Wayne Rooney helped end Manchester United’s winless skid in style, Chelsea extended its undefeated run to four games and Arsenal moved two points clear at the top of the table with a 1-0 win over Newcastle United over the weekend. Rooney failed to earn more than an honorable mention when it came to evaluating the top fantasy forward performances from this past weekend but Chelsea and Arsenal were both well represented when it came to the top players at every position. Here is a look at the top fantasy performers from this past weekend in the Premier League by position.
GK: Artur Boruc, Bournemouth
Bournemouth has gone three straight games without a win but they managed to steal a point in a 0-0 draw with Leicester City over the weekend and Boruc was the biggest reason for it. The Bournemouth keeper stopped both shots he faced including a penalty save for which he received a bonus and while he didn’t earn the victory his penalty save and clean sheet bonuses were enough to make him the top fantasy goalkeeper from this past weekend in the Premier League.
Honorable Mention: Petr Cech, Arsenal; Thibaut Courtois, Chelsea
D: Laurent Koscielny, Arsenal
Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech earned honorable mention among Premier League goalkeepers this past weekend for his clean sheet win and Koscielny was a big part of that as he helped keep Newcastle off the board while scoring the lone goal for the Gunners in the 1-0 win. The goal was Koscielny’s third in 17 games this season and stood as the game-winning tally to separate him from the rest as the top fantasy producer among Premier League defenders.
Honorable Mention: Jonny Evans, West Brom; Patrick van Aanholt, Sunderland
M: Oscar, Chelsea
The Blues have earned at least a point in four straight games including a pair of wins and it was their star midfielders that broke through and put on a show in their 3-0 win over Crystal Palace over the weekend led by Oscar. The Brazilian has had a relatively quiet season but he had a goal and an assist in Sunday’s win and the clean sheet bonus Chelsea registered helped put him over the top as the No. 1 fantasy midfielder this past weekend.
M: Willian, Chelsea
Oscar’s teammate Willian also had a goal and an assist to edge out Alexander Tettey of Norwich and Stephane Sessegnon of West Brom for the second-best fantasy performance among Premier League midfielders this past weekend. Chelsea has heated up a bit over the past couple of weeks and there is no doubt they will need their star midfielders to play at a high level in order for that to continue.
Honorable Mention: Alexander Tettey, Norwich; Stephane Sessegnon, West Brom; Yaya Toure, Manchester City
F: Jermain Defoe, Sunderland
Speaking of players that have been relatively quiet this season, Defoe exploded for two goals including the game-winning marker in Sunderland’s 3-1 win over Aston Villa. Defoe still has just six goals in 16 Premier League games this season but he capitalized on the favorable matchup for Sunderland and delivered as the top fantasy striker of the week. Even with the win, though, Sunderland is still squarely in the relegation zone in 19th place with just 15 points.
F: Anthony Martial, Manchester United
Rooney scored the highlight reel goal for United but it was his teammate Martial that edged out him, Diego Costa and Wayne Rooney on this list thanks to a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win over Swansea. Martial nearly doubled his goal total for the season as he is now up to five goals and two assists and there is no doubt United will need him to continue to produce as they look to climb back in to the mix near the top of the Premier League following a tough stretch.
Honorable Mention: Diego Costa, Chelsea; Sergio Aguero, Manchester City; Wayne Rooney, Manchester United
