This article is part of our FPL Best XI series.
Gameweek 21 of the Premiership was golden for fantasy owners in search of clean sheets, as six of the 10 matches ended with a scoreless team. In contrast, only one team (Arsenal) scored more than two goals, offering less offensive production to go around.
Liverpool opened the weekend with a 1-0 win at Sunderland, but Best XI midfielder Raheem Sterling did not feature, as the he was instead enjoying a scheduled rest on a Jamaican beach.
Back in England, Leicester earned a much-needed 1-0 win versus Aston Villa, while West Brom got a goal from Best XI forward Saido Berahino to edge Hull City by the same scoreline.
Also securing a Saturday clean sheet was Chelsea, whose right-back Branislav Ivanovic supplied an assist to go with Best XI teammate Diego Costa's goal and Best XI captain Eden Hazard's clean sheet contribution in the Blues' 2-0 win versus Newcastle.
Making it three-for-three for Best XI forwards was Charlie Austin, who scored from the spot in Queens Park Rangers' 2-1 road loss to Burnley.
Similarly, the London derby of Tottenham at Crystal Palace finished in a 2-1 result for the home side despite Spurs' keeper Hugo Lloris stopping five shot attempts.
That result kept Swansea City and West Ham in close distance of the Europa League qualification spot, as Saturday's 1-1 draw saw both teams gain a point in the standings, with Hammers' defender Aaron Cresswell earning fantasy points for minutes played.
Meanwhile, David Silva matched Cresswell's point return for his part in Manchester City's 1-1 draw at Everton, which saw the Citizens fall behind Chelsea in the title race.
Behind the top-two sides, Southampton jumped Manchester United for third place by seeing out a 1-0 win at Old Trafford on Sunday, while fifth-place Arsenal convincingly beat Stoke City 3-0 behind a splendid pair of goals, an assist and clean sheet from Alexis Sanchez.
However, in the latter match, the Gunners and the Best XI received only 13 minutes played from defender Mathieu Debuchy, who suffered a separated shoulder that will now keep him out for three months.
Overall, the Gameweek 21 Best XI produced five goals, three clean sheets and two assists last weekend.
Looking ahead to this week's action, leaders Chelsea visit Swansea in Saturday's most top-heavy pairing, while the late match of Southampton at Newcastle makes for another top-half tie.
Elsewhere, Tottenham will aim to avenge last weekend's letdown with a good result at home versus Sunderland, and Queens Park Rangers will hope for some luck when hosting mighty Manchester United.
In danger of relegation, last-place Leicester City should take confidence from last weekend's win into this Saturday's home date with Stoke City. Similarly, 17th-place Burnley could claim consecutive wins provided they protect home field against 15th-place Crystal Palace.
Saturday will also see Liverpool look to take advantage of Aston Villa's current six-game winless streak.
Come Sunday, West Ham's home match against 18th-place Hull City offers a favorable opportunity for the London club to snap their four-game winless streak, while the late game of Arsenal at Manchester City is undoubtedly the showcase match of the weekend.
However, in a match of teams just one point apart, Everton hosts West Brom on Monday to wrap up the Gameweek 22 slate.
Taking those matchups into account, let's project some of the top fantasy performers for this latest round of the Premiership.
Formation: 3-4-3
Goalkeeper:
David de Gea
v. 
Although new Man United manager Louis van Gaal's defensive system has taken its lumps at times, the Red Devils' No. 1 de Gea has certainly been a bright spot in goal this season. With de Gea averaging nearly three saves per game, United presently claims the Premier League's fourth-best defensive record. This weekend, the Spaniard will go for his seventh clean sheet at a Queens Park Rangers team that has been quite one-dimensional in attack, as striker Charlie Austin has 13 of their 23 goals this season. With van Gaal devising against Austin, and Man United having kept a clean sheet in five of their past six outings against Queens Park Rangers, de Gea could be a fine selection in Gameweek 22.
Defenders:
Yes, Everton's defense has been abysmal this season, allowing a total of 34 goals that have Roberto Martinez's team sitting second-last in the category. However, they could enjoy a short-lived reversal of fortune this weekend given their intriguing home matchup versus West Brom. Only two teams have scored fewer goals on the road than West Brom, who tote just three goals from their past five total matches. With two goals and eight assists, the ever-attacking Baines' stock is also boosted by the fact Everton has kept a clean sheet in two of their past three home games versus West Brom, who they also blanked in the prior meeting between the sides this season.
Filipe Luis
v. 
Chelsea's less-renowned summer signing from Atletico Madrid, Luis has spent most of the Blues' Premier League outings on the bench behind countryman Cesar Azpilicueta. However, with Azpilicueta likely to miss this weekend's match at Swansea, Luis figures to start at left-back, where he's impressed when on the pitch this season. To that point, Luis has five clean sheets through 14 total appearances and offers nice attacking potential behind winger Eden Hazard. Against a Swansea team that sold top striker Wilfried Bony this week and has scored only three goals in their past three Premiership match, Luis and Chelsea may grab another clean sheet.
