West Ham are sitting seventh in the Premier League table with good options across all positions, in this blog their Fantasy Premier League (FPL) assets are compared to determine the best investments going forward.

As the above image from our Fixture Planner shows, the Hammers are ranked fifth for Fixture Difficulty over the next five Gameweeks with matchups against Everton, Forest and Burnley particularly attractive. It is worth mentioning that the Hammers have scored at least once in every game this season.

A look at the Stats Sandbox image above shows Bowen top for xFPL (46.42), he is the Hammers' top scorer with five goals and is also top for shots in the box (SiB) (19), 'big chances' (BC) (seven) and 'Expected Goals' (xG) (3.94). Souček's numbers also catch the eye, the Czech Republic international is second for SiB (12), significantly ahead of Antonio (six) and has been afforded five BC. At just £4.9m, he can be a great enabler to allow upgrades in other positions. Ward-Prowse is second for xFPL (35.77) but a large chunk of this comes from his creativity rather than his goal threat. His 15 attempted assists and four BC created see him top the creativity numbers. Antonio's numbers are quite poor with just six SiB, two BC and 1.15 xG, there are better options in the West Ham attack than the 33-year-old.

In defence, Coufal's numbers are impressive. The right-back has notched up four assists and the underlying numbers indicate that this trend may continue. He has attempted 11 assists and created two BC. However, he has yet to attempt a shot and if in the market for a defender with goal threat, Zouma appeals. The 28-year-old has already found the back of the net once and with Ward-Prowse's expert set-piece delivery, a goal always feels around the corner. Areola also offers a cheap route into the Hammers' backline at a price of just £4.2m.

What do the Projections say?

As the above image from the Fix Algorithm shows, Coufal is projected to be the fifth highest scoring defender (21.2) at £4.5m or under over the next six gameweeks with Zouma (20.2) in sixth. Aguerd (19.3) is just slightly behind in ninth.

Bowen (28.2) is the highest projected scoring midfielder at £7.5m or under, he is projected to outscore the likes of Mitoma (25.2) and Diaby (26.2) over that period. Meanwhile, Ward-Prowse (22.5) is the fourth-highest projected scoring midfielder at £6.5m and under while Souček (20.7) is eighth.

Based on this analysis, Areola, Coufal, Zouma, Ward-Prowse, Bowen and Souček all appear to be great picks and FPL managers can opt for the assets which suit their budget.