This week we take a look at some of the biggest overachievers and underachievers in the fantasy EPL landscape, including Arsenal’s Sead Kolasinac.
Fantasy EPL Overachievers
Jonas Lossl, Huddersfield
– Huddersfield’s goalie has benefited from a great start, which boosts his overall numbers. He had four clean sheets in his first six starts and only one clean sheet in his last five. Regardless of how the rest of the season develops, the Dane is one of the safest bets you can make with your backup at the position.
Stephen Ward, Burnley
– Burnley’s cohesive, defense-oriented style of play ensures that they always have a fullback among the top fantasy contributors who doesn’t really belong there. This season, that designation belongs to Stephen Ward. The Irishman has been the main beneficiary of Burnley’s five clean sheets. They’ve actually conceded three times only once and two times also only once, despite facing four of the top six teams, all of them away from home.
Sead Kolasinac, Arsenal
– Few thought that Kolasinac will be Arsenal’s best defensive fantasy scorer after 11 weeks, let alone the second overall scorer after Aaron Ramsey. Having been allowed to roam away from his position, Kolasinac has thrived in Wenger’s system. I believe Kolasinac will continue to do so, as his physique and style of play are built for the Premier League.
Pascal Gross, Brighton
– Another member of a promoted team, Gross has been grabbing headlines with his performances for Brighton. Only David Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne have more assists so far, as the German is pulling the strings an overachieving Brighton team that’s currently sitting in 8th place. He should finish among the top 20 overall midfielders when is all said and done.
Richarlison, Watford
– The Brazilian came to Watford from Fluminense with potential, but low expectations. It’s safe to say he has already surpassed them, as the 20-year-old has adjusted magnificently to his new surroundings and has been Watford’s Mahrez thus far this season. He’s a bargain at the price he can be had in salary-cap leagues, and he was a steal for everyone who took a chance on him in the later rounds on draft day.
Fantasy EPL Underachievers
Jordan Pickford, Michael Keane and Gylfi Sigurdsson, Everton
– Everton, West Ham and Crystal Palace have been the biggest disappointments in England, and in an unforgiving league such as the EPL, they all have new managers now. The money spent on Pickford, Keane and Sigurdsson is the main reason why they top this list. All of them were relatively high on most draft boards, and while Pickford and Keane were considered to be sleepers, Sigurdsson was supposed to be a safe pick (despite his transfer saga). Despite starting and playing at least 85 minutes in eight games, the Icelander hasn’t found the score sheet yet (no assists, no goals). Everton’s defensive vulnerability has hurt Pickford’s fantasy value the most, while Keane looks out of sorts in a system with three central defenders. David Unsworth is the interim coach, and I’m not convinced the overall value of these three will improve much, although the defense should stabilize eventually.
James Milner, Liverpool
– Milner was one of the surprises in fantasy last season, so logically he was ranked higher this time around, and the expectations were higher as well. Unfortunately, Klopp has decided to rotate his side backs, and that has left Milner without a regular spot in the starting lineup. He has started in only four games and can’t be trusted in any format. It’s even a question mark whether he’s worth a bench spot at this point, and that’s terrible to hear about a player who was drafted right after the best defenders.
Dusko Tadic and Nathan Redmond, Southampton
– Southampton has scored only 9 goals in 11 matches. That’s awful for a team that has a reputation as a passing, attacking squad with plenty of technicians. Pellegrino is the next head coach on the hot seat, and if things don’t improve soon, one can say that “winter is coming” for him – both literally and figuratively speaking. Tadic has one goal and zero assists despite starting in all but one game, while Redmond hasn’t scored yet and has two assists to his name. He has played 90 minutes only twice in the last six contests, coming off the bench in two of them. That’s terribly disheartening for a player who wreaked havoc at the end of last season and seemed to have turned a corner. Personally, I’m big fan of his. He was my number one sleeper coming into this season. As a result, I drafted him in most leagues I play in. I can only hope that he, along with his team, will be able to turn things around.
Marko Arnautovic, West Ham
– The Austrian was acquired by West Ham with high hopes. Gifted and experienced, he was supposed to fuse with the likes of Ayew, Antonio and fellow newcomer Javier Hernandez, creating a dangerous and formidable Premier League front. It hasn’t worked out. After missing three games due to a reckless challenge that earned him a straight red card in Week 2, he lost the trust of now-former manager Slaven Bilic, and he’s started only two games after that. It’s difficult to envision his fantasy value rising with David Moyes at the helm.