Monday’s FA Cup Sixth Round Replay win for Chelsea over United has a knock-on effect on our weekly refresh of the Watchlist rankings. With the Blues no longer facing a double Gameweek 33, Arsenal, Everton, Fulham, United and West Ham take centre stage, though some in-form alternatives have the potential to equal or better their hauls over the next four Gameweeks. Read on for our position-by-position breakdown of the key movements.
Goalkeepers
While there are still issues with injuries and rotation between the sticks, the upcoming double Gameweek 33 makes it a little easier to prioritise – each of the top four stoppers all have a pair of fixtures that week. David De Gea looks the outstanding option in the United defence and retains his top spot here; with Sir Alex Ferguson continuing to rest and rotate and with concerns over the likes of Rafael and Jonny Evans, the Spaniard’s consistency of starts and six back-to-back clean sheets makes a more than persuasive case.
For Arsenal, Lukas Fabianski has now started each of the last three in all competitions, conceding a single goal. The Pole is looking more certain of holding his place as the weeks go by and at 4.3 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), he offers the cheapest route into Arsene Wenger’s backline.
Jussi Jaaskelainen and Mark Schwarzer have no doubts over rest and rotation ahead of the double – both come in at 5.1 in FPL and have the security of save points to fall back on should their sides concede. Schwarzer arrives in the better form – with three clean sheets and a penalty save in the last five, he’s racked up 35 points over that period.
Chelsea’s Petr Cech is another option immune to rotation – a rarity amongst Rafa Benitez’s squad – and has two clean sheets in the last three. Coming in at 6.4, his short-term appeal has been dented by the injury to Ashley Cole which is likely to hand Ryan Bertrand a chance, though with home clashes against Sunderland and Swansea in the next four, and with a double Gameweek still to be scheduled, his appeal is still considerable.
Asmir Begovic moves up the rankings ahead of three home games in four, which include the visit of Villa and goal-shy Norwich. A single clean sheet in 13 somewhat curbs our enthusiasm, as does the availability of Marc Wilson for 3.9 compared to the Bosnian’s 5.7 price tag.
The situation at Norwich is particularly frustrating here. Chris Hughton’s side have four kind looking games in the next six but with Mark Bunn back after a one-match suspension and John Ruddy on the verge of a first-team return, too many question marks hang over the Canaries keepers. It’s the same scenario at Southampton – Kelvin Davis impressed against Chelsea last Saturday and could well keep his place ahead of Artur Boruc. The Pole is out of contract in the summer, while Davis has just been handed a new deal; Mauricio Pochettino may just decide to hand the latter a starting berth ahead of a favourable schedule.
Wigan’s Joel Robles climbs in our estimations after starting the last three ahead of Ali-Al Habsi in all competitions. Coming in at a mere 4.0, he’s the only active keeper at that price and having conceded a single goal across that trio of fixtures, he – like Fabianski – has certainly done enough to indicate he’ll hold onto the number one jersey; with a double Gameweek 36 on the horizon, his appeal is starting to gain momentum.
The Defenders
Per Mertesacker holds steady at the summit, with a security of starts unequalled by his fellow Arsenal defenders. The German has three clean sheets and a goal to his name in the last six and has started each of the last 10 Gameweeks. Leighton Baines climbs from third to second this time round. The Toffees left-back has registered back-to-back clean sheets ahead of the double Gameweek 33 and was even shifted into midfield against Stoke last Saturday as David Moyes moved to 3-5-2 to cope with the absence of suspended pair Steven Pienaar and Marouane Fellaini.
Our faith in Glen Johnson hold firm in light of some strong fixtures ahead for Liverpool, though Jose Enrique has proven a definite alternative and comes in slightly cheaper at 6.0 to his fellow full-back’s 6.5. Norwich’s Seb Bassong scrambles up the rankings ahead of a superb run of fixtures which hands him four home games (SWA, RDG, AVL, WBA) in the next six. As mentioned above, the Canaries keeper situation forced us to turn to their back-four and while the likes of Russell Martin or Michael Turner are far cheaper, the Cameroon international has somewhat justified his 5.5 price tag with three goals and a couple of assists so far.
Manchester duo Pablo Zabaleta and Patrice Evra also feature highly due to their propensity for points at both ends of the pitch. Zabaleta’s owners will be somewhat concerned as Micah Richards and Maicon step up their injury returns but he remains in the driving seat for now. Evra returns to the Watchlist despite Rafael’s return to training from a groin problem – the Frenchman has been rested for the last two but is likely to return to the XI as Sir Alex Ferguson looks to clinch the title over the next few matches.
