Fantasy Premier League

Boro's defensive prowess on FPL radar

By The Scout 16 Jan 2017
Watford v Middlesbrough, 140117, Victor Valdes saves

A third clean sheet in five Gameweeks keeps Middlesbrough's backline assets in demand by Fantasy managers

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The Bonus Points

A defiant display from Victor Valdes (£4.6m) earned Middlesbrough a goalless draw against Watford, with the goalkeeper awarded the maximum Fantasy Premier League bonus points on offer.

Valdes recorded 33 in the Bonus Points System (BPS) after contributing five saves and six recoveries as the visitors claimed a point.

Middlesbrough defenders occupied four of the next five spots in the BPS standings, with Fabio (£4.4m) and Calum Chambers (£4.5m) receiving the remaining bonus points.

Fabio won five tackles and made nine recoveries to record 31 in the BPS. That earned him two additional points having also collected three bonus points in Gameweek 20.

Watford v Middlesbrough
Fabio has collected five bonus points over his last two Gameweeks

Chambers' 12 clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI), plus a pass completion rate of 87%, helped the centre-back to a BPS score of 29 and a single bonus point.

The ICT Index

With 12 attempts on goal to Middlesbrough's five, Watford's assets fared best in the ICT Index.

Etienne Capoue (£4.7m) claimed top spot with an overall Index score of 9.5, made up of 69 for Creativity.

The midfielder succeeded with six of his eight crosses, providing four goalscoring opportunities for team-mates.

Watford v Middlesbrough, Etienne Capoue, 140117
Watford's Etienne Capoue created four chances in Saturday's goalless draw

Hornets captain Troy Deeney (£6.7m) scored the highest Threat score in Saturday's encounter.

He mustered two close-range efforts and had more penalty area touches than any other player on show (seven).

The Scout Notes

Middlesbrough have now kept three clean sheets in their last five Gameweeks, conceding three goals. No Premier League side have shipped fewer in that spell.

That promotes further interest in their FPL defensive assets, with three home fixtures in the next four Gameweeks.

With Aitor Karanka's first choice full-backs still in doubt, Chambers currently appears to present the most assured value in the Boro backline.

Watford v Middlesbrough, 140117, Calum Chambers
Calum Chambers (left) has ranked top in the Middlesbrough defence for clearances, blocks and interceptions over the last five Gameweeks

The Arsenal loanee has earned bonus points in his last two outings and has bettered fellow centre-back Ben Gibson (£4.9m) for CBI (69 vs 55) and BPS (116 vs 102) over the past five Gameweeks.

Karanka's decision to move to a 3-1-4-2 formation could bring Bernardo (£4.3m) into the equation.

The Colombian earned only his second start of the season at Vicarage Road.

Watford's FPL potential remains limited. Walter Mazzarri's men have scored two goals in the last six Gameweeks, with Saturday providing their first clean sheet over that spell.

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