Even with Leicester City locked in as Premier League champions, there was a lot still on the line in England’s top flight this past weekend with 10 games on the schedule – including EPL fantasy. Tottenham failed to lock up second place in the table with another blown lead, Manchester United pulled within striking distance of fourth place with a pivotal win and Sunderland pulled itself over the relegation line with a huge victory over the defending Premier League champions. Which players shined the brightest on the stat sheet? Here is a look at the top individual EPL fantasy performances by position from this past weekend.
GK: David De Gea, Manchester United
Juan Mata delivered the lone goal in a crucial victory for Manchester United but it was De Gea that held down the fort at the defensive end of the pitch with two saves to keep Norwich City from breaking through in a 1-0 win. Offense has come at a premium for United all season and once again it was De Gea that stepped up with the top performance of the week at his position. United is now sitting in fifth place in the EPL table and they’ve allowed just 31 goals in 36 games this season. That’s noteworthy for EPL fantasy purposes as that’s the second-fewest goals allowed of any team this season.
Honorable Mention: Artur Boruc, Bournemouth Simon Mignolet, Liverpool; Mark Bunn, Aston Villa
D: Chancel Mbemba, Newcastle United
Mbemba didn’t provide any offense for Newcastle United but his defensive play was enough to earn him top fantasy honors at his position ahead of Kevin Stewart of Liverpool and Johnny Evans of West Brom. Mbemba benefited from the clean sheet bonus in a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa but it wasn’t all good news as the lone point combined with a Sunderland win over Chelsea left Newcastle one point back of Sunderland in the final position below the relegation line. Newcastle is still fighting to avoid relegation but they’re still in the zone. They have 34 points, which has them in 18th place in the standings.
Honorable Mention: Kevin Stewart, Liverpool; Jonny Evans, West Brom; Antonio Valencia, Manchester United
M: Steven Davis, Southampton
Tottenham jumped out in front with a 1-0 lead over Southampton when Son Heung-Min scored in the 16th minute but for the third straight week Hotspurs failed to hold on to the early lead. Davis was the catalyst for Southampton’s comeback as he tied the game with a goal in the 31st minute and then added another in the 72nd minute to seal the victory and clinch his place as the top fantasy midfielder of the week.
M: Andy King, Leicester City
Leicester added another three points to the most improbable of Premier league title campaigns with a 3-1 win over Everton with Jamie Vardy scoring twice while the midfielder King stepped up with a goal and an assist. It was only the second and third points on the year for King but it helped make the difference in a 3-1 win as he edged out Swansea’s Andre Ayew and United’s Mata at the midfield position.
Honorable Mention: Andre Ayew, Swansea; Juan Mata, Manchester United; Joe Allen, Liverpool
F: Jamie Vardy, Leicester City
Vardy was once again among the top fantasy forwards in the Premier League this past weekend as he scored twice to raise his goal total to 24 goals in 35 games this season. Vardy’s dominance has been one of the most intriguing stories in England’s top flight all year and it’s no surprise that he ends up in this column following another big win for Leicester over the weekend.
F: Dwight Gayle, Crystal Palace
Gayle joined Vardy as the two Premier League forwards that scored a pair of goals in this week’s competitions and while he recorded three fewer shots it didn’t make his performance any less impressive. Gayle had been limited to one goal in his first 14 games so the multi-goal performance was definitely a surprise as he edged out Arsenal’s Oliver Giroud and Sunderland’s Fabio Borini for this spot on the list of the top EPL fantasy performers.
Honorable Mention: Olivier Giroud, Arsenal; Fabio Borini, Sunderland; Heung-Min Son, Tottenham
