The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 8

Our Watchlist rankings, which offer player recommendations over the next four to six Gameweeks, have been updated over the last 24 hours.

Between the sticks, West Ham’s Adrian is on the up after collecting his first clean sheet of the season in Gameweek 7. The Hammers face a trip to Burnley this weekend, and with their opponents having only scored in one of their last six, the 5.0-priced Spaniard could be set for further returns come Saturday afternoon. Arsenal number one Wojciech Szczesny also climbs the rankings due to Calum Chambers’ one-match suspension and the injury doubts hanging over Laurent Koscielny in the Gunners’ defence.

With excellent fixtures ahead for Arsene Wenger’s side (HUL, sun, BUR, swa), their backline looks set to prosper in spite of current form (it’s only one shut-out so far this season for a defence that accumulated 17 clean sheets last term), and Per Mertesacker – as their most nailed-on rearguard option right now – comes into our defensive standings as a result.

Joining team-mate Adrian in rising up our rankings is Hammers centre back James Tomkins, whose attacking threat has already earned his owners two assists up to this point. Across the way at Tottenham, meanwhile, Younes Kaboul climbs to just below Tomkins thanks to his kind fixtures from Gameweek 9 onwards (NEW, avl, STK, hul).

Jeffrey Schlupp is a new entry at the back thanks to his out-of-position prospects – the Leicester man is available for just 4.5 and was utilised on the left wing in the Foxes’ last league fixture, bagging his first goal of the season in the process. Another defender prospering due to their out-of-position status is Hull’s Andrew Robertson. Like Schlupp, he is on offer for just 4.5 ,and though his next three fixtures are rather tough (ars, liv, SOU), his strong form and position on the left of midfield in the Tigers’ 3-5-2 formation brings him into contention.

There is little movement in midfield, where Raheem Sterling holds on to the top spot, with Fantasy Premier League midfield frontrunners Gylfi Sigurdsson (sto, LEI, eve, ARS, mci) and Angel Di Maria (wba, CHE, mci, CRY, ars) only failing to climb due to their tricky schedules. The likes of Jordan Henderson (6.0), Saido Mane (6.9) and James Milner (5.3) continue to bubble under as mid-price differentials and cheaper alternatives to their team-mates further up the rankings – all three have strong fixtures to boost their points potential.

Daniel Sturridge is the big addition to our rankings up front. The Liverpool striker is likely to be eased back into action after recovering from a thigh injury, but as he proved against Southampton in Gameweek 1, needs little time to introduce himself. The 11.3-priced England man has enticing fixtures against QPR, Hull and Newcastle to find his feet and could prove an outstanding differential in the coming weeks.

Danny Welbeck is the main mover in our forward standings and now sits just below the template trio of Diego Costa, Graziano Pelle and Sergio Aguero. Though he has picked up returns in one of his four appearances in an Arsenal shirt, the lack of clear options in the Gunners’ midfield right now ensures that Welbeck, at a mere 7.3, is their main attacking asset for the moment – reports indicate he’s set to return to training after shrugging off the knock picked up on England duty. Should Alexis Sanchez begin to justify his 10.3 price tag and Theo Walcott quickly readjust to life in the Premier League upon his return from injury next week, both are likely to be elevated in next week’s refresh.