Stats Perform’s Opta data suggests Burnley’s Nick Pope, Leicester City’s Ricardo Pereira, Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus and others could be valuable Premier League fantasy assets.
Here’s a good sampling of our selections for Matchweek 14:
Goalkeeper:
Nick Pope, Burnley
Burnley have enjoyed an impressive start, and central to their success has been Pope.
The England international has been a solid presence behind the Clarets’ defence, with his tally of four home clean sheets higher than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League.
Only Watford have scored fewer goals in the league than Crystal Palace. Do not expect them to improve that record at Turf Moor.
Defenders:
James Tarkowski, Burnley
Equally impressive for Sean Dyche’s side has been Tarkowski.
The 27-year-old has been an integral part of a defence that has kept five clean sheets so far this term, with only Leicester City keeping more.
Tarkowski also opened his account for the campaign against Watford last time out, showing Palace should be wary of him in both boxes this weekend.
Ricardo Pereira, Leicester City
Leicester have been in wonderful form so far this season and will have their eyes on another three points at home against struggling Everton.
Right-back Pereira has been superb for Brendan Rodgers’ side, with no Premier League defender scoring more goals (two) or contributing to more clean sheets (six).
He has won 57 tackles, too – a league-high among defenders.
Midfielders:
Ryan Fraser, Bournemouth
In what will be his first Premier League home game in charge of Tottenham, Jose Mourinho will need to pay close attention to Fraser.
The Scotland international has provided more assists than any other player in the Premier League since the start of last season, with his 17 just ahead of Liverpool pair Andrew Robertson (16) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (15).
Sadio Mane, Liverpool
Brighton know they will have to be at their very best to get anything out of their trip to Anfield.
Key to any hopes of success will be stopping Mane, who has scored 17 goals in his past 16 Premier League home games for Liverpool.
In fact, since the start of last season, he has scored more home goals than any other player in the division (22).
Forwards:
Gabriel Jesus, Manchester City
With Sergio Aguero ruled out through injury, all eyes will be on Jesus for Manchester City’s visit to Newcastle United.
He has already proven himself to be a stellar understudy to Aguero, scoring seven goals in his past eight Premier League starts.
The Brazil star provided an assist in the Champions League in midweek, too.
Danny Ings, Southampton
Despite Southampton’s poor start, Ings has been in impressive form.
The former Liverpool striker has scored 46 per cent of the Saints’ Premier League goals, including five of their past seven.
Indeed, no player has scored a higher share of their side’s goals in the competition this term.
