Our Watchlist rankings have this afternoon been updated and, as always, are available in the right-menu side bar. Swansea’s continued strong form at both ends of the pitch is reflected in our thinking; the outstanding Gylfi Sigurdsson maintains his climb up the midfield rankings, while faith in options at the back is also obvious, with Michel Vorm and Steven Caulker leading the charge…
Elsewhere, United’s fine form and fixtures keeps their Fantasy assets firmly at the forefront of many a Fantasy manager’s mind, while Arsenal’s strong schedule affords a couple of climbs for the Gunners’ recent stand-out options:
Goalkeepers
As always, the situation between the sticks is tricky. Michel Vorm rises to the top, having made a mockery of the fixture list by keeping consecutive clean sheets against City and at Fulham – two games in which Swansea look destined to concede. Vorm and his defence, yet again, defied the odds to come good.
The Dutchman sits on top of the rankings then, although with Steven Caulker offering such value in defence, there’s got to be question marks on the merits of drafting in Vorm at this stage – unless you’re looking to double up on the Swans rearguard.
If you have Vorm already, you’ll be sticking. The same can also be said of Newcastle’s Tim Krul, who ended a recent drought with a clean sheet against Norwich on Sunday – capped by a superb reflex stop from Zak Whitbread’s point blank header. Krul’s fixtures aren’t great and again, with value in the Newcastle defence available in the shape of Danny Simpson and Mike Williamson, there appears to be better routes available for Magpies coverage.
Stoke’s Asmir Begovic and West Brom’s Ben Foster are perhaps more natural acquisitions right now for those shopping for keepers. Begovic appears to have ousted Thomas Sorensen in the Potters goal and now approaches a run of decent fixtures which should see him fetch defensive returns. The likes of Andy Wilkinson, Robert Huth and the risky Ryan Shotton are available as alternatives, but at 4.5 in the Fantasy Premier League price list, Begovic is a clear contender. He also works well in tandem with either Vorm or Krul when it comes to fixture rotation.
The same could be said for Foster, who at 4.8, is reasonably priced and offers a route in to a West Brom defence that has shown improvement and has some strong short-term fixtures to offer potential. Again, there’s the availability of defensive alternatives – namely Gareth McAuley – offering cheaper coverage but, if your defensive slots are filled, Foster is a decent proposition as a first or second choice keeper over the next month.
Bolton’s Adam Bogdan suffers a drop in our rankings with the uncertainty surrounding their fixture list, while United’s David De Gea is undoubtedly set for strong returns but, with Jonny Evans and attacking options filling our three United slots, he’s unlikely to attract too much interest.
In terms of long-term rotation options, the Begovic/Simon Mignolet partnership looks favourable for those looking to acquire a new setup. Both work well until the final Gameweek. As mentioned, Begovic looks to be the best bedfellow for either Vorm or Krul, whilst both Brad Friedel and Mark Schwarzer also combine fairly effectively with either Mignolet or Begovic.
Defenders
Jonny Evans stands firm at the top of the rankings, with last weekend’s goal and clean sheet at Wolves justifying his lofty position at the summit. The Irishman’s 4.8 price tag, combined with United’s obliging run of upcoming fixtures, means he is likely to be firmly established as one of the top contenders over the remainder of the season.
The same applies to Liverpool’s Martin Srktel, with the Slovakian offering the greater attacking threat of Kenny Dalglish’s backline, while Steven Caulker climbs to third- three clean sheets and six bonus points in the past three gameweeks for Swansea is indicative of his form going forward. The on-loan centre-half is, however, unavailable for the Gameweek 31 trip to parent club Tottenham but home games against Everton, Newcastle and Blackburn, in addition to a trip to QPR in the next five, offers plenty potential for the Swans’ renewed solidity at the back. Costing a mere 4.1, Caulker certainly affords a cut-price route to Brendan Rodgers’ defence, for those who don’t have Michel Vorm amongst their squads.
