Fantasy football: Southampton striker Charlie Austin and Norwich forward Steven Naismith to star in 2016
By Russell Cane
Wondering which players you should be looking to include in your fantasy football team to give you an edge over your friends during the second half of the season?
ITV Football have teamed up with daily fantasy football game Oulala and identified two players who should feature on your fantasy radar in the coming weeks.
How long did it take until you realised Riyad Mahrez was the real deal and you finally put him in your side? Were you one of the managers to pick up Bafétimbi Gomis early on, only to be disappointed as his goals dried up, but continued with him regardless, waiting for his goals to return?
Bandwagons can be a frustrating part of fantasy football. Timing is crucial when deciding which bandwagons to jump on or off during the season.
So who are the upcoming players that you must be looking to get into your fantasy side?
Austin netted 18 goals in 35 appearances during his Premier League debut season for Queens Park Rangers last term and was the league's fourth top scorer behind only Sergio Agüero, Harry Kane and Diego Costa. Southampton's signing of the 26-year-old from QPR in a £4m deal was seen as a fine piece of business by Ronald Koeman's side.
The forward was on the scoresheet in the Saints' impressive 1-0 away win over Manchester United, scoring seven minutes into his debut following a header from a free-kick in the 87th minute.
Having scored 10 goals in 16 games for QPR in the Championship this season, his opening strike for Southampton took Austin's total to 11 goals in 1,152 minutes of league football. With an average of 105 minutes per goal, he sits behind only Sergio Agüero (96) as the Premier League's deadliest striker. Austin's 11 goals have come from 50 shots, providing the forward with a conversion rate of 22%. While his shot accuracy sits at 49%.
When compared to Saints top scorer, Graziano Pellè, Austin's incredible stats are highlighted even further. Pellè's six goals have come from 1,372 minutes of football in the Premier League, giving the Italian a 229 minutes-per-goal average. Having taken 52 shots, his conversion rate sits at a disappointing 12%, while his shot accuracy is just 33%.
What supports Austin's must-have fantasy football bandwagon tag is his new side's ability to create chances. Southampton are the fifth most creative team in the Premier League at present, having made a total of 246 chances in their 23 league games, an average of 10.7 per match.
With Southampton's strength in creativity supporting the striker's ability to finish, jumping on the Charlie Austin bandwagon early is advised.
Norwich City's new signing is an interesting fantasy football selection too. Like Austin, the Scot also found the net on his debut last weekend in Norwich's 4-5 loss to Liverpool. It was Naismith's fourth goal in just 538 minutes of football this season, having scored three for Everton. With an average of one goal every 135 minutes, the 29-year-old sits fifth in the minutes-per-goal table, making him more prolific on a per minute basis than both Romelu Lukaku and Odion Ighalo this season.
Naismith boasts a better conversion rate than Austin, scoring his four goals from just 10 shots - an excellent rate of 40%, while he also enjoys a far superior shot accuracy at 80%. The only factor which lets the Scot down is his new side's inability to create chances, with Norwich ranked as the 19th most creative team in the Premier League. They have carved out just 180 chances this season, an average of 7.8 per game.
While Steven Naismith is a reasonable fantasy football selection as highlighted by his minutes-per-goal, conversion rate and shot accuracy, Charlie Austin is the must have player of the two. Austin's minutes-per-goal average combined with Southampton's impressive creative stats is a match made in heaven. In short, get Charlie Austin in your fantasy football team... now!
Check out Oulala for the latest fantasy football stats