Having assessed the Goalkeepers, Defenders and Midfielders the last instalment of our four-part series of Winter wildcard articles takes a look at the forwards. After the phenomenal displays of Luis Suarez last season, it’s fair to say that this year has been something of an anti-climax for premium strikers so far.

Sergio Aguero had hinted at scaling the heights set by the former Liverpool man before succumbing to injury. Daniel Sturridge has been stuck in the Anfield treatment room since August, Robin van Persie has toiled up top for Man United and failed to benefit from the arrival of Louis van Gaal, whilst Diego Costa – despite his consistency – has been overshadowed by the more explosive output offered by team-mate Eden Hazard for Chelsea.

To date, it’s been the year of the budget striker, with four of the current top ten forwards in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game starting the season at 6.0 or under. As we edge towards the business end of the season, though, can this trend continue or will the likes of Aguero and Sturridge return from injury to vindicate those premium price tags?

As Wildcards are wielded and teams restructured, we cast an eye over the main protagonists across the price brackets for the next ten Gameweeks.

The Heavy Hitters

Sergio Aguero
Back in contention for tomorrow’s trip to Everton, the Argentine’s return to fitness is set to spark a frantic scramble for his signature as Wildcards are quickly wielded. Quite simply, no other frontman can compare to Aguero in terms of explosive potential this term – with a goal or assist in 11 of his 16 appearances, it says everything about his displays that, despite playing six minutes of the last six Gameweeks, he still sits atop the FPL forward standings. Having tumbled in price from 12.9 to 12.3, he sits in less than 8% of teams as the champions make their way to Goodison tomorrow.

Daniel Sturridge
The Liverpool frontline has been more “A&E” than “SAS” this season, with Sturridge succumbing to injury on three separate occasions. Consequently, he’s failed to feature since Gameweek 3, and with Luis Suarez legging it to Barcelona, Brendan Rodgers’ side have been a far cry from the swashbuckling unit that racked up the goals in 2013/14. The good news is that Sturridge is expected back “at some point in January”, according to his manager, and if – a big if – he can steer clear of further problems, his previous showings in a Red shirt suggest we could have Fantasy royalty on our hands once again. Sitting at a price of 11.1, though, Sturridge will need to prove himself before we take the plunge, whilst Raheem Sterling could also be set to benefit as Rodgers restructures his side to accommodate his star striker.

Wayne Rooney
Despite a season hampered by injury, United are currently in the midst of a ten-match unbeaten run, as Louis van Gaal tinkers with his team from week to week to deal with any fresh crisis. The Red Devils are now set for a stretch of fixtures which could help cement a top three finish – Southampton, Leicester, Burnley, Sunderland and Spurs all pay visit over the upcoming 10, and with trips to the likes of QPR and Newcastle also included, there’s reason for optimism. At just 9.4 in midfield, Angel Di Maria affords us a cheaper option than any United forward, but with an average of 4.9 points per appearance, their skipper has been the form option. In spite of a withdrawn berth, the 10.8-priced Rooney has still proven himself – earning returns in nine of his 16 appearances – and with the Argentine and Daley Blind back on board, he’ll be hoping to shift to the role in “the hole” once again.

The Mid-Price Bracket

Olivier Giroud
As we mentioned yesterday, there’s no shortage of Arsenal midfielders vying for our attention. However, having served a three-match suspension, the Frenchman is poised to return to the lone striker role as the north London side prepare for five strong home fixtures (STO, AVL, LEI, EVE, WHM) and trips to Palace, QPR and Newcastle in the upcoming 10 Gameweeks. At just 8.2 in FPL, Giroud scored three times in as many appearances before seeing red against QPR, and with a mere 3% ownership, looks an ideal differential for our three-man frontlines, with the likes of Alexis Sanchez shifting back out wide to accommodate his return.

Christian Benteke
If Villa are to survive this season, much depends on the big Belgian to deliver. As we mentioned in Monday’s Big Numbers, Benteke’s average minutes per attempt this term is quicker than his previous two campaigns with the Midlands club – the real issue has been a downturn in goal conversion. Paul Lambert’s side have scored just four times in the last seven, though Benteke has netted twice and also served up an assist, indicating how pivotal he is to their plight – at 7.9, he travels to four relegation rivals (lei, hul, new, sun) and hosts Stoke, West Brom and Swansea over the next 10.

