Fantasy Premier League

GW7 Ones to watch: Aaron Cresswell

By The Scout 28 Sep 2017

West Ham's wing-back leads all defenders for crosses, as Andy Carroll and FPL managers prepare to profit

The Scout is naming five players to target ahead of Gameweek 7 in Fantasy Premier League.

Aaron Cresswell (WHU) £5.0m

A recent tactical tweak has transformed the potential of West Ham United defender Aaron Cresswell.

As a left-back over the opening three Gameweeks, Cresswell averaged only 3.7 crosses per match.

But manager Slaven Bilic has moved Cresswell to wing-back, coinciding with the return to fitness of Andy Carroll (£5.9m).

Cross king

Playing further up the pitch, and with a target man to hit, Cresswell has averaged a huge 15.7 crosses per match since Gameweek 4.

He leads all FPL defenders for crosses (58), with Ben Davies (£5.7m) second on 35, and only the Tottenham Hotspur full-back has created more chances (14) among defenders than Cresswell's nine.

Set-piece threat

Cresswell's involvement at set-pieces has been another factor in his transformation.

He has taken 16 of West Ham's 17 corners from Gameweek 4, finding a team-mate with six. No FPL defender has bettered either tally.

This sets him up for big points in Gameweek 7, with Swansea City the visitors to London Stadium.

Swansea flaw

Paul Clement’s men have conceded the most chances (33) down their right in the league and rank fourth for attempts conceded at set-plays (26).

Should Carroll earn a recall to West Ham's starting line-up, he will be facing a favoured opponent.

Carroll has five goals and three assists in eight Premier League appearances against Swansea and has been involved in six of the eight home goals West Ham have scored against them.

Clean sheet promise

Cresswell may also be in line for points from a clean sheet since Swansea have failed to score in four of their six matches and have produced the fewest shots (40).

Bilic’s defence also kept two successive shutouts before the 3-2 defeat by Spurs in Gameweek 6.

Owned by a mere 0.7% of FPL managers, Cresswell is set for a prosperous spell, with five of his next seven opponents scoring two or less in the Fixture Difficulty Rankings (FDR).

That begins in Gameweek 7 with an encounter that could provide double-figure returns.