The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 30 – The Forwards

Our final instalment of this week’s Watchlist articles sees us switch attention to the forwards. Four goals in his last four appearances mean Oliver Giroud continues his ascent towards the top of our recommendations for the next four to six Gameweeks. Following the news of a double Gameweek for Aston Villa, the timely return to form of Christian Benteke also sees the Belgian force his way back into our thinking, whilst Charlie Austin remains on simmer.

Tottenham’s Harry Kane retains top spot in our rankings with Mauricio Pochettino’s side facing a favourable run of fixtures (LEI, bur, AVL, new) over the next four Gameweeks. The 6.3-priced forward has blanked in two of his last three starts, but has registered the most shots from inside the box (19) among forwards over the last six Gameweeks and continues to offer outstanding value. Interestingly, Kane currently leads this week’s Captain Poll ahead of Sergio Aguero with 37% of the vote.

Olivier Giroud rises to second place in our latest update, having established himself as the form forward over the last four Gameweeks. The 8.4-priced Frenchman has averaged 7.7 points per appearance over that period, and with the Gunners next three matches (new, LIV, bur) before the blank in Gameweek 33 offering hope of further returns, his current goalscoring run could continue for some time yet.

After failing to find the net in his first two outings following a return from suspension, Diego Costa rediscovered his goalscoring touch against Southampton last weekend. The Chelsea man now faces a very kind upcoming schedule (hul, STO, qpr, MUN, ars/lei, CPL), and could shake up our three-man frontlines if he can return to his early-season form. It is worth noting Costa again failed to register any bonus points against the Saints, and has now only earned 14 bonus points over the course of the season, compared to Kane’s 28 – that’s despite scoring two more goals (18 to 16) than the Spurs man.

Sergio Aguero falls in this week’s ladder after suffering blanks against two of the bottom three sides in the last couple of Gameweeks. The Argentine’s confidence won’t be helped by a missed penalty in last night’s 1-0 defeat to Barcelona, and while the upcoming fixtures (WBA, cpl, mun, WHM, AVL) are still in his favour, another failure this weekend may force a rethink among Fantasy managers as we begin to plan for the pending double Gameweeks. City’s move to 4-4-1-1 at the Nou Camp could boost his potential, though, with Aguero tending to produce the goods when fielded as a lone striker.

QPR’s Charlie Austin is a non-mover in our latest update by virtue of the double Gameweek 31 announced on Tuesday. Back-to-back blanks may have had owners thinking of an exit strategy, but with a home clash against Everton followed by trips to West Brom and Aston Villa, he is likely to earn a stay of execution for now. The 6.4-valued Austin does lead the way with 22 goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks, so owners will be hopeful he can add to his impressive tally of 15 Premier League goals.

The other forward sure to be targeted for double Gameweek 31 is Christian Benteke. The Belgian looks revitalised under new Villa boss Tim Sherwood, and has racked up 25 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points in his last two league outings. With Swansea visiting Villa Park this weekend ahead of the double Gameweek (mun, QPR), the 7.4-priced option looks a very appealing short-term differential, given his ownership of just 0.9%.

With so much competition for places in our three-man frontlines, the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Wayne Rooney are struggling to grab our attention right now. The Liverpool forward earned a fortuitous assist in the 1-0 win against Swansea, but still appears to be lacking a little sharpness. With Man United and Arsenal up next before the schedule eases (NEW, hul, wba, QPR), Fantasy managers may take a watching brief before investing in the 11.2-rated forward. Rooney seems to be revelling playing as a lone striker over the last three Gameweeks, scoring three goals. But with a tough upcoming schedule (liv, AVL, MCI, che, eve), there look to be better options out there, particularly given his 10.6 price tag.

West Brom’s Saido Berahino falls this week mainly due to the fact Austin and Benteke look better bets for the next two Gameweeks. The England U21 international is in good form, having netted in three of his last five league appearances, and also faces plum home fixtures against QPR and Leicester in the next three. But the Baggies have managed just 53 goal attempts over the last six Gameweeks, fewer than any other Premier Leagues side in that spell, dampening Berahino’s appeal somewhat.

After registering his first double-digit haul of the season in the 3-0 win against Newcastle, Romelu Lukaku jumps a couple of places this week. The Toffees have a mixed upcoming schedule (qpr, SOT, swa, BUR, MUN, avl), which may deter any would-be suitors off, but the Belgian is worth monitoring, bearing in mind he seems to have snatched spot-kick duties from Leighton Baines.

While Diafra Sakho drops in this week’s ladder, it isn’t time to give up on the Senegal international just yet. The 5.4-valued forward has registered 17 shots from inside the box over the last six Gameweeks, the third highest among forwards. With a favourable run of fixtures (SUN, lei, STO, mci, qpr, BUR), Sakho could yet be a Fantasy asset during the final months of the season.

Leicester’s Andrej Kramaric keeps his place on the Watchlist despite concerns over his playing time. The Croatian international has been substituted after 57 and 60 minutes in his last two league appearances, and has only scored once in seven Premier League matches. But with the most favourable schedule over the next six Gameweeks (tot, WHM, wba, SWA, bur/CHE, NEW) according to our Season Ticker, we’re keeping faith in the 5.5-priced forward for the time being.