Claude Puel made the unorthodox move of resting star midfielder James Maddison against Everton in gameweek 21. The midfielder had been praised all season for his creativity and play. Yet, the under-fire manager knew that Maddison had been misfiring in recent gameweeks and decided to give the playmaker a rest. The move resulted in a Leicester win. Now, with Southampton heading to the King Power Stadium, Fantasy Premier League managers are wondering if Maddison’s time off will reap goals and assists?
Will James Maddison’s goal and assist drought continue versus Southampton
Maddison hasn’t found the back of the net since gameweek 15 against Fulham. He tallied 10 FPL points with a goal in the Foxes’ draw with the Cottagers. Since last scoring, Maddison has gone five games without a goal and just one single assist.
The midfielder’s points return over his last five matches has been dreadful with just an average of 2.2 for FPL managers.
In gameweek 20, Maddison scored zero FPL points as Leicester meekly lost to Cardiff City 1-0 at home. For the most part, despite the continual praise over Maddison’s excellent play this term, his FPL stats have dipped dramatically since gameweek 7.
Over half of Maddison’s 76 FPL points were tallied in the first seven gameweeks. Just 36 points have been registered in the 12 games that followed gameweek 7.
The midfielder’s transfer price has dipped to £6.8 million. Since topping out in gameweek 10 with over 1.09 million FPL managers selecting him, Maddison has sunk to 299,464.
His play certainly doesn’t reflect an in-form player nor does it mean he is deserving of a gameweek 22 place in an FPL manager’s team.
Leicester defeated Southampton in gameweek 3, 2-1. But Maddison did little of note in terms of FPL. He was taken off after 77 minutes having tallied a mere two points.
Managers looking for a James Maddison alternative should look to Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser. The Cherries midfielder has scored 109 points this term and recorded 12 against Watford in gameweek 21.
