Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld and Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma are amongst this week’s major climbers in our Watchlist refresh, with form on fixtures on both their sides. Boaz Myhill and Craig Dawson are also on the rise as the schedule turns in West Brom’s favour from Gameweek 17.

GOALKEEPERS

Despite failing to keep a clean sheet in his last two appearances, Man United’s David de Gea maintains top spot as he is the cheapest of the secure defensive starters at Old Trafford. With the upcoming schedule for Louis van Gaal’s side (WHM, bou, NOR, sto, CHE, SWA) very favourable, the Spain international – who is priced at 5.6 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) – should provide a reliable source of returns over the next few weeks.

Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet is hot on the heels of De Gea, though, with confidence in the Reds rearguard boosted following their 1-0 victory against Swansea. Jurgen Klopp’s side look to only have one unfavourable fixture in the next six (new, WBA, wat, LEI, sun, whm) – the home clash against Leicester in Gameweek 18 – so the 5.0-priced Belgian looks set to further reward his 7% ownership in FPL over the next month or so.

We’re still keeping faith in Stoke’s Jack Butland, with the England international always facing an uphill battle to keep Sunderland out last weekend following Ryan Shawcross’ dismissal. The upcoming fixture list (MCI, whm, CPL, MUN, eve, wba) is still against the 4.8-valued stopper, though, but with five shut-outs from his last seven outings, his 14% ownership will likely be happy to hold firm, with save points looking likely to help his potential over that period.

With West Brom’s upcoming schedule improving from Gameweek 17 onwards (BOU, swa, NEW, STO), Boaz Myhill is a significant climber this week. There is some concern over whether he will be the first-choice keeper at that point, though, with Ben Foster perhaps being available towards the end of the month following his serious knee injury. Having impressed so far this season, Tony Pulis may not be in a rush to bring Foster back into the fold, so the 4.8-rated Myhill could be one to consider over the festive period.

The other major riser in our latest update is Sunderland’s Costel Pantilimon, who has impressively amassed 32 points in six outings with Sam Allardyce at the helm, compared to just 17 points in eight matches under Dick Advocaat. The Black Cats do face a fairly treacherous run of fixtures (ars, WAT, che, mci, LIV, AVL) over the next six Gameweeks, although it is worth remembering the Romanian did register eight saves on his last visit to the Emirates. Investment in the 4.8-priced Pantilimon is probably unlikely given the tough schedule, but confidence is clearly starting to build under Big Sam, so the former Man City keeper does look worth monitoring over the next few weeks.

Given that Crystal Palace’s schedule (eve, SOT, sto, bou, SWA, CHE) remains pretty friendly over the coming period, Wayne Hennessey should continue to offer great value in FPL. The Wales international is available at just 4.0, so for any Fantasy managers who still have their wildcard available, he would certainly be one to seriously consider between the sticks.

Watford’s Heurelho Gomes keeps his place around halfway up our ladder, with the head injury suffered by the Brazilian against Aston Villa unlikely to keep him out of Saturday’s favourable home clash against Norwich. The Hornets schedule does stiffen up from Gameweek 17 onwards, though, (LIV, che, TOT, MCI), so the medium to long-term prospects for the 4.7-valued Brazilian don’t look particularly bright.

The potential of Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris still looks reasonable over the upcoming period, with four strong fixtures (wba, NEW, sot, NOR, wat) in the next five for Spurs. The France international picked up his fifth clean sheet of the season in the goalless draw against Chelsea, and represents a solid option coming in at 5.1 in FPL.

Petr Cech looks to have strong potential over the next six Gameweeks, with Arsenal’s fixtures (SUN, avl, MCI, sot, BOU, NEW) very favourable. The 5.7-rated Czech Republic international is the fourth highest scoring goalkeeper in FPL with 61 points, and after three matches without a clean sheet, should be able to return to form over the coming period.

The final spot on our ladder is taken by West Ham’s Adrian (5.0), who just about stays in our thoughts with Slaven Bilic’s men facing three decent fixtures (STO, swa, avl) over the next four Gameweeks. Form is clearly a concern when assessing the Hammers backline, though, having failed to register a clean sheet since Gameweek 5, so the Spaniard looks set to remain on the periphery of our thoughts.

DEFENDERS

After bagging a nine-point haul in Liverpool 1-0 victory over Swansea, Alberto Moreno remains top of our defenders Watchlist. As already touched upon, the Reds have a favourable run of fixtures over the next month or so, and having rewarded his 4% ownership in FPL last time out with a clean sheet and full bonus, the 4.9-priced Spaniard will now be expected to add to the single assist he’s registered this season in terms of attacking returns. Over the past four Gameweeks, the former Sevilla defender ranks joint-second among defenders for chances created, with seven.

