Fantasy Premier League

GW28 Ones to watch: Abdoulaye Doucoure

By The Scout 21 Feb 2018
Abdoulaye Doucoure, Watford

Watford option is ready to become best-value midfielder in Fantasy, says The Scout

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The Scout is selecting five Fantasy Premier League players set to make an impact in Gameweek 28.

Abdoulaye Doucoure (WAT) £5.4m

Doucoure has already enjoyed an impressive campaign.

The midfielder has seven goals and three assists, causing his FPL ownership to peak at 952,000 by Gameweek 12.

Still part of 820,000+ squads, an ownership of 14.7%, there are now signs that Doucoure could kick on further.

The statistics show a marked improvement in his attacking influence under new Watford head coach Javi Gracia.

Goal threat

Doucoure was averaging 1.57 penalty-area touches per 90 minutes before Gracia's arrival in Gameweek 25.

This has more than doubled to 3.33 touches in the box over Gracia’s three matches in charge.

As a result, the 25-year-old has threatened goals more often.

His rate of shots per 90 minutes has increased from 1.35 to 2.33 over the last three Gameweeks.

Assist potential

Doucoure's creativity is also on the up.

He has supplied an average of three chances every 90 minutes under Gracia. This compares with one chance created per 90 prior to Gameweek 25.

That translated to a pair of assists in the 4-1 victory over Chelsea in Gracia’s first home match.

Doucoure per 90 mins
  GW 1-24 GW 25-27
Touches in box 1.57 3.33
Shots 1.35 2.33
Shots in box 0.57 1.00
Chances created 1.00 3.00

Watford are back at home in Gameweek 28 when Everton visit Vicarage Road.

The Toffees have conceded 11 goals and 14 big chances over their last four away matches. No side have conceded more. 

Following that, the Hornets also host West Bromwich Albion and AFC Bournemouth, giving them four home fixtures over the next six Gameweeks.

No cup problems

The fact that Watford have been knocked out of the FA Cup also adds to Doucoure’s appeal.

It means they are one of only eight teams currently guaranteed a Gameweek 31 fixture, when the quarter-finals cause Premier League postponements.

Watford travel to Liverpool in that Gameweek.

Doucoure ranks third for points per million among midfielders, with 20.6.

With the statistics pointing to a new level of goal threat, and his Fixture Difficulty Rankings (FDR) looking favourable, the Frenchman could soon be the best-value midfielder around.

Watford's next six Gameweeks
GW Opp. FDR
28 EVE (H) 2
29 WBA (H) 2
30 ARS (A) 4
31 LIV (A) 4
32 BOU (H) 2
33 BUR (H) 3
Also in this series 

Part 1: GW28 Ones to watch: Jose Izquierdo
Part 2: GW28 Ones to watch: Gylfi Sigurdsson
Part 4: GW28 Ones to watch: Christian Eriksen
Part 5: GW28 Ones to watch: Sadio Mane

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