FPL Gameweek 11 – head-to-head comparisons: James Ward-Prowse vs Jarrod Bowen
As James Ward-Prowse (£6.1m) strolled into the St. Mary's changing rooms at half-time on Sunday, the prospect of the back pages of Monday's newspapers being dominated by photos of his set-piece masterclass must have crossed his mind. After laying the first goal on a plate for Jan Bednarek and caressing in a second over the helpless United wall, JWP looked to be the MVP for the Saints. Despite the spirited United comeback, the miniscule midfielder earned an impressive 11 points, only exceeded by half time substitute Edinson Cavani. The simultaneous beauty and frustration of owning Ward-Prowse is the unpredictability of his hauls; while the beauty can be found in his status as fixture proof, the frustration often outweighs this given his likelihood of blanks against sides you would often expect your players to thrive against (home fixtures against WBA & NEW most notably).
In similar fashion, Jarrod Bowen (£6.3m) has begun to adjust to the rigorous demands of playing as an attacker both in the Premier League and in a signature David Moyes team where the age-old slogan of 'every man back' permeates throughout the side regardless of the opposition. Having achieved a 13-point haul against Villa on Monday night, Bowen has potentially helped to classify himself as an infrequent point scorer with a very high point ceiling in the FPL community.
While both players have amassed a large amount of blanks this season, Bowen began the season with a nightmare run of fixtures and while he faces a soaring Manchester United side this weekend, Ward Prowse pointed towards their ever-existent defensive frailties last gameweek. While we would expect neither to achieve overly impressive returns this week, the prospect of Bowen facing Brandon Williams, with Luke Shaw out and Alex Telles doubtful for the weekend, is perhaps an opportunity for Bowen to kick on with back-to-back hauls.
Verdict: Jarrod Bowen
