Gameweek 12 Ones To Watch - Fantasy Premier League Tips.
Which players are on the watch list ahead of Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 12? We've listed premium and budget options as well as a one week punt for daily fantasy football players.
As we gear back up for more Fantasy Premier League action, we'll be trying a slightly different format for this week's Ones to Watch article. Instead of highlighting any three players, we'll now be providing you with a premium option, a budget option (under £6.5m) and a one week punt for those of you who dabble in daily fantasy.Gameweek 12 Premium Option: Harry Kane
A Tottenham side that has struggled to tap into its attacking potential lately will surely welcome back Harry Kane with open arms. Kane suffered an ankle injury back in September and spent five gameweeks on the sideline as a result.
In the five Premier League matches Tottenham played without their main striker, they only managed a measly six goals, four of which came over a month ago. It's not so much that Spurs have been bad, but it's clear that they've desperately missed the finishing touch of Kane.
Last season the London side had eerily similar struggles to start the season, except last time around it was due to Kane being stuck in a goalscoring rut for the first nine weeks. It wasn't until Oct. 25 that the English striker would bounce back to form with a hat-trick against Bournemouth, and subsequently Tottenham's early offensive struggles would subside.
Following the match against Bournemouth, the Spurs would go on to beat Aston Villa 3-1, draw 1-1 with Arsenal and thrash West Ham 4-1. Hop back to the present and we find Kane about to face off against West Ham on the back of a 1-1 draw against Arsenal, a game in which the forward converted from the penalty spot.
Now, we know that results from previous seasons aren't exactly great predictors for the present, but there is reason to believe that this weekend will provide us with a similar outcome.
West Ham have been abysmal this season and a big part of that has been due to a lack of defensive solidarity. The team has only managed three clean sheets thus far and they've come up against the likes of Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.
Not only have West Ham struggled this season, but Tottenham's attack has particularly thrived when it has played the Hammers at White Hart Lane. The Spurs scored a combined six goals against their rivals in their prior two home meetings, with Kane scoring three of those goals.
If there was ever a time to do it, this would be the perfect weekend for Kane to get himself back on track to finish a third consecutive season with 20+ goals.
With the vast amount of talent in the Premier League it can be easy to forget about a player like Kane, who isn't particularly flashy. Yet, it's still extremely rare that a player who is such an adept goalscorer only has 5.4% ownership, so this week offers fantasy managers with a very tempting differential option that should also be a solid choice for the remainder of the season, as well.
Gameweek 12 Budget Option: Sam Vokes
In their return to the Premier League, Burnley have proven to be a surprisingly formidable opponent and currently sit in ninth place with 14 points as a result. Much of the Clarets' success this season has actually come as a result of Andre Gray's four match ban. “How exactly is losing your top goalscorer a good thing?” you may ask. Simply put, the absence of Gray forced Sean Dyche to switch to a 4-5-1 with Sam Vokes as the main striker. When using the 4-5-1, Burnley has averaged 1.8 points per game, compared to the .83 points per game they managed when using a 4-4-2 with Gray and Vokes up top. The biggest difference from this formation switch is the freedom it's given to winger Johann Berg Gudmundsson and centre midfielder Steven Defour. Both have improved as the season has gone on, and both have been the unsung heroes of Burnley's return to the Premier League. Gudmundsson has been a menace on counter-attacks and loves to whip in crosses from the right wing, while Defour has the ability to play in teammates from deep, as well as drift out to either wing and send in crosses. Read: Five Tips For FPL Gameweek 12 When looking at the victories Burnley have claimed while utilising the 4-5-1, Gudmundsson has five key passes in three matches and Defour has seven key passes from two matches (he missed out on the 2-1 win over Everton due to injury). It's worth noting that Jeff Hendrick and Scott Arfield have also contributed to the Clarets' successful formation change. Even though the entire team has been playing beyond their expectations, striker Sam Vokes has been the biggest beneficiary of his side's rapid improvement. The Welsh forward has been getting plenty of service from his teammates, and he has recently had much more success at putting away the chances given to him. Vokes now has three goals in his past four outings for Burnley. He's been in the right place at the right time and has also showed off some top-notch finishing skills. With his next five matches including West Brom, Stoke, Bournemouth and West Ham, his £6.2 million price tag makes him a worthy investment.Daily Fantasy Punt: Ross Barkley
For the next minute or two, let's just all try and forget about the 5-0 demolition that occurred in Everton's most recent game against Chelsea. Before the Chelsea match, Everton hadn't been in a great run of form, but they didn't look like slouches either. The Lukaku/Bolasie partnership was continuing to blossom, and, albeit much less noticeable, Ross Barkley was starting to consistently show how much of a threat he could be. In the match against Burnley, Barkley took four shots, two of which were on target, and one that forced a save of the season contender by Tom Heaton. Even though he didn't get his name on the score sheet, the English midfielder looked to be one of the most dangerous players for his side on the day. In the match following, Barkley continued to be a constant threat. The 22 year old had a terrific effort batted away by yet another near-miraculous save, and he curled a shot just barely over the upper 90. Barkley was frustratingly close to scoring twice, but this time he would not leave the match without getting his goal. In the 76th minute of the game Barkley finally got his goal when Lukaku cooly crossed the ball over to him and all that was required was a tap in. It was nothing fancy, but it'll give Barkley the confidence boost he needed. Even if the heavy defeat to Chelsea hurt the Toffees' confidence, not much will be needed to take on Premier League strugglers Swansea. The Swans haven't won a league match since the season opener, and they have let in three goals in four out of their last six matches. Barkley has looked dangerous as ever and has been hungry for goals. The matchup against an extremely weak Swansea side makes Barkley a great option for for those who will be participating in daily fantasy football this weekend.[alert type=yellow ]Introducing Bet4theBest
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