Having assessed the changes among the defence and midfield over the past few days, the final part of this week’s Watchlist articles focuses on our favoured forwards over the next four-to-six Gameweeks.
With Leicester’s Jamie Vardy still chasing down Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Premier League record of scoring in ten consecutive matches, the England man remains the top ranked forward on our ladder. The Foxes face two more favourable matches (WAT, new) before their schedule (MUN, swa, CHE, eve) becomes slightly trickier. Considering that the 7.3-priced striker leads all forwards for shots inside the box (18) over the last four Gameweeks, and has hit the target with 10 of those attempts, his sensational form could continue for some time yet. He currently leads this week’s Captain Poll with 25% of the vote ahead of the home clash against Watford.
After bringing in a 14-point haul in Everton’s 6-2 victory against Sunderland thanks to a goal and two assists, Romelu Lukaku moves up to second spot in our rankings. The Toffees also have a great run of fixtures (whm, AVL, bou, CPL, nor, LEI) to follow, so the Belgian striker, who only sets us back 8.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), looks primed to be one of the leading frontline contenders over the next few Gameweeks.
Southampton’s Graziano Pelle is a non-mover this week, with his prospects (sun, STO, mci, AVL) still looking favourable. The Italian has only managed two of his 11 goal attempts on target over the last four Gameweeks on target, though, with his lack of accuracy in front of goal a slight concern. Nonetheless, with six goals and five assists so far this season, the former Feyenoord striker offers solid value at 8.5 in FPL.
While Vardy has enjoyed an incredible season so far, it may come as something of a surprise that Watford’s Odion Ighalo is only 10 points behind the Leicester forward in FPL. The Hornets striker scored his sixth and seventh goals of the season in the 2-0 win against West Ham last week, and has attempted an impressive 13 shots from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, while he also leads all forwards for chances created (nine) over the same period. Given that Watford’s upcoming fixtures (lei, MUN, avl, NOR, sun, LIV) are pretty favourable, the Nigerian, who is available at 5.5 in FPL, will surely see his 15% ownership rise significantly in the next few weeks.
Another forward who’s been amongst the goals of late is Tottenham’s Harry Kane. The 9.3-valued striker has four in his last two outings, and has found the target with 11 of his 15 goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks. While Spurs’ fixtures (ars, WHM, CHE, wba, NEW sot) are slightly mixed over the coming period, the England international does seem to have regained his confidence in front of goal, and as seen last season, has the ability to be a huge Fantasy asset.
Although Man City’s Wilfried Bony disappointingly blanked in their 2-1 win against Norwich last time out, the Ivorian stays around halfway up our ladder ahead of this week’s trip to Villa. With Sergio Aguero expected to return from his hamstring injury shortly after the international break, though, those who invested in the 8.4-priced former Swansea man will need to make plans for an exit route upon his return.
Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud has also benefitted from an injury to one of his rivals for the lone striker role. With Theo Walcott likely to be back in late November, though, the Frenchman’s security of starts may not be quite so guaranteed, though five goals in his last seven – including four off the bench – still highlights the 8.8-priced Frenchman’s capabilities.
One forward who is not in form is Man United’s Anthony Martial, who has blanked in his last four appearances. Louis van Gaal’s side do have some better fixtures (WBA, wat, lei, WHM, bou, NOR) coming up though, so the France international – who moved back into a central role in midweek – could perhaps punish the 100,000+ FPL bosses that have transferred him out so far this week, seeing his price drop to 8.0. With so many other in-form forwards, it’s not surprising that faith in the United attack is low, considering they’ve failed to score in three of their last four league matches.
Given Chelsea’s fixtures (sto, NOR, tot, BOU, lei, SUN) are rated the most favourable over the next six Gameweeks according to our Season Ticker, we’re keeping Diego Costa in our thoughts. The 11.0-valued forward has only managed five shots from inside the box over his last four appearances, though, and bearing in mind the Blues are low in confidence right now, investing in the former Atletico Madrid striker would be something of a gamble.
While Vardy and Ighalo have been huge success stories as budget forwards, Newcastle’s Aleksandar Mitrovic is starting to suggest that he could be worth considering as another cheap option. The Serbia international has managed 12 shots from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, more than the likes of Pelle and Lukaku, and has a pretty strong run of fixtures (bou, LEI, cpl, LIV, tot, AVL) over the next month or so. With an ownership of just 1.2% in FPL, the 6.2-valued forward could be worth a roll of the dice for the more maverick managers amongst us.
Following the significant impact he made in Liverpool’s 3-1 win at Chelsea, grabbing a goal and an assist off the bench, Christian Benteke is back on our radar. Three victories in all competitions over the last week has seen confidence grow in Jurgen Klopp’s side, and with the Reds’ schedule (CPL, mci, SWA, new, WBA, wat) beginning to ease, the 8.3-rated Belgian could soon be challenging the likes of Lukaku and Kane for our attention, providing his fitness problems are behind him.
The final slot on our ladder sees Sunderland’s Steven Fletcher return to the Watchlist. The Scotland international has three goals and an assist from his last four league outings, and is available at a knock down price of 5.0 in FPL. While the Black Cats’ upcoming fixtures (SOT, cpl, STO, ars, WAT, che) are mixed, the former Wolves striker could be seen as a great enabler for those wishing to favour the 3-5-2 formation over the coming period.
