The Watchlist – Papiss Cisse

He may be currently sitting as lowly as 25th in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) rankings for forward but there’s reason to be optimistic for Newcastle’s Papiss Cissé. With former team mate and compatriot Demba Ba now nursing a broken nose and sweating over rotation issues under Rafa Benitez, Cissé is once again afforded the platform to shine as the pivot in the Magpies’ attack.

With just 66 points so far, there’s no doubt Cissé’s prospects during the first half of the season were severely hampered by Ba’s form. After an incredible first Premier League season in 2011/12, which started last January when he joined Newcastle from Bundesliga side SC Freiburg, the potential for him to rack up a sizeable haul over the remaining 13 games is clear. Last term, he amassed an incredible 105 points over 1,829 minutes, netting 13 goals, two assists and 20 FPL bonus points. Spectacular goals, such as his second in Newcastle’s 2-0 victory away to Chelsea last season will live long in the memory.

So far this time round, Cissé has scored five times, assisted one and collected just four FPL bonus points. In addition he has yet to achieve a double digit haul, with the eight points away to Aston Villa in Gameweek 24 his biggest tally so far. With Newcastle splashing their cash across the English Channel to bring in a raft of new French recruits, however, we sense a resurgence for the north east side. Moussa Sissoko, the defensive midfielder turned marauding number 10, has already caught the eye with his brace at home to Chelsea in Gameweek 25. There are clearly goals in this traditionally attacking side and with Cissé nailed on as the central striker in light of Ba’s departure, he may well be set to plunder the points again.

The upcoming schedule plays a significant part in our refresh of the Watchlist rankings. Having notched back-to-back wins over Villa and Chelsea, Alan Pardew’s side are on the cusp of a superb run of games which hands them a superb chance to continue their climb up the table. After a tricky trip to Tottenham, the Magpies welcome Southampton, Stoke, Fulham and Sunderland to St James’ Park in the following eight and also travel to the likes of Swansea, Wigan and West Brom.

On the back of such a stellar debut season, Cissé’s price does count against him, though. Coming in at 8.8 in the FPL game (£9.3m in the Sky Sports game) he certainly offers less value compared to the 6.0 priced Sissoko (£6.3m in the Sky game) but Cissé’s pedigree could just give him the edge. In addition to his Newcastle goal tally of 18 he has scored 37 goals over his 65 appearances for SC Freiburg, 36 during a four-year spell at Metz and 11 goals in 22 appearances for Senegal. With three goals in his last seven, Cissé is starting to hint at a return to form and with Sissoko’s bandwagon keeping the attention away, the forward may well prove a canny differential acquisition with an ownership of just over 3%.