Is Dennis the answer up front? Five fantasy football questions answered ahead of GW15
- Sean Fisher
- 3 December 2021
After a frantic midweek schedule, fantasy football managers are forced into another quick turnaround before this weekend’s fixtures.
Emmanuel Dennis was on the scoresheet again, and we take a look at whether he should be a transfer target this week, while Wolves defenders are also a hot topic.
Have the Hornets rediscovered their sting?
Claudio Ranieri's start at Watford didn't go to plan as they suffered a 5-0 defeat to Liverpool, but the Italian's style is starting to come into play, and it's made them a threat up top.
His arrival has particularly benefited Joshua King and Emmanuel Dennis, who have hugely improved under his tutelage.
In Ranieri's second game against Everton, King (£5.7m) netted a hat-trick in a 5-2 win, before adding a further two to his tally against Manchester United and Leicester City.
However, his five goals still don't make him Watford's top scorer - Emmanuel Dennis' six tops the charts.
Dennis (£5.4m) scored two before Ranieri's appointment, but has now scored four in his last six games. It's that kind of consistency that has caught the eye of fantasy managers.
It's taken the Nigerian's points tally up to 73, just three behind highest-scoring striker Jamie Vardy. King is down in eighth but still boasts an impressive 53 total points.
Both look like fantastic assets up front, and with a plethora of other forwards struggling to score points, it only adds to their allure.
Watford do have Manchester City up next, but Ranieri's side have already shown their potential to score against the big teams this season, so don't let the fixture dissuade you from bringing either in.
After City, their fixture list becomes a whole lot better too. Back-to-back away games at Brentford and Burnley look like great opportunities for the strike partnership to add to their goals.
Are the Wolves pack shining at the back?
Bruno Lage seems to be settling in well at Wolves, and they've slowly crept up to sixth in the table without much fuss.
Their 12 goals conceded is only bettered by Manchester City and Chelsea, so should we be turning our attention towards Lage's back line?
The likes of Conor Coady (£4.5m) and Max Kilman (£4.5m) have scored fantastically in fantasy this year, but their clean sheets look set to dry up in the next few weeks.
That's because Wolves next face Liverpool at home, before travelling to Manchester City and then Brighton.
Is James Maddison the latest Fox in the box?
However, much of that is to do with their defence - their 25 goals conceded makes them the fourth-worst defence.
Going forward they've actually been fairly good. In fact, their 22 goals scored ranks them fifth.
Jamie Vardy is up to nine goals this season, but with a £10.7million price tag, not everyone can find space for him in their team.
So if you're looking for another way to benefit from Leicester's thriving attack, perhaps look towards James Maddison.
The 25-year-old found himself on the fringes of Brendan Rodgers' side at the start of the season, but he's found his way back into the starting line-up and is back among the goals.
He's up to three for this season, with two coming in his last two games. That's taken his total points tally up to 52.
At just £6.7million he's a great differential option and Leicester's fixtures make him all the more enticing. Aston Villa, Newcastle, Tottenham and Everton make up their next four games.
With midfielders such as Conor Gallagher (£6.2m) and Maxwel Cornet (£6.1m) slowing down in the last couple games, Maddison should be considered if you're looking to offload.
Time to let Antonio go?
It seems like the purple patch is over. Michail Antonio was fantasy football's hottest property at the start of the season, but the West Ham striker has now blanked five weeks in a row.
With Chelsea, Burnley and Arsenal up next, it's hard to see Antonio turning it around anytime soon, and his £8million price tag could be spent better elsewhere.
We've already mentioned the in-form strike partnership at Watford, but if you're wanting other options, then maybe look towards Newcastle's Callum Wilson (£7.4m) who looks rejuvenated under Eddie Howe.
Southampton's Che Adams (£6.8m) has also been in excellent form, while Ollie Watkins (£7.4m) has rediscovered his scoring touch under Steven Gerrard.
Frankly, Antonio looks fatigued after featuring in most of West Ham's Premier League and Europa League campaign. It could prompt David Moyes to rest him - in which case it's definitely time to get rid.
Are Man Utd suddenly worth investing in?
After being touted as title challengers at the start of the season, Manchester United have hardly set the league alight.
However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been shown the door and there's an air of optimism following the appointment of Ralf Rangnick, something that was tangible in the midweek win over Arsenal.
Top four is still the best they can hope for this season and Rangnick can build on the good work of Michael Carrick in the next few games.
Crystal Palace, Norwich, Brentford, Brighton, Newcastle and Burnley are their next six and with a new manager at the helm we could see some big points hauls from United players.
Their most likely scorer remains Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.3m), but his hefty price will be a hurdle too high for most managers.
Therefore, the likes of Marcus Rashford (£9.4m) and Jadon Sancho (£8.9m) hold a lot more interest. Rashford returned from injury a few weeks back to score against Leicester and Spurs, but has since tailed off.
Meanwhile, Sancho seems to be finally settling in at Old Trafford, and has scored two in his last three games.
Mason Greenwood (£7.3m) is another worth considering, but it's worth waiting first to see who Rangnick prefers to utilise out of United's stacked attacking department.
