The lack of scoring in La Liga was one of the top storylines from a fantasy perspective with top clubs like Barcelona and Atletico Madrid being held off the score sheet completely. Meanwhile, the top La Liga fantasy performer of the week absolutely dominated in one of the most memorable performances we have seen in Spain’s top division this season. Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a massive blow to Atletico Madrid in their latest derby and it was more than enough for him to earn top fantasy honors regardless of his position. Here is a look at the top performers by position in La Liga fantasy this past weekend.
GK: Keylor Navas, Real Madrid
Ronaldo’s brilliance at the offensive end of the pitch was the biggest story of the Madrid Derby but Navas’ performance could not be overlooked entirely. The Real Madrid goalkeeper turned aside all five shots he faced to secure the clean sheet win and help Real Madrid pull further away from its competition at the top of the La Liga standings.
Honorable Mention: Diego Lopez, Espanyol; Depa Arrizabalaga, Athletic Bilbao; Asier Riesgo, Eibar
D: Inigo Martinez, Real Sociedad
Martinez played the defender position for Real Sociedad but you wouldn’t know it by looking at his stat line. Martinez finished the game with a goal and three shots in a line that looked more like what a forward would register than a defender so it should be no surprise that he earned top La Liga fantasy honors at his position.
Honorable Mention: Vitolo, Sevilla; Gabriel Mercado, Sevilla; Steven N’Zonzi, Sevilla; Veray Alvarez, Athletic Bilbao
M: Fran Rico, Eibar
Rico was all over the field in Eibar’s 1-0 win over Celta Vigo but his biggest contribution came in the form of the lone goal in the match. It was a very quiet weekend in terms of goal scoring across Spain’s top division so Rico’s game-winning goal was enough to earn top fantasy honors at the position.
M: Raul Garcia, Athletic Bilbao
Garcia is another midfielder that delivered the game-winning goal in a one-goal game as his tally was enough for Athletic Bilbao to get the win over Villarreal. It isn’t often that one goal is enough to earn recognition at the midfield position but with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid getting shut out and Ronaldo carrying the load for Real Madrid it was a very quiet weekend in terms of fantasy production from this position. Bilbao now sits in seventh place in the standings with 20 points through 12 games. They are 10 points out of first place and six points out of second.
Honorable Mention: David Zurutuza, Real Sociedad; Sergio Escudero, Sevilla
F: Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid
Nobody was more dominant in the latest edition of the Madrid Derby than Ronaldo, who gave fans another performance to remember with the hat trick in the 3-0 win. It was Ronaldo’s 39th career hat trick and it was more enough to help Real Madrid open a four-point lead atop the La Liga standings. The fact that the three goals came in a win over Atletico Madrid make it that much more impressive as he produced what was easily the best fantasy score of the weekend regardless of position. Real Madrid is still in first place after the week and now have a four point lead over second-place Barcelona. They’re sitting in first with 30 points while Barcelona is in second with 26 and Sevilla is in third with 24.
F: Gerard Moreno, Espanyol
Espanyol managed to extend its undefeated run to six games thanks in big part to a timely goal from Moreno, who converted a header in to the bank of the net in the 81st minute to lead the way to a 1-0 win over Alaves. In a relatively quiet weekend for the top tier strikers, Moreno’s game-winning goal was more than enough for him to secure top fantasy honors at his position. Espanyol is in 12th place in the Spanish Primera table. While Moreno was a valuable asset for La Liga fantasy, their team has only scored 14 goals on the season in 12 games. Only seven teams have scored less than their 14 goals, which is part of the reason why they are not in the top half of the table.
Honorable Mention: Nani, Valencia; Mendi Carcela-Gonzalez, Granada
