Leicester City’s march to the top of the Premier League table continued with Jamie Vardy scoring a goal for the 10th straight game to match Ruud van Nistelrooy’s league record. Vardy has been nothing short of outstanding so far this season and while he didn’t make the cut as one of our top fantasy forwards for this past weekend despite a goal and three shots, the fact that Leicester is atop the table should mean they will finally get the attention they deserve. Here is a look at the top individual fantasy performances by position from this past weekend in the Premier League.
GK: Tim Howard, Everton
Howard stopped all three shots he faced in Everton’s lopsided 4-0 win over Aston Villa to narrowly edge out another pair of clean sheet winners in Chelsea’s Amir Begovic and Stoke’s Jack Butland as the top fantasy goalkeeper from this past weekend. Everton has now edged up to seventh in the standings and has allowed just 16 goals in 13 games. Honorable Mention: Asmir Begovic, Chelsea; Jack Butland, Stoke City
D: Erik Pieters, Stoke City
Pieters helped Butland earn the clean sheet win against Southampton with a strong defensive performance but he also contributed at the offensive end of the pitch. He had an assist on Bojan Krkic’s lone goal in the match to earn top fantasy honors among fantasy defenders for this past weekend. Although Stoke City has been a relatively mediocre team this season (they are currently 11th in the standings), they’ve actually been a reasonable source for defensive players. They have given up just 12 goals this season, which is the third-fewest in the EPL. Honorable Mention: Seamus Coleman, Everton; Danny Simpson, Leicester City
M: Ross Barkley, Everton
Everton’s lopsided win was bound to produce a number of top fantasy performers and Barkley earned top honors among midfielders with two goals and an assist. That’s actually the top overall performance regardless of position. Barkley now has five goals and four assists in 13 games this season, so keep an eye on him as his stock continues to rise. His five goals account for more than 20% of Everton’s offense this year.
M: Roberto Firmino, Liverpool
A 4-1 win over Manchester City marked a high point in Liverpool’s season. Firmino helped lead the way with a goal and an assist. Philippe Coutinho also had a goal and an assist but Firmino had four shots on target to give him the slight edge over his teammate among Premier League midfielders. Liverpool edged up to ninth place in the startling result. Many people had expected Manchester United to roll in this spot. Honorable Mention: Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool; Andre Ayew, Swansea
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F: Romelu Lukaku, Everton
Lukaku was an absolute beast up front for Everton with two goals on six shots including three on target. Lukaku and Barkley were a dynamic duo up front for Everton and it wouldn’t be a surprise if their ownership spiked in Daily Fantasy Leagues across the board next weekend as a result. You can also expect their price tag to edge up a little bit. Lukaku has recorded nine goals and four assists in 13 games for Everton this season. Those nine goals are actually the second-most in the EPL only to Jamie Vardy’s 13. It should be no surprise if Lukaku made this list again this week.
F: Harry Kane, Tottenham
Kane’s slow start is a thing of the past following another offensive explosion in this past weekend’s 4-1 win over West Ham United. He led all fantasy forwards with two goals on six shots. Kane now has eight goals on 13 shots this season and his production should continue to improve as he consistently becomes more confident throughout this season. Tottenham has now tallied 24 goals, which is the third-most in the EPL only behind Leicester City and Manchester City. Honorable Mention: Leonardo Ulloa; Bojan Krkic, Stoke City; Olivier Giroud, Arsenal
