Our final look at this week’s Watchlist rankings, which offer player recommendations for the next four-to-six Gameweeks, sees us check in on the forwards. After an opening Gameweek which saw a number of big hitters disappoint, it’s the lesser likes of Graziano Pelle, Diafra Sakho and Bafetimbi Gomis who are grabbing our attention, although Sergio Aguero is ominously waiting in the wings.
After scoring in Southampton’s 2-2 draw at Newcastle, and with four home matches (EVE, NOR, MUN, SWA) in the next six, along with trips to Watford and West Brom, Graziano Pelle occupies the top spot on our ladder this week. The 8.0-priced forward has begun the season in great form, scoring three goals from three competitive outings, and looks well placed to continue that rich vein of form given the upcoming fixtures.
Although Tottenham only managed nine goal attempts at Old Trafford, their favourable run of fixtures (STO, lei, EVE, sun, CPL) means Harry Kane remains one of our favoured forward options for the upcoming period. The 9.5-valued England international still managed three shots from inside the box in the 1-0 defeat, and should be able to provide the goods for his sizeable 37% ownership in the coming weeks.
Many Fantasy managers may have included West Ham’s Diafra Sakho in their initial 15-man squads and benched the 6.5-rated forward against Arsenal in Gameweek 1, with the Hammers four plum home matches (LEI, BOU, NEW, NOR) thereafter fully in mind. With midfielder Dimitri Payet so impressive on his debut at the Emirates, Sakho looks to have a decent supply line, and is expected to be amongst the goals over the next month.
Despite having such a difficult opening fixture away to Chelsea, Swansea’s Bafetimbi Gomis was, along with Olivier Giroud, top for shots from inside the box (five) among forwards in Gameweek 1. The France international also coolly tucked away his penalty, and with Garry Monk’s side facing a reasonable run of fixtures (NEW, sun, MUN, wat, EVE, sot), the 7.0-rated forward may continue to offer good value in the mid-price bracket.
After getting 30 minutes under his belt in Manchester City’s 3-0 win at West Brom on Monday night, Sergio Aguero is fast rising up our rankings. The Argentine may well be handed a starting berth against Chelsea on Sunday now, and should he get on the scoresheet, expect the 13.0-priced forward to be one of the most transferred in players next week, ahead of City’s fixtures turning very favourably from Gameweek 4 onwards.
While Wayne Rooney (10.5) did register an assist in Man United’s 1-0 victory over Tottenham on the opening day, he did worryingly only manage to register two touches in the penalty area. Louis van Gaal’s men didn’t look particularly dangerous in the final third, and although their next two fixtures at Aston Villa and at home to Newcastle are favourable, their following three (swa, LIV, sot) could mean many of Rooney’s 41% ownership look to make the switch to Aguero, with City’s fixtures so appealing.
Christian Benteke was another big name forward who struggled to make an impression on the opening weekend, but the Belgian international is second behind Rooney in this week’s Captain Poll with 24% of the vote ahead of a home clash against Premier League new boys Bournemouth. The Reds also have another three home matches (WHM, NOR, AVL) in the next six, although they do have to travel to Arsenal and United over the same period. It may take some time for the 8.5-valued forward to get fully in sync with his team-mates, but that price tag looks pretty generous given the opposition Liverpool will be facing at Anfield.
With Chelsea’s upcoming schedule rated the third worst according to our Season Ticker, Diego Costa finds himself towards the bottom of our ladder. The champions travel to the Etihad this weekend, while their next four matches after that (wba, CPL, eve, ARS) could also prove problematic. The 11.0-rated forward did seem to show no ill effects from his hamstring problems against Swansea, completing the full 90 minutes, but with many Fantasy managers trying to fit in the likes of Aguero, Alexis Sanchez and David Silva in their 15-man squads, the Spanish international may struggle to attract any suitors for the time being.
Leicester’s Jamie Vardy started this season as he ended the last, providing great value in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) as a budget forward. The 6.0-valued attacker notched the opening goal in Leicester’s 4-2 triumph over Sunderland, and with the fixtures (whm, TOT, bou, AVL, sto) still looking kind for the Foxes, the newly capped England international should be a decent option over the next few weeks.
While there was much talk of Callum Wilson and Troy Deeney being the strongest options available at 5.5 in FPL during pre-season, it was Jermain Defoe who got on the scoresheet during the opening weekend. Sunderland’s next six fixtures (NOR, SWA, avl, TOT, bou, mun) are ranked top of our Season Ticker, so the 5.5-priced England international looks well poised to provide great value over the upcoming period, although it will be interesting to see whether he is paired with Steven Fletcher up front, following the news Adam Johnson will be out for around eight weeks after injuring his shoulder in training.
Deeney did manage to register some attacking points in Watford’s 2-2 draw at Everton, bagging an assist, although goals could be hard to come by for the Watford skipper against four of last season’s strongest defences (WBA, SOT, mci, SWA) in the coming weeks.
Bournemouth’s Wilson probably had the most favourable fixture of the three in the opening Gameweek, but failed to make an impact in the Cherries 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa. He did register more touches in the box (16) than any player in Gameweek 1, however, and Eddie Howe’s side do have some favourable match-ups (LEI, nor, SUN) in the next six, although they also have to travel to Liverpool, West Ham and Stoke.
