The Premier League steam train continued to roll on as the 10th round of fixtures took place on pitches across England. There was joy, heartache, frustration and tension during the latest round of matches – so let’s now take a look at the best strikers in England’s top flight this past week!
This list will count down from fifth to best – but (spoiler alert) as there wasn’t really any standout individual performances, all of the players mentioned here are here thanks to their goalscoring exploits. They all bagged a single strike, and so they are basically ranked from most expensive (fifth) to cheapest (best).
In fifth place, therefore, is Leicester striker Jamie Vardy. The Foxes are of course managerless after sacking Craig Shakespeare a couple of weeks back, and with Michael Appleton taking temporary charge this is an opportunity for both club and the manager to make this arrangement work and benefit both parties in the long run.
Vardy helped contribute to that cause with the first goal in Leicester’s 2-0 win at home against also-managerless Everton. Their interim, David Unsworth, didn’t have quite as much joy as his counterpart on Sunday – Vardy’s goal was followed up by a strike from Demarai Gray to give the former champions a comfortable three points.
Vardy is having a somewhat underwhelming season (especially given his 10m valuation) but he certainly did what was asked of him in this one – his goal meant he finished the weekend with four points.
So too did Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge. Plagued by injury and poor form in recent times, the once-promising striker is still a name that has opposition defenders feeling the nerves when he lines up against them. He is valued at 9m, so at a shade under Vardy’s valuation he still hasn’t quite offered the returns that his international team-mate has just yet.
He scored the first goal in Liverpool’s 3-0 win at home against Huddersfield. With goals from Roberto Firmino and Giorgio Wijnaldum following on, it looked a comfortable result for the Reds – and Sturridge will be wanting to carry that good form into the Champions League when Jurgen Klopp’s men host NK Maribor in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
In third was Javier Hernandez, West Ham’s impressive forward with something to prove following his previous spell at Man Utd. He is a little cheaper at 7m, and his 13 points so far this season would have been better had he not spent so much time with his name in the referee’s book.
He scored one of the Hammers’ vital goals in the 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace, and will be hoping to repeat that feat when they welcome the aforementioned Liverpool to the London Stadium on Saturday,
In second place came Jay Rodriguez. The former Southampton man has struggled to make a real impact since arriving at West Brom, but the Hawthorns faithful were rocking when he levelled the scores following Leroy Sane’s opener in what ultimately proved a 2-3 home defeat for the Baggies against Man City.
He is priced at 6m – and he clearly has the potential to do much better than his current tally of six would imply. The England striker could well be worth a second look in the coming weeks – his team will be requiring some major input with fixtures against the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham following up in November.
That would make Man Utd forward Anthony Martial this weekend’s big Premier League strikers’ winner. He scored the only goal in that massive 1-0 home win for the Red Devils when high-fliers Tottenham made the trip up north.
Martial is starting to deliver some positive returns for the fantasy managers who have selected him too – he is on 19 for the season so far, but a booking in the recent trip to Huddersfield meant he could have broken the 20 barrier by now.
Priced at just 1.50m, he is arguably the biggest steal in this list of the past weekend’s winners. A trip to Chelsea is followed by a home game against Newcastle in November – there could be some scope for him to add to his tally in those games.
So, why not take a look at revamping your strikeforce and getting your team going on Euro Fantasy League? The game features players from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Eredivisie and Ligue 1. Assemble your dream team and manage your fantasy squad to glory this season!
If you perhaps aren’t quite as familiar with the more continental leagues, then you are also able to play a Premier League-only version of the game. Fantasy Premier is a version of the EuroFantasyLeague game where you will put together your Premier League dream team and compete against others. Check it out now!
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