This article is part of our Ball Watching series.
I. There is a bright spot on QPR
New boy Niko Kranjcar had his admirable performance capped off by his first goal for the club off a free kick. In his two starts (playing the full 90 in both), the Croatian midfielder has averaged five shots and two key passes. If he can improve his 75 percent overall pass percentage, he will be a consistent budget performer for all fantasy formats.
II. That Fox in That Box
Leicester's Leonardo Ulloa has an impressive five goals in five games. In last week's column, however, I described "The Diego Costa Principle" and Ulloa could very well be another player in line for a slump. His five goals have come on a total of eleven shots (45 percent goal conversion) -- a rate that is simply unsustainable. He will need to shoot more to keep up this pace and judging by the fact that the Foxes' 9.8 shots/game rank them 18th in the Premier League, I doubt that happens.
III. That Fox in That Other Box
Kasper Schmeichel, even after conceding three goals against Manchester United, is going to be the value goalkeeper for the next two months. Here is Leicester's fixture list until December: at Crystal Palace, v. Burnley, at Newcastle, at Swansea, v. West Brom, at Southampton, v. Sunderland, at QPR. Taking out the games at Swansea and Southampton, they are all favorable. Plus, if you get points for saves, Leciester concedes 21.6 shots/game. That number should go down given this fixture list, but Schmeichel has the skill and opportunity now to become your next Brad Guzan while the real Brad Guzan continues his tour of last season's top-five teams in five consecutive weeks.
VI. Will the Real Mesut Ozil Please Stand Up?
Ozil's goal and assist against Aston Villa were exactly what the doctor ordered for the much-maligned German midfielder. However, his involvement in those two goals Saturday equaled his involvement from his last 11 Premier League games combined. Gunner fans have expected much from their club-record signing, but thus far he has been inconsistent, at best. For now, he is not worth the speculative buy considering the price in salary cap formats. However, if you have him on your roster, you should continue to start him because you simply never know.
VII. Who is Diafra Sakho?
The West Ham forward is in sparkling form having netted in each of his last two starts. The most recent goal was a cheeky chip that could have easily been a cross attempt that happened to go in. However, even if it was a cross, fellow Hammer forward Enner Valencia would have easily headed home. Either way, the partnership between Valencia and Sakho is working very well and the two new signings for the East London club have given a new look to Sam Allardyce's side. Given the price, he is worth a speculative buy, but don't expect this form to continue through the rest of the season
VIII. Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde
Manchester United are a tale of two sides of the ball: The Louis Van Gaalacticos going forward are outright scary, as they showed against Leicester on Sunday. They are also equally scary when in their defensive third. I don't care who they play, I'm not going to select a single Red Devil defender/goalkeeper due to the lack of clean sheets kept. I have been critical of the high rankings given to the likes of Phil Jones and David De Gea on the podcast, and I will continue to preach caution, if not outright fear, when it comes to the defense at Manchester United.
