The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 23 – The Defence

Following a busy week of Premier League action, we’re rolling out the first of our three Watchlist articles this afternoon with a run through of the risers and fallers among the defence. A decent run of fixtures for Bournemouth over the next six Gameweeks means both Artur Boruc and Charlie Daniels move up our ladder this week, while Leighton Baines shoots all the way up to top spot among the defenders as the schedule smiles kindly on Everton.

GOALKEEPERS

After registering yet another clean sheet in Stoke’s goalless draw against Arsenal, and with some favourable fixtures (lei, mun, EVE, bou, AVL, NEW) to come towards the end of the current block, Jack Butland returns to the summit in our latest update. The now 5.3-priced England international is still the highest scoring goalkeeper in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) this season with 107 points, and remains one of the more reliable options between the sticks.

The improvement in Bournemouth’s defence has quietly gone under the radar in recent weeks, with Eddie Howe’s side managing three shut-outs in their last five matches. That form, along with a favourable stretch in their schedule over the next six Gameweeks (sun, cpl, ARS, STO, wat, SOT) means Artur Boruc is a big climber this week. The former Celtic goalkeeper only sets us back 4.5 in FPL, and currently looks one of the strongest budget options available to Fantasy managers.

While Arsenal’s Petr Cech comes in at the opposite end of the budget at 5.8 in FPL, the fact the Gunners have four home matches in the next six (CHE, SOT, bou, LEI, mun, SWA) means the former Chelsea stopper is another big riser in our latest refresh. Arsene Wenger’s men have kept clean sheets in their last two Emirates matches, and further defensive returns look on the cards for the Czech Republic international over the coming period.

Kasper Schmeichel is another goalkeeper who sees his stock rise this week, with Leicester also playing four of the next six in front of their own fans (STO, LIV, mci, ars, NOR, WBA). The 4.5-valued Denmark international has bagged three clean sheets in his last four matches, and providing your other keeper has some decent fixtures in Gameweeks 25 and 26 when the Foxes travel to Man City and Arsenal, Schmeichel could prove to be a viable option over the coming weeks.

With Everton’s upcoming schedule (SWA, NEW, sto, WBA, liv, avl) rated as the most favourable according to our Season Ticker, Tim Howard (5.0) is another significant climber in our updated rankings. The Toffees rearguard managed to keep out Man City at the Etihad in Gameweek 21, and following the return of Phil Jagielka, further clean sheets are expected over the new few weeks.

Crystal Palace’s strong run of fixtures over the next month or so (TOT, BOU, swa, WAT, wba, sun) means Wayne Hennessey stays around halfway up our ladder. The Wales international’s place in the starting XI is in some doubt after high profile errors against Aston Villa and Man City last week, though, so while his 11% ownership in FPL will keep faith in the 4.1-priced stopper, now doesn’t look the time to be investing in the former Wolves player.

Another non-mover this week is West Ham’s Adrian, with the Hammers plum home fixtures against Aston Villa and Sunderland over the next six Gameweeks firmly in mind. The other four matches (MCI, sot, nor, TOT) are pretty testing, though, while the failure to register a clean sheet in reasonable clashes against Bournemouth and Newcastle last week also counts against the 5.0-valued Spaniard.

Mark Bunn is a new face on our ladder, having ousted Brad Guzan as the first-choice keeper at Aston Villa. While it’s debatable whether any FPL bosses will be interested in bringing in the former Norwich goalkeeper, the fixtures over the next month or so (wba, whm, NOR, LIV, sto, EVE) are pretty reasonable for the 4.3-priced stopper.

Fresh from signing a new five-year contract at Liverpool, Simon Mignolet shifts up a couple of places in our rankings with the Reds facing three favourable fixtures over the next four Gameweeks (nor, lei, SUN, avl). The 4.9-rated Belgian has only managed two clean sheets in his last seven appearances, though, and is another who will probably be left alone by the majority of Fantasy bosses.

While the form of Swansea’s Lukasz Fabianski is very strong, having averaged five points per appearance over the last six Gameweeks, the Welsh side’s unfavourable upcoming fixture list (eve, wba, CPL, SOT, tot, ars) means the Poland international falls all the way to the bottom of our ladder. We also await to see what impact new head coach Francesco Guidolin has at the Liberty Stadium, so the 4.7-priced keeper is likely to see a drop-off in his Fantasy output.

DEFENDERS

With Everton’s afore-mentioned strong run of fixtures firmly in mind, we’ve elevated Leighton Baines all the way to the top of our latest defender rankings. The left-back’s two assists against Chelsea were his first attacking points of the season, though, while the England international has failed to register a goal attempt over the last four Gameweeks and created just three chances. So although defensive returns appear very possible over the next month or so, we perhaps shouldn’t expect too much at the other end of the pitch, which makes his 6.1 price tag in FPL still look a tad high.

One left-back who is a lot kinder on the budget is Bournemouth’s Charlie Daniels, who leaps all the way to second position on our ladder on the back of a huge 18-point haul in the 3-0 win against Norwich last weekend. The former Tottenham academy product has been transferred in by over 43,000 FPL bosses so far this week, seeing his price rise to 4.6. That still looks to represent fantastic value though, particularly given the Cherries next six opponents (sun, cpl, ARS, STO, wat, SOT). Having created four chances in his last four outings and with penalty duties in the locker, there is plenty of upside in owning Daniels, with his ownership of 1% also making him a real differential.

