Week 27 of the Premier League season was interrupted when a couple of games were postponed but we can still recap for EPL fantasy purposes. Newcastle versus Manchester City and Liverpool versus Everton were both temporarily pushed back, leaving eight matches on the schedule for this past weekend. There was still more than enough drama including Manchester United’s big win over Arsenal and Chelsea’s continued turnaround, so it’s no surprise that both teams are well represented on this list. Here is a look at the top EPL fantasy performers from this past weekend in the Premier League.
GK: Adrian, West Ham United
West Ham United pulled out the 1-0 win over Sunderland thanks in big part to the play of their netminder Adrian, who made four saves for the clean sheet victory. It was only their second victory in their last six games and it’s no surprise that Adrian has shut the door on West Ham’s opponents in both of those wins. West Ham has now allowed 31 goals in 27 games, which is still a tad high for a team that’s in the top six but this week helped bring down their averages.
Honorable Mention: Lukasz Fabianski, Swansea; Heurelho Gomes, Watford
D: Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea
The Blues extended their undefeated run to 11 games with a 2-1 win over Southampton. Chelsea’s top EPL fantasy defender was instrumental in the victory. Ivanovic headed in the game-winning goal in the 89th minute to secure three points and suddenly the Blues are within striking range of eighth spot in the table. With the win, they are now just three points behind eighth-place Stoke City and four points behind seventh-place Southampton.
Honorable Mention: Simon Francis, Bournemouth; Christian Fuchs, Leicester
M: Marko Arnautovic, Stoke City
Arnautovic was the biggest factor in Stoke City securing a 2-1 win over Aston Villa as he scored both goals for the winning side. Arnautovic had gone a couple of games without a point before breaking through in Stoke’s second consecutive win and he now has nine goals in 24 games this season. Stoke City has just 29 goals through 27 games, which is the fewest of any team in the top eight.
M: Craig Gardner, West Brom
Gardner was one of the biggest surprises of the weekend after breaking through with a goal and an assist in West Brom’s 3-2 win over Crystal Palace. Gardner was left on the bench as an unused substitute in their previous two games, but managed to match his production for the entire Premier League season in this one. He now sits at two goals and two assists on the year. In terms of West Brom, they have 27 goals now in 27 games, which is the third-fewest in the EPL.
Honorable Mention: Mesut Ozil, Arsenal; Michail Antonio, West Ham; Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea
F: Marcus Rashford, Manchester United
The teen sensation Rashford delivered two goals in his Premier League debut to deliver a major blow to Arsenal’s title hopes. At the same time, he earned the top EPL fantasy honors among all performers regardless of position. The 18-year-old Rashford had United fans on their feet with his remarkable performance and it will be very interesting to see what he has in store for an encore when United hosts Watford next weekend. United has now scored 36 times in 27 games this season.
F: Connor Wickham, Crystal Palace
Rashford’s brilliance overshadowed an excellent EPL fantasy showing from Wickham over the weekend, although it certainly didn’t help that his team lost. Wickham scored twice for Crystal Palace in their 3-2 loss to West Brom. It wasn’t enough to help his team earn three points, but it was enough to edge out Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck and Southampton’s Shane Long for the second-best fantasy performance among Premier League forwards this past weekend. The loss now puts Crystal Palace in 14th place in the EPL table with 32 points. They are still eight points clear of the relegation zone, though, so that’s not so much of a concern at this point.
Honorable Mention: Danny Welbeck, Arsenal; Shane Long, Southampton; Saido Berahino, West Brom
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