The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 2 – The Defence

With the opening Gameweek concluded following Manchester City’s 3-0 win against West Brom last night, we’ve given our Watchlist rankings, which offer player recommendations for the next four to six rounds of fixtures, a first refresh of the season. West Ham’s Adrian is the big riser among the goalkeepers after a surprise clean sheet at the Emirates, while Miguel Layun’s out-of-position potential brings the Watford defender onto our radars.

GOALKEEPERS

Despite conceding twice in Southampton’s 2-2 draw at Newcastle on Sunday, Maarten Stekelenburg moves to the top of the Watchlist. The Saints have the most favourable upcoming schedule (EVE, wat, NOR, wba, MUN, SWA) according to our Season Ticker, with four of their next six matches at St Mary’s; crucially, Ronald Koeman’s side managed 11 of their 15 clean sheets at home last year. The 5.0-priced Dutch international surprisingly only has an ownership of 2.0% in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).

West Ham’s Adrian was the highest scoring goalkeeper in Gameweek 1, recording an 11-point haul thanks to two save points and maximum bonus as the Hammers beat Arsenal 2-0. That was perhaps the first indication that keepers will benefit significantly from the changes in the Bonus Point System (BPS), and with four favourable home matches (LEI, BOU, NEW, NOR) in the next six, the 5.0-valued stopper looks set to prosper further over the coming weeks. Slaven Bilic’s side do travel to Liverpool and City in the next six Gameweeks, however.

After conceding four times against Leicester on Saturday, our faith in Sunderland’s Costel Pantilimon (5.0) has wavered somewhat. The Black Cats do return to the Stadium of Light for their next two matches against Norwich and Swansea, but with trips to Tottenham and Man United also in the next six, the Romania international may struggle to justify that 5.0 price tag.

Simon Mignolet is another to jump up a few places on our ladder by virtue of having four home fixtures (BOU, WHM, NOW, AVL) over the next six Gameweeks. The Reds rearguard impressed against Stoke, with summer acquisitions Nathaniel Clyne and Joe Gomez immediately settling in well. Available at 5.0 in FPL, the Belgian looks one of the strongest options in that price bracket, despite away encounters against Arsenal and Man United on the agenda in the next four matches.

Despite failing to return a clean sheet in the opening Gameweek, our faith in the Jack Butland and John Ruddy rotation pairing is still going strong. Setting Fantasy managers back just 9.0, the duo provide plenty of favourable fixtures (sun, STO, WBA, BOU, LEI, BOU) over the next six Gameweeks, and should start to reward the FPL owners who invested from the outset.

Leicester’s Kasper Schmeichel (4.5) slides a couple of places this time around with the Foxes’ upcoming schedule fairly unfavourable (whm, TOT, bou, AVL, sto, ARS). Additionally, the cavalier attacking approach in Claudio Ranieri’s first match in charge could be an early indicator that Leicester may leave themselves slightly open at the back, meaning they could struggle to deliver consistent clean sheet returns.

With the difficult Gameweek 1 clash at Chelsea out of the way, Swansea’s Lukasz Fabianski is back in our thoughts. Garry Monk’s side have a mixed run of fixtures (NEW, sun, MUN, wat, EVE, sot) coming up but, after keeping 13 clean sheets last term, we’re backing the 5.0-priced Poland international to produce the points over the upcoming period.

Although he was an unused substitute in Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat against Man United on Saturday, we’re expecting Hugo Lloris to be back between the sticks against Stoke this weekend. Spurs then have a fairly decent run of fixtures (lei, EVE, sun, CPL, MCI), so the 5.0-valued France international looks a viable option for Fantasy managers.

After keeping a clean sheet on his Man United debut, and with a reasonable run of matches (avl, NEW, swa, LIV, sot, SUN) coming up, Sergio Romero appears in our rankings for the first time. With David De Gea’s future at the club in serious doubt, it appears the Argentine should remain the first choice unless Louis van Gaal moves to sign another keeper. Available at 5.0 in FPL, Romero offers us a cheaper route into the United backline.

Brad Guzan should provide good value, priced at just 4.5 in FPL, over the next six Gameweeks, with four of Aston Villa’s next six matches (cpl, SUN, lei, WBA) pretty favourable. The clean sheet against Bournemouth, with defenders Jordan Amavi and Micah Richards making impressive debuts, bodes well for the prospects of the Villa rearguard, although Tim Sherwood’s men do also face Man United and Liverpool in the next six.

Bournemouth’s Artur Boruc slides to the foot of our ladder after failing to register a clean sheet on the opening day against Villa. While the Cherries have to travel to Liverpool, West Ham and Stoke in the next six, they do have some kind looking match-ups (LEI, nor, SUN) over the upcoming period, so the 4.5-rated Boruc should still offer a decent option for FPL bosses.

DEFENDERS

Our faith the Southampton rearguard continues, with Cedric Soares top of our latest rankings. The 5.0-priced right-back had a mixed debut against Newcastle, setting up Graziano Pelle’s opener, but also being cautioned for a cynical foul on Georginio Wijnaldum before being withdrawn at the break. With the upcoming schedule so friendly for Ronald Koeman’s side, Soares, who created two chances in just 45 minutes of playing time, offers the potential of returns at both ends of the pitch.

