The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 29 – The Forwards

Our final instalment of this week’s Watchlist rankings, which offer player recommendations for the next four-to-six Gameweeks, sees us delve into the forwards. A brace against QPR and a favourable fixture list sees Harry Kane return to the top spot, while Saido Berahino is the big mover this week after finding the net in three of his last four appearances.

Having delivered for many Fantasy managers as the most popular captain choice last week, Harry Kane finds himself back as our favoured forward option. The Tottenham striker has now scored 11 goals in his last nine league outings, and although Sunday’s trip to Old Trafford looks a difficult fixture on paper, Kane has shown he can score against the best teams, with five goals in three matches against Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool in 2015. With clashes against Leicester, Burnley and Aston Villa to follow, the 21-year-old sensation may continue this rich vein of form for some time yet.

With only three goals in eight appearances since returning from a knee injury, Sergio Aguero finds himself behind Kane in the reckoning. The Manchester City forward has grabbed four assists in that period to keep things ticking over, and with a very favourable upcoming schedule (bur, WBA, cpl, mun, WHM, AVL), it may not be too long before Aguero is firing on all cylinders once again.

Olivier Giroud moves back up again this week after scoring his third goal in as many appearances against QPR. The French international only played 16 minutes as a substitute against Man United in the FA Cup on Monday, which suggests he’ll be unleashed by Arsene Wenger from the start against West Ham this weekend. With further kind fixtures on the horizon (new, LIV, bur) the 8.3-priced Giroud could well continue to offer outstanding value. Arsenal’s progress to the FA Cup semi-final means he no longer has a Gameweek 33 fixture (at home to Sunderland), though the chances are likely that will be moved to Gameweek 34, keeping the fixture within our article’s six-Gameweek window.

Another forward offering great value, albeit as a budget option, is West Brom’s Saido Berahino. The Baggies have three home matches (STO, QPR, LEI) in the next four, which should offer the England U21 international plenty of opportunities to continue his recent run of good form which has seen him score three times in his last four outings. With the short-term prospects looking so bright, it’s no surprise he’s been transferred in by over 45,000 Fantasy managers so far this week.

With double Gameweek 28 out of the way, Charlie Austin suffers a slight drop in our latest rankings. The 6.4-valued forward did manage a goal against Arsenal, and currently lies third among the forwards for goal attempts in the last six Gameweeks with 21. QPR have some favourable upcoming fixtures (cpl, EVE, wba), so those who brought in Austin last week may be tempted to hold for now. Like Giroud, he currently has no Gameweek 33 fixture, though his trip to Villa could be moved into Gameweek 34, thus handing him another double.

Although he has yet to find the net in his two appearances since returning from suspension, a double Gameweek 34 on the horizon means Diego Costa’s stock is rising. The question for many Fantasy managers will be when to bring the 10.9-priced forward into their 15-man squads, bearing in mind he is still sitting on eight bookings ahead of the deadline on April 12. With a pretty kind schedule (SOU, hull, STO, qpr) before then, there is a clear temptation to make a move for the Spain international sooner rather than later.

Having scored in only his second Premier League start since returning from injury, Daniel Sturridge is firmly back in our thoughts. After finding his playing time restricted since his comeback, Brendan Rodgers now believes he is ready to play on a regular basis. Liverpool’s exit from the Europa League will also help his prospects, so although the Reds have some tricky fixtures in the short-term (swa, MUN, ars), clashes against Newcastle, Hull and West Brom thereafter will encourage many to take a punt on Sturridge. His schedule could yet be prone to changes, depending on the outcome of the Reds’ FA Cup quarter-final replay at Blackburn next month.

With Wayne Rooney now restored to striking duties, he is the clear option to target in the Man United attack. His headed goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup provided a timely reminder of his talents, although with the toughest schedule (TOT, liv, AVL, MCI, che, eve) over the next six matches on our Season Ticker, there do look to be several stronger options out there for our three-man frontlines.

Despite finding the net for the first time since Gameweek 17 in the 2-1 win over West Brom last week, Christian Benteke falls slightly this week due to nagging doubts over his fitness, having missed the FA Cup tie with the Baggies with a hip injury. With back-to-back showdowns against Sunderland and Swansea, the Belgian international could prove a handy differential with a current ownership of just 0.5%, but with competition so fierce among the forwards, it would be a bold move right now. Villa’s progress to the FA Cup semis has seen their Gameweek 33 home clash with QPR removed, though hopes remain high he’ll resultantly have a double the following week.

Diafra Sakho looks a decent option heading into the next four Gameweeks, with home clashes against Sunderland and Stoke and a trip to Leicester looking potentially advantageous. The Senegal forward has only scored once since his return from the African Cup of Nations, so allied with West Ham’s dip in form, it may be better to look elsewhere for now.

Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe rises in this week’s rankings, with three home matches (AVL, NEW, CPL) in the next four. The January signing has failed to find the back of the net in his last four league outings, and with Gus Poyet’s side registering just 57 goal attempts in the last six Gameweeks, ahead of only Leicester and West Brom, it is hard to back Defoe with any great confidence at this moment in time. The 5.7-priced striker is another without a Gameweek 33 fixture right now, while we await the rescheduling of his trip to Arsenal.

Our only new entry among the forwards this week is Leicester new boy Andrej Kramaric. The 5.5-valued forward has scored two goals in his last four appearances in all competitions, and benefits from the strongest upcoming schedule (HUL, tot, WHM, wba, SWA, bur/CHE) on our Season Ticker. While many may not be willing to take a punt on the Croatian international just yet, a goal this weekend could see his star rise quickly over the coming period.

A less than favourable run of fixtures means Hull’s Dame N’Doye drops this week despite grabbing another goal against Sunderland last week. That made it three strikes in his last four outings for the former Lokomotiv Moscow forward, but with home encounters with Chelsea and Liverpool and trips to Swansea and Southampton in the next five, it may be tough to maintain that strike rate.

Romelu Lukaku finds himself at the bottom of our rankings, having only scored once in his last 14 Premier League appearances. The Toffees do have a decent run of fixtures (NEW, qpr, SOT, swa, BUR), and potential suitors would be encouraged by the fact the Belgian international has managed 19 goal attempts over the last six Gameweeks. But with so much competition for our three-man frontlines, the 8.8-priced forward is unlikely to get much of a look in.