The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 24 – The Defence

After a dramatic Gameweek 23 came to a conclusion with surprise victories for Swansea and Chelsea on Sunday, we’ve given our Watchlist, which offers player recommendations for the next four to six weeks, a complete refresh. Favourable fixtures for Crystal Palace over the coming period sees Wayne Hennessey and Scott Dann climb up our rankings, though an injury to Ryan Shawcross puts a dent in Jack Butland’s Fantasy prospects.

GOALKEEPERS

It’s firmly a case of fixtures over form that sees us promote Wayne Hennessey to top spot this week. The Eagles’ upcoming fixtures (BOU, swa, WAT, wba, sun, LIV) are deemed the most favourable according to our Season Ticker, so while Alan Pardew’s side have conceded 11 goals in their last four matches, we should see them tighten things up at the back over the next few weeks. Wales international Hennessey only sets us back 4.2 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and seems to have convinced Alan Pardew of his qualities again after recovering from a couple of high-profile errors.

Stoke’s Jack Butland drops a place to second on our ladder then, with his immediate prospects dented by the news that Potters captain Ryan Shawcross will be out for around four weeks with a back injury. Mark Hughes’ men struggled without Shawcross during the first few months of the season, managing just two shut-outs in their first 10 matches. So while their upcoming schedule (mun, EVE, bou, AVL, NEW, che) is pretty favourable, the 5.3-priced Butland may find clean sheets harder to come by in the short-term.

Having registered four shut-outs in his last five matches, Leicester’s Kasper Schmeichel jumps up another position in our latest update. The Foxes do face a mixed run of fixtures over the next five Gameweeks, with favourable home clashes against Norwich and West Brom countered by difficult away trips to Man City and Arsenal. Given the Dane’s price tag of 4.5 in FPL, it isn’t a big surprise to see over 10,000 FPL owners transferring him in already this week.

One goalkeeper who could rival Schmeichel for current form is Southampton’s Fraser Forster, who is the big mover up the Watchlist this week having kept three consecutive clean sheets since his return to first-team action. The former Celtic goalkeeper is available at a bargain price of 4.8 in FPL, and with a very reasonable run of fixtures following next week’s trip to the Emirates (WHM, swa, CHE, bou, SUN), the England international could provide a nice differential in goal, with his current ownership standing at just 0.5%.

Form and fixtures are also aligning for Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian has kept three clean sheets in his last five appearances and faces a kind-looking schedule (wat, MUN, NEW, sot, nor, STO) over the next six Gameweeks. A significant climber in our latest refresh, Courtois offers us the cheapest route into the Blues’ backline at 5.2 in FPL. It’s also worth noting those last three shut-outs have all come on the road, so the forthcoming trips to Vicarage Road, St Mary’s and Carrow Road in particular could prove very profitable.

The Swansea defence has had a much more solid look to it over the past month or so, and with four reasonably favourable match-ups in the next six (wba, CPL, SOT, tot, ars, NOR), Lukasz Fabianski rises a few spots on our ladder. The Poland international only sets us back 4.7 in FPL, and should prove to be a fairly reliable source of Fantasy points over the coming period.

Bournemouth’s Artur Boruc is a non-mover just below the halfway mark, with the Cherries only facing one difficult fixture over the next six Gameweeks (cpl, ARS, STO, wat, SOT, new) – when Arsenal visit the south coast in Gameweek 25. While investment is unlikely given the upside of Charlie Daniels’ attacking potential at a similar price (4.6 to Boruc’s 4.5), the former Southampton stopper looks a solid option between the sticks.

With tough matches against Chelsea and Arsenal in the next four, Man United’s David de Gea remains towards the bottom of our rankings. Louis van Gaal’s side do also face pretty favourable clashes at home to Stoke and Watford and away to Sunderland and West Brom over the coming period, though, but setting us back 5.6 in FPL, the Spaniard, having only registered one clean sheet in his last four, doesn’t look to hold great appeal at this point.

Petr Cech also holds station near the foot of the Watchlist with Arsenal facing three difficult fixtures (LEI, mun, tot) over the next six Gameweeks. The Czech Republic international, rated at 5.8 in FPL, could be another premium-priced goalkeeper who fails to deliver great value over the next few weeks, then, with an in-form Southampton also visiting the Emirates in the next round of matches.

After earning a clean sheet in his first appearance of the campaign following a long lay-off due to a knee injury, West Brom’s Ben Foster claims the final spot on our ladder. Tony Pulis’ men are always likely to keep ticking over with clean sheets, having racked up eight already this season, and with some decent fixtures (SWA, new, eve, CPL, lei, MUN) to come, the 4.9-valued Foster will soon be on the radars of Fantasy managers once again.

DEFENDERS

After registering a 12-point haul in Chelsea’s 1-0 win at Arsenal thanks to an assist and full bonus, Branislav Ivanovic (6.5) climbs all the way to the summit. The Serbian has averaged 6.7 points per appearance over the last seven Gameweeks and, given the aforementioned obliging fixture list over the coming period, seems to be returning to the form that has made him a Fantasy favourite over the past few seasons.

