Are we inching closer to a ‘Set and Forget’ Everton player?

GW11 is almost upon us and it brings a set of fixtures that are heavily biased in favour of Manchester City and Chelsea assets.

However, game minutes remain a concern, with Sergio Agüero, this week’s leading captaincy contender, continuing to have his playing time managed by Pep Guardiola, while Chelsea’s Eden Hazard is only expected to see around 40 to 45 minutes of play based on signals coming out of the Blues’ camp.

City and Chelsea have the highest goal expectancies in GW11, followed by high-flying Liverpool who face a tough test this weekend against an in-form Arsenal side.

Next best are Everton, a side that have been a ‘work-in-progress’ for a considerable amount of time, that are finally showing signs of being much closer to the finished article.

Marco Silva’s troops suddenly look well-balanced, with the introduction of André Gomes seemingly tipping the scales. But which player should FPL managers be looking at?

While the majority of Fantasy Premier League managers have been focusing on Richarlison this season, it is the re-emergence of Gylfi Sigurdsson as a potential ‘Set and Forget’ star that should be catching the eye, a point that is perfectly illustrated in this Understat graphic.

The Ice-man had to play second fiddle to the likes of Wayne Rooney when it came to dead ball scenarios in a troubled debut season at Goodison Park but that has all changed now.

The Toffees rank second best to last season’s champions in terms of corners taken in 2018/19, with the Iceland international being the chief beneficiary. He has also established himself as their first choice penalty taker, is playing in his favoured number 10 role and, equally as important, has completed the full 90 minutes in each of his last 6 Premier League starts.

Brighton will be no pushovers this weekend but another good performance from Sigurdsson will surely encourage more Fantasy Premier League managers to sit up and take notice.