This article is part of our FPL Best XI series.
In its return from another international break, the Premier League offered up an exciting Gameweek 12 that saw Chelsea remain unbeaten with a 2-0 victory over West Brom.
Behind the front-runners, Southampton dropped points at Aston Villa, who earned an unlikely 1-1 draw. That result allowed Manchester City to close the gap on second-place with a 2-1 victory against Swansea City.
Level on 18 points with the Welsh club is West Ham, who in losing to Everton were jumped by a streaking Newcastle side that topped Queens Park Rangers to claim its fifth straight win and move into fifth-place on the table.
Another top-five entrant was Manchester United, who despite looking second-best for large portions of Saturday's match at Arsenal, prevailed with an inspiring 2-1 win to take fourth-place.
Burnley also notched an improbable 2-1 road win at Stoke City, while Tottenham earned three points by the same score-line at Hull City.
In a match of bottom-half outfits, Leicester City and Sunderland played out a scoreless draw, but perhaps the most depressing outcome came for Liverpool, whose freefall continued with a 3-1 loss at Crystal Palace.
From those matches, last week's Best XI fared decently, producing three clean sheets, two goals, and an assist.
Goalkeeper Fraser Forster made seemingly his first mistake of the season, which led to Aston Villa's lone goal Monday.
Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross also disappointed, conceding two goals to Burnley; however, both Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic and Newcastle's Daryl Janmaat compensated nicely with clean sheet performances
In the midfielder, Manchester United's Angel di Maria supplied an assist at Arsenal, while across London, Eden Hazard doubled Chelsea's advantage with a first-half goal against West Brom and earned a clean sheet along the way.
Meanwhile, Stoke-loanee Victor Moses was withdrawn after 56 minutes with an injury that could sideline him for the entire upcoming holiday schedule, and Alexis Sanchez was plenty active, but he could not muster a goal versus Manchester United
Up front, Danny Welbeck failed to score against his boyhood club Manchester United, but Chelsea talisman Diego Costa scored his eleventh goal of the season in Saturday's win over West Brom.
That goal brought Costa just one score behind Manchester City's Sergio Aguero for the league-lead, as Aguero went scoreless versus Swansea City last weekend.
Looking at Gameweek 13's fixtures, last season's top-six are coming off midweek European action, while all 20 Premiership sides now enter a crowded holiday period with matches in quick succession.
Kicking off Saturday is Arsenal at West Brom, where both teams are reeling from two consecutive league losses.
Later on, West Ham hosts Newcastle in an unlikely top-six clash, while London will also feature a relegation battle of Leicester City at last-place Queens Park Rangers.
Hoping to move out of the drop-zone, Burnley will aim for a third straight win when they face Aston Villa, and Manchester United will similarly target Saturday's match against Hull City for their third win in a row.
One point behind Man United, Swansea City awaits a Crystal Palace side fresh off prevailing over Liverpool, who welcome Stoke City in desperation-mode.
Ending Saturday's contests is Sunderland versus Chelsea, as the Blues look to extend their unblemished record to an unlucky 13 matches.
While Chelsea is assured to remain atop the table after this weekend, Sunday's top-heavy tussle of Manchester City at Southampton includes massive second-place implications in what will be the home side's toughest test to date.
To finish, Tottenham invite Everton to White Hart Lane in a fixture of last season's Europa League qualifiers.
Given those matchups, let's project the best fantasy performers for Gameweek 13 of the Premier League.
Formation: 3-4-3
Goalkeeper:
David de Gea (Manchester United)
Although new Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal's preferred three-man defense has endured its share of lumps this season, the Red Devils have strung together consecutive clean sheets. While head-scratching names like "McNair" and "Blackett" have been regular names in that defense, goalkeeper David de Gea has emerged as a supreme shot-stopper. Still only 24 years old, the Spaniard registered eight saves in United's win at Arsenal last weekend. This time around, de Gea returns to Old Trafford to face a Hull City team on a five-game winless streak that has managed just one goal over its past four outings.
Defenders:
Ashley Williams (Swansea City)
Along with goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, Williams has been a rock in the middle of Swansea's defense this season. Across all competitions, the Swans have blanked this weekend's opponent Crystal Palace in five out of six meetings, with the Eagles' only goal coming last season, when Swansea was reduced to 10 men. Furthermore, Williams' Swansea side fares especially well at home, as only Chelsea and Southampton have allowed fewer home goals than Swansea's four to date.
John Terry (Chelsea)
The captain of the league's best team, Terry has helped lead Chelsea to the Premier League's second-best defensive record thus far, as the Blues have conceded less than one goal per game through 12 outings. Always well organized, Jose Mourinho's men will have their sights on back-to-back clean sheets at Sunderland this weekend. Although the Black Cats seemed to have Chelsea's number last season, winning two of three meetings, no team has been stronger than the Blues this season, perhaps painting a different picture ahead of this weekend's tie. Furthermore, only four teams have scored fewer goals than Sunderland, who failed to score against 18th-place Leicester City in Gameweek 12.
