The Watchlist Updated – The Forwards

After reviewing the updated Watchlist rankings among the defence and midfield over the past few days, we now turn our attention to the latest movements among the forwards. Everton’s Romelu Lukaku and Man City’s Sergio Aguero remain at the top of our ladder, with Newcastle’s Aleksandar Mitrovic the big riser after scoring a brace against Norwich last weekend.

With Everton facing two double Gameweeks (DGW) over the next couple of weeks (wat & cpl, SOT & liv), Romelu Lukaku comfortably holds onto top spot on the Watchlist. The Belgian has blanked against Arsenal and Man United in his last two matches, but priced at 9.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), he looks pretty essential to own over the next two Gameweeks, with some Fantasy managers perhaps looking to use their triple captain chip on the former Chelsea striker this week. It’s certainly no surprise to see Lukaku dominating this week’s Captain Poll with 75% of the vote.

The other forward who appears extremely likely to occupy another of our three forward slots over the coming period is Man City’s Sergio Aguero. The Argentine returned to goal scoring form against Bournemouth last time out, and has a very favourable run of fixtures (WBA, che & new, STO) over the next few weeks, including the double in Gameweek 34. The 13.5-priced striker leads all forwards for shots from inside the box over the last four matches with 16, and should benefit from the return to fitness of Kevin de Bruyne, who brings plenty of extra creativity and quality to the Citizens’ midfield.

Harry Kane sees his stock fall this week, with Tottenham not having the benefit of facing a DGW. The 10.4-valued forward does have form in his favour, having scored six goals and provided an assist in his last four outings, but particularly for those wildcarding this week, he could be deemed dispensable for the time being. With Spurs facing a very favourable home clash against West Brom in Gameweek 35, plans may need to be made to insert him back into our squads in a couple of weeks time.

Man United’s Anthony Martial continues to rise up our rankings after netting his eighth league goal of the season in the 1-0 win over Everton. The France international looks an integral part of Louis van Gaal’s side now, and with the Red Devils DGW34 fixtures (AVL & CPL) hugely favourable, the 7.6-rated attacker looks a strong option for our third forward position. United do face a tough trip to Tottenham on Sunday and a blank in Gameweek 35, but with a double in Gameweek 37 (now & whm) and a home fixture against Bournemouth on the final day of the season, Martial looks set for a strong finish to his maiden Premier League campaign.

His United team-mate Marcus Rashford just about remains in our thoughts this week, with the impending return of Wayne Rooney from injury hurting his prospects. The appeal of Rashford lies in his 4.5 price tag in FPL, making him a great enabler, particularly for those wildcarding this week. Owning a United attacker for DGW34 should prove very beneficial, though the chances of him being rotated are certainly increased by the United skipper’s impending return.

Quickly moving onto our radars over the past few weeks has been Newcastle’s Aleksandar Mitrovic, who looks to be flourishing under new boss Rafael Benitez. The Serbia international has scored three goals in his last two matches, and leads all forwards for shots from inside the box over that period with 13. The Magpies have two home matches in their DGW34 (SWA & MCI), while they also have a fixture in Gameweek 35, away to Liverpool, and pretty favourable clashes the following two weeks at home to Crystal Palace and away to Aston Villa. Available at 6.2 in FPL, the former Anderlecht front man is making a strong case for inclusion on our 15-man rosters, and would also be a huge differential, with his current ownership standing at just 1.1% in FPL. Backing players who feature in sides with plenty to play for during the final weeks of the season should also be considered, with Newcastle certainly one of those such clubs.

Having started four of Arsenal’s last five league matches, Danny Welbeck maintains his position around halfway up our ladder. The England international looks to have established himself as Arsene Wenger’s first-choice striker, and while he may be rotated for one of their matches between Gameweeks 34 and 35 (CPL & WBA, sun), the fact he only sets us back 7.4 in FPL makes the former Man United striker a very tempting option. One problem for his inclusion in our squads may be the desire to either double up on the Gunners defence, or perhaps opt to include both Alexis Sanchez and one of either Mesut Ozil or Alex Iwobi.

For those looking to gamble over the next few Gameweeks. Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge could be an option. The England international has started the Reds’ last two league matches, scoring once and registering an assist. The fixture list for Jurgen Klopp’s men (STO, bou & EVE, NEW, swa, WAT & CHE, wba) is particularly kind all the way to the end of the season, so the 9.9-priced forward looks primed to bring in plenty of Fantasy points providing he can stay fit. There is also the matter of next week’s Europa League matches Borussia Dortmund to consider though, with rotation in the league matches a possibility should Klopp focus all of his efforts on the European campaign in light of last night’s 1-1 draw in Germany. With an ownership of just 1.7% in FPL, taking a punt on Sturridge could pay off handsomely, and may be worth the risk if you’re looking to make a late charge in mini-leagues.