Having run through the changes among the Defence and in Midfield over the past few days, this afternoon we assess the ups and downs among the forwards on our Watchlist, which offers player recommendations for the next four-to-six Gameweeks. Another two goals for Leicester’s Jamie Vardy last weekend pushes him to the top of our rankings, while Diego Costa’s goal and assist against Aston Villa brings the Chelsea striker back among the leading forward options.
The remarkable goal scoring form of Leicester’s Jamie Vardy shows no signs of ending, with the England international netting eight times in his last six appearances. He also leads all forwards for shots inside the box over the last four Gameweeks with 22, and has a strong upcoming schedule (CPL, wba, WAT, new, MUN, swa), particularly in the short-term. The former non-league striker is the most transferred in player so far this week, with over 207,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) bosses signing him up, seeing his price rise to 7.0.
Although Graziano Pelle disappointed his many Fantasy owners by blanking against Leicester, the upcoming fixture list (liv, BOU, sun, STO, mci, AVL) still looks favourable for the Southampton striker. The 8.4-priced Italian has five goals and as many assists to his name this season, and remains one of the most reliable options for our three-man frontlines.
Following his 16-point haul against Bournemouth, Wilfried Bony is a big climber this week. In the absence of Sergio Aguero, the Ivorian looks a fantastic short term option, particularly with Man City facing Norwich and Aston Villa after this weekend’s derby at Old Trafford. Available at just 8.3 in FPL, and with an ownership of just 3%, the former Swansea striker is sure to attract plenty of investment until Aguero is fully fit.
With Everton’s difficult start to the campaign coming to an end after the trip to the Emirates this weekend (SUN, whm, AVL, bou, CPL), Romelu Lukaku also rises in our latest update. The 8.4-valued striker has three goals and an assist in his last three outings and stands joint-third among forwards for goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks, with 17. With no concerns over possible rotation, the Belgian looks another interesting candidate as we search for new forward options.
Diego Costa had pretty much been a non-entity in Fantasy terms this season before his 12-point haul against Villa, but with Chelsea now facing a kind run of fixtures (whm, LIV, sto, NOR, tot, BOU), it could be time to trust the Spain international once again. The 11.0-rated forward did only manage two goal attempts against Villa, though, so perhaps further evidence of a revival is needed against West Ham before we see significant investment.
Watford’s Odion Ighalo sees his stock fall slightly this week, although the upcoming schedule (sto, WHM, lei, MUN, avl, NOR) is very favourable. The Nigerian’s underlying statistics are pretty strong over the last four Gameweeks, registering 14 goal attempts, with 11 from inside the box, and setting us back just 5.3 in FPL, he remains one of the best budget options available for Fantasy managers.
Another faller in our latest refresh is Man United’s Anthony Martial. The France international has only managed seven goal attempts in his last four outings, and has played out wide in United’s last two matches in all competitions. The good news for his 29% ownership is United’s fixtures after the Manchester derby (cpl, WBA, wat, lei, WHM) are very favourable, so the 8.4-priced forward may be worth holding on to for a bit longer yet, as evidenced by his late leveller in Moscow on Wednesday evening.
Having netted in each of his last two matches, Newcastle’s Aleksandar Mitrovic has emerged as a viable option for our forward lines. The Serbia international is available at a reasonable 6.2 in FPL, and with the upcoming fixtures (sun, STO, bou, LEI, cpl, LIV) also in his favour, he could be worth a roll of the dice as a differential, with his current ownership standing at just 1%.
While Tottenham’s Harry Kane has miserably failed to live up to his “heavy hitter” status so far this season, the 9.2-valued forward remains in our thoughts with Spurs’ fixtures (bou, AVL, ars, WHM, CHE, wba) fairly reasonable over the upcoming period. The England international is still racking up the goal attempts, with 15 over the last four Gameweeks, and sooner or later you have to think he’ll be back among the goals.
A new-entry this week is Stoke’s Bojan, who scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the Potters 1-0 win at Swansea on Monday night. The former Barcelona attacker has grabbed our attention by virtue of his 5.3 price tag, while the fixtures ahead for Mark Hughes’ side (WAT, new, CHE, sot, sun, MCI) are also pretty decent. Given that the Spaniard has only managed five goal attempts in his last four appearances, and created a mere two chances, we perhaps shouldn’t expect too much.
With the fitness report on Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge’s knee injury positive at the moment, the England man clings onto a place on our ladder. Jurgen Klopp is hopeful he’ll be fit to face Southampton on Sunday, but with the Reds’ fixtures (SOT, che, CPL, mci, SWA, new) pretty tricky over the coming period, we’re not likely to much see investment in the 10.6-priced Sturridge, particularly with the on-going concerns surrounding his ability to string consecutive matches together. His quality isn’t doubted though, as illustrated by two goals against Villa last month.
Bournemouth’s Glenn Murray is our second new entry this week, with the former Crystal Palace striker finding the back of the net in his last two outings. The 5.6-valued forward looks assured of a starting place following Callum Wilson’s serious knee injury, and while the Cherries fixtures over the next month or so (TOT, sot, NEW, swa, EVE, che) don’t appear very forgiving, the experienced centre forward could continue to be something of a surprise package.