Per Mertesacker (Arsenal)
Make no mistake, Arsenal's defense has been exposed on numerous occasions this season, often conceding a goal from their opponents' first attempt on goal. However, following an eye-opening loss to Manchester United last weekend, the Gunners appeared far more focused defensively in the midweek versus Borussia Dortmund. For this weekend's Premiership match at West Brom, Mertesacker could welcome back his defensive partner Laurent Koscielny, which would represent a calming figure for the slow-footed German. Together, they form a fine partnership that could thwart a Baggies' setup with one win from their past six matches.
Midfielders:
Angel di Maria (Manchester United)
With an assist last weekend, di Maria now totes six through his first 10 Premier League efforts. Additionally, the Argentine very easily could have notched his fourth goal last weekend, had he not bundled a late one-on-one chip attempt. Nonetheless, "Angel of Mary" is always a thorn in the side of opponents, which could prove plenty problematic this Saturday versus a Hull City team just one point above the relegation zone. The Tigers haven't won since mid-October, so a trip to Old Trafford is hardly ideal at this stage. Moreover, Manchester United have scored at least three goals in their past four matches with Hull across all competitions – recent history that bodes well for di Maria.
Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea)
The only Premiership side with an average of over two goals per match, Chelsea's offensive exploits have often been started by Fabregas, whose 10 assists are unmatched in England's top-flight. Following an assist last weekend, Fabregas set up another Chelsea score in their midweek Champions League triumph. Put simply, Fabregas' creativity has been instrumental in the Blues' offensive exploits this season, which are far improved compared to last season's side. The Spaniard and Chelsea have an excellent matchup at Sunderland this weekend, as just three teams have conceded more goals than the Black Cats. In their most recent league match at the Stadium of Light, Chelsea manufactured four goals and may be poised for a similar outburst as they return to the ground this weekend.
Kevin Mirallas (Everton)
After an injury spell interrupted the beginning of his season, Mirallas returned last weekend for Everton to play 66 minutes. While he earned a yellow card in that truncated cameo, Mirallas started the Toffees' midweek Europa League match and recorded one goal and one assist in a 2-0 win over Wolfsburg. Overall, Mirallas boasts four goals from nine total appearances for Everton this season. That production is encouraging ahead of this weekend's match at Tottenham, who still haven't looked on-point under manager Mauricio Pochettino. On the other hand, Everton is enjoying a five-game unbeaten streak and only the Premier League's top-three (Chelsea, Southampton, and Manchester City) have outscored Roberto Martinez's team, who are certainly glad to have Mirallas back available.
Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
A no-brainer selection in fantasy leagues where he's designated as a midfielder, Alexis' three-game scoring streak was snapped last weekend versus Manchester United; however, the Chilean dazzled once again in the midweek with a curling goal in Champions League play. On the whole, Alexis has 11 goals in 16 outing for his new club, who will rely on their frantic frontman this weekend to snap a two-game losing streak. Fortunately for the Gunners, Gameweek 13 opponents West Brom have shipped 10 goals at home, which is tied for the second-worst home defense in the Premier League.
Forwards:
Wayne Rooney (C) (Manchester United)
With a lifted counter-attack goal last weekend, Rooney took the Manchester United lead with four scores in the Premier League this season. Considering last week's international appearance for England, Rooney has bagged three goals in two matches, and six goals and two assists over his past eight total performances. Prior to his Gameweek 12 score, Rooney's previous three league goals all came at Old Trafford, where Manchester United welcomes Hull City this weekend. Remarkably, in the Red Devils' past four meetings with the Tigers, United has accrued 13 goals, with Rooney personally tallying an amazing six goals and two assists in his last three games against Hull. Given that insane recent production versus Hull, Rooney dons the Best XI captain's armband this weekend.
Diego Costa (Chelsea)
Don't look now, but Costa enters Gameweek 13 with a leg concern, which coincides with a hamstring issue that has lingered throughout the campaign. No matter, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has deemed Costa fit ahead of this weekend's match at Sunderland, where the Blues will look to keep their unbeaten record intact. Speaking of records, Costa's goal history of 11 in 10 Premier League outings is phenomenal, giving him the second-most goals in England to date. He's scored in his past two league games and is now pitted versus a Sunderland defense that has displayed a penchant for not only scoring on themselves, but also allowing opponents to score fairly regularly this season.
Wilfried Bony (Swansea City)
Continuing the trend, Bony also scored last weekend (at Manchester City) and with five goals in 10 starts on the campaign, the Ivory Coast international is another reliable force in front of goal. Through 12 matches, Bony claims nearly one-third of Swansea City's 16 league goals, 10 of which have come at home. Conversely, opponents Crystal Palace have leaked 12 away goals this season, a mark that proves only last-place Queens Park Rangers has fared worse defensively on the road. With Swansea's sights on remaining in the picture for European competition next season, the Swans should steadily serve Bony in a favorable matchup this Saturday.
de Gea
Williams – Terry – Mertesacker
di Maria – Fabregas – Mirallas – Alexis
Rooney (C) – Costa - Bony
