The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 34 – The Forwards

Having rattled through the players we fancy to finish the season on a high in defence and midfield over the past few days, this afternoon we’re assessing the forwards. With fitness concerns over Daniel Sturridge, Diego Costa, Loic Remy and Didier Drogba, there is a real lack of double Gameweek 34 strikers in our latest refresh, although Jamie Vardy’s recent form has put him firmly on the radar, while Christian Benteke’s transformation under Tim Sherwood sees his star continue to rise.

Sergio Aguero keeps his place at the summit after netting three times in his last two appearances since a shift to 4-4-1-1. The Argentine leads all forwards for shots inside the box (nine) in the last two Gameweeks and with Manuel Pellegrini’s side facing a pretty kind run-in (AVL, tot, QPR, swa, SOU), the 12.6-priced frontman should keep his place in many of our 15-man squads until the end of the season.

With plenty of wildcards being played this week, one of the biggest dilemmas for Fantasy managers has been what to do with Harry Kane. The Tottenham forward has been the revelation of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season, leading all forwards with 174 points, but with a single goal in his last three outings, along with a tough run of fixtures (sot, MCI, sto, HUL, eve), the 6.5-valued forward has been transferred out by over 9,000 FPL managers this week. Selling a player who’s been so prolific, particularly during the second half of the season, clearly carries a risk, but with plenty of options out there for our three-man frontlines, it could be a gamble that pays off, given his 50.6% ownership.

Leicester’s Jamie Vardy moves up to third in our rankings by virtue of the Foxes favourable run-in (bur/CHE, NEW, SOT, sun, QPR), and a recent upturn in form, which has seen him score twice and grab two assists in the last four outings. Priced at just 4.6 in FPL, the forward offers outstanding value and helps free up funds elsewhere. With Nigel Pearson’s side looking full of confidence, Vardy looks a great option for the double and beyond.

Following last week’s blank, Olivier Giroud moves back up the ladder ahead of a kind run-in for Arsene Wenger’s side following this weekend’s home clash against Chelsea (hul, SWA, mun/SUN, WBA). The 8.6-valued forward has shown great consistency since Gameweek 21, blanking only twice when starting, and has registered three double-digit hauls. With Fantasy managers beginning to plan their Arsenal coverage for double Gameweek 37, the Frenchman has made the strongest case possible for his inclusion.

Having scored nine goals in his last seven appearances in all competitions, Christian Benteke (7.5) can probably lay claim to being the hottest striker in the top flight right now. Villa do travel to the Etihad on Saturday, where the hosts have kept four consecutive clean sheets, but a friendly run-in thereafter (EVE, WHM, sot, BUR) makes the Belgian a real contender for one of our three forward spots. With a current ownership of just 3.1%, he looks a potentially explosive differential.

Glenn Murray slips down our rankings as Palace’s upcoming schedule (che, MUN, liv, SWA) turns nasty after this weekend’s home encounter with Hull The 5.3-valued forward was drafted in by over 159,000 FPL managers on the back of three successive double-figure hauls ahead of the home fixture against West Brom but failed to deliver any attacking returns. While Murray still provides good value, he could find himself subject to a mass exodus should he blank again this weekend, with the likes of Giroud and Benteke likely to be in high demand alongside mainstays such as Aguero and Kane in our three-man frontlines.

With just two home matches left for United (WBA, ARS), it’s hard to make much of a case for Wayne Rooney. His recent form has been solid, scoring four goals and providing one assist in his last seven outings, but all of those attacking returns have come at Old Trafford, with his last attacking points on the road arriving in Gameweek 15. Shifted back into central midfield last week as the injuries hit hard, it’s hard to see him justifying his hefty 10.9 price tag from here on in.

Everton’s Romelu Lukaku rises up our ladder with the in-form Toffees facing a pretty favourable run of fixtures (MUN, avl, SUN, whm, TOT). The Belgian striker played 30 minutes as a substitute in the 1-0 win against Burnley, and although he has only netted eight times this campaign, he does appear to be the first choice penalty taker for Roberto Martinez’s side, which would make the 8.7-rated frontman a decent option.

Graziano Pelle is a non-mover in our latest update, with Southampton’s kind run-in (TOT, sun, lei, AVL, mci) keeping the Italian international in our thoughts. The 7.4-priced forward has only scored once in his last 16 league outings, so bringing in the former Feyenoord striker would represent a gamble, although he has registered an impressive 12 shots from inside the box in the last four Gameweeks, bettered by only Aguero and Murray.

Three favourable fixtures (WHM, NEW, lei) in the next five for QPR mean Charlie Austin keeps his place in our rankings. The 6.4-valued forward is in good form, having scored twice and provided three assists in his last four appearances. With Chris Ramsey’s men fighting for their lives at the bottom, the onus will certainly be on the Austin to score the goals which will help secure their Premier League status.

The success of Benteke and Austin in double Gameweek 31 has left the door open for the inclusion of Dame N’Doye on the Watchlist ahead of Hull’s double (cpl/LIV) this week. Admittedly, the 5.5-rated Senegal international lacks form, having blanked in each of his last four, but for those wildcarding this week, N’Doye, who served up three goals and an assist in five appearances prior to his drought, might be worth a one-week punt.