The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 32 – The Midfield

Following yesterday’s look at the goalkeepers and defenders to target in the coming weeks, today we analyse the movements among the midfielders in our Watchlist, which offers player recommendations for the next four-to-six Gameweeks. Raheem Sterling is back in our thoughts having been deployed in a more advanced role against Arsenal, while Ki Sung-Yeung continues to emerge as a viable budget option.

Eden Hazard has undoubtedly been the star of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season so far, with his points tally now standing at 194 following a goal, assist and maximum bonus haul in the 2-1 win over Stoke. The 11.1-priced midfielder has averaged 8.4 points per appearance over his last five outings and, if anything, seems to be gaining momentum as the season draws to a conclusion. The Belgian’s prospects for the coming period look bright, with Chelsea facing seven matches (qpr, MUN, ars/lei, CPL, LIV, wba) in the next six Gameweeks.

Although David Silva failed to record attacking returns for the third consecutive away match in City’s 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace, his prolific form at the Etihad means he keeps his spot in our latest refresh. The Spaniard has averaged 12.3 points per appearance in his last three home matches, and with favourable home clashes against West Ham, Aston Villa and QPR in the next five, offers the potential to bring in double-digit hauls.

After bagging a goal and assist in Arsenal’s 4-1 win against Liverpool, Alexis Sanchez moves back up this week. The Chilean had an impressive performance, registering three goal attempts and creating as many chances. While it is slightly surprising he is currently the third most transferred in player so far this week, given the Gunners have a blank in Gameweek 33, his prospects from Gameweek 35 onwards (hul, SWA, mun/SUN) do look healthy, while Saturday’s trip to Burnley is also favourable.

Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling finds his way back onto our Watchlist after being restored to a more advanced position in the defeat to Arsenal. The England international started the match as a lone striker, before playing just off Daniel Sturridge following the latter’s introduction at half-time. With Sturridge likely to start against Newcastle this week, Sterling could tuck in behind in a central role again, though there is a risk the 8.5-valued midfielder could be shifted back to a wing-back berth, thus reducing his potential. Given that Brendan Rodgers’ side have suffered back-to-back defeats, though, a change in system may not be out of the equation, and we believe Sterling will be deployed in a more customary attacking role, where he edges out team-mate Philippe Coutinho in terms of attacking potential.

Sadio Mane falls a couple of places after surprisingly being dropped to the substitutes bench in Southampton’s 1-0 defeat at Everton. The Senegal international has been one of the Saints’ best performers over the past few weeks, so we expect him to find his way back into the starting XI for Saturday’s home encounter against Hull. Should that be the case, the 6.7-rated midfielder certainly has the fixtures (HUL, sto, TOT, sun, lei, AVL) to add to the seven goals and three assisted collected this season.

Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson remains one the best mid-price midfield options, after grabbing his ninth assist of the campaign in the 3-1 win against Hull. The 6.5-rated midfielder has registered a very respectable 11 goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks, but has only created five chances, highlighting his struggle to influence matches compared to his early-season displays. With the short-term schedule (EVE, lei, new, STO) very favourable, however, the Icelandic international certainly has the fixtures to thrive in the coming weeks.

The battle between Jason Puncheon, Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha for the best Fantasy option among the Crystal Palace midfield has been raging for the last few weeks, but after finding the net in the 2-1 victory against City, Puncheon has stolen a march for now. Palace’s wingers were largely ineffective on Monday night, and while that probably won’t be there case over the next three Gameweeks (sun, WBA, HUL), the fact Puncheon has a good share of set-piece duties gives him the slightest of edges for the time being.

After netting a fourth goal in his last five league appearances, there is no doubt that Jordan Henderson deserves serious consideration from Fantasy managers. The 6.6-priced midfielder is a growing influence at Anfield, with set-piece duties, including penalties, in the locker if Steven Gerrard continues to find himself out of the starting line-up upon his return from suspension. The former Sunderland man looks a strong pick for this week’s clash against Newcastle, then, but the Reds will face a blank in Gameweek 33 if they progress past Blackburn in the FA Cup tonight – as mentioned in yesterday’s Defenders article, we’d expect that trip to Hull to be shifted into Gameweek 34 or 37, handing the Reds a double.

Man United duo Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini have both attracted plenty of interest over the last few weeks, but the Spaniard still holds the edge in our latest update after bettering the Belgian by 22 points to 18 over the last three Gameweeks. The underlying stats between the pair are close, with Fellaini registering five goal attempts over the same period compared to Mata’s four, while the former Chelsea man has the advantage when it comes to chances created, by four to two. With United’s upcoming schedule (MCI, che, eve, WBA, cpl, ARS) pretty unfavourable, it may be tough for either midfielder to find a way into our five-man midfields with double Gameweeks also on the agenda, though.

With just one win in their last nine matches, it’s hard to push the claims of any West Ham player with any confidence right now. Big Sam’s side do, however, have the third best fixtures (STO, mci, qpr, BUR, avl, EVE) over the next six Gameweeks according to our Season Ticker and, as a result, we’re keeping faith with Stewart Downing. Since Gameweek 23, the 6.4-valued midfielder has created 15 chances and registered 13 goal attempts, and with the schedule softening up, should be able to turn those respectable numbers into Fantasy points.

The recent emergence of Ki Sung-Yeung as a Fantasy asset has taken many by surprise. Coming in at 5.2 in FPL, the South Korean has averaged 5.7 points per appearance since Gameweek 24, with a heavy-hitter like David Silva averaging only 0.6 points more over the same period. With the aforementioned kind run of fixtures over the next four, Ki could continue to flourish and offer outstanding value for his growing band of owners.

While Ki has been exceeding expectations, Christian Eriksen has been a massive disappointment over the last few months. The Tottenham midfielder has only managed two assists in his last eight league appearances but his 25.9% ownership may hold for the time being, with favourable matches against Aston Villa and Newcastle up next. Given that Eriksen also has a fixture in Gameweek 33 – albeit a trip to Southampton – those still holding his services may afford him a short-term reprieve.

QPR’s Matty Phillips also remains in contention after racking up 20 points in double Gameweek 31. Granted, the schedule is hardly in his favour (che, blank, WHM, liv, mcy) but the 4.6-priced wide man clearly has the form on his side, having racked up two goals and seven assists in his last eight appearances.