FPL tips: Jack Grealish and Matt Ritchie lead list of fantasy underachievers

Jack Grealish and Matt Ritchie are among the top Premier League players who the data says should be scoring and assisting more regularly.

By analysing Threat and Creativity data, we have compiled two lists – one which shows the players whose performances warrant more goals than they have registered, and likewise for assists.

With a score of around 100 Threat and 100 Creativity historically equating to a goal or assist’s worth of chances respectively, we can see which players are failing to convert those numbers into FPL points.

And Manchester City’s big summer signing leads the way when it comes to underachieving in front of goal.

Goals for Grealish?

Yes, Grealish has accumulated more than 350 Threat so far this season, but has just one goal to his name.

The England midfielder managed a goal in gameweek two against relegation battlers Norwich, but since then has failed to add to his tally.

Grealish scored 14 goals during the last two league seasons but appears to have lost some of his cutting edge, his Threat numbers suggesting he could easily have scored three or four.

He has registered four Threat totals of more than 50 so far this season, showing he is getting into the right areas, but when will he find his shooting boots and start enticing FPL bosses?

Elsewhere, Leicester midfielder Harvey Barnes‘ numbers are almost identical to Grealish’s, but his latest successful effort came a lot more recently.

Barnes finally scored his first of the season in GW11 against Leeds, having notched nine goals and five assists last season.

If he can show that the floodgates are indeed open, his £6.5m price tag for a goalscoring midfielder could prove too good to miss.

Another young England player who has lost his touch in front of goal but is putting in encouraging performances is Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka.

The midfielder has almost 300 Threat this season, but has managed just the one goal – he has now gone five games without one.

Saka did however put the icing on the cake for England by scoring their 10th against San Marino during the international break, while five goals last season hints that there may be more to come from a player still learning his trade.

Turn provider

While goals provide big FPL points, assists come in handy too – especially for defenders.

Two players who earn points for keeping goals out as well as providing them are Newcastle’s Ritchie and Manchester United’s Luke Shaw, both of whom are not quite hitting the mark at present.

Ritchie has scored a whopping 367.1 Creativity this season, enough for around four assists, but he has only registered one on the pitch.

He is the second highest ranked defender for Creativity this season and notched 15 assists across the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns.

At £4.9m and 0.2 per cent ownership Ritchie could be one of the differential picks of the season if he starts providing goals for his team-mates, while an upcoming fixture run against teams like Brentford, Norwich and Burnley could help.

Shaw meanwhile has similar numbers with just one assist to his name, that one coming in GW2 against Ritchie’s Newcastle.

With Manchester United’s form shaky, the left-back has been unable to register regular points at either end of the pitch.

His Creativity numbers remain strong however, and United can look forward to one of the kinder festive fixture schedules with games against the likes of Norwich, Brentford, Brighton and Newcastle.

At £5.2m Shaw could yet prove a top FPL asset if his team’s attackers can convert the chances he provides.