The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 16

We roll out our player recommendations for the next four to six Gameweeks this afternoon in the form of a single, all-encompassing article. From this week on, we’re going to focus on the main movers and shakers across the classifications and mainly highlight those players whose prospects have either taken a turn for the better or worse:

The Defence

Everton are the big risers at the back this week as Roberto Martinez’ side brace themselves for an outrageous festive set of fixtures. Over the next six Gameweeks, the Toffees face Fulham, Sunderland, Southampton and Norwich at home, with trips to Swansea and Stoke also on their agenda – it’s little wonder Tim Howard climbs to the top of the keeper standings, whilst Seamus Coleman’s raids down the right get the nod over Phil Jagielka as our preferred defender. With eight clean sheets and just 14 goals against so far, doubling up on the Toffees looks a viable tactic right now as the vast majority of other premium backlines fail to deliver – if you’re thinking of investing in Howard, though, it’s worth remembering if he picks up another yellow card in the next four Gameweeks, he’ll serve a one-match ban.

Cardiff also climb, despite their 2-0 loss at Palace last weekend. Malky Mackay’s side have four very strong home fixtures in the next six (WBA, SOU, SUN, WHM) to take advantage of – having already kept out Everton and Swansea in front of their own fans, the Bluebirds could be poised for defensive returns. At 4.6, David Marshall looks an obvious replacement for those still holding Southampton’s Artur Boruc, whilst Ben Turner comes in at 4.1 and has played every minute of the season so far.

Having kept out Chelsea, Spurs and United in the last six, Newcastle are in fine fettle ahead of the next three (SOT, cpl, STO) and Tim Krul, at 5.1, has been outstanding in recent matches, with double figures hauls in two of the last five. In defence, Mike Williamson has started each of the last nine in the Magpies back-four and sets you back 4.4 – Alan Pardew’s side also entertain Arsenal and City in the next six, though, which lessens their appeal.

Norwich pair Martin Olsson and John Ruddy are also on the rise. Chris Hughton’s side play host to Swansea this weekend and also face each of the bottom three over the next five Gameweeks (sun, FUL, cpl) – Olsson, at just 4.2, is nailed on at left-back. Ruddy’s a little more expensive at 4.9 but, with two clean sheets in the last three, the Canaries will be confident of further returns.

Steve Bruce’s Hull also have three home games (STO, MUN, FUL) in the next four, affording Allan McGregor and Curtis Davies a slight boost in this week’s refresh. The Tigers have shipped a mere three goals at home so far this season – second only to City – and also have a trip to The Hawthorns on their short-term agenda.

Sunderland’s Phil Bardsley has notched twice in the last five Gameweeks and has a schedule which is rated second strongest for defensive returns over the next six. The Black Cats’ versatile full-back squares up to the likes of West Ham, Norwich, Cardiff, Villa and Fulham between now and Gameweek 21.

Tottenham are also on the radar, albeit a little lower down. Spurs welcome Liverpool to the Lane and then travel to St Mary’s but, after that, play host to West Brom, Stoke and Palace in three of the subsequent four – Hugo Lloris and Kyle Walker are poised for a hike in the rankings from Gameweek 18.

United, Arsenal and Liverpool are the main fallers in our estimations. Both David De Gea and Patrice Evra remain amongst the top five in their respective classifications, though – the Red Devils duo offer a security of start superior to any other player in David Moyes’ backline and still have fixtures on their side, with trips to Villa, Hull and Norwich supplemented by a home clash against West Ham in the next four. Form (or lack thereof) is the issue, though – a single clean sheet in 10 highlights the champions’ inability to keep out their opponents.

Gunners pair Wojciech Szczesny and Per Mertesacker also tumble as the Gunners square up to City and Chelsea in the next two, though the German’s threat in the box keeps him relatively high in the mix. Unsurprisingly, Brendan Rodgers’ porous defence fall off the radar altogether – trips to Spurs, City and Chelsea in the next four hardly bode well for a side with one shut-out in the last 10 Gameweeks.