Charlie Austin
The 6.4-priced forward has played a part in 66% of QPR’s goals when on the pitch this season in a stunning start to life in the top flight. After a somewhat slow first couple of months, Austin has racked up 10 goals and a pair of assists in his last 11 appearances, drawing blanks on only four occasions, and whilst nine of his 12 strikes have arrived at Loftus Road, goals away to Southampton, Chelsea and Arsenal highlight his potential on the road. Crucially, Austin has been handed more big chances (19) than any other player in the Premier League this season, with Harry Redknapp ensuring he sees as much of the ball in the box as possible – trips to Burnley, Sunderland, Hull and Palace look key, whilst his upcoming five home matches (MUN, SOT, TOT, ARS, EVE) offer further chance to demonstrate his fixture-proof potential.

Bafetimbi Gomis
With Wilfried Bony’s move to City looking more likely by the day, Swansea’s summer signing is set to be finally handed the chance to nail down a starting berth. Hampered by a lack of consistent pitch time, Gomis has scored just once in the league so far but Garry Monk will be hoping a security of starts will help turn around a poor 3.8% conversion rate up to now. Coming in at 6.5, Gomis has Gylfi Sigurdsson supplying the creativity in the support role, though with West Ham, Chelsea and Southampton next, many may hold fire until the fixtures start to improve in Gameweek 24.

The Budget Options

Saido Berahino
After tumbling down the pecking order in Alan Irvine’s final few matches, the youngster has been immediately reinstalled into the starting line-up. A goal away to West Ham was followed by four FA Cup strikes against Gateshead in Tony Pulis’ first match in charge, and with five home fixtures (HUL, TOT, SWA, SOT, STO) in the next nine Gameweeks, in addition to trips to fellow strugglers Burnley, Sunderland and Villa, Berahino has the schedule to thrive. As speculation mounts over his future, though, it remains to be seen whether he’ll still be at the Hawthorns by the time the winter transfer window slams shut – at a price of 5.4, he could be great value, though his departure could see Brown Ideye (5.6) the opportunity to lead another Pulis great escape.

Nikica Jelavic
If Steve Bruce is to keep Hull in the top flight, he needs the Croatian to stay fit. Having scored in two of the last three Gameweeks, Jelavic took his tally to six for the season – bearing in mind he’s missed a number of matches through injury, this works out at a goal every 209 minutes; just slower than Robin van Persie (207.5) and quicker than Radamel Falcao’s 211.3 for United. Having recovered from illness in time for this weekend’s trip to West Brom, the 5.8-priced Croatian also has four upcoming home matches (NEW, AVL, QPR, SUN) and trips to Stoke and Leicester to register on our radars.

Harry Kane
An 18-point haul against Chelsea on New Year’s Day has earned the Spurs forward over 360,000 new owners ahead of showdowns with Palace, Sunderland and West Brom. Still only priced at 5.6 in FPL, Kane’s showing at home to the Blues underlined his fixture-proof appeal as the north London club start to build momentum under Mauricio Pochettino. With 17 goals in all competitions already, he’s established himself as the number one frontman at White Hart Lane, with only injury likely to disrupt his ascent as a Fantasy force.

Danny Ings
Available for the same price as Kane, the Burnley striker has served up four goals and a trio of assists over his last nine appearances, yet sits in just 2% of FPL sides. Ings now has four stand-out home fixtures (QPR, CPL, WBA, SWA) and a trip to Sunderland in the next seven Gameweeks to help the Clarets’ survival bid as Sean Dyche’s side look to build on their morale-boosting comeback draw at City in Gameweek 19.

Peter Crouch
With Mame Biram Diouf off to the Africa Cup of Nations, the big target man will be tasked with leading the line for Stoke. Mark Hughes’ side are improving as the season unfolds and Crouch’s recent installation up top has been key – a goal and assist which helped earn a 3-2 win over Stoke was followed by a strike away to Palace and an assist at home to United in respective 1-1 draws. Priced at just 5.7, Crouch will always be an unfashionable pick, but with Diouf potentially out of the picture until Gameweek 26, he has the chance to prosper thanks to a very kind schedule which sees the Potters play host to QPR, Hull, Everton and Palace and travel to Leicester, Newcastle, Villa and West Brom in the next 10 Gameweeks.

Connor Wickham
Hopes were high for the Sunderland striker after his exploits towards the tail end of last season kept his side in the top flight. Wickham has failed to live up to our expectations, notching just twice so far, though his recent underlying statistics hint at an improvement – over the last five Gameweeks, he’s matched Kane for shots (17) and efforts inside the area (10) but has failed to find the net. Five home matches (LIV, BUR, QPR, WBA, AVL) and a trip to Hull in the next nine offer the 5.6-priced striker a chance to replicate his 2013/14 heroics and stake a claim as a possible budget option.