The likes of Marc Wilson and Ryan Bertrand offer cut-price routes into the Stoke and Chelsea backlines, though the latter’s acquisition comes with a risk, with Ashley Cole expected to be back in two to three weeks.
Sascha Riether and Guy Demel are on our radar ahead of double Gameweek 33. Riether’s attacking form has impressed from right-back of late, while Demel’s security of starts looks set to be boosted by an injury to George McCartney in West Ham’s win over West Brom last weekend.
The Midfielders
Gareth Bale and Santi Cazorla remain at the forefront of our midfield thinking, with uncertainty still surrounding the availability of Theo Walcott ahead of this weekend’s trip to West Brom. Granted, Bale has a blank just around the corner but with five double figures in seven, many owners will be reluctant to transfer him out, knowing only too well they’ll want him back in immediately – Bale’s fixture-proof appeal has already racked up 10 double figure hauls this term. Cazorla’s form continues to flourish ahead of Arsenal’s double Gameweek 33 and with a lack of consistent options up top for Arsene Wenger’s side, the playmaker looks poised for further returns.
Steven Gerrard’s consistency of starts and returns helps the Liverpool skipper climb to third. Gerrard has played every minute of the season so far and hasn’t gone more than a single match without scoring or assisting from Gameweek 14 onwards. Moussa Sissoko edges into the top five in light of three home fixtures (FUL, SUN, LIV) in the next four Gameweeks, though Yohan Cabaye has proven a worthy alternative in recent weeks amongst Newcastle’s midfield options,
City’s David Silva is also a climber in our weekly refresh. With Sergio Aguero cementing his return from injury last weekend, Silva’s security of starts looks persuasive – he hosts Wigan and West Ham in the next four and has registered double figures in three of his last four at the Etihad. His compatriot Juan Mata returns as the Chelsea option ahead of Eden Hazard – having been rested completely in last weekend’s loss at Southampton, we reckon the Spaniard will be less prone to rotation over the next few.
Attacking returns in four of his five starts for Liverpool makes Philippe Coutinho a stronger, more consistent option than Stewart Downing on the opposite flank, while Adam Lallana looks the most secure Southampton option ahead of a strong run of fixtures – providing he recovers from the groin problem that forced him out last time round. Adel Taarabt is back on the radar after celebrating his return to the QPR first-team with a goal at Fulham on Monday evening, with Shaun Maloney and Robert Snodgrass also in consideration for the fifth midfielder spot.
The Forwards
For the first time in a number of months, Robin Van Persie drops from the forward top spot. While his form is a real concern, it’s mainly Sir Alex Ferguson’s comments on “managing” the Dutchman’s fitness which is the main issue here. Wayne Rooney replaces his United team mate at the summit – the former Everton man is back in training today, and is expected to shrug off a groin problem to take his place against City on Monday.
Dimitar Berbatov nudges his way into second after a superb run of form. With five goals in his last four and a double Gameweek 33 on his upcoming agenda, the Bulgarian’s bandwagon shows no sign of slowing down. Back-to-back goals against Liverpool and Chelsea earn Rickie Lambert a climb in the rankings; the Saints striker is handed some tasty fixtures to maintain his scoring form, though Jay Rodriguez offers a cheaper alternative into Mauricio Pochettino’s attack right now.
Luis Suarez climbs above Daniel Sturridge in spite of suspension tightrope concerns. The Uruguayan remains one booking shy of a two-match ban but Sturridge’s role as an unused sub in Liverpool’s win at Villa last Sunday places real question marks over his game time ahead of clashes with West Ham and Reading.
Olivier Giroud and Kevin Mirallas also make their way up the rankings ahead of double Gameweeks for Arsenal and Everton. Both found the next last weekend, though of the two, Mirallas is in better form; he’s notched twice in the previous three compared to Giroud’s one goal in six.
The mid-price consistency of Christian Benteke and Arouna Kone also make persuasive cases – both would surely feature higher if it wasn’t for the number of double Gameweek options around them. Elsewhere, Loic Remy’s three goals in four is the pick of the bunch in the sub 6.0 bracket, while Andreas Weimann and the aforementioned Rodriguez offer in-form cut-price alternatives to Benteke and Lambert for those looking to free up cash to splash elsewhere.
