Fantasy Premier League

Striker role boosts King's goal power

By The Scout 25 Mar 2017
Joshua King, AFC Bournemouth

AFC Bournemouth's cut-price asset leads the way as The Scout assesses the in-form midfield threats

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With 57 points in his last six appearances, Josh King (£5.8m) has been a Fantasy Premier League revelation, as highlighted by the ICT Index.

A measure of a player's potential to provide goals, the AFC Bournemouth player's Index Threat scores over the last six Gameweeks show him to be a dominant force.

King has fired more close-range shots (16) and shots on target (nine) than any other FPL midfielder over that spell, supplying seven goals.

The most-bought midfield asset over the international break with more than 45,000 new owners, King has benefitted from playing alongside striker Benik Afobe (£5.4m).

His form won him the club's best player awar dfor February and has also been nominated for the EA SPORTS Player of the Month award for March.

King also could retain spot-kick duties for AFC Bournemouth, despite missing a penalty in the win over West Ham United in Gameweek 28.

See: Vote for March's best player, manager and goal

However, an arduous set of forthcoming fixtures is a concern for King's growing 11.6% ownership.

With trips to Southampton, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur over the next four Gameweeks, along with a home fixture against Chelsea, he may struggle to maintain his recent output.

AFC Bournemouth's final run-in remains favourable. Their last five opponents score a total of only nine in the Fixture Difficulty Rankings (FDR). 

Sadio Mane, Liverpool and Gael Clichy, Man City
Sadio Mane, left, has produced 10 shots from inside the box over his last six Gameweeks, scoring three goals

But the absence of a double Gameweek may lead to King being overlooked during that last month of the season.

Midfielders' ICT Threat GW24-29

Midfielder Team Mins Played ICT Threat
King BOU 537 336
Coutinho LIV 466 267
Firmino LIV 448 265
Mane LIV 515 257
Antonio WHU 445 248
Alli TOT 447 191
Sanchez ARS 302 191
Sigurdsson SWA 540 171
Sterling MCI 343 165
Allen STK 534 161

Elsewhere in the top 10, there is very little to separate Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho (£8.2m), Sadio Mane (£9.7m) and Roberto Firmino (£8.4m).

They have produced 11, 11 and 10 shots from inside the box respectively over the previous six Gameweeks.

Mane, with three goals during that period, arguably remains the big draw, with the Brazilian pair netting only once each.

Jurgen Klopp's side will not provide the potential bonus of a double Gameweek, but seven of their nine remaining fixtures score only two in the FDR.

Spurs have 10 matches to play, with Dele Alli (£8.9m) their standout midfield performer over the six Gameweeks.

He has produced 12 shots in five matches, with seven finding the target, earning him three goals.

Having assumed spot-kick duties in Sunday's win over Southampton in the absence of striker Harry Kane (£11.2m), Alli remains a major FPL target.

With seven of Spurs' final 10 matches scoring two in the FDR, the option to partner him with Christian Eriksen (£8.7m) also remains a viable strategy.

Dele Alli, Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs' Dele Alli has scored three goals in his last six Gameweeks, including a penalty in Sunday's win over Southampton

Across North London, Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez (£11.6m) also looks destined to be a key figure over the run-in.

The top-scoring FPL asset with 196 points, Sanchez produced nine shots over the last six Gameweeks, despite making four appearances and playing from start to finish only twice.

Sanchez recovered from an ankle injury to complete 90 minutes for Chile against Argentina on Thursday, and looks set to be in contention for the Gameweek 30 clash against Manchester City.

Arsenal have 11 fixtures remaining over the final nine Gameweeks, boosting the scoring potential of their FPL assets.

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