Everton continue to dominate the rankings, with options right through David Moyes’ second placed side for Fantasy managers to consider. City’s upcoming schedule and return to 4-2-3-1 sees their main protagonists take a leap in our estimations, while a multitude of in-form up front options battle it out in the newly updated Watchlist, which is available in your sidebar as always. Read on for details of the key movements…
Goalkeepers
Ben Foster climbs to the top of the keeper rankings as West Brom prepare for three home fixtures in the next four Gameweeks. Yet to concede a goal at the Hawthorns, the Baggies stopper sits third in the FPL keeper standings and with doubts still lingering over the availability of Liam Ridgewell and Gareth McAuley ahead of the visit of QPR, Foster looks the most secure route into Steve Clarke’s backline right now.
Simon Mignolet slips a little but with just four goals conceded thus far, the keeper has benefitted from the steely resilience of Martin O’Neill’s backline. Similarly to Foster, Mignolet remains high in our thinking due to the uncertainty of the Black Cats’ defence – Carlos Cuellar missed out again last weekend and with both Wes Brown and Phil Bardsley still on the sidelines, O’Neill continues to utilise Craig Gardner and Danny Rose as the full-backs; unfortunately for Fantasy managers, both are classified as midfielders in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
Joe Hart takes an upturn in our estimations, despite failing to register a single clean sheet in the opening six. City’s upcoming schedule is simply too good to overlook, with points looking likely across the board. Merseyside pair Jose Reina and Tim Howard fill out the top five – Reina’s fixtures, particularly in the next two Gameweeks, look set to afford him a chance to pick up the points, though Howard, despite his steady form for Everton, is likely to be overlooked as Fantasy managers opt for Leighton Baines as their Toffees defensive cover.
Elsewhere, the likes of Asmir Begovic and Jussi Jaaskelainen offer strong cut-price options, with the former’s fixture rotation with Foster furthering his appeal.
Defenders
There’s no shifting Leighton Baines from top spot, with the upcoming schedule continuing to smile kindly on the Everton left-back. A goal, an assist, a clean sheet and four FPL bonus points in the last three matches has seen his price rise by 0.3 since Gameweek 4 and with David Moyes’ side racking up the points with ease right now, Baines is afforded plenty opportunity to maintain his superb start to the campaign.
Glen Johnson takes a climb in light of Liverpool’s imminent schedule. Last week’s win at Norwich suggests the Merseysiders are finally starting to produce under Brendan Rodgers and with three home games in the next four, the full-back offers clear potential at both ends of the pitch.
Jan Vertonghen also moves up in our estimations as Spurs go from strength to strength under Andre Villas-Boas. Despite being shuffled over to left-back, the Belgian notched his first of the season at Old Trafford and with Spurs now racking up the wins, they are set to welcome the likes of Villa and Wigan to the Lane in the next four, in addition to a trip to Southampton.
Jonas Olsson comes into contention ahead of West Brom’s aforementioned schedule – while Liam Ridgewell and Gareth McAuley arguably offer greater attacking potential in the Baggies backline, the pair are uncertain starter for the visit of QPR this weekend. Angel Rangel’s two strong home fixtures offers the raiding right-back a chance to plunder the points and put the disappointment of the last three Gameweeks behind him.
Vincent Kompany’s security of starts earns the City skipper a climb in our rankings. With clean sheets surely around the corner for the champions, the Belgian – as the only defender to start all his side’s games thus far – is the most reliable, if somewhat pricey, route into Roberto Mancini’s backline. John Arne Riise and Thomas Vermaelen offer threat from the back for Fulham and Arsenal respectively and get the nod over their cheaper defensive team mates, while John O’Shea is the current Sunderland alternative for those who have chosen to overlook Simon Mignolet.
Midfielders
Marouane Fellaini’s role in support of a lone striker ensures the Everton man keeps his spot at the top of the midfield pecking order. The Belgian may have drawn a blank last time round at home to Southampton but the fixture list suggests he’ll continue to be afforded plenty opportunity for the Toffees over the next few Gameweeks – Steven Pienaar drops down in our reckoning, with other alternatives beginning to emerge elsewhere.
Gareth Bale is snapping at Fellaini’s heels, however. The Welshman’s 35 FPL points in the last three Gameweeks is indicative of his flourishing form right now and with the fixtures falling in his favour in the next four, Bale shows little sign of slowing down – he has now moved ominously into second in the FPL midfield rankings after a blank first three outings.
Chelsea pair Eden Hazard and Juan Mata both find a place in the top five. While Hazard’s owners will be confident of returns for this weekend’s home clash with Norwich, Mata offers an in-form alternative to his team mate and is 1.5 cheaper in FPL, despite both starting the season with identical 9.5 price tags.
Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla is joined by team mate Gervinho in the newly updated rankings. Similar to the Chelsea duo above, the latter offers a cheaper alternative to the playmaker and playing as the lone frontman for the Gunners, could flourish ahead of a decent run of fixtures for Arsene Wenger’s side. Cazorla has the greater security, however.
Kevin Nolan, Michu and Gaston Ramirez all offer strong mid-price alternatives over the upcoming Gameweeks, while David Silva’s return to form and fitness will likely see the Spaniard continue to rise in the rankings over the next couple of Gameweeks as City look to take advantage of their upcoming schedule. For those without a City striker, Silva has now emerged as the favoured option to Yaya Toure, although the Ivorian is cheaper and offers good security of starts.
Forwards
Robin Van Persie’s midweek brace in United’s Champions League win over CFR Cluj served a reminder of his capabilities – the Dutchman continues to hold top spot despite a tricky run of fixtures on the horizon and the return of Wayne Rooney. Beneath the former Arsenal man, there are several in-form frontmen tussling for our attention.
Luis Suarez moves into second spot after his hat-trick and assist return against Norwich. The Uruguayan looks a real armband candidate for the next two home matches, while Sergio Aguero, with four Etihad fixtures in his next six, ousts Carlos Tevez as our number one option for City. Having notched at the Cottage last weekend, Aguero – with less than 7% ownership in FPL – could be a hugely significant differential, bearing in mind Tevez has 45% ownership in comparison.
Rickie Lambert and Nikica Jelavic have both form and fixtures on their side ahead. The former’s mid—price valuation and spot-kick duties certainly boost his appeal, while Jelavic demonstrated last week he’s more than capable of keeping Fellaini out of the spotlight for Everton. The fixtures are somewhat against Demba Ba in the short-term, though the Newcastle striker looks irresistible right now – he can expect a climb up the rankings in a couple of weeks, when the Magpies’ schedule becomes considerably more enticing.
Dimitar Berbatov takes a drop after missing out last weekend against City. The Bulgarian stay in our thoughts, though, with a kind run of fixtures on the agenda – after taking to Facebook earlier today to reveal he is receiving oxygen treatment ahead of the weekend trip to Southampton, we’re hopeful he may even justify our faith this weekend. Expect a rise back up the rankings once fit – Berbatov is real contender for a top three spot.
Below this, Andy Carroll becomes a new consideration, although with competiton for spots in our forward lines so fierce, the Hammers striker will need to put together some solid form to start acquiring investors. In the short-term, he’s one for gambling differential hunters.
