The uncertainty surrounding Gameweek 29 continues to influence our thinking as we refresh the weekly Watchlist rankings. Both Manchester sides are particularly affected with City and United currently facing blanks and, while Liverpool’s assets take a leap in light of their next six Gameweeks, there’s little doubt as to who this week’s headline act is.

Goalkeepers

Sunderland’s Simon Mignolet remains top of the pile, despite tasting defeat at West Brom last time out. The Belgian is still the most secure defensive option amongst Martin O’Neill’s side and has Fulham, QPR and Norwich over the next three to boost his immediate appeal. In the mid-term, his prospects falter somewhat, with United and Chelsea on the horizon but, for the next three, there are few better options between the sticks.

QPR’s Julio Cesar presents a viable alternative over what looks a make or break period for Harry Redknapp’s side. They have the opponents over the next five Gameweeks to give themselves the opportunity of survival and Cesar’s form behind the back-four will be crucial to their chances. Those tempted by QPR’s favourable schedule may, however, prefer to look at the goal threat of Chris Samba or the cheaper option offered by Clint Hill.

Despite a potential Gameweek 29 blank, Chelsea’s Petr Cech looks to be the best heavy-hitter keeper option for the foreseeable future. While Rafa Benitez looks to rotate his back-four continuously, Cech remains a constant and, even if the Fulham game drops out, he has West Brom, West Ham, Southampton and Sunderland over the next five – all fixtures that promise defensive returns.

Liverpool’s Pepe Reina is another expensive investment with the fixtures to promise profit, while Stoke’s Asmir Begovic has three favourable home fixtures in the next five (WH, WBA, AVL) as Tony Pulis looks to address a run of nine games without a clean sheet; today’s news of a potential three-match ban for Robert Huth has hardly boosted the Potters’ chances, though.

Southampton’s Artur Boruc is set for a run of four home matches in the next six, as QPR, Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham all roll up to St Mary’s. Factor in trips to Norwich and Reading and the Saints stopper looks a real cut-price contender at 4.4, while Norwich’s Mark Bunn comes in even cheaper at 4.2 and remains Chris Hughton’s first-choice stopper with John Ruddy still on the sidelines. Michel Vorm has three home fixtures in four, though the likes of Angel Rangel and Ben Davies are cheaper options amongst the Swansea defence, while Mark Schwarzer comes into our thinking, with a single goal conceded in the last three indicative of an upturn in resilience for Fulham.

Defenders

Glen Johnson climbs to the top of the defender standings in light of Liverpool’s run of fixtures. With games against four of the current bottom five in the next six Gameweeks, Johnson’s attacking forays down the right make him our preferred choice (just) over team mate Jose Enrique as a route into Brendan Rodgers’ defence.

Marc Wilson remains in second spot in our rankings, based mainly on his price tag. The left-back returned to the Stoke first XI last weekend after a lengthy lay-off and, at just 3.9, offers a far less expensive option than any other Potters defender. Again, Huth’s likely absence for the next three due to today’s charge is a factor but, with such a meagre price tag, Wilson’s appeal stays strong.

David Luiz moves up to third for Chelsea’s favourable run, in spite of a possible blank Gameweek 29. His potential out of position berth in midfield, allied with a share of set-pieces, could prove highly profitable for the Brazilian – with Cesar Azpilicueta less assured of a starting berth in recent matches and ruled out of the midweek FA Cup clash with Middlesbrough, Luiz looks to offer the greatest attacking potential amongst Rafa Benitez’s defenders. There is risk involved, however. Like all Chelsea back four, Luiz comes with a health warning: rotation remains a concern. As we revealed in today’s “Suspension Tightrope” article, Luiz is also sitting on eight bookings – just two from a two-match ban with six Gameweeks to navigate. Branislav Ivanovic is perhaps the next best option in terms of security and attacking threat, if you have the spare 0.5 available.

Chris Samba may be the most expensive QPR defender on offer but his aerial threat in the opposition box could prove pivotal for Harry Redknapp’s side ahead of a run that pits them against four of their fellow bottom six (sot, SUN, avl, WIG) in the next five Gameweeks. There’s little doubt that QPR are desperate for points and that might well see Samba thrown forward for last gasp efforts – a sight that grew familiar in Samba’s days at Ewood Park.

Lower down the price bracket, Titus Bramble seems to have secured a regular role in the heart of Sunderland’s defence – having started the last six, he offers a budget option at 4.3 over the Black Cats’ next three. There’s still the threat from Carlos Cuellar to consider here but, for those overlooking Mignolet between the posts, Bramble has strong short-term prospects if he can keep the shirt.

Manchester duo Pablo Zabaleta and Rafael would undoubtedly be higher in our estimations if it wasn’t for their impending blank Gameweek 29. Zabaleta has scored, assisted or produced a clean sheet in nine of his last 12 – an indication of his propensity to pick up points at both ends of the pitch. Rafael’s first-team berth for United becomes more secure with every passing Gameweek – his stunning strike at QPR last Saturday brings his average to 4.6 points per game; although Patrice Evra’s 4.9 ppg is a little better, the significant price difference of 6.1 to 7.3 makes the Brazilian better value for your Fantasy pound. Having registered three successive clean sheets, United’s resolve at the back is also clearly picking up.