A Best XI selection last week, Cresswell makes another appearance ahead of Saturday's awesome home matchup against Hull City. Not only does West Ham have three clean sheets from their past four home games in league play, but Hull's 20 goals through 21 games this season is better than only three teams. What's more, a Hull side that has gone scoreless in five of their past seven away matches will be without both of their starting strikers, Nikica Jelavic and Abel Hernandez, due to injury this weekend. All in all, Cresswell's chances of a clean sheet appear to be excellent.
Midfielders:
With striker Harry Kane scoring last weekend, Eriksen's tie for Spurs' team-lead in goals was broken, but the midfielder's seven scores through 21 matches is still quite impressive. Eriksen also leads Tottenham in shot attempts and he scored against Sunderland earlier this season, not to mention a goal and two assists versus the Black Cats last season. This time around, Sunderland have just one win from their past 11 league matches heading into the weekend, while Spurs have nine goals from their past three square-offs with Sunderland. Those numbers certainly bode well for Eriksen, who plays the valued No. 10 role for a Mauricio Pochettino-coached attack with nine goals from their past pair of appearances at White Hart Lane.
Leading one of the surprise successes this season, Downing's seven assists thus far are bested by merely three players league-wide. While one of those helpers came last weekend at Swansea, the left-footed attacker also boasts four goals, though just one has come at Upton Park. That where Downing faces Hull City this Saturday, when the Hammers will take pride in having scored at least two goals in seven of their last eight matches against Hull in all competitions. The Tigers are expected to struggle offensively, which should allow Downing to see plenty of the ball in the attacking third.
Troubled by injuries, Mirallas hasn't played a full 90 minutes since Boxing Day, but he's still scored two goals in 165 total minutes since then. That recent output was highlighted by a dazzling midweek FA Cup display Tuesday, when Mirallas provided a goal and an assist in 23 minutes of action. On the whole, the Belgian carries eight goals and two assists in 17 appearances for the Toffees across all competitions. With that momentum, Mirallas should be raring to go ahead of Monday's match versus West Brom, especially since he scored against West Brom earlier this season, as well as in his preceding effort against the Baggies.
Seemingly a weekly theme, Alexis amazed for Arsenal last time out, propelling the Gunners to victory and upping his statistics to 12 goals and seven assists through his first 19 Premier League starts. In fact, no player in England has more combined goals and assists this season, making Alexis an elite fantasy contributor. The Chilean has been so outstanding that Sunday's tough matchup at Manchester City still seems like one he could prosper from. That's especially true when remembering that last season's match of Arsenal at City produced nine total goals, hinting toward another spectacular offensive outburst this weekend. Alexis scored against the Citizens earlier this season and figures to play a large role in the return fixture as well.
Forwards:
With another win last weekend, Southampton has remarkably gone undefeated in their past five Premier League matches, which have mostly come against stiff opposition. Over the span, Pelle managed to score just once, but his eight league goals still top the Saints' ranks. The towering Italian bagged a brace against Newcastle earlier this season, so Saturday's match at St. James' Park should be a welcomed opportunity for Pelle to build his tally. While only two teams (QPR and Everton) has surrendered more goals than Newcastle this season, the Magpies' 15 goals allowed over their past six games in four more than any other Premiership side.
Wayne Rooney (C) v.
After a stellar run of form, Rooney has come back to Earth lately, going scoreless in his past four total matches. However, this weekend's contest at Queens Park Rangers appears to be a ripe rebound opportunity for the Man United captain. That's because Rooney's side has outscored QPR 13-1 over their past five league meetings, with the Englishman providing three goals and two assists over those encounters. Furthermore, QPR currently sport the Premiership's worst defensive record, having allowed at least three more goals than any other outfit. After being shut out at home last weekend, Rooney should be primed to lead an improved attacking display, making him the Best XI captain for Gameweek 22.
Despite having not started a match since the end of November, Aguero's 14-goal haul still sits just one score behind the league-lead in the category, evidencing the Argentine's astounding impact when fit. Following a second-half cameo last weekend, Aguero is expected to be ready to start Sunday's match versus Arsenal, whom he has scored two goals in his past three matches against. Although the Gunners' attacking absentees have mostly returned, Arsene Wenger's side is still short in numbers in defensive areas, which plays perfectly into Aguero's hand. City is only one goal behind Chelsea for the league-lead right now, which could change by this weekend now that Manuel Pellegrini has his star striker back available.
De Gea
Baines – Luis – Cresswell
Eriksen – Downing – Mirallas – Alexis
Pelle – Rooney (C) - Aguero
