On the back of Liverpool’s 1-0 win against Bournemouth last night, we’re ready to roll out the latest update to our Watchlist rankings, which offer player recommendations for the next four-to-six Gameweeks. Back-to-back clean sheets for Manchester City see Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany’s stock soar, but with five goals conceded in two matches, Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic slides all the way to the bottom of our ladder.
GOALKEEPERS
While the rotation pairing of Jack Butland and John Ruddy, which sets us back 9.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) has yet to deliver a clean sheet, the upcoming fixtures (STO, WBA, BOU, LEI, BOU, LEI) for the pair suggest that wait shouldn’t last too much longer. Fantasy managers who opted for the duo at the start of the season are faced with a tricky choice this week when Norwich entertain Stoke, however, with home advantage perhaps giving Ruddy a slight edge.
With two clean sheets from two matches, last season’s Golden Glove winner Joe Hart has been elevated in our latest update. The 5.6-priced City keeper also has three favourable home fixtures (WAT, WHM, NEW) in the next six, with away trips to Everton, Crystal Palace and Tottenham on the agenda.
Aston Villa’s Brad Guzan is another riser this week, with Tim Sherwood’s side ranked second on our Season Ticker over the next six Gameweeks, largely thanks to three kind looking home matches (cpl, SUN, lei, WBA, liv, STO). The 4.5-valued keeper has only conceded once in his two outings so far, with the Villa rearguard, on early evidence, looking a much stronger unit this year thanks to the summer additions of Micah Richards and Jordan Amavi.
After registering his first shut-out of the season in the 2-0 win against Newcastle, Swansea’s Lukasz Fabianski moves up a couple of spots on our ladder. The Poland international managed 13 clean sheets last term, and looks a solid pick for the next four Gameweeks (sun, MUN, wat, EVE), although the 5.0-rated stopper will then face tougher fixtures at Southampton and at home to Tottenham.
Following the surprise 3-0 home defeat to Everton, our faith in the Southampton backline has been dented somewhat. That means Maarten Stekelenburg slides down our latest rankings, although the Saints next three fixtures (wat, NOR, wba) should provide the Dutch international, who is available at 5.0 in FPL, the opportunity to register his first Premier League clean sheet for the south coast club.
Although Bournemouth have yet to keep a clean sheet, the fact they’ve only conceded twice and have a very favourable upcoming schedule (whm, LEI, nor, SUN, sto, WAT) means Artur Boruc remains a good option between the sticks. Carrying a 4.5 price tag in FPL, the former Southampton keeper has surprisingly only registered three saves, though.
With two clean sheets to his name, Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet has already risen to a price of 5.1 in FPL. The Reds do face a difficult trip to the Emirates in Gameweek 3, but the three appealing home fixtures (WHM, NOR, AVL) on the horizon should mean the 8,000+ Fantasy bosses who have drafted the Belgian international in so far this week will be suitably rewarded over the coming weeks.
On the back of his clean sheet against West Brom on Saturday, Watford’s Heurelho Gomes is another keeper priced at 4.5 in FPL who looks a decent bet for the upcoming period. The Hornets only have one difficult fixture, a trip to the Etihad in Gameweek 4, among their next six fixtures (SOT, mci, SWA, new, CPL, bou), although the three sides visiting Vicarage Road do carry a considerable goal threat on their travels.
Sergio Romero takes the final spot on our ladder, with uncertainty over the goalkeeper situation at Old Trafford costing the Argentinian a place further up our rankings. At this point, United appear unwilling to sell David de Gea to Real Madrid, and should that remain the case, the Spain international could yet return to the starting XI once the transfer window closes. There’s no doubt the Red Devils rearguard looks much stronger this season, though, with two shut-outs registered already, seeing Romero rise to 5.1 in FPL. Once this week’s favourable home clash against Newcastle, the schedule (swa, LIV, sot, SUN, ars) does get tougher for Louis van Gaal’s side, though.
DEFENDERS
After two Gameweeks, Vincent Kompany is the joint-highest scoring player in FPL alongside Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez with 25 points, and with a strong upcoming schedule (eve, WAT, cpl, WHM, tot, NEW), the City skipper looks a great option. The Belgian international has scored with both his goal attempts, though, so it’s impossible he’ll be able to maintain his 100% strike rate. Nonetheless, that threat from set-plays, along with the fact City’s backline looks far more solid this term, makes the now 6.2-priced defender a leading candidate in the premium price bracket, with Gael Clichy’s return to the bench against Chelsea signalling a possible rotation threat to the cheaper Aleksandar Kolarov (5.5), particularly when the Champions League group stages start next month.
Although Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Leicester will have left Aaron Cresswell’s owners disappointed, the West Ham left-back still looks a strong option over the next six Gameweeks, with four favourable fixtures (BOU, liv, NEW, mci, NOR, sun) on the slate. The former Ipswich man, available at 5.5 in FPL, has created two chances so far this term and carries a reasonable attacking threat, although the arrival of Dimitri Payet has limited his role as a set-piece taker.
