Three home matches in the next four have propelled Jonathan Walters up the Watchlist rankings, as Stoke continue to build on progress that has seen them successfully establish themselves in the Europa League, whilst maintaining solid league form.
Although Tony Pulis’ side may have struggled on their travels, their performances at the Britannia have been a different matter altogether. Stoke have conceded just a single goal in their four home games so far and, while their defence will no doubt receive some heavy Fantasy interest, Walters has arguably made a bigger impression than the Potters rearguard.
Nine Gameweeks into the season and the Republic of Ireland international, thanks in part to his role up front, is the top-scoring Fantasy Premier League (FPL) prospect in the Stoke City squad with a total of 43 points.
A breakdown of his Britannia returns thus far make for interesting reading – 2 goals, 3 clean sheets and a strong 7 bonus points; he’s failed to bank bonus in just one of his home fixtures to date, the season opener against Chelsea. Bonus has come against Liverpool (2), Man United (2) and Fulham (3)- in front of the Potters faithful, indicating that Walters’ game is clearly suited to the new EA SPORTS PPI scoring system.
At just 6.1 in the FPL, Walters costs less than the injury-prone Matt Etherington (6.4) and has just 5.7% ownership right now. With spot-kick duties also seemingly in the bag, he’s looking a strong proposition ahead of a run of games that sees him face Newcastle, Blackburn and QPR at the Britannia.
Walters warmed up for next Monday’s clash with Newcastle by grabbing an assist in Stoke’s 2-1 defeat by Liverpool last night and was unlucky to have a goal disallowed. Clearly, his eye for goal is in right now and Pulis will be reliant on him to deliver as the Potters look to bounce back from their Carling Cup exit.
