Manchester City’s undefeated run came to a crashing halt over the weekend as they were shut out by a promising Hotspurs side that sent a message to the rest of the Premier League that they intend to contend for a title this season. Chelsea also managed to clinch an important three points thanks to a couple of strong fantasy performances over the weekend and they lead this list with two entrants. Here is a look at the top individual EPL fantasy performances by position from this past weekend.
GK: Hugo Lloris, Tottenham
Hotspurs handed Manchester City its first loss of the season and Lloris was a big reason why Tottenham was able to pull off the upset win. An own goal put Hotspurs on the board in just the ninth minute of action and Dele Alli delivered the second goal to make it 2-0 in just the 37th minute. After that, it was all about Lloris. The veteran goalkeeper turned aside all six shots he faced to clinch the clean sheet bonus as Tottenham moved to within one point of City at the top of the Premier League table.
Honorable Mention: Thibaut Courtois, Chelsea; Petr Cech, Arsenal
D: Laurent Koscielny, Arsenal
Koscielny was among the reasons why Petr Cech needed just one save to earn a clean sheet win of his own as Arsenal earned the 1-0 win over Burnley on Sunday. Koscielny also delivered at the offensive end of the pitch with a clutch goal in the 90th minute that made the difference as the game-winning goal in a closely contested affair and allowed the Gunners’ veteran defender to earn top EPL fantasy honors at his position. Arsenal has been one of the most reliable teams at the back end this season as they’ve allowed just seven goals in seven games. Only Tottenham (3), Everton (5) and Southampton (6) have allowed fewer goals than them.
Honorable Mention: Danny Rose, Tottenham; Virgil van Dijk, Southampton
M: Roberto Firmino, Liverpool
Firmino was the catalyst in the midfield for Liverpool in its 2-1 win over Swansea City on Saturday as he scored a goal and delivered countless opportunities for his teammates to add to that total. Firmino finished with a goal and three shots to edge out his competition as the top fantasy midfielder in the Premier League this past weekend. Liverpool has been an offensive juggernaut in terms of EPL fantasy as they’ve scored a whopping 18 goals in seven games. No other team in the league has scored more than them (although Manchester City also sits on 18).
M: Willian, Chelsea
Willian posted a similar stat line to Firmino with a goal and three shots in a 2-0 win over Hull City on Saturday. The secondary stats allowed Firmino to edge him out for this round but Willian has been solid for Chelsea so far this season as the club’s third-leading fantasy points producer regardless of position behind only Diego Costa and Eden Hazard. Chelsea now sits in seventh place in the EPL standings with 13 points. However, they are only five points off the pace as Manchester City leads with 18.
Honorable Mention: James Milner, Liverpool; Nacer Chadli, West Brom; Dimitri Payet, West Ham
F: Diego Costa, Chelsea
Costa continued to set the tone up front for the Blues with an assist on Willian’s goal before scoring one of his own to help Chelsea earn an important three points. Costa has been on an absolute tear early on this season as the highest-scoring fantasy forward in the Premier League with six goals and two assists through his first seven appearances and the Blues will need him to keep up that pace.
F: Troy Deeney, Watford
Deeney has been an underrated source of EPL fantasy points so far this season and that trend continued over the weekend when he scored a goal and finished with four shots in a 2-2 tie with Bournemouth. Watford is just 2-2-3 so far this season but Deeney has been a top-eight EPL fantasy forward and there is no reason to expect him to slow down as the club’s leading man up front.
Honorable Mention: Callum Wilson, Bournemouth; Romelu Lukaku, Everton; Christhian Stuani, Middlesbrough