At the other end of the budget bracket is Southampton’s Matt Targett, who is also a significant mover in our rankings thanks to some eye-catching performances at left wing-back. The 3.8-rated Targett has registered two assists in his last three appearances, and as long as Ronald Koeman sticks with the same formation, there’s little doubt the England U21 international is a great enabler just at the time where we needs to free up funds for big-hitters such as Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez.

With Everton’s defending still leaving a lot to be desired, Leighton Baines sees his stock fall this time around. The Toffees’ fixture list (NEW, sto, WBA, liv, avl, WHM) remains pretty friendly over the coming period, but with just two shut-outs from their last 10 matches, the 6.2-priced left-back looks somewhat over-priced. There is decent attacking potential to fall back on though, with the England international creating seven chances over the last four Gameweeks – that’s more than any other defender.

The continued goal threat of Crystal Palace’s Scott Dann – having registered four shots from inside the box in his last four outings – along with a kind run of fixtures (BOU, swa, WAT, wba, sun, LIV) sees the centre-back move back up a few positions. His price tag of 5.8 in FPL could be a bit off-putting though when it comes to attracting further investment, given the Eagles’ current run of results.

While West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell has disappointingly totalled just four points in FPL over the last three Gameweeks, the fact the Hammers face three favourable match-ups in the next four (AVL, sot, nor, SUN) sees the former Ipswich left-back move up a couple of spots in our latest refresh. The 5.6-valued defender also boasts reasonable attacking potential, having registered a goal and three assists so far this term.

Swansea’s Ashley Williams (4.8) also climbs a few spots this week with defensive returns looking possible in four of the Swans’ next six matches (wba, CPL, SOT, tot, ars, NOR). The Wales international’s ability to hoover up the bonus points when the Welsh side do keep a clean sheet also boosts his prospects; he has accrued 17 bonus points so far this season, joint-top among defenders with Man City’s Bacary Sagna.

Although West Brom’s Craig Dawson picked up nine points in Saturday’s goalless draw against Aston Villa, the right-back is a non-mover, with the Baggies facing a mixed run of fixtures over the next month or so. The 5.1-rated defender does carry a decent attacking threat though, having registered four shots from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, while putting in 15 crosses over the same period.

With Tottenham’s upcoming schedule (nor, WAT, mci, SWA, whm, ARS) rated the least favourable over the next six Gameweeks according to our Season Ticker, Toby Alderweireld continues his descent down the Watchlist. Spurs have also frustratingly conceded exactly one goal in each of their last five matches, while the knee injury suffered by Jan Vertonghen could further weaken their chances of grabbing clean sheets. The 6.2-priced Alderweireld can still deliver points at the opposite end of the pitch, though, given he has registered nine goal attempts (seven from inside the box) over the last four Gameweeks.

Left-backs Charlie Daniels, Christian Fuchs and Patrick van Aanholt remain just below the halfway point on our ladder, with the trio offering strong value among budget defenders. Bournemouth’s Daniels offers plenty of attacking potential given the freedom Eddie Howe affords his full-backs, while the 4.6-valued defender also has penalty duties in the locker.

Fuchs has a very limited goal threat, but having created six chances over the last four Gameweeks, joint-second among defenders, he does hold some assist potential. As already touched upon, Leicester are a much improved defensive unit right now, so setting us back just 4.8 in FPL, the Austria international looks a solid option – he’s earned 10 bonus points so far, at least double the number of any defensive team-mate.

Having scored in his last four matches, Van Aanholt may deserve a spot higher up our rankings. The Black Cats have failed to keep a clean sheet since the 2-0 win against Stoke in Gameweek 15, though, while their upcoming schedule (MCI, liv, MUN, whm, CPL, sot) is unlikely to see that record improve, so the hopes of the 4.7-rated defender firmly lie in him continuing to find the back of the net. It’s also worth noting that the Dutchman has scored with all four attempts on target over the previous four, indicating that he’s been somewhat fortunate to find the net so regularly.

While Arsenal are still looking pretty solid at the back, the lack of attacking potential for Hector Bellerin sees the Spaniard continue to fall down our ladder. The Gunners right-back, who sets us back 6.1 in FPL, has only created two chances in his last four appearances, and failed to register a single goal attempt.

A lack of attacking points is also hurting the stock of Man United’s Chris Smalling, who is still searching for his first goal of the season. With Louis van Gaal’s men struggling to string a run of results together, the 6.7-priced defender doesn’t currently look a great value option for our five-man backlines.

Liverpool’s defensive display at Norwich did little to restore faith in their backline, so Alberto Moreno slides all the way to the bottom of our rankings. With attacking returns failing to materialise for the former Sevilla defender, points could continue to be in short supply for the 4.9-valued left-back.

Stoke’s Glen Johnson (5.3) and Man City’s Aleksandar Kolarov (6.2) complete this week’s Watchlist. Johnson falls with clean sheets likely to be harder to come by for the Potters in the absence of Ryan Shawcross, while Kolarov remains a doubt for Tuesday’s trip to Sunderland due to a muscle injury. The threat of rotation, with Gael Clichy also competing for the left-back berth at the Etihad, is also a major drawback to the Serbian’s Fantasy prospects.