Bournemouth’s Simon Francis (4.5) remains towards the top of our ladder, with the Cherries kind looking schedule (whm, LEI, nor, SUN, sto, WAT) firmly in our minds. The raiding right-back is also joint-second among defenders for chances created (three), and should be capable of returning points at either end of the pitch in the coming weeks.
While Stoke have conceded three goals in their two matches so far, with the fixtures easing for the Potters over the next six Gameweeks (nor, WBA, ars, LEI, BOU, avl), Marc Muniesa should provide good value for Fantasy managers priced at 4.5 in FPL. The former Barcelona defender has started both matches at centre-back in the absence of injured captain Ryan Shawcross, and looks to have nailed down a spot in Mark Hughes’ starting XI.
Micah Richards is the third defender priced at 4.5 to find a place towards the top of our rankings, with Aston Villa also facing some favourable fixtures (cpl, SUN, lei, WBA, liv, STO) in the upcoming period. The former City defender also registered two bonus points when Villa won 1-0 at Bournemouth on the opening day, and with a high number of interceptions and blocks, looks primed to be in the mix for extra bonus whenever the Villains can keep a clean sheet.
With back-to-back clean sheets, and the aforementioned goalkeeping situation at Old Trafford, Matteo Darmian (5.6) sees his stock rise once again in our latest update. The Italian international seems to have taken no time at all to settle into English football, and looks a strong option for Saturday’s home encounter against Newcastle, although United’s fixtures thereafter are less favourable.
As with his Southampton team-mate Stekelenburg, Cedric Soares drops in our latest refresh, with the Saints conceding five goals in their first two matches. The right-back has fashioned three chances in the 140 minutes he’s played so far, though, illustrating his attacking potential, while he has also managed two shots from inside the box. With three favourable matches (wat, NOR, wba) coming up, it’s probably worth keeping the faith with the 5.0-rated defender for the time being.
Martin Skrtel is still our Liverpool defender of choice, although there are plenty of options in the Reds backline, with Nathaniel Clyne (5.5) providing an attacking threat from right-back, Dejan Lovren potentially offering a cheaper option at 5.0 if he can keep his place in the starting XI, while Joe Gomez (4.6) has started both matches so far, although Alberto Moreno’s bright cameo appearance last night may help him regain the starting spot at left-back. Skrtel is nailed on at the back, though, and has collected bonus points in both victories so far, while he carries a strong aerial threat from set-pieces.
After the opening two Gameweeks, Swansea have conceded the fewest shots (seven) from inside their own area out of all 20 teams. That means Ashley Williams remains in our thoughts this week, although Garry Monk’s men do face a mixed fixture list (sun, MUN, wat, EVE, sot, TOT) over the next few matches. Williams, priced at 5.0 in FPL, earned maximum bonus in the weekend 2-o win over Newcastle.
While his goal against Sunderland may have been slightly fortunate, there is no doubt Russell Martin is worthy of some consideration as a budget defender given Norwich’s upcoming fixtures (STO, sot, BOU, liv, whm, LEI), particularly at Carrow Road. The 4.5-priced defender only has an ownership of 0.6% in FPL and could be a handy differential over the next six Gameweeks.
With Miguel Layun again being substituted before the hour mark, and with his place as an attacking midfielder now under threat following the return to fitness of Almen Abdi and Steven Berghuis, we’ve decided for the safer option of Sebastian Prodl for the Watchlist. The 4.5-priced defender picked up a clean sheet against West Brom on Saturday, and faces a reasonable run of fixtures over the upcoming period.
We’ve inserted Craig Dawson onto the ladder this week, with Tony Pulis’ side providing a timely reminder of West Brom’s defensive prowess at the weekend. While the Baggies entertain Chelsea on Sunday, their fixtures thereafter (sto, SOT, avl, EVE, cpl) offer hope of further shut-outs, and Dawson, available at 5.0 in FPL, looks the safest of the West Brom defenders to target, after Joleon Lescott was surprisingly dropped to the bench against Watford.
Tottenham’s Kyle Walker has slipped in our latest refresh after Mauricio Pochettino’s men squandered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at home against Stoke last time out. Their next four matches (lei, EVE, sun, CPL) suggest the 5.0-valued right-back could still yield both attacking and defensive returns, although matches against City and Swansea in Gameweeks 7-8 do limit the England international’s appeal.
While Walker’s stock has fallen, the plight of Branislav Ivanovic looks far more precarious. The Serbia international has endured torrid match-ups against Jefferson Montero and Raheem Sterling in the opening two weeks of the season, and with Chelsea allowing 23 shots from inside their own box – the second worst record in the top flight behind Sunderland – it’s hard to back the Blues for a clean sheet with any confidence right now, particularly given their upcoming schedule (wba, CPL, eve, ARS, new, SOT). The 7.0-priced right-back’s attacking potential is still on show, however; Ivanovic has registered four goal attempts so far, more than any other defender, while his eight penalty box touches is only bettered by team-mate Gary Cahill’s 11. Ivanovic is currently the fifth most transferred out player this week, with over 87,000 FPL owners shedding the defender from their 15-man squads.
