Hazard weaving way to FPL bonus points

When the final whistle blows and the Fantasy Premier League bonus points are finalised, they are applied according to the Bonus Point System (BPS).

This collates a variety of statistics gleaned from match actions that combine to measure a player's performance.

Points are earned in the BPS for each of these actions, with the FPL bonus points distributed to the players with the top three totals.

Gaining an understanding of how the BPS works and the types of players and individuals most likely to benefit, can be a factor when deciding transfer strategies.

In previous articles we have looked at the impact of clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI),  open-play crosses and the role played by pass completion in the BPS. 

Dribbles or "take-ons" are the next match action to be assessed.

A dribble is defined as an attempt by a player to beat an opponent when in possession of the ball. A dribble is deemed successful if the player beats his man and retains possession. This is rewarded with a single point in the BPS.

At first glance, it seems sensible to target players who are renowned for a willingness to run at opponents as they offer the strongest potential for high BPS returns.

But the flipside of this is that players are also penalised in the BPS for "being tackled", which is losing possession of the ball to an opponent. A single point is deducted from a player's BPS for "being tackled".

Any player on the pitch can lose possession but those who regularly attempt to take on a defence can be more prone to suffering a BPS penalty should they fail in their attempt to beat their man.

Form and fixtures can play a crucial role in this. 

The mesmeric Eden Hazard (£10.3m) when pitched against a full-back playing out of position or low on confidence, is able to reap a generous BPS boost through successful dribbles.

Equally, when an attacking player is off form, they can regularly lose possession, which will detract from their overall BPS tally.

Hazard is currently the top ranked Premier League player for successful dribbles.

He set out his stall early, amassing nine completed dribbles in the Gameweek 1 win over West Ham United - an encounter that matched him against an out-of-sorts Michail Antonio (£7.1m).

The Chelsea man was tackled five times against the Hammers but still emerged with four BPS points via an ability to take on the defence. Hazard earned the maximum three bonus points from that fixture.

Tracking the benefits of dribbling to a player's BPS can be as unpredictable as the skill itself.

But, by looking at form players among the top dribblers and assessing their forthcoming one-on-one match-ups, FPL managers can reap rewards.

Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha (£5.4m) is ranked second to Hazard for successful dribbles and faces Stoke City and Sunderland in his next two fixtures - a pair of teams currently low on confidence.

Those kind of scenarios present opportunities to use knowledge of the BPS to target players most likely to push for bonus points through their pace and trickery.

Most successful dribbles in 2015/16 PL