Gareth McAuley, priced at 4.2, has played every minute for West Brom since Gameweek 6 and looks an assured starter in Roy Hodgson’s back-four alongside the returning Jonas Olsson – with (NEW, BLA, QPR) next up at the Hawthorns, the potential for defensive returns is strengthened by the fact that the Baggies have returned clean sheets in each of their last two home games, against Sunderland and Chelsea respectively.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto remains steady, with home clashes against Swansea and Norwich affording the left-back further opportunity to rack up the Fantasy points at the Lane. The Cameroon international is joined by north London rival Bacary Sagna, in light of Arsenal’s kind schedule. The Gunners have Villa, QPR, Wolves and Wigan in the next five and, with the right-back returning a goal and couple of assists in his last three, he offers an alternative to Thomas Vermaelen at the back for Arsene Wenger’s side.
Andy Wilkinson climbs the rankings, with an upturn in fixtures ahead for Stoke. The right-back has started six of the Potters’ last seven and comes in at a mere 3.9, representing a low-risk acquisition with games against Wigan, Wolves and Villa in the next four. With Ryan Taylor plagued with a calf injury and Alan Pardew remaining unconvinced over Davide Santon, Danny Simpson looks the safest route into the Magpies defence, with his increased attacking potential earning him the nod over Mike Williamson.
Injuries to the likes of Wes Brown and Titus Bramble have afforded Michael Turner the chance to cement a place in the Sunderland back-four; the centre-half is proving strong value, with three clean sheets and three lots of bonus in the last six, the 4.2 priced Black Cat looks exceptional value, with QPR, Wolves and Bolton three of his next four home opponents.
Midfielders
Gareth Bale holds steady at the top, with consistency of both selection and performance, in addition to a kind upcoming schedule, keeping Antonio Valencia in second spot. The United man’s return from a hamstring problem at Wolves saw him back amongst the points yet again and with Sir Alex Ferguson hinting at his pivotal role over the remainder of the season, his slot on the right flank looks a little more secure. Priced at 7.5, Valencia’s appeal in the United set-up is obvious; Ashley Young suffers a drop as a result.
Gylfi Sigurdsson moves from fifth to third in the rankings, with a weekend brace at the Cottage continuing his superb form under Brendan Rodgers. The on-loan Icelandic international has averaged 7 points per game since his January loan move and with home games against Everton, Newcastle and Blackburn, allied with a trip to QPR in the next five, he seems set to maintain his current level of output. The 5.2 price tag further fuels his appeal.
Arsenal’s aforementioned fixtures sees Theo Walcott leap in the rankings, with the winger’s assured starts and flourishing form likely to be key in the Gunners’ pursuit of Spurs for third place. Chelsea’s recent resurgence under Roberto Di Matteo affords Juan Mata the chance to climb, while Clint Dempsey slips a little- the home hammering by Swansea, in addition to clashes against United and Chelsea in the next four, has dented confidence in the American’s potential.
Further down, the likes of James Morrison and Ryo Miyaichi hold firm in the mid-price bracket, while James McClean drops down, in light of Stephane Sessegnon’s return from suspension this weekend.
Forwards
There’s little movement at the top of the rankings here, with the top five all non-movers. Robin Van Persie is practically set in stone at the summit, with Wayne Rooney’s form and fixtures offering a viable armband alternative over the remainder of the campaign. Mario Balotelli remains in third, with consistency of starts and spot-kicks a major factor in his appeal as the top option at City, while a strong upcoming schedule suggests Emmanuel Adebayor could be poised for a move up in the near future, providing he overcomes a recent hamstring problem.
Peter Odemwingie is the highest of the mid-price performers; with five goals in his last four appearances, the West Brom man has the form ahead of clashes against the likes of Newcastle, Blackburn and QPR in the next five. A calf problem sidelined him last weekend, though, and a slip down the rankings can be expected if he fails to recover for Sunday’s game against the Magpies.
Similar to Clint Dempsey, Pavel Pogrebnyak suffers a fall, as does Demba Ba. The Newcastle man has been usurped by Papiss Cisse in recent games and our update reflects the latter’s growing goal contribution for Alan Pardew’s side, while Javier Hernandez also climbs. The Mexican has started the last two alongside Rooney up front, with Danny Welbeck consigned to wing roles; a double at Wolves and a superb upcoming run of fixtures suggests Hernandez could be a major player in the champions’ quest to retain the title over the next two months.
