Jamie Vardy etched his name in Premier League history by scoring Leicester City’s lone goal in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United over the weekend. Vardy scored for the 11th consecutive game to move past Ruud van Nistelrooy for the longest goal-scoring streak in league history and his marker helped Leicester stay even with Manchester City at the top of the table.
It’s no surprise that Vardy is once again among the top fantasy performers from this past week in the Premier League but there’s some other unexpected names that join him. Here is a look at the top individual fantasy performances from this past week in England’s top flight based on individual position.
GK: Asmir Begovic, Chelsea
Chelsea failed to earn three points (once again) this past weekend but considering how they have fared so far this season, a 0-0 draw wasn’t a terrible result. Begovic was the biggest reason why they were able to earn a point. Begovic made four saves to maintain the clean sheet for the Blues and earn top fantasy honors among Premier League goalkeepers. Meanwhile, his counterpart from Tottenham earned honorable mention as Hugo Lloris made two saves and didn’t allow a goal for Spurs. Honorable Mention: Costel Pantilimon, Sunderland; Hugo Lloris, Tottenham
D: Patrick Van Aanholt, Sunderland
Van Aanholt stepped up big time for Sunderland with the game-winning goal in a 2-0 win over Stoke City. It was an important three points for Sunderland, who are now two points clear of the relegation zone. Van Aanholt finished the game with a goal and two shots to narrowly edge out Liverpool’s Alberto Moreno and Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld as the top fantasy defender. Honorable Mention: Alberto Moreno, Liverpool; Toby Alderweireld, Tottenham
M: Kevin DeBruyne, Manchester City
City moved in to a tie for top spot in the Premier League table thanks in big part to De Bruyne’s performance in the midfield. He continued his excellent campaign with a goal and two assists in a 3-1 win over Southampton. De Bruyne has rewarded City’s faith in him with four goals and six assists in 10 league games this season and they will need him to continue to play at a high level in order to earn a league title this season.
M: Yannick Bolasie, Crystal Palace
There were plenty of stars in Crystal Palace’s 5-1 win over Newcastle United and Bolasie was the best of them as he scored twice including the game-winning goal with three shots on target in the lopsided win. Bolasie was all over the pitch from start to finish and was easily the biggest reason for Crystal Palace earning another big three points in the table. They now sit at seventh in the standings with 22 points.
Honorable Mention: Junior Stanislas, Bournemouth; James McArthur, Crystal Palace; Ross Barkley, Everton
F: Odion Ighalo, Watford
It’s somewhat surprising that Vardy actually didn’t earn top fantasy honors among Premier League forwards this week but there are no bonus points handed out for league records. Watford’s star striker was able to edge him out with the top fantasy performance among strikers in England’s top flight. Ighalo scored and fired three shots on target in Watford’s 3-2 win over Aston Villa and that was enough for him to secure top honors for this past weekend.
F: Jamie Vardy, Leicester City
Vardy came in at No. 2 among forwards this past week but no goal was bigger than the marker he registered to extend his goal streak to 11 straight games. That also helped Leicester hold on to at least a tie for top spot in the table with City. Vardy has been absolutely incredible so far this season and all eyes will be on him again next Saturday when he looks to extend his record run to 12 versus Swansea City, who has allowed 19 goals in 14 games this season. Honorable Mention: Troy Deeney, Watford; Mauro Zarate, West Ham; Connor Wickham, Crystal Palace