The Midfield

Eden Hazard retains top spot as Chelsea prepare for three home games in four (CPL, ars, SWA, LIV). City duo Yaya Toure and fit-again David Silva also find a place in the top five as they prepare for a trio of Etihad fixtures – granted, the visits of Arsenal and Liverpool are far from straightforward, but Manuel Pellegrini’s side look irresistible at home and also square up to Fulham and Palace over the same period. Having started and scored before being subbed off on 73 minutes against Bayern last night, Silva’s impact has been immediate – yes, he may not play the full 90 minutes against the Gunners but he’s only managed that in four of his seven appearances so far and still averaged six points per game.

Mesut Ozil climbs above Aaron Ramsey as our Arsenal midfielder of choice – having produced double figure returns in each of his last three appearances, there’s no question the German is hitting his most impressive domestic form since arriving in the summer. Three goals in the last five Gameweeks highlight the attacking potential offered by Norwich’s Leroy Fer. The Dutchman has now notched against West Ham, Newcastle and West Brom in recent matches and, at 5.8, looks a real option for those hunting for a mid-price midfielder. In addition, he’s a real differential – despite being snapped up by over 28,000 FPL managers this week, he sits in just over 1% of sides so far.

Palace’s Barry Bannan and Cardiff’s Peter Whittingham are also on the up. At 4.4 and 5.1 respectively, they’re easy on the budget and offer superb home/away rotation up to Gameweek 27 – given that Palace travel to Chelsea, City and Spurs in the next six, the appeal of this tactic increases and would hand you a run of (WBA, NEW, SOU, SUN, NOR, WHM) over the next six.

Michu arrives back on our radars after returning from injury to feature in Swansea’s draw with Hull on Monday evening. With Wilfried Bony likely to be tentatively eased back into action and Alvaro Vazquez still injured, the Spaniard looks set to lead the line for Michael Laudrup’s side – games against Norwich and Villa are the few crumbs of comfort as he attempts to rediscover the form that saw him score 18 times in his debut campaign.

Ross Barkley reappears in light of Everton’s schedule. With Kevin Mirallas’ starting berth looking increasingly under threat from the in-form Gerard Deulofeu, Barkley owners will be hoping a run of three starts in the last four is a sign he has re-established himself as a regular in the Toffees XI for those above-mentioned four home games in six.

Amongst the main fallers is West Brom’s Stephane Sessegnon. His owners will likely hold for games against Cardiff and Hull but, with a goal and assist over the last 10 Gameweeks, his consistency is worrying – Steve Clarke’s decision to bench the Benin international in Gameweek 14 was hardly reassuring, either.

The Forwards

There’s next to no movement amongst the forwards in this week’s refresh. Yes, Luis Suarez has trips to Spurs, City and Chelsea in the next four but, given his current form, it’s impossible to suggest our confidence has dipped – there’s even the chance he’s on spot-kicks if Steven Gerrard is ruled out due to a hamstring problem. Sergio Aguero also refuses to budge in second spot – three home games and a trip to Fulham in the next four is fairly self-explanatory.

Everton’s incredible schedule looks set to hand Romelu Lukaku further opportunity to serve up points aplenty for his growing band of Fantasy owners. The big Belgian has produced attacking returns in eight of his 11 appearances for Roberto Martinez’ side and has averaged 6.45 points per game for the Toffees – outstanding value at 8.4 and climbing. Gerard Deulofeu would be a real punt at 5.4 – granted, he’s by no means a certain starter, but two goals and an assist in his last three indicate he may be poised for more first-team appearances over the next few matches.

Elsewhere, the usual suspects remain in place. Wayne Rooney and Loic Remy will be hoping to take advantage of United and Newcastle’s upcoming runs, whilst Olivier Giroud’s role as Arsenal’s main forward hasn’t altered after a solitary Nicklas Bendtner strike against Hull.

Aside from Deulofeu, Norwich’s Gary Hooper is the other new face in our Forwards refresh. The Canaries summer signing has started to serve up a real string of consistency for Chris Hughton’s side and has now scored in three of his last four starts – at 6.1 in FPL, he has an ownership of just 0.6% and may just appeal to those managers on the lookout for a cut-price differential for their front three.