After a pair of tough midweek challenges in the Champions League, two of La Liga’s best delivered subpar performances as Barcelona and Real Madrid both struggled over the weekend. Real Madrid was held to a 1-1 draw versus Eibar while Barcelona was upset in a 4-3 loss to Celta Vigo. The loss couldn’t prevent Gerard Pique from earning a spot on this list in what was clearly an exceptional performance by the veteran defender. Here is a look at the top individual La Liga fantasy performances by position from this past weekend.
GK: Jan Oblak, Atletico Madrid
Oblak delivered another exceptional performance in Atletico Madrid’s 2-0 win over Valencia as he turned aside each of the five shots he faced. Atletico Madrid remained undefeated with its fourth win of the season and is now in sole possession of top spot in the La Liga table following a pair of sub par performances from Barcelona and Real Madrid over the weekend. They have registered 15 points on the season in seven games, which is quite impressive. The main reason they are at the top of the standings is their goaltending and defense, which has allowed just two goals so far. No other team in the Spanish Primera has allowed less than four (Villarreal).
Honorable Mention: Geronimo Rulli, Real Sociedad; Jon Ander Serantes, Leganes
D: Gerard Pique, Barcelona
Barcelona might not have won its game, but Pique was clearly the top La Liga fantasy performer at his position over the weekend with two goals in the 4-3 loss. Pique cut the deficit to two when he made it 3-1 in the 58th minute and then again when he made it 4-3 in the 87th minute but in the end it wasn’t enough as Celta Vigo upset Barcelona for the second season in a row.
Honorable Mention: Juanfran, Atletico Madrid; David Garcia, Las Palmas
M: Iago Aspas, Celta Vigo
It’s no surprise that Aspas earned a spot on this list following his outstanding performance in the upset win over Barcelona. Aspas was the main man for Celta Vigo in the midfield as he scored a goal and added an assist while finishing with three shots in the 4-3 win. Celta Vigo is now in 10th place in the La Liga standings with 10 points in seven games. They have scored nine goals and allowed 11, which makes them the only team in the Top 10 with a negative goal differential.
M: Celso Borges, Deportivo La Coruna
In a relatively quiet weekend for La Liga midfielders, it was Borges that earned the second spot on this list after delivering a goal in Deportivo La Coruna’s 2-1 win over Sporting Gijon. It was just their second win in seven games to start the season while Sporting Gijon has now dropped four straight after opening the season with two wins and a draw. It’s not often that Deportivo is mentioned in our La Liga fantasy recaps as they have just five goals on the season. That’s the fewest in the Spanish Primera.
Honorable Mention: Pablo Hernandez, Celta Vigo; Jose Vicente Gomez, Las Palmas
F: Kevin Gameiro, Atletico Madrid
Gameiro was clearly Atletico’s best player up front as he scored a goal and added an assist with three shots in total in the 2-1 win over Valencia. Atletico continued to lean on his scoring prowess up front and he was all over the field again in this one. Atletico Madrid has now tallied an impressive 14 goals in seven games. Only Real Madrid, Barcelona and Las Palmas have managed to score more.
F: Antoine Griezmann, Atletico Madrid
Neymar scored for Barcelona and Gareth Bale scored for Real Madrid but it is Griezmann that earned the second spot on this list at the forward position thanks to the fact that his goal was the game-winning marker. Griezmann has carried over his strong performance from the Euro Cup with an excellent star to the La Liga season and he certainly isn’t flying under the radar from a La Liga fantasy perspective in the Spanish league anymore. Atletico Madrid has been one of the best sources of offense in terms of fantasy so far this season.
Honorable Mention: Neymar, Barcelona; Gareth Bale, Real Madrid; Carlos Vela, Real Sociedad
