The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 5

Our Watchlist rankings were refreshed earlier this week, with the defensive solidity offered by West Ham reflected in our update. Up front, we hold firm with Robin Van Persie and Carlos Tevez, while a certain Bulgarian makes his way into the top three in the tussle for our Fantasy affections. You’ll find the updated rankings, in their usual location, in right sidebar…

Goalkeepers

Jussi Jaaskelainen climbs to the top of the pile after registering a third clean sheet in his opening four matches. The West Ham stopper is racking up the save points in FPL – the top scoring keeper thus far, his cut-price appeal has already seen his cost rise this week, with strong fixtures to follow. Ben Foster has also seen a price hike. With Fantasy managers shipping out David De Gea in their droves due to Sir Alex Ferguson’s rotation policy, Foster’s security of starts and guaranteed save points is proving popular – four favourable fixtures in the next six will likely see the Baggies man continue to pick up in ownership.

Michel Vorm drops down to third after a disappointing display at Villa last weekend. Swansea have now conceded twice in their last two and with Chico still suspended and Neil Taylor out for the season, suddenly Michael Laudrup’s side look a little less enticing at the back. Everton’s Tim Howard holds steady in fourth, despite conceding twice at Goodison on Monday evening – a kind fixture list offers the Toffees stopper plenty chance of points over the next couple of months.

Defenders

Unsurprisingly, Leighton Baines remains in pole position after grabbing the opener against Newcastle on Monday evening. With City and United mustering a single clean sheet between them this term, the Toffees left-back is looking the best bet for those Fantasy managers willing to spend big at the back, with his propensity for picking up FPL bonus points returning eight already – joint-top after four Gameweeks.

Gareth McAuley is another strong West Brom option. With Goran Popov rated “very doubtful” for this weekend’s visit of Reading, McAuley and Liam Ridgewell could be primed to pick up the points once again. The former, with a goal and assist accrued already, offers the greater goal threat of the Baggies pair at present.

West Ham’s Guy Demel climbs in our estimations after another clean sheet at Norwich last weekend. The right-back looks nailed-on for Sam Allardyce’s side and priced at 4.1 in FPL and 3.6 in the Sky Sports game, he’s proving to be a cut-price gem at the back so far.

Angel Rangel continues his slow slide down the rankings. As mentioned above, the Swansea backline has been hammered by injury and suspension and Michael Laudrup’s men have paid the price. The fixture list continues to look prosperous, though; with three home matches in the next four Gameweeks, Angel’s attacking right flank raids gets the nod over budget option Ben Davies.

Thomas Vermaelen remains our Arsenal defender of choice. The Belgian is facing stiff competition from Kieran Gibbs for our Fantasy affections after the left-back produced a pair of assists against Southampton – while Carl Jenkinson remains the budget option, the imminent return of Bacary Sagna will surely prove detrimental to his game time. With three clean sheets in four, the Gunners look far more stable since employing Steve Bould as defensive coach and Vermaelen’s eye for goal is always capable of producing.

Midfielders

Eden Hazard may have drawn a blank last time out at QPR, but the Chelsea new boy holds firm at the top of the midfielder rankings. The Belgian is afforded two strong home matches in the next three Gameweeks to return to goalscoring form, with Stoke and Norwich both rolling up to the Bridge, his potential for points is obvious.

Michu remains close on Hazard’s heels. While our faith in the Swansea backline has slightly diminished, the summer signing from Rayo Vallecano looks the safest attacking option ahead of (EVE, RDG, WIG) in the next four. With Danny Graham struggling for goals and new boy Pablo Hernandez handing Michael Laudrup a selection headache out wide, Michu will be crucial to his side’s chances of bouncing back from their surprise defeat at Villa last time round.

Santi Cazorla stays in third, despite a trip to City and home clash with Chelsea up next. The Arsenal playmaker has settled seamlessly into Arsene Wenger’s first XI and looks primed for Fantasy points – as Members can see, his potential for goals and assists is second to none, when assessing the midfield options.

Steven Pienaar justified his Scout Pick selection last week with a pair of assists against Newcastle. The South African has now overtaken Marouane Fellaini in FPL and with form, fixtures and a kind mid-price valuation across the Fantasy games, Pienaar’s upcoming schedule should ensure a continuation of his recent strong performances.

Gareth Bale makes his way back up the Watchlist rankings after opening his scoring account for the season in Spurs’ win at Reading on Sunday. Many had lost patience with the Welshman after a blank first three Gameweeks and sold him on but Bale served a reminder of his capabilities against the Royals and now has four home games and a trip to Southampton in the next six to plunder the attacking returns.

Below the top five we find the likes of James Morrison and Kevin Nolan holding firm with potentially prosperous fixtures to come. Antonio Valencia replaces Shinji Kagawa as our United midfield option for the time being, while Raheem Sterling enters our thinking as a budget option. Robert Snodgrass suffers from bad fixtures but remains a worthy differential in the low-to-mid price bracket.

Forwards

Robin Van Persie and Carlos Tevez remain at the top, despite rotation concerns over the Manchester duo. With Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero both nearing full fitness, the situation may be reassessed over the coming week or two but right now, our faith in the pair still remains strong.

Dimitar Berbatov leaps up the rankings after his eye-catching home debut for Fulham last weekend. Reunited with Martin Jol, the Bulgarian seems to have his swagger back and is the current front runner for that crucial third forward slot, with huge numbers of Fantasy managers already drafting him in this week.

A brace away to Reading saw Jermain Defoe continue his decent start to the season. in the short-term, at least, Defoe looks to be ahead of Emmanuel Adebayor in the Tottenham pecking order and with three goals and an assist in his first four, we’re backing him to maintain his form with a strong run of games on the horizon.

Southampton’s Rickie Lambert offers a cut-price option up top and has three home games in the next five to add to his couple of goals so far, Demba Ba’s brace at Everton is surely enough to earn him a first-team recall ahead of games against Norwich and Reading, while Lukas Podolski enjoys a climb and offers an alternative to Santi Cazorla amongst the Arsenal attack.