The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 23 – Forwards

After running through the latest movements on the Watchlist among the defence and midfield, we turn our attention to the men up front. With two plum home fixtures over the next two Gameweeks, Everton’s Romelu Lukaku leaps to the top of our ladder, though Sergio Aguero is hot on the Belgian’s heels after racking up two two goals and an assist in the 4-0 win against Palace.

While Everton’s Romelu Lukaku did blank in difficult away matches against Man City and Chelsea over the last week or so, the Toffees upcoming schedule (SWA, NEW, sto, WBA, liv, avl), particularly in the short-term, sees the former Chelsea striker rise to the summit. Transferred out by over 56,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) bosses, Lukaku – whose price has dropped to 9.2 – is currently neck and neck with Sergio Aguero in this week’s Captain Poll with 32% of the vote ahead of the home encounter against Swansea. It’s worth noting Lukaku has averaged 9.7 points per appearance over his last six matches at Goodison Park and scored or assisted in each of those appearances.

It’s the return to form of Sergio Aguero that is likely to be behind many of those Lukaku sales, with Fantasy managers now clamouring to find a spot in their three-man frontlines for the Argentine. Over 122,000 FPL owners have transferred in the Man City forward so far this week, seeing his price rise to 13.3. Manuel Pellegrini’s men do face a mixed run of fixtures (whm, sun, LEI, TOT, new, liv) over the coming period, but having registered 14 shots from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, second among forwards, the former Atletico Madrid striker seems to be on the verge of returning to his best form.

Tottenham’s Harry Kane is a non-mover this week, with confidence in the England international maintained following his 10-point haul against Sunderland thanks to a goal and assist. Spurs are another side to face four away matches in the next six (cpl, nor, WAT, mci, SWA, whm), but only the trip to the Etihad in Gameweek 26 looks really unfavourable. Both the home matches on the current slate look pretty appealing, so the 10.0-valued striker should continue to rack up the points for his 36% ownership in FPL.

Although Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud blanked against Stoke last time out, the Frenchman holds station in fourth position with the knowledge the Gunners face four of their next six matches on home turf (CHE, SOT, bou, LEI, mun, SWA). The 9.2-rated forward has registered an impressive 13 shots from inside the box and 35 penalty box touches over the last four Gameweeks, so while there may be some slight concerns about his playing time due to the return to fitness of Alexis Sanchez, with Theo Walcott then an option to lead the line, his form over the past few months should see him remain the first-choice striker at the Emirates.

The continued drop-off in Watford’s Odion Ighalo’s attacking statistics mean the Nigerian continues to fall down our rankings. The 6.4-priced forward only had one goal attempt and two touches inside the box in the 1-0 defeat to Swansea, so while this weekend’s home clash against Newcastle should see the majority of his 39% ownership stay patient, a flurry of sales could be on the cards should he fail to deliver against the Magpies, with the Hornets schedule thereafter (CHE, tot, cpl, BOU, mun) generally unfavourable.

Also heading in the wrong direction on the Watchlist is Leicester’s Jamie Vardy, although the Foxes striker did pick up his first attacking points since Gameweek 17 with an assist in the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa. The England international, now down to 7.3 in FPL, is also still shining when it comes to involvement in the final third, with 37 penalty box touches over the last four Gameweeks, more than any other forward. Claudio Ranieri’s side also face four home fixtures over the next six Gameweeks (STO, LIV, mci, ars, NOR, WBA), although only the match-up against Norwich looks very favourable.

Another premium forward who has shown signs of life over the past few weeks is Chelsea’s Diego Costa, who keeps his spot around halfway up our ladder. The Spain international has four goals and two assists to his name in his last four outings, and remains a differential option with his ownership standing at just 6.6% in FPL. Setting us back 10.7, the former Atletico Madrid front man has recovered from a bruised shin to take on Arsenal on Sunday, although with a mixed run of fixtures for the champions over the next few weeks (ars, wat, MUN, NEW, sot, nor), many Fantasy managers may continue to ignore the claims of the Blues striker.

Having scored four goals and provided an assist in his last three appearances, Man United’s Wayne Rooney zooms up our rankings and replaces Anthony Martial as our favoured United attacking option. The 10.0-valued forward looks full of confidence right now playing as the central striker, and with four home matches in the next six (SOT, STO, che, sun, ARS, WAT), looks worthy of some consideration for our three-man frontlines. The England international’s underlying statistics are also pretty encouraging, with seven of his 15 goal attempts (nine from inside the box) hitting the target over the last four Gameweeks, while he’s also created nine chances over the same period, joint-second among forwards.

Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe is another experienced Premier League marksman who is making strides up the Watchlist. The 5.2-rated forwards shot conversion rate of 80% over the last four Gameweeks is hugely impressive, while the fact he managed to score five goals in the matches against Aston Villa and Swansea earlier this month is very encouraging given he will be facing another relegation rival this weekend when Bournemouth visit the Stadium of Light. With the rest of the Black Cats’ upcoming schedule (MCI, liv, MUN, whm, CPL) looking pretty difficult, though, significant investment in the much-travelled striker remains unlikely.

The final new face on our ladder this week is Newcastle’s Aleksandar Mitrovic. Steve McClaren’s men look a dangerous attacking unit at the moment, having scored five goals in their last two matches, while the Serbia international leads all forwards for shots inside the box with 15 over the last four Gameweeks. The Magpies forthcoming fixtures (wat, eve, WBA, che, MCI, sto) are pretty tricky, but available at just 6.2 in FPL, the former Anderlecht striker looks another viable option as a differential in attack, with his current ownership standing at 0.9%.