The Watchlist player rankings have been updated once again, offering our view on player recommendations for the final four gameweeks. You can view the latest rankings in your right-hand sidebar.
As the remaining fixtures diminish, movement in the rankings has not surprisingly slowed, leaving familiar names at the forefront of our thinking. Man City’s tempting season finale and Chelsea’s blossoming form keep their assets at the pinnacle, although, as always, there are some new names and cheaper talents to consider – not least in the striker department.
Joe Hart’s clean sheet at Blackburn on Monday justified his number one ranking and with fixtures falling nicely for City’s run-in, he holds firm this week. Birmingham’s Ben Foster climbs to second with news that his injury sustained at Anfield are unlikely to disrupt his end of season – Foster has two strong home fixtures which should help boost his points tally further. Bolton’s Jussi Jaaskaleinen continues to present the best option for those shopping for a keeper on a budget.
In defence we have David Luiz holding to top spot having gathered another cleanie against West Ham last time out. Aleksandar Kolarov’s attacking potential sees him hold second, despite slight concerns over his starting role in the coming weeks. Bolton’s Gary Cahill and Birmingham’s Roger Johnson are both climbers into our top five to present options in the low-to-mid price range. Aston Villa’s Kyle Walker suffers a drop as his fixtures stiffen, although he remains in our top five with Villa’s next two match-ups remaining favourable.
Lower down both Liverpool’s John Flanagan and Everton’s out-of-position favourite Seamus Coleman enjoy climbs. Coleman has retuned to the Everton starting lineup following a brief spell on the sidelines and with Mikel Arteta back in the mix to reduce Leighton Baines’ role at set-plays and spot-kicks, Coleman looks strong again. Everton’s fixtures remain tough however with Goodison encounters with City and Chelsea to come.
There’s big movement at the top of the midfield rankings as the double gameweek investments – Clint Dempsey, Jon Walters and Jamie O’Hara all suffer drops, while Matt Etherington’s hamstring twang has him slide out altogether. Frank Lampard maintains the top spot despite tough opponents to come with Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt enjoying a major climb to threaten him. Kuyt is in outstanding scoring form and offers an alternative to cover Liverpool’s flourishing attacking potential if Luis Suarez or Andy Carroll are overlooked up front.
With double fixtures in gameweek 36 both Tottenham’s Rafael Van der Vaart and Man City’s Yaya Toure earn top five status – the latter being our preferred option amongst Roberto Mancini’s midfield, although both David Silva and Adam Johnson also enjoy climbs. We have more on the potential of the City midfield to come soon.
West Brom’s Chris Brunt is one to watch in the low-to-mid price bracket. While Peter Odemwingie will attract the most attention for West Brom’s kind run-in, Brunt’s set-piece involvement and spot-kicks have him well placed for increased returns over the final four games. West Ham’s Thomas Hitzlsperger is another consideration in this bracket – while the Hammers travel to City this weekend, they end the season with three favourable fixtures in which the German could offer profit. We will bring you more on him later this week.
Up front, the aforementioned Peter Odemwingie is the hot property, even surpassing the incredibly consistent scoring of Robin Van Persie who drops to second. Bolton’s Daniel Sturidge completes our trio of preferred striker options – he will be looking to continue his scoring streak at Craven Cottage tonight of course.
Liverpool’s Luis Suarez looks well placed for Scout Pick inclusion on Friday and hovers in fourth as Kenny Dalglish’s side continue to take strides towards a European spot.
Lower down, City’s Mario Balotelli is the wildcard option. Potentially explosive – the young Italian striker has the fixtures to returns profits but now has his starting role, or at least his position in the side, under threat from the emergence of Edin Dzeko following his first league goal at Blackburn on Monday night.
We will be covering a couple of these names in depth later this week while Big Dunc’s “Spot the Differential” will once again deliver further player recommendations to follow Friday’s Scout Picks.
