The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 24

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

The Defence

Once again, Costel Pantilimon and David de Gea maintain their grip on the two top spots in our goalkeeper rankings. The former repaid our faith last week as the Black Cats shut out a Burnley side that had scored nine goals in their previous four outings and has now edged up to 4.9 points per appearance. Team-mate Patrick van Aanholt (4.2), who rises this week by virtue of his enticing price and five excellent fixtures in the next six (swa, QPR, WBA, hul, ALV), offers another strong option in the Sunderland rearguard – as illustrated by an eye-catching 12-point haul last weekend.

At the top of the defender rankings, Hector Bellerin wrestles the crown away from Branislav Ivanovic this week in light of his growing stature within Arsenal’s set-up. The 19-year-old Spaniard (4.4) averages 7.6 points per appearance over his last three starts for the Gunners, ensuring that Calum Chambers will be sidelined for the near future at least. As we look ahead to the Chelsea’s blank Gameweek 28 and consider the emergence of Kurt Zouma (4.6), the 7.2-rated Ivanovic drops in our estimations.

West Brom’s excellent run of fixtures of fixtures through to mid-March (bur, SWA, sun, SOU, avl, STK) encourage investment in their defence, with Ben Foster and Andre Wisdom climbing the rankings as a result. Tony Pulis’ outfit may have fallen to a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham last Saturday, but that schedule allows the former Stoke boss the chance to reorganise his troops.

Wojciech Szczesny’s recent slump in form has opened the door for the 4.8-priced David Ospina to stake his claim as Arsenal’s premier shot-stopper. With three consecutive starts and clean sheets (including a shut-out at the Etihad), the Colombian international looks to have cemented his starting berth for the time being. Like Bellerin, Ospina could be subject to rotation, yet their cheap price points offset this potential risk and elevate the pair in our rankings.

Kyle Naughton (4.3) and Daryl Janmaat (5.3), who both recorded clean sheets in the last Gameweek, continue their ascent up the leaderboard ahead of favourable run schedules. Newcastle host Stoke and Villa in the next four and also travel to Crystal Palace, while Swansea face Sunderland, West Brom and Burnley over the same period.

Three kind home fixtures (HUL, NEW, LEI) and trips to Stoke and Burnley in the next six heightens our interest in City’s defence, triggering a surge in Vincent Kompany’s stock. With Manuel Pellegrini rotating the full-backs at will and the second centre-back spot contested between Martin Demichelis and Eliaquim Mangala, the Belgian captain remains the only viable route into the Champions back line.

The Midfield

Alexis Sanchez’ hamstring injury causes the Chilean livewire to plummet down the rankings, while Eden Hazard retains his lead despite Chelsea’s upcoming blank Gameweek. With Diego Costa unavailable for selection until the Gameweek 26 home match against Burnley, the Belgian winger is the strongest candidate for Blues’ cover and squares up to Villa, Everton and Burnley prior to his blank Gameweek 27.

Santi Cazorla’s exceptional form of late sees the stocky Spaniard sitting just below Hazard in the rankings as our current Arsenal midfielder of choice. Theo Walcott is now on our radar following his fruitful return to the starting line-up with back-to-back goals against Brighton and Aston Villa, yet Cazorla represents the most reliable Gunners coverage for the near future.

At 8.4 apiece, Christian Eriksen and Raheem Sterling continue their climb as they propel Tottenham and Liverpool towards the coveted Champions League spots. Granted, both have tough schedules over the next few matches but have the form and quality to trump any fixture right now.

With a mere ten points accrued in the previous three, United’s Angel Di Maria (9.6) simply isn’t doing enough to justify his hefty price tag and drops down our rankings. Elsewhere in Manchester, City’s afore-mentioned schedule means that David Silva (9.4) moves in the opposite direction off the back of two seven-point hauls in three matches.

Jonathan Walters, Jason Puncheon and Adam Johnson (6.0) remain in our thoughts as viable cut-price options to complement their more illustrious counterparts. The Palace winger has profited from new boss Alan Pardew’s attacking philosophy in recent weeks, notching two goals in his last three outings. Meanwhile, Walters’ hat-trick against Queens Park Rangers has provoked a huge influx of transfers for the Republic of Ireland international, whilst Sunderland’s schedule keeps Johnson in the mix.

Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho offer differential options. The former returned from international duty with Senegal last week and played a cameo in Southampton’s 1-0 defeat to Swansea – his 0.4% ownership will be hoping he reclaims his starting berth and recaptures the form that saw him net three times in as many games before he jetted off to the African Cup of Nations. Coutinho’s five assists in six, allied with a goal at Bolton on Tuesday highlights his recent spate of eye-catching displays.

The Forwards

There’s very little movement at the summit of our forwards rankings this week, with Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane and Olivier Giroud retaining the top three spots. The City striker leads the pack on his fixture potential rather than recent form, as he looks to improve upon his 14-goal tally this term.

Elsewhere, there’s little to threaten the North London pair as premier picks, with Jermain Defoe and Daniel Sturridge mounting a decent challenge at opposite ends of the price bracket in light of their scoring displays last weekend.

Romelu Lukaku and Bafetimbi Gomis could be outside shots for those Fantasy managers pining for a risky differential. The former Chelsea frontman ended a nine-match goal drought last time out, while three decent fixtures in the next four offers the 6.5-priced Gomis a chance to get amongst the goals as the Swans look to build on last week’s win at St Mary’s.