Angel Rangel welcomes Newcastle, Arsenal and Spurs to the Liberty over the next four – with Ben Davies now more or less the same price, the Spaniard gets the nod and, at 4.7, is cheaper than Michel Vorm’s 5.1. Seb Bassong and Mathieu Debuchy were both amongst the attacking points last weekend, though Bassong is far pricier than Mark Bunn at the back for Norwich: Russell Martin is your alternative at 4.2.

Emmerson Boyce’s return from a hamstring injury bolsters his appeal as Wigan prepare for four home fixtures in the next six Gameweeks, with Liverpool, Newcastle, Norwich and Swansea all arriving at the DW. It was fellow defender Maynor Figueroa who profited heavily from the 3-0 win at Reading but Boyce, from right wing-back enjoyed a fine spell at the end of last season and is capable of offering attacking returns.

Nacho Monreal remains in our thoughts – having racked up 19 points in three matches since arriving at Arsenal, his game time looks assured with Kieran Gibbs still injured. Elsewhere in north London, Michael Dawson has started the last eight for Tottenham and is the cheapest regular amongst Andre Villas-Boas’ defence but a tricky upcoming schedule somewhat dents his prospects.

Midfielders

There’s no stopping Gareth Bale’s rise to the top of the midfield rankings as the Welshman continues to harvest rich Fantasy returns. Six goals in four highlights the Welshman’s recent displays and with a central role behind a lone forward, his potential goes from strength to strength – given his form, Bale’s upcoming fixtures will hold little fear as he squares up to four of the top eight in the next six (ARS, liv, EVE, che).

Juan Mata drops slightly but the fixtures suggest he could be primed for points. Having been benched for the Gameweek 25 clash with Wigan, he looks set for a series of starts, while Theo Walcott also remains firmly in our thoughts despite a rare blank against Villa last weekend – his Arsenal team mate Santi Cazorla has now moved 10 points clear of Walcott, though, and is more than a viable alternative. With 18 points accrued in his previous home game, Michu looks to have returned to form and, with attacking returns in nine of his previous 13 appearances at the Liberty, will be hoping for more of the same as Newcastle, Arsenal and Spurs all make their way to Wales in the next four.

Moussa Sissoko finds his way into the top five midfield rankings after continuing his superb start to life on Tyneside last weekend. A goal against Southampton, supplemented by maximum bonus points, means the Frenchman has produced 35 points in four appearances since arriving last month. The upcoming schedule affords him plenty reason for optimism – with games against Swansea, Stoke, Wigan, Fulham and Sunderland in the next six, his role in “the hole” looks profitable; his price has already climbed to 6.4 this week.

Having found the net in just one of his last nine, Marouane Fellaini is on the slide – a home game with Reading this weekend saves him somewhat, though with a foot injury keeping him out of tonight’s tie with Oldham and a potential blank Gameweek 29 to follow if the Toffees win the game, he could be set for an exodus, given his schedule to come.

Fellaini sits just above the City duo of David Silva and Yaya Toure who enjoy a rise following Sunday’s victory in which both saw profit. Again, City’s blank count against the pairing, although Roberto Mancini’s decision to shift to 4-5-1 has brought both to prominence.

There are some healthy looking alternatives in the mid-price bracket. Villa’s Charles N’Zogbia has now produced returns in four of the last five and is another player thriving in the support role behind a lone forward; he offers a differential route, along with the likes of Adam Lallana, Stephane Sessegnon and Robert Snodgrass.

At opposite sides of the price range bracket,Steven Gerrard and Shaun Maloney both have a strong run of fixtures and spot-kicks in their respective lockers. The duo have been in impressive form – Gerrard has a goal or assist in 11 of his last 14 and offers a definite alternative to the Liverpool frontmen, while Maloney has produced attacking returns in four of his last six, helping Wigan climb out of the bottom three.

Forwards

There’s a significant shake-up at the top of the forwards standings as Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez climb past Robin Van Persie to the summit. The Dutchman’s hip injury, sustained against QPR last Saturday, places real doubts over his game time against Norwich and with a blank Gameweek 29 currently on his agenda, there’s a very real scenario that Van Persie may not feature until Gameweek 30.

The Liverpool duo, on the other hand, have a superb run of fixtures to produce the goods. Sturridge edges out Suarez at the top mainly due to price, though his record of a goal or assist in every appearance so far makes a more than persuasive case. With Liverpool out of the FA Cup and Europa League, Brendan Rodgers can fully focus on the league – rest and rotation simply don’t look like an issue for the Merseysiders.

A run of four home games in six sees Rickie Lambert hold firm in the top five. The Saints forward continues to collect goals and assists and has already been acquired by huge numbers of Fantasy managers due to his upcoming schedule. With doubts over the game time of Jason Puncheon and Gaston Ramirez in midfield, Lambert looks the safest and more consistent option for Mauricio Pochettino’s side – a price of 6.8 remains a real bargain, given his 12 goals, seven assists and 22 bonus points so far.

Sergio Aguero takes a fall with a blank Gameweek 29 around the corner, though he seems to be immune to Roberto Mancini’s rotational whims and could prosper this weekend as the champions make their way to Villa.Papiss Cisse is a somewhat pricier option than Moussa Sissoko for Newcastle but a stunning goal against Southampton last Sunday suggests he may be about to hit form and fire his side up the table.

Christian Benteke, Arouna Kone and Romelu Lukaku are all mid-price in-form options worth your consideration. The former two, in particular, have everything to play for as their respective sides battle to beat the drop, though the latter is unavailable for West Brom’s trip to Chelsea, due to the conditions of his loan deal.