Although Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld disappointingly picked up just four points from favourable home matches against Leicester and Sunderland last week, the Belgian keeps his place towards the top of the Watchlist. The former Ajax defender is a big set-piece threat, given he leads all defenders for shots from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks with six, while Spurs only look to have one difficult fixture in the next six (cpl, nor, WAT, mci, SWA, whm), away to Man City in Gameweek 26. The 6.2-valued defender’s 40% ownership in FPL will be more than happy to keeper faith in the centre-back then.

West Brom’s Craig Dawson moves back up a couple of spots this week with the Baggies facing favourable home clashes against Aston Villa and Swansea over the next two Gameweeks. The rest of the upcoming schedule (new, eve, CPL, lei) is mixed for Tony Pulis’ men, though, while they have surprisingly only kept one clean sheet in their last 12 matches. The former Rochdale defender, who is available at 5.1 in FPL, is another who always looks to have a goal in him, though, having registered 14 penalty box touches over the last four Gameweeks, second among defenders.

Aaron Cresswell holds station in our updated rankings, with West Ham facing a pretty favourable run of fixtures over the coming weeks (MCI, AVL, sot, nor, SUN, TOT). The 5.6-priced left-back will have disappointed the 55,000+ FPL bosses who transferred him in before the trip to Bournemouth in Gameweek 21, though, registering just three points in matches against the Cherries and Newcastle.

On the back of four clean sheets in his last six appearances, Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin (6.1) keeps his place on our ladder this week, despite the Gunners facing a mixed run of fixtures over the coming period. The Spanish right-back has disappointingly only picked up two assists so far this season, though, and created just two chances over the last four Gameweeks. Bellerin just keeps his place ahead of Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal as our Gunners’ defender of choice, though it’s a situation we are monitoring. Over the last six Gameweeks, he’s seeing more of the ball in the final third than the left-back, whilst we feel Koscielny is slightly more at risk to rotation as the fixtures arrive thick and fast.

One defender who is excelling in the final third is Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt, who is a big mover up our ladder having scored three goals and bagged an assist in his last three outings. The left-back, available at a bargain price of 4.6 in FPL, has registered six goal attempts and created five chances over the last four Gameweeks, and while defensive returns are expected to remain in short supply given the Black Cats tricky upcoming schedule (BOU, MCI, liv, MUN, whm, CPL), that attacking threat alone makes the Dutchman an intriguing prospect.

While Swansea’s Ashley Williams brought in a huge 15-point haul against Watford on Monday night, thanks to a goal, clean sheet and full bonus, the Wales captain falls a few spots given the Swans face four of their next six on the road. Nonetheless, with no concerns over rotation, the 4.8-valued centre-back remains a solid option.

Leicester’s Christian Fuchs is a non-mover around halfway up our ladder, with the left-back offering a reasonable attacking threat in recent weeks having created six chances over the last four Gameweeks, ranking him second among defenders. Setting us back just 4.7 in FPL, and with four home fixtures in the next six, the Austrian is another budget option who looks worthy of a place in our five-man backlines.

Chris Smalling and Scott Dann both suffer drops this week, with the former’s lack of goal threat making his 6.7 price tag look far too dear. Man United do face four of their next six matches (SOT, STO, che, sun, ARS, WAT) at Old Trafford, though. Dann, on the other hand, continues to offer a serious goal threat, with the 5.8-rated centre-back leading all defenders for penalty box touches over the last four Gameweeks with 22. Crystal Palace have conceded eight goals in their last three matches, though, so while their schedule is pretty favourable following this weekend’s home encounter against Tottenham (BOU, swa, WAT, wba, sun), it’s hard to fully trust the Eagles defence right now.

As was the case with Simon Mignolet, Liverpool’s Alberto Moreno sees his stock rise slightly with those favourable match-ups against Norwich, Sunderland and Aston Villa on the horizon. Despite producing a single assist all season, the 4.9-proced left-back continues to serve up strong underlying numbers – over the last four Gameweeks, he sits top for key passes (seven) and second for shots (seven) amongst defenders.

Heading in the opposite direction is Man City’s Aleksandar Kolarov, with the Serbian an injury concern having suffered a calf injury last weekend. Rotation worries due to the threat of Gael Clichy continue to dent the prospects of the 6.2-valued left-back.

With the Chelsea backline still looking vulnerable, Branislav Ivanovic stays towards the bottom of our rankings this time around. The Serbian has also failed to register a goal attempt in his last four outings, so coming in at 6.5 in FPL, he may continue to struggle to justify his hefty price tag.

The final two spots on our ladder are taken up by Southampton’s Matt Targett and Stoke’s Glen Johnson. Targett has been used as a wing-back in Saints’ last two matches, and has racked up a pair of assists and as many clean sheets. While his place in the starting XI isn’t nailed on in the medium-to-long-term, setting us back just 3.7 in FPL, he could be seen as an enabler. Johnson has picked up five bonus points in the last three matches the Potters have registered clean sheets, and remains a viable option at the back, priced at 5.3 in FPL.