Premier League Fantasy Football: Why Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero and Dimitri Payet need to be in your team
We take a look at the must haves ahead of the weekend
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Your support makes all the difference.Identifying which players to bring into your fantasy football team based on their current form and upcoming fixtures is good practice by any manager. Going that extra step and studying a player's array of stats, whether it's the number of shots they are averaging or how many chances they are creating, will in turn offer an insight into the potential they possess for scoring goals or grabbing assists.
Oulala's extensive database of statistics, which comprises 70 different criteria sourced straight from Opta, is the perfect tool to identify which players you should select in your fantasy football side.
Here, we reveal four players that must feature in your fantasy football team this weekend based on a combination of recent form, upcoming fixtures and impressive stats. The must-haves...
Riyad Mahrez has been the Premier League's standout player this season and there's no evidence that's going to change anytime soon. Mahrez has netted an impressive five goals more than the next highest scoring midfielder in the Premier League, Newcastle United's Georginio Wijnaldum (8). His assist tally puts him joint third in the Premier League with only Mesut Özil (16) and Kevin De Bruyne (8) ahead of the Algerian when it comes to creating goals. If the 24-year-old's 13 goals and seven assists isn't enough to convince you that he's the real deal then maybe a deeper look at his stats could? Mahrez leads the Premier League for successful dribbles this season (68), boasting a take-on completion rate of 60 per cent. The midfielder has registered 53 shots at an accuracy of 66 per cent and a conversion rate of 25 per cent, making Mahrez more clinical in front of goal than forwards such as Harry Kane (14 per cent), Diego Costa (16 per cent) and Olivier Giroud (21 per cent). Leicester travel to bottom of the table Aston Villa on Saturday.
Dimitri Payet has been a revelation at West Ham since joining from Marseille in the summer. Despite missing seven games with an ankle injury, the 28-year-old returned to the team against Liverpool at the turn of the year, helping his side to a deserved 2-0 win. West Ham followed up the impressive victory over the Reds, beating Bournemouth 3-1 away from home on Tuesday. The Frenchman was the catalyst to the win, scoring the Hammers' first goal, an exceptional free-kick, and creating their second, scored by Enner Valencia. In the 14 league games that Payet has appeared, West Ham have recorded a 57 per cent win rate. In the seven league games that the midfielder was absent, this fell dramatically to just 14 per cent. Looking at his stats it's clear to see why Payet is so important to Slaven Bilić's side. The midfielder is West Ham's top scorer with six goals and has enjoyed the best shot accuracy (68 per cent) in the squad by any player to have appeared more than five times. He has created the most chances (50) and has picked up the most assists (4) too. West Ham go to Newcastle on Saturday, a side that have spent much of the season in the relegation zone.
Harry Kane began the season slowly, failing to score in his first six league games. However, since netting his opening goal in Tottenham's impressive 4-1 win over Manchester City in September, the 22-year-old has gone on to register 11 goals in 15 games, taking the forward to sixth place in the Premier League goal scoring charts this season. Kane has recorded 77 shots in his 21 league appearances, averaging an attempt on goal every 24 minutes and with an accuracy of 62 per cent, his overall goal scoring potential is evident. The England international has also turned provider for Spurs, creating 25 chances and registering one assist. Kane is one of the hardest working forwards in the Premier League too. The 22-year-old has made 12 interceptions, four blocks and 18 clearances this season. Tottenham welcome 18th placed Sunderland to White Hart Lane in Saturday's early kick-off.
Sergio Agüero is experiencing yet another season at Manchester City disrupted by short-term injuries, with the Argentine missing seven of City's 21 league games over three separate periods. However, despite his injury record, Agüero is without doubt the Premier League's best striker when fit, as highlighted by his impressive array of stats. The 27-year-old has scored eight goals from 50 shots with an accuracy of 59 per cent. He has recorded an exceptional pass accuracy of 90 per cent, the best from any Premier League striker to make more than five league appearances. Agüero has also registered one assist from the seven chances that he has created and has completed 19 successful dribbles. Manchester City host Crystal Palace on Saturday, a team without a league win in four games, suffering defeat in both of their last two matches against Chelsea and Aston Villa.
Stats supplied by daily fantasy football game www.oulala.com
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