The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 11 – The Midfield

After taking stock of the risers and fallers in Defence yesterday, our attention this lunchtime turns to the recommended midfielders for the next four to six Gameweeks. After chalking up his seventh assist of the season in Arsenal’s 2-1 victory against Everton, Mesut Ozil moves further up our ladder, but with no attacking points in his last three appearances, Man United’s Juan Mata is heading in the opposite direction.

While he blanked against Everton last weekend, Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez keeps hold of top spot, with the Chilean leading all midfielders for goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks, with 17. The former Barcelona attacker has seen his price rise to 11.6 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) this week, and with a favourable run of fixtures (swa, TOT, wba, nor, SUN, avl) over the next month or so, he should be able to add to the six goals and one assist he has already accrued this season.

Another non-mover at the top of our rankings is Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne, who like Sanchez, also failed to come up with the goods in Gameweek 10. The Belgian international wasn’t the only attacking player that struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford on Sunday, and with easier fixtures (NOR, avl, LIV, SOT, sto, SWA) to come for the 10.6-priced midfielder, expect the former Wolfsburg man to be back among the points when the leaky Canaries visit the Etihad on Saturday. Unsurprisingly, De Bruyne currently leads this week’s Captain Poll with 29% of the votes after he bagged a goal and assist against Palace in the cup last night.

With three goals and an assist in his last four outings, Southampton’s Sadio Mane continues to deliver outstanding value for his 8% ownership in FPL. The Senegal international only sets us back 7.9, and after serving a one-match suspension against Aston Villa in the Capital One Cup last night, he’ll be ready to go for the plum home fixture against Bournemouth on Sunday, with a kind schedule (sun, STO, mci, AVL, cpl) also to follow over the next few weeks.

The big riser in our latest refresh is Mesut Ozil, who is making a strong case for inclusion in our five-man midfields having averaged 8.8 points per appearance over the last four Gameweeks. The German international is available at a very reasonable 8.6 in FPL, and looks a great way to cover an Arsenal team that has scored 13 goals in their last four matches, more than any other side in the top flight. The third Arsenal player listed among the midfielders on our Watchlist is Theo Walcott, but with the 8.6-rated attacker picking up a calf injury against Sheffield Wednesday, his stock takes a hit this week. It isn’t yet known how long he’ll be ruled out for, but given his injury record, many will be fearing the worst.

Having shown incredible consistency this season, with just two blanks from 10 appearances, West Ham’s Dimitri Payet continues to deliver for his 35% ownership. The former Marseille man has created more chances (21) than any other midfielder over the last four Gameweeks, and is the third most transferred in player so far this week in FPL, with over 72,000 new owners, seeing his price rise to 8.3. While the next six matches for the Hammers (wat, EVE, tot, WBA, mun, STO) aren’t particularly favourable, it would be a brave Fantasy manager who chooses to go without the highest scoring player in FPL so far this season, who has racked up 71 points so far.

Newcastle’s Georginio Wijnaldum failed to immediately reward the 152,000+ FPL bosses who transferred him in last week on the back of his four-goal haul against Norwich in the Tyne-Wear derby. Nonetheless, with further favourable fixtures (STO, bou, LEI, cpl, LIV, tot) to come for Steve McClaren’s men, the 6.9-valued Dutch international still looks a sound investment for the coming period.

After returning to the starting XI for Leicester against Crystal Palace, and also bagging an assist in the 1-0 win, Riyad Mahrez keeps his place around halfway up our ladder. The Foxes face a decent run of fixtures (wba, WAT, new, MUN, swa, CHE), particularly in the short-term, so the 6.5-rated Algerian looks likely to be held on to by his whopping 53% ownership in FPL for the time being.

While his underlying statistics (just five shots from inside the box in the last four Gameweeks and only three chances created) look to be in decline, Swansea’s Andre Ayew (7.1) is still managing to deliver excellent value in FPL. The Ghanaian has five goals and an assist so far this season, and facing off against the struggling Norwich and Bournemouth in his next three matches, could continue to provide plenty of attacking returns.

Crystal Palace’s Yohan Cabaye is another mid-price option who has made a strong claim for consideration in our five-man midfields over the past few weeks. The 6.6-priced France international has three goals and an assist from his last four outings, although with a reliance on penalties for his goals, having only managed one shot from inside the box apart from penalties in his last four appearances, he has more of a propensity to blank than other players of similar price tags. The Eagles upcoming fixtures (MUN, liv, SUN, NEW, eve, SOT) are also fairly mixed, whilst Cabaye’s owners will need to monitor his fitness after he missed last night’s cup clash against United with a knock.

With Gameweek 11 now upon us, Everton’s Ross Barkley was an obvious riser this week, given that the Toffees’ upcoming fixture list (SUN, whm, AVL, bou, CPL, nor) is rated the most favourable on our Season Ticker. The England international provided a timely reminder of his abilities with a deflected goal in the 2-1 defeat at Arsenal, and available at 6.8 in FPL, should be able to deliver excellent value over the coming period.

As if things couldn’t get any worse for Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, he then misses the decisive penalty against Stoke in the Capital One Cup. Last year’s star man is suffering a huge fall from grace this season, and over 43,000 FPL bosses have decided to sell the Belgian already this week ahead of a difficult home fixture against Liverpool on Saturday. Although the rest of the Blues’ upcoming schedule (sto, NOR, tot, BOU, lei) is very favourable, the 11.1-priced midfielder looks devoid of self-belief right now and has shown little to suggest he can arrest his current malaise.

Owners of Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen would have been slightly disappointed after the Dane registered no more than a single assist in the 5-1 triumph at Bournemouth, but with attacking returns in four of his last five appearances, he is certainly a man in form. The former Ajax player, available at 8.4 in FPL, faces four home match-ups over the next six Gameweeks (AVL, ars, WHM, CHE, wba, NEW), and with an ownership of just 5%, looks a viable differential candidate.

Given his disappointing underlying statistics over the last four Gameweeks, Man United’s Juan Mata inevitably slides down our ladder in our latest update. The Spaniard has only managed one shot from inside the box and created six chances over that period, and while he has faced some difficult fixtures, those numbers are clearly a concern. The good news for his 20% ownership is that the upcoming schedule (cpl, WBA, wat, lei, WHM, bou) is certainly more favourable, and with a history of plundering the points against the lesser lights of the Premier League, the 8.8-valued midfielder could yet return to form over the next few weeks.

Sunderland’s Jeremain Lens may not have got in on the act in the 3-0 win against Newcastle, but we’re still favouring the Dutch international as the best way to cover the Black Cats attack. The 6.4-rated midfielder has two goals and three assists to his name so far this season, and with a reasonable run of fixtures (eve, SOT, cpl, STO, ars, WAT) over the next month or so, looks a viable option for those looking to roll the dice on a riskier selection.

With the afore-mentioned favourable run of fixtures around the corner for Southampton, Dusan Tadic sneaks in at the bottom of our rankings. The Serbian has created a reasonable 10 chances in his last four outings, and has also found the back of the net three times this season. Coming in at 7.0 in FPL, 0.9 cheaper than Mane, the former Twente midfielder shouldn’t be overlooked as a different route into the Saints attack.