West Ham’s resurgence under David Moyes is now reflected in the Fantasy Premier League form tables, with Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini coming on strong.
The pair have been pushed further forward in Moyes’ new 3-5-1-1 system, with Lanzini playing off Arnautovic in attack, meaning more opportunities to contribute at the sharp end.
And with both players classed as midfielders in FPL they are getting extra value for their goals, five points instead of four. That has been worth an extra six points to Arnautovic since Moyes took charge, while Lanzini’s 14 points against Huddersfield last time out would have been 12 were he classed as a forward. They also score a point apiece for any clean sheets.
FORM HORSES
Arnautovic tops Press Association Sport’s Form Index with a score of 82.2 out of 100, with Lanzini – who also has six assists under Moyes – entering the top 10 on 68.3.
Marko Arnautovic’s last 7 BPL games:
v Chelsea ⚽️
v Arsenal ❌
v Stoke ⚽️
v Newcastle ⚽️
v Bournemouth ⚽️⚽️
v West Brom 🅰️
v Huddersfield ⚽️🅰️🅰️Marko’s on fire, your defence is terrified 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/OHfBWI9IE6
— West Ham Transfers (@westhamtransfer) January 13, 2018
Liverpool‘s free-scoring Mohamed Salah is Arnautovic’s nearest challenger as last week’s pace-setter Marcos Alonso drops to third, while Harry Kane‘s fourth place is no mean achievement – a player’s cost is a factor in the calculation and the Tottenham striker tops the pile at £13m.
By contrast, a £4.2m rating sees Trent Alexander-Arnold remain as one of three Liverpool representatives. Runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City are down to one, Raheem Sterling in seventh.
BRUCIE BONUS
Goals and assists are not the only way to get ahead in FPL, with the game’s bonus points system also offering valuable extras for the three highest-rated players in each match.
The system is calculated using a range of in-game actions, including the regular point-scoring contributions but also other factors such as tackles, clearances, dribbles and key passes. Key errors, missed chances and fouls will count against players.
For defenders in particular, this can be a path to extra points. Tracking players’ underlying scores can give an indication of who, across the field, is performing well and looks good to break out – Kevin De Bruyne leads the league in BPS score on 593, which eventually translated into goals and assists galore in Manchester City’s winning run. Of the midfielder’s 139 points, 19 have come through the bonus system.
Kevin de Bruyne leads the FPL rankings for bonus score.
Chelsea‘s Cesar Azpilicueta is the leading defender in BPS score, second behind De Bruyne overall, with Alonso third among defenders behind Manchester City’s Nicolas Otamendi.
Splitting the players by price bracket, though, the chart demonstrates some useful pick-ups – Harry Maguire, the fifth-ranked defender by BPS and a Leicester ever-present, is available for £5.4m while £4.6m Huddersfield centre-back Christopher Schindler is 10th.
Those seeking replacements for, say, Eric Bailly (£6m) or James Milner (£6.1m) could make good use of the rankings to free up money for a run at Kane or Salah – or double down with De Bruyne.
