The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 14 – Forwards

Having assessed the defence and midfield over the past few days, we complete our look at the latest movements on our Watchlist with a breakdown of the forwards. Man City’s Sergio Aguero is the big climber after scoring on his comeback from injury against Liverpool, but with four blanks in his last five appearances, and with a one-match ban to contend with, Southampton’s Graziano Pelle heads in the opposite direction.

With four goals and two assists from his last three outings, allied to the most favourable upcoming schedule (bou, CPL, nor, LEI, new, STO) according to our Season Ticker, there seems to be no stopping Everton’s Romelu Lukaku. It’s little surprise that the Belgian is the most transferred in player this week in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), with over 173,000 new owners. Still priced at a very reasonable 8.9, he leads this week’s Captain Poll with 39% of the votes cast as his bandwagon goes from strength to strength.

Another forward currently in sensational form is Tottenham’s Harry Kane, who moves up a spot in our latest update. The 9.5-priced England international has averaged 11.5 points per appearance over the last four Gameweeks, and leads all forwards for shots from inside the box (16) over the same period. Impressively, Kane managed to hit the target with 13 of his 20 attempts, while he also netted Spurs’ winning goal against Qarabag last night. With Tottenham’s fixture list (CHE, wba, NEW, sot, NOR, wat) remaining favourable over the next month or so, Kane is making a compelling case for inclusion in our three-man frontlines.

Man City’s Sergio Aguero jumps up to third place on our ladder after making an immediate impact on his return from injury against Liverpool. The 13.1-valued Argentine has a proven track record over the past few seasons, and while City’s upcoming schedule (SOT, sto, SWA, ars, SUN, lei) is not overly favourable, it will be a brave Fantasy manager who chooses to go without the former Atletico Madrid striker, should he rediscover his very best form. Having played 68 minutes against Juventus in midweek, his pitch time will continue to be managed, particularly now that Wilfried Bony has been passed fit to feature this weekend.

We still believe in the potential of Leicester’s Jamie Vardy (7.5), despite the Foxes’ upcoming fixture list (MUN, swa, CHE, eve, liv, MCI) stiffening up over the next six Gameweeks. The England international will be attempting to set a new Premier League record by scoring in 11 consecutive matches when he lines up against Man United tomorrow, so with that sort of form and the bargain price most FPL bosses picked him up for, there’s still plenty to like about his prospects.

After delivering attacking returns once again in Gameweek 13, registering an assist in Watford’s 2-1 defeat to Man United, Watford’s Odion Ighalo climbs a couple of places. The Nigerian’s price in FPL has risen to 5.7 this week, but that still represents fantastic value, given he’s ranked third among forwards for shots from inside the box (13) over the last four Gameweeks, while he also leads all forwards for chances created (eight) over the same period. Looking at the Hornets’ short-term fixtures (avl, NOR, sun), his 20% ownership will be confident of being further rewarded over the next few matches.

At the opposite end of the price scale is Diego Costa. The 10.9-priced Chelsea striker notched against Norwich last week and with three more plum home fixtures (BOU, SUN, WAT) over the next five Gameweeks, he rises a couple of positions in our latest refresh. Costa registered an impressive five goal attempts against the Canaries, with four from inside the box, and with confidence seemingly starting to grow at Stamford Bridge, the 6%-owned Spain international could be worth some consideration as a differential.

Having been a popular option for Fantasy bosses just a matter of weeks ago, there is little to like about Graziano Pelle’s prospects right now. As already mentioned, the Italian has failed to deliver the goods in his last few appearances, and has only hit the target with one of his eight total goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks. He’s also suspended for tomorrow’s trip to the Etihad, while Southampton’s schedule over the coming period (AVL, cpl, TOT, ARS, whm) throws up few favourable match-ups. Unsurprisingly, he’s the most transferred out player this week, with over 320,000 sales, seeing his price drop from 8.5 to 8.3 in a matter of days.

While he found the back of the net for the fifth time in seven matches during last week’s loss at West Brom, Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud remains a non-mover with Theo Walcott closing in on a return. The former Montpellier striker could well shine again at Norwich on Sunday, though, and looks poised to flourish further if Walcott fails to make the home clash against Sunderland in Gameweek 15. Beyond that, rotation for the lone striker role at the Emirates limits the appeal of the 8.9-priced Frenchman.

Anthony Martial is another who remains rooted towards the bottom of our rankings, with concerns over the attacking potential of Louis van Gaal’s side. The France international is now back to full fitness following a foot injury, though, while United do have a favourable run of fixtures (lei, WHM, bou, NOR, sto, CHE) over the next month or so. He could yet perhaps punish the 598,000+ FPL managers who have sold him over the last four Gameweeks, then, which saw his price fall from 8.4 to 7.9.

Following Roberto Firmino’s impressive performance as the central forward for Liverpool against Man City, Christian Benteke drops to the foot of our ladder. The Belgian did catch the eye against Bordeaux in the Europa League last night, though, bagging a goal and assist, but with Jurgen Klopp’s counter-attacking game plan away from home perhaps not suited to the Belgian’s strengths, it remains to be seen whether he can nail down a regular role under the new manager. Earlier today, Klopp’s suggestion that he was uncertain whether Benteke “is able to play two games in three days” right now is clearly an issue for would-be suitors, particularly with the likes of Lukaku and Kane in red-hot form and nailed-on for their respective clubs.