It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know the value of star players to fantasy owners. However, astute owners also know the importance of sleeper selections cannot be overstated.
Combined, stars and sleepers can fuel fantasy success under seemingly any budget. With Mondogoal's Week 14 Premier League contests in mind, let's pinpoint one star and one sleeper in each part of the pitch ahead of this weekend's round.
Defense
Star: Seamus Coleman, DEF (£8.4M)
With a salary toward the expensive side among defenders, Coleman has rediscovered a bit of form lately, recording an assist and a clean sheet for Everton last weekend. That performance resulted in 11.20 points on MondoGoal, which followed consecutive eight-plus point totals for his native Ireland over the international break. This weekend, the marauding right back has a good opportunity to put together another top display, as Everton travel to 19th-place Bournemouth, who are winless in seven straight and are barely averaging one goal per game.
Sleeper: Wayne Hennessey, G (£6.8M)
Disappointingly, Hennessey's lone goal allowed Monday against lowly Sunderland came off a defensive error from a teammate, but thankfully the Welshman has another favorable matchup this time around. Still sporting the Premiership's fifth-best defensive record, Palace play host to a Newcastle outfit presently deploying the league's fifth-worst attack. In fact, Newcastle have scored once from their last three matches, making Hennessey a cut-price candidate to capitalize on an excellent matchup in Week 14.
Midfield
Star: Mesut Ozil (£15.3M)
Considering only one player costs more than him on Mondogoal, Ozil's sheer brilliance in recent weeks is evident in his evaluation. The German is riding a Premier League record seven straight games with at least one assist, which has helped him average 10.90 points per game this season. Coming off a spectacular 20.80-point performance in Arsenal's midweek Champions League win, Ozil will look forward to facing Norwich City this weekend. Since only three teams have conceded more goals than the Canaries thus far, Ozil's assist-laden assault could very well continue come Sunday.
Sleeper: Manuel Lanzini, M (£6.4M)
A player quickly climbing the Mondogoal midfield ranks, Lanzini's 7.70 point average puts him in the top 20 among players at his position. Impressively, this comes in the 22-year-old's first taste of the Premier League, as he spent last season playing in the United Arab Emirates. Despite that contrasting level of competition, Lanzini has scored in three of his past five matches for West Ham, whose recent injury to playmaker Dimitri Payet figures to increase the Argentine's importance. Costing merely £6.4M, Lanzini's leading role in the Premiership's third-best offense makes him a magnificent sleeper selection versus West Brom this weekend.
Attack
Star: Jamie Vardy, F (£11.4M)
In a surely unexpected, coincidental bit of scheduling, Vardy is slated to go for the Premier League's record for consecutive games with a goal this weekend against Manchester United, for whom Ruud van Nistelrooy scored in 10 straight games in 2003. While such a steak is enough to incorporate Vardy in fantasy lineups, the facts that he's fired Leicester City into first place and Saturday's match comes at home make him a must-have. With 165.57 points on Mondogoal this season, Vardy is in comfortable lead of the all-important category, and could spark his stardom to historic heights this Saturday.
Sleeper: Troy Deeney, F (£9.0M)
Relative to some of his high-price peers at the position, Deeney's £9.0M salary won't break the bank, and his recent form has proven worth the investment. To that point, Deeney has found the back of the net in three of Watford's last four games, bringing his goal tally level with his three assists this season. Combined, he and Odion Ighalo have willed Watford up to 13th place at the moment, and that climb could continue Saturday at last-place Aston Villa. Fresh off shipping four goals last weekend, the Villains' torrent time lends itself nicely to another delightful Deeney display.
