Our final instalment of this week’s Watchlist rankings, which focus on the players to target for the next four-to-six Gameweeks, sees us analyse the forwards. Three goals in his last two appearances mean Sergio Aguero returns to the top spot, while Hull’s Dame N’Doye features for the first time after immediately finding his feet at the KC.
After failing to score in his first four outings since returning from a knee injury, Sergio Aguero has rediscovered his goalscoring touch. A midweek strike against Barcelona made it four goals in his last three appearances in all competitions, and with a very friendly upcoming schedule after this weekend’s trip to Anfield (LEI, bur, WBA, cpl), it would be a brave Fantasy manager who chooses to go without the Argentine as the season enters its final stages.
Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud is another riser this week after netting his third goal in five matches at Selhurst Park. The French international has also notched two assists in that time, so with a strong run of fixtures (EVE, qpr, WHM, new) on the horizon, looks poised to deliver further attacking returns. There is one note of caution though, as his lacklustre performance against Monaco last night and subsequent early withdrawal may see Arsene Wenger mix up his forward line on Sunday.
With no fixture this week, Harry Kane suffers a slight drop, despite scoring in his fourth consecutive Premier League match last Sunday. That, along with the fact Tottenham have a double Gameweek (SWA, qpr) around the corner, mean his stock doesn’t take too much of a hit. The one potential concern is the risk of rotation in those encounters next week, given Tottenham take on Fiorentina tonight in the Europa League and Chelsea on Sunday in the Capital One Cup final. Owners will certainly be keeping a keen interest in Mauricio Pochettino’s team selections for both matches.
Daniel Sturridge is a non-mover this week despite finding himself on the substitutes bench against Southampton last weekend. With Liverpool having to juggle their Premier League and Europa League campaigns, Brendan Rodgers is clearly still wary of managing Sturridge’s minutes after missing so much of the season. But with the Reds unbeaten in their last ten in the Premier League, confidence is rising at Anfield, and if the England striker finds himself in the starting XI more often than not, expect him to add to the goal and two assists he’s picked up in his last four outings.
Chelsea’s Diego Costa failed to find the net after returning from suspension against Burnley and does have a blank this week. But with 17 goals to his name this season, his pedigree can’t be questioned. The Blues have a mixed upcoming schedule (whm, SOU, hul, STO), and with Aguero and Kane taking two of the forward slots in many 15-man squads, it may be that Fantasy managers wait until Chelsea’s double Gameweek at the end of April to bring in the Spanish striker. That is only if he is not suspended, with Costa currently sitting on eight bookings – a couple of cautions shy of a two-match ban.
After scoring in his first two starts for Hull, Dame N’Doye makes his first appearance in our rankings. The Senegal international has wasted no time in settling into English football, and still priced at 5.5 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL), offers a viable option as a budget forward. N’Doye will have to prove himself away from the KC in the coming weeks (sto, SUN, lei, CHE, swa, sot), but with an ownership of just 0.5%, the Tigers’ new signing could be worth a punt for those looking to make up lost ground.
Burnley’s Danny Ings suffers a drop this week, with the Clarets having some of the least favourable fixtures (SWA, liv, MCI, sot, TOT, ARS) in the upcoming period. Having scored five goals in his last seven Premier league outings, Ings has been one of the form strikers over the last two months, but owners may be wise to look elsewhere after this weekend’s clash against Swansea.
After scoring his first goal since New Year’s Day against Tottenham last weekend, West Ham striker Diafra Sakho is back on our radars. Now back to his starting price of 5.5, Sakho should benefit from the fact Andy Carroll is likely to miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery. With three home fixtures (CPL, CHE, SUN) in the next four, the Senegal forward looks worthy of consideration as a short-term option.
Like Ings, Saido Berahino is another budget option whose stock takes a fall this week due to a pretty tough upcoming schedule (SOT, avl, STO, mci). The West Brom striker has only scored once in his last five Premier League outings, so with so much competition for our three forward spots, Berahino is unlikely to attract too much attention in the coming weeks.
While he may not have found the net against Leicester, Romelu Lukaku did manage two assists in the 2-2 draw, which was enough to see him feature in our latest rankings. The Toffees only have one home match in the next four (ars, sto, NEW, qpr), so although his hat-trick against Young Boys in the Europa League last week showed signs he is returning to form, one goal in his last 12 Premier League appearances means he still has some convincing to do if he is to attract any new owners.
Papiss Cisse finds himself back in our thoughts by virtue of Newcastle playing three of the next four matches in front of their own fans. While doubts over Cisse’s fitness remain, he did complete 90 minutes in the 5-0 defeat to City, and with three home matches in four, (AVL, MUN, eve, ARS), the 5.4-rated forward looks the best route into the Magpies’ attack right now.
Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe suffers a fall this week after failing to provide any attacking returns from two plum home matches against QPR and West Brom. Gus Poyet’s side now face three away clashes in the next four (mun, hul, AVL, whm), so Defoe’s star looks to be on the wane after a promising start to his career at the Stadium of Light.
Our final two forwards, Charlie Austin and Graziano Pelle also suffer drops in our rankings. Austin has a blank this week, but after finding the net on his return from injury at Hull, is sure to rise next time around ahead of QPR’s double Gameweek (ARS, TOT). Southampton’s Pelle has not scored since Gameweek 17 – despite a fairly kind run of fixtures (wba, CPL, che, BUR), faith in the Italian international isn’t high at the moment.
