Only 46,183 Fantasy Premier League managers selected West Ham defender Declan Rice in gameweek 22. After the 20-year-old’s performance against Arsenal, that number is sure to grow.
Rice tallied 15 FPL points against the Gunners’ vaunted attack. Not only did he keep a clean sheet, but Rice scored his first goal of the season. So, who is West Ham defender Declan Rice?
Declan Rice – 54 FPL points
Rice’s gameweek 22 performance was certainly his coming out party. However, it wasn’t his first solid performance of the season. In gameweek 6 against Chelsea, Rice tallied six points and he equalled that sum eight matches later versus Newcastle.
Against Fulham in gameweek 17, Rice put together a seven-point tally. While he does have a lot of one and two point totals, Rice has proved he has plenty of potential.
Since gameweek 5, Rice has been ever-present in the West Ham team. He has started and played 90 minutes every gameweek. In total, Rice has tallied 1,665 minutes.
Just as impressive as Rice’s points total is his two yellow cards. A fantastic low total for a regular player.
At £4.4 million, FPL managers may give the young defender a shot in gameweek 23. Surely, more than 46,183 managers will select him for West Ham’s fixture against Bournemouth.
West Ham will face Wolverhampton Wanderers to finish out January. Manuel Pellegrini’s team has the chance to take all six points from both fixtures.
Rice made his West Ham Premier League debut in 2016-17, but it wasn’t until last term that he played regular minutes. Rice collected 1,421 minutes in 2017-18, a figure he has already shattered. He did manage 41 FPL points.
The West Ham defender is already being linked with a move away from the Hammers. If he continues to play well, he will be wanted by everyone.
FPL managers could get a bargain defender for gameweek 23 that can tally needed points. Declan Rice could be the real deal against a struggling Bournemouth.