Potters’ continued run of obliging fixtures.

Erik Pieters
The Dutchman played his part in guiding Stoke to back-to-back clean sheets at the KCOM Stadium, underlining his value as a 4.4 option. Team-mate Ryan Shawcross emerged with an unlikely assist to highlight his own appeal – there’s no question that the skipper’s goal threat from set-pieces will eventually come to fruition with Shaqiri providing deliveries. However, it’s questionable whether Fantasy managers will consider a 4.9 outlay, even with the Potters’ fixtures remaining strong over the next five.

Winston Reid
The West Ham centre-back has emerged as the most viable option in Slaven Bilic’s back four thanks to recent injuries and suspensions. Having gained an assist in Gameweek 7 and shut-out at Crystal Palace last weekend, Reid followed up with an improbable late winner and a 14-point return against Sunderland.

Dimitri Payet
A fifth FPL assist of the season in just six starts, Payet has now been involved in six of West Ham’s last seven goals. With Michail Antonio blanking for a fourth consecutive Gameweek, there can be no question on the current pecking order. However, with an evil run of fixtures looming, including four in six away from home, we need to show caution when assessing Payet’s prospects.

Kyle Walker
A fourth clean sheet in six for the Spurs defence saw Walker take strides ahead of team-mate Toby Alderweireld, with the Belgian sidelined through injury. Priced at 0.5 less than the centre-back, there’s a strong argument to claim Walker as the weapon of choice in Mauricio Pochettino’s back four, despite Alderweireld’s undoubted goal threat.

Laurent Koscielny & Hector Bellerin
There’s a similar argument rumbling within the Arsenal back four, with Koscielny and Bellerin vying for our attentions. Both fetched a fourth clean sheet of the season, with bonus points following in the disappointing 0-0 stalemate with Middlesbrough. With just 0.3 between them, we remain siding with Bellerin as our preferred Watchlist candidate.

Stephen Kingsley
Brought back into the Swansea City defence by Bob Bradey in his first home game, Kingsley could now be revived as a Fantasy prospect, presenting an obvious swap for those holding the dropped Jordi Amat. However, having made three changes on Saturday, it remains to be seen if Bradley retains the same back four for the Gameweek 10 trip to Stoke City.

Jose Holebas
Another Fantasy prospect to earn a successive clean sheet, Holebas rewarded his 110,000 new Gameweek 9 owners with a further 6-point return, narrowly missing out on bonus points in the BPS shake-up. Goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes claimed Watford’s only reward for the 0-0 draw at the Liberty Stadium.

Gareth McAuley
The Baggies defence is without a clean sheet in six Gameweeks but McAuley’s goal at Anfield highlighted just why the centre-back can still offer value. A towering presence at set-pieces, he smashed home his second goal of the campaign to highlight that, when West Brom’s fixtures brighten, he will be a key asset.

The Bournemouth Defence
Following the 0-0 stalemate with Spurs, it’s now three clean sheets in the last four home matches with just a single goal conceded for the Bournemouth defence. Adam Smith remains the most popular asset in the Cherries backline with 11.9% ownership but it was skipper Simon Francis, priced at 4.5, that earned the maximum bonus points. Meanwhile, Artur Boruc is now just a single point off Burnley’s Tom Heaton at the top of the goalkeeper standings.

Yannick Bolasie
A miserable afternoon at Turf Moor for Ronald Koeman’s Everton did at least feature a first Toffees goal for Bolasie. The winger has quietly shown some consistency in his returns, if not his performances: he has now fetched points in four of his last six Gameweeks.

In Decline

Alexis Sanchez
Having topped our Captain Poll for the second successive Gameweek, Alexis Sanchez drew a blank and has now returned just a single assist in his last three. Given his hefty price tag, the superior value offered of Theo Walcott and today’s output from the Liverpool midfield, his 23% ownership seems likely to slide, even with a trip to basement dwellers Sunderland up next. With Olivier Giroud and Lucas Perez hovering as options in the central striker role for Arsene Wenger, Sanchez’ decline could soon be accelerated.

Son Heung-min
Having been rested at the Hawthorns for Gameweek 8, the South Korean returned to the Spurs line-up but failed to make an impression, mustering just a single effort on goal and three penalty area touches against Bournemouth. Subbed on the hour mark, Son’s starting role could even come under threat once Harry Kane returns to full fitness – the England striker is currently targeting a return for the Gameweek 11 clash with Arsenal. Son lost 37,000 owners ahead of Gameweek 9 and is already the second most sold asset as we head to Gameweek 10.

Jordi Amat
As mentioned, the Spaniard was dropped to the bench against Watford, with his 14% ownership denied a second Swans clean sheet of the season. Amat’s starting role is now clearly in question, having formerly been a mainstay under Francesco Guidolin.

Leroy Fer
Another key Fantasy asset ousted by Bob Bradley, the 10% owned Dutchman has been providing excellent value from as fourth midfield option but now seems likely to face a battle to earn a recall, despite a four-goal contribution. Bradley may well prefer the security offered by Ki Sung-yueng and Leon Britton in front of his defence, with Gylfi Sigurdsson the clear front runner for the number 10 role.

Jermaine Defoe
Sunderland’s main source of goals has now gone three outings with a sniff, with the Black Cats scoring just a single strike in those Gameweeks. Having suffered a minor loss of 3000 owners ahead of Gameweek 9, Defoe’s stock remains in decline ahead of the weekend home clash with Arsenal.

Robert Snodgrass
The Tigers’ playmaker is being dragged down by a torrid run of results that have seen Mike Phelan’s men scored just two goals in the last four. Snodgrass has blanked in all four matches and, with an ankle injury rendering him an early doubt for Gameweek 10, his stock has taken a dip, despite a run of favourable match-ups to come.

Junior Stanislas
The winger’s startling progress was derailed by a calf injury which saw him sit out the Spurs stalemate. The setback is thought to be minor but, for now, Stanislas has stalled as budget midfield option.