The return of Roy Hodgson as Crystal Palace manager has revived the prospects of their star players in Fantasy Premier League.
The Eagles have won both their matches since the 75-year-old replaced Patrick Vieira at the helm, defeating Leicester City and Leeds United to move six points clear of the bottom three.
Palace’s style of play has been noticeably different from Hodgson’s previous spell in charge, with seven goals over those two encounters indicative of a more expansive approach.
The underlying numbers also back up the improved potential of the Eagles’ attack.
Palace's last two matches
| Total | Rank | |
| Shots | 47 | =1st |
|---|---|---|
| Shots in box | 34 | 1st |
| Big chances | 7 | 5th |
| Set-piece shots | 16 | 1st |
| Shots on target | 16 | =1st |
Their 47 shots over their last two matches ranked joint-top with Manchester United, while their 16 shots on target were level at the summit with Manchester City.
Notably, they have boasted the greatest threat of any side from set-pieces, with the delivery of Michael Olise (£5.4m) proving a major weapon.
Olise’s three assists in the 5-1 victory over Leeds earned him his season-high 14 points, taking him to eight assists for the campaign.
Olise's assist for Eze goal
Easter e̶g̶g̶s̶ Ebs 😍🐣#CPFC pic.twitter.com/biO1H0ZJRk
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) April 9, 2023
That places joint joint-fifth overall along with Mohamed Salah (£12.8m), Martin Odegaard (£6.7m), Solly March (£5.2m) and Jack Grealish (£7.0m).
Eberechi Eze (£5.4m) and Jordan Ayew (£5.2m) each produced attacking returns in both of the last two matches, although the latter’s role as a starter will be under threat when Wilfried Zaha (£7.2m) returns from injury.
Crucially, Palace are set to embark on one of the most appealing run-ins of any side, lifting their prospects for more goals.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), seven of their remaining eight matches score only two.
| GW | Opp | FDR | GW | Opp | FDR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | SOU(A) | 2 | 35 | TOT(A) | 4 |
| 32 | EVE(H) | 2 | 36 | BOU(H) | 2 |
| 33 | WOL(A) | 2 | 37 | FUL(A) | 2 |
| 34 | WHU(H) | 2 | 38 | NFO (H) | 2 |
Value in defence
The underlying statistics in defence also suggest Palace can reward managers in Fantasy with clean sheets in the coming period.
They conceded just 14 shots in those last two matches, second only to the eight of Man City.
Palace's last two matches
| Total | Rank | |
| Shots conceded | 14 | 2nd |
|---|---|---|
| Shots in box conceded | 11 | 4th |
| Big chances conceded | 1 | =2nd |
Palace allowed their opponents just one big chance, placing them joint-second.
Again, there are strong options to consider among Hodgson's backline.
Marc Guehi (£4.4m) scored his first goal of 2022/23 in the win over Leeds, while his fellow centre-back Joachim Andersen (£4.5m) has recorded 16 shots in the box, more than any defensive team-mate.
If Palace can take advantage of their kind run-in, they could richly reward Fantasy managers at both ends of the pitch.