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Fantasy Premier League Week 4 bargains and busts

By Anthony Gallo

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 15: Ngolo Kante of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on August 15, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 15: Ngolo Kante of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on August 15, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 20: Jason Puncheon of Crystal Palace is challenged by Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane on August 20, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 20: Jason Puncheon of Crystal Palace is challenged by Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane on August 20, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images) /

Midfielders

Busts

N’Kolo Kante (£5) was snatched up by Chelsea after a great run with champions Leicester last season. Kante put up 108 points in 2015-16, a reasonable amount, but now he is on a more defensive-minded Chelsea team led by Antonio Conte, which will likely hurt his fantasy output.

Kante’s teammate and fellow defensive midfielder, Nemanja Matic, had only 83 points last term. Matic did play less than Kante, but he hasn’t been able to put up more than 90 points since he joined Chelsea.

These two aren’t the kind of midfielders that will get assists or goals; they will put in good performances, maybe get some bonus points and help their team get a clean sheet. But you should look elsewhere if fantasy points are what you’re after.

Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson has also struggled to get points early on. The Iceland international has only four points to his name after games against Burnley, Hull and Leicester. His Swans go up against Chelsea, Southampton, Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal in the coming weeks, so there’s no reason to think Sigurdsson’s form is going to see immediate improvement. His price tag of £7.4 means he isn’t a low risk, high reward player either.

Bargains

If you do want a low risk, high reward player, maybe look at Crystal Palace’s Jason Puncheon (£5.5). Palace have struggled early on, but with the additions of Loic Remy and Christian Benteke, their season might be on the up.

Puncheon will now have two prime attacking targets in front of him. Palace manager Alan Pardew used a 4-2-3-1 in first two matches this season, both loses. When he switched to a 4-4-1-1 and moved Puncheon to the wing, the Englishmen played his best match so far. If Palace continue with that formation against Middlesbrough, then Puncheon can continue his fine form on the wing.

Everton’s Kevin Mirallas (£6.6) is also a good option with a favorable schedule in the coming weeks. He’s an attacking midfielder and proved his eye for goal when he scored against West Brom in Week 2. His fantasy output dipped in his last match against Stoke — he only managed to play 69 minutes — but he has a good chance of bouncing back against Sunderland.

Both Mirallas and Puncheon are good, low risk, high reward players that could fit in your starting lineups for Week 4.

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