Fantasy football scout tips gameweek 18: Eden Hazard, Raheem Sterling, Danny Ings and more

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Eden Hazard​

Fresh from a late EFL Cup winner as a second-half substitute against Bournemouth on Wednesday night, Eden Hazard is among the fantasy market's most popular picks this week.

Hazard scored and assisted at Brighton last weekend - maintaing a four-week run of points returns - and appears to be the most desirable premium player over the Christmas fixtures.

Chelsea travel to Watford and Crystal Palace after Leicester's visit this weekend, then welcome Southampton to Stamford Bridge in the New Year.

Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling was also in EFL Cup action in midweek, though the less said about his penalty miss, the better.

Sterling at least only featured as a substitute, suggesting he could start when Crystal Palace visit the Etihad this weekend. Last time out, he scored against Everton despite starting the afternoon on the bench.

The winger has an almost perfect record of returning against teams outside the top six this season, provided he plays.

Danny Ings

After scoring twice in Southampton's victory over Arsenal last week, Danny Ings returns to our collective radar.

The former Liverpool striker looks like a perfect fit for Ralph Hasenhuttl's high-octane pressing football and is still modestly priced at just £5.4m.

A trip to Huddersfield Town followed by meeting West Ham at home could be profitable, but beware the rough run of fixtures that follow.

Fabian Balbuena

West Ham's excellent run of fixtures is not finished yet, with Javi Gracia's Watford visiting the London Stadium on Saturday.

While an attacking player - either Felipe Anderson or Javier Hernandez - is borderline essential for the next few weeks, there is also potential at the back.

Manuel Pellegrini's side have kept two clean sheets in their last three and Fabian Balbuena offers a cheap route into their defence.

Salomon Rondon

If still not sold on Ings, another budget forward option in Newcastle United's Salomon Rondon, who scored to earna 1-0 victory at Huddersfield Town last week.

Priced at just £5.8m, Rondon has now scored or assisted in each of the last three gameweeks and comes up against the top flight's worst defensive side in Fulham this weekend.

Meanwhile, in Newcastle's midfield, Christian Atsu appears to have won a place under Rafael Benitez and his shooting statistics also offer promise.

Honourable mentions: Lukasz Fabianski, David Luiz, Leroy Sané, Felipe Anderson, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.