The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 27 – The Forwards

After assessing the Defence and Midfield, our rundown of the updated Watchlist rankings, which focuses on the next four Gameweeks due to the number of upcoming blanks, sees us finish with a look up front.

Having returned to form with four goals and an assist from his last five appearances, and with such a favourable run of fixtures (NOR, WBA, wat, NEW, cpl, SOT) up next, Jamie Vardy holds on to top spot. The Leicester striker has impressively hit the target with eight of the 12 total goal attempts he’s made over the last four Gameweeks, and looks an obvious pick for the foreseeable future. Vardy is currently the most transferred in player so far this week in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) with over 137,000 new owners, seeing his price rise to 7.6, and is the clear leader in this week’s Captain Poll with 35% of the vote ahead of the visit of lowly Norwich to the King Power Stadium.

Tottenham’s Harry Kane is hot on the heels of the Leicester man, though, having outdone his England team-mate over the last five Gameweeks, scoring five goals and providing an assist. Spurs’ upcoming schedule (SWA, whm, ARS, avl, BOU, liv) isn’t quite as generous as Leicester’s, with the matches against West Ham and Arsenal in particular likely to provide limited chances for the 10.1-priced forward. Kane has a good recent record against Arsenal, though, having scored three goals in his last two league appearances against the Gunners. He remains likely to keep his place in the majority of our 15-man squads, then, given he’s expected to play against Swansea on Sunday wearing a protective mask after he suffered a broken nose, ruling him out of tonight’s Europa League clash against Fiorentina.

While Man City’s Sergio Aguero has been close to hitting top form over the past month or so, scoring seven goals in as many matches, he moves down a position on our ladder due to Manuel Pellegrini’s side facing a blank this weekend. The rest of the Citizens fixtures over the coming period (liv, AVL, nor, MUN, bou) are pretty favourable, though, while the Argentinian leads all forwards for total goal attempts (21) over the last four Gameweeks. The 13.5-valued striker has been the third most transferred out player in FPL so far this week with 70,000+ sales due to the impending blank, but looks a near essential asset for those favourable match-ups against Aston Villa and Norwich in Gameweeks 29 and 30. Plans may need to be hatched to find a way to transfer him back in ahead of those clashes, then.

Diego Costa also slides down the Watchlist due to an upcoming blank, which comes in Gameweek 30 for Chelsea due to their progress in the FA Cup. Although form certainly isn’t an issue for the Blues front man, a tough trip to Southampton means that Costa finds himself at the bottom of the pack of big-name strikers. The Blues’ other matches over the coming weeks (nor, STO, WHM, avl) are fairly favourable, though, and with an ownership of only 8% in FPL, some FPL bosses who need to find differentials to make up lost ground could seriously consider a move for the 10.7-rated striker.

With three fairly favourable match-ups (wat, new, SWA) over the next four Gameweeks, Bournemouth’s Benik Afobe continues to rise up our rankings. The former Arsenal youngster has settled well to life in the Premier League, scoring three goals in six outings, although he has only registered five shots from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks. Setting us back just 6.1 in FPL, and with an ownership of 1%, Afobe could be worth a short-term punt as a differential.

Although he hasn’t scored in his last five league matches, Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud (9.0) is a non-mover this week with the Gunners not currently facing any blanks over the next six Gameweeks (mun, SWA, tot, WBA, eve, WAT). The home fixture against West Brom could be moved, however, if Arsene Wenger’s men beat Hull in their FA Cup fifth round replay. The Frenchman does lead all forwards for penalty box touches with 55, which is 15 ahead of the second-placed Aguero, but with the fit-again Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott viable alternatives to the former Montpellier man as the lone striker for the Gunners, few Fantasy managers appear likely to invest this juncture, particularly with tough trips to Man United and Tottenham over the next three Gameweeks.

Ahead of home matches against Arsenal and Watford and a trip to West Brom, Man United’s Anthony Martial earns a green arrow in our latest refresh. The 7.6-valued Frenchman has registered a decent 10 goal attempts (eight from inside the box) over the last four Gameweeks, and is also second among forwards for chances created over the same period with nine. With question marks over when Wayne Rooney will return from a knee injury, Martial is currently leading the line for United, and the onus will certainly be on the former Monaco attacker to carry the burden in the skipper’s absence. United do face a blank in Gameweek 30 though, while two tough match-ups (mci, EVE) follow for Louis van Gaal’s side.

Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe is a non-mover this time around, with the England international a viable option for us to consider given his bargain 5.1 price tag and the fact he’s scored 10 goals so far this season in a struggling side. He has only netted once in his last five appearances, though, and has registered just six shots from inside the box over that period. Interest in the former Tottenham striker may be limited, then, particularly with the Black Cats facing a blank in Gameweek 30, allied to the fact they have no real plum home fixture in the next six (whm, CPL, sot, blank, new, WBA).