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin stays in second place on our ladder, given that he faces four home matches in the next six. The Spain U21 international is also capable of providing attacking points, with two assists to his name already this season. So despite concerns over the Gunners’ ability to keep clean sheets in the absence of Francis Coquelin in front of the back four, the 5.9-valued right-back still looks a good option for points at either end of the pitch.

Having amassed three bonus points in the goalless draw against Chelsea, and with a strong set-piece threat, Toby Alderweireld replaces Eric Dier as our preferred Tottenham backline option. The Belgian does set us back 5.5 in FPL, compared to 5.2 for Dier, but with the England international not converting his out-of-position potential as a holding midfielder into points, we’re placing our faith in the former Ajax defender for the time being.

Following back-to-back clean sheets, and with the imminent return of Thibaut Courtois in goal signifying an end to Asmir Begovic’s prospects, Kurt Zouma leaps up our rankings in our latest refresh. The France international has started all but one of the last 12 league matches, and looks to be a permanent fixture in the Blues defence. Coming in at 5.4 in FPL, and with three plum home fixtures (BOU, SUN, WAT) in the next four, the 21-year-old looks an outstanding option for our five-man backlines.

Another mid-price defender on the rise this week is West Brom’s Craig Dawson. The former Rochdale man has started every match this season, and that security of pitch time will be all the more valuable through the busy Christmas period. With Albion’s fixture list (BOU, swa, NEW, STO) hugely favourable from Gameweek 17 onwards, the 5.1-rated defender could soon be a popular choice for FPL bosses.

The potential of Man United’s Chris Smalling still looks pretty sizeable, given the Red Devils’ afore-mentioned favourable run of fixtures. The England international fares when well it comes to bonus points, picking up eight so far, so while questions remain over his value for money at a hefty price of 6.8 in FPL, he does look pretty certain to bring in a decent tally of points for his significant 30% ownership.

In light of Vincent Kompany’s continued absence for Man City, the upside of Aleksandar Kolarov’s attacking potential sees the Serbian topple Nicolas Otamendi as our favoured City defender. His goal against Southampton last weekend was no fluke, given he leads all defenders along with Patrick van Aanholt for total attempts over the last four Gameweeks with seven, while he also tops all defenders for crosses over the same period, with 38. With Gael Clichy playing the full 90 minutes against Hull last night, the now 6.4-priced Kolarov looks pretty certain to start at Stoke on Saturday ahead of some kind fixtures (sto, SWA, ars, SUN, lei, wat).

Seamus Coleman bagged his second assist in as many matches in Everton’s 3-3 draw against Bournemouth, and with the Toffees schedule (CPL, nor, LEI, new, STO, TOT) remaining pretty favourable for the foreseeable future, the Republic of Ireland international looks capable of providing returns at either end of the pitch. His 5.9 price tag perhaps seems a tad high, though, given Roberto Martinez’s side have only managed one clean sheet in their last eight matches.

Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk remains in our thoughts, although the 5.6-valued centre-back does face a mixed run of fixtures (AVL, cpl, TOT, ARS, whm, nor) over the next six Gameweeks. The Dutch international does regularly look to have a goal in him, though, as illustrated when his speculative effort against Man City rattled against the woodwork.

While West Ham’s defence has failed to impress in recent weeks, Aaron Cresswell sees his stock rise slightly as he continues to post impressive attacking statistics. The 5.5-rated left-back leads all defenders for chances created over the last four Gameweeks with eight, and along with Coleman and Danny Rose has registered the most assists (three) among defenders this season.

Scott Dann may have once again failed to deliver in a favourable home clash, this time against Newcastle, but given he leads all defenders for penalty box touches (13) over the last four Gameweeks and is pretty certain to start every match over the busy upcoming period, looks worthy of serious consideration for our five-man backlines. His price may have risen to 5.3 in FPL, but his set-piece threat seems to justify such an outlay.

Sneaking into the final position on our ladder is Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt. The Dutchman brought in 15 points in the 2-0 win against Stoke thanks to a goal and full bonus, and should Sam Allardyce stick with the 3-5-2 formation, the Dutchman’s attacking threat from wing-back makes his 4.6 price tag look a worthwhile investment. His prospects are tempered by the Black Cats tough upcoming schedule (ars, WAT, che, mci, LIV, AVL), though.