West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell jumps up to second on our ladder, with the Hammers’ schedule featuring those previously mentioned four favourable home match-ups. The 5.5-valued defender had one goal attempt and created one chance in West Ham’s 2-0 win at Arsenal, and playing against weaker opposition at Upton Park in the next six Gameweeks, should provide even more of an attacking threat. With uncertainty surrounding the rest of Slaven Bilic’s back-four, Cresswell – despite his lofty price tag – remains our preferred option for now.

After the surprise 2-0 defeat to the Hammers, Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny drops a couple of places in our latest refresh. The Gunners only have two home encounters (LIV, STO) in the next six Gameweeks, while the away matches (cpl, new, che, lei) are somewhat mixed, dampening the 6.0-rated centre-back’s short term prospects.

A new entry onto our ladder is Tottenham’s Kyle Walker (5.0). The right-back was slightly unfortunate to put the ball in the back of his own net at Old Trafford on Saturday, and seems to have fought off the challenge of Kieran Tripper for the starting position. Spurs look a strong option for the next five Gameweeks (STO, lei, EVE, sun, CPL), although the similarly-priced Toby Alderweireld is pushing for inclusion in our Watchlist, having registered two shots from inside the box and created one chance in the 1-0 defeat to United.

Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel is one of the most appealing options in the 5.5 price bracket, with our confidence in the Reds’ rearguard growing following their 1-0 win at Stoke on Sunday. The Slovakia international, so often a favourite of the BPS last season, picked up his first bonus point of this campaign, and also registered a shot from inside the box. While Joe Gomez (4.5) outscored Skrtel against the Potters, and is currently the most transferred in player so far this week with over 75,000 new owners, we’re recommending the long-serving centre-back if your budget can stretch that far.

A new face for Fantasy managers to familiarise themselves with is Watford’s Miguel Layun. The Mexico international played out of position on the left of the Hornets’ midfield against Everton on Saturday, and opened the scoring. While the upcoming schedule (WBA, SOT, mci, SWA, new, CPL) is mixed, his 4.5 price tag in FPL has swiftly brought him onto our radars, although his place in the starting XI will probably be short-lived, with Almen Abdi and Steven Berghuis both likely starters when they return to fitness. In addition, Quique Sanchez Flores may look to include Odion Ighalo from the off in the next two home matches after he scored as a substitute against the Toffees.

Patrick van Aanholt endured a difficult afternoon at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, and while he should hold onto his place in the starting XI, his stock has undoubtedly taken a hit. Setting us back 5.0 in FPL, the Dutchman failed to either create a chance or register a goal attempt against the Foxes. Although the Black Cats have some decent fixtures, that hefty price tag looks unlikely to attract any new suitors for the time being.

Swansea’s Kyle Naughton slots in halfway up our ladder, although there is little to choose between the Sheffield United academy product and skipper Ashley Williams. Naughton’s attacking raids down the right flank means he gets the nod over Williams’ bonus point potential for now, with both available at 5.0 in FPL. The fixtures (NEW, sun, MUN, wat, EVE, sot) are reasonable for the Welsh outfit over the next six Gameweeks.

Although Bournemouth failed to keep a clean sheet in their opening home match against Aston Villa, Simon Francis did manage to create two chances for the Cherries. His attacking threat still appears to represent good value at 4.5 in FPL then, with three favourable fixtures (LEI, nor, SUN) and a trio of tougher match-ups (liv, whm, sto) on the agenda in the next six.

Micah Richards rewarded his 6% ownership with an eight-point haul against Bournemouth, with the two bonus points accrued perhaps an early indicator that the former City defender could be one to benefit from the BPS rule change. Home clashes against Sunderland and West Brom in the next six offer hope of further defensive returns, but matches against Man United and Liverpool may curtail any further investment at this point.

It was a disappointing opening day for Fantasy managers who had invested in the Norwich backline, with the Canaries losing 3-1 at home to Crystal Palace. With the early schedule (sun, STO, sot, BOU) still favourable, though, Russell Martin remains in our thoughts. Available at 4.5 in FPL, the Scotland international still has a decent chance of providing some defensive returns in the coming weeks.

Two full-backs from the Manchester clubs, Matteo Darmian and Aleksandar Kolarov, both enjoyed successful opening Gameweeks, bringing in eight and seven FPL points respectively. The United right-back looked assured on his Premier League debut, providing a decent attacking outlet, and has three strong fixtures (avl, NEW, SUN) in the next six Gameweeks. On the downside, the 5.5-priced Italian also has three difficult matches (swa, LIV, sot) during that time frame and therefore remains near the bottom of our rankings for now, although the former Torino defender has been transferred in by 65,000+ FPL managers so far this week.

Kolarov, valued at 5.5 in FPL, created the most chances of any defender (three) in the opening Gameweek, while he also registered three goal attempts, with one coming from inside the box. City’s short-term fixtures are pretty tough, however, with Chelsea at home followed by a trip to Everton. By the time the schedule turns in Gameweek 4 (WAT, cpl, WHM), Gael Clichy will probably be a threat to Kolarov’s starting position, as he should be back to full fitness following an ankle injury.

With Chelsea’s defence looking surprisingly vulnerable in the 2-2 draw against Swansea, the 7.0-rated Branislav Ivanovic slides all the way to the bottom of our ladder. The Serbia international was tormented by Jefferson Montero, although he did carry his customary attacking threat, managing to register three goal attempts, with one from inside the box. A difficult stretch of forthcoming fixtures (mci, wba, CPL, eve, ARS) suggests that Ivanovic will struggle to justify such a significant outlay, though.