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Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers up and down the country all breathed a collective sigh of relief when their Aston Villa assets finally returned to action against Manchester City on Wednesday evening.
They were unlucky to leave the Etihad Stadium empty-handed, suggesting there was more to come in the near future.
And Villa fans did not have wait long as a Saturday-evening win over Newcastle highlighted how much there is on offer among Dean Smith’s men this season.
Defensively Solid
Emiliano Martinez (£5.1m) registered his ninth clean sheet of the season against Newcastle. This puts him joint-top for FPL points registered by goalkeepers this season, level with Burnley’s Nick Pope, having played a game less and costing 0.3m less, which is hugely important to FPL managers.
Alongside their goalkeeper, the Villa defenders are once again offering FPL managers excellent value. Matt Targett left the field after 74 minutes of their match against Man City on Wednesday, meaning he registered a clean sheet for his FPL owners. He then picked up a second clean sheet of the Gameweek against Newcastle as well as registering an assist, all three bonus points and an 18-point haul for the week. This made him the joint-second highest scoring defender of the Gameweek.
Matty Cash (£5.0m) and Ezri Konsa (£4.7m) both registered nine FPL points for their managers including both of them picking up two bonus points against Newcastle.
When they register a clean sheet they nearly always pick up bonus points as a result of their blocks, clearances and interceptions – making them even better picks for FPL managers.
Midfield Maestros
Captain Jack Grealish (£7.7m) did what he does best against Newcastle and pulled all the strings in the middle of the park. In fact, his performance deserved more than just the single assist he registered. As a result, Grealish sits in the top ten for transfers in this Gameweek.
John McGinn (£5.5m) missed the second half of Gameweek 19, having picked up his fifth yellow card of the season. While this was disappointing for the 1.3% of managers who owned him in the last Gameweek, it is now the perfect time to invest as the fear of him being suspended is over. McGinn’s underlying stats for the season also look promising for FPL returns especially for assists, with an expected assist rating (xA) of 1.27.
The Villa midfield was bolstered by the return of Ross Barkley (£5.9m) in Gameweek 19. While Barkley didn’t return any attacking points for the 0.8% of FPL managers who own him, the underlying stats suggest points are on the horizon.
Barkley registered 80 touches in Gameweek 20, 58 of those in the opposition half, as well as five penalty area touches, five goal attempts, one headed goal attempt, two blocked shots and one big chance. Barkley was busy on his return to the starting eleven and having played two games in quick succession he looks prime for FPL investment ahead of Gameweek 20 – especially given his huge differential status in relation to FPL ownership.
Aston Villa look prime for investment across all areas of the pitch. Couple that with Villa still having additional Double Gameweeks in the future, and they have the perfect mix to make FPL managers hearts sing.
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