After breaking down the changes to our Watchlist rankings for the defence and midfield over the past few days, it’s now time to turn our attention to the latest movements among the forwards. There are no changes at the top, with Everton’s Romelu Lukaku still edging out Tottenham’s Harry Kane, though Daniel Sturridge returns lower down after scoring twice in his first start under Jurgen Klopp in midweek.
With Everton still in the midst of a favourable stretch (CPL, nor, LEI, new, STO, TOT) on their schedule, Romelu Lukaku remains at the summit. The Belgian has five goals and two assists from his last four league outings, and while his price in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) has risen to 9.0, that still looks outstanding value while the fixtures remain so favourable. The former Chelsea striker currently lies second in this week’s Captain Poll ahead of Monday night’s home clash against Crystal Palace.
While Tottenham’s Harry Kane blanked against Chelsea in Gameweek 14, Spurs’ generally favourable run of fixtures (wba, NEW, sot, NOR, wat, eve) mean he stays in second spot in our latest refresh. The 9.6-priced England international had been in red-hot form before last weekend, scoring seven goals in his previous four matches, and appears likely to be a leading contender for the captain’s armband for the two plum home fixtures against Newcastle and Norwich over the next few weeks.
Sergio Aguero drops down in the rankings after he was ruled out of City’s trip to Stoke by Manuel Pellegrini earlier today. The City boss is hopeful that his star striker will be back for midweek Champions League duties and with two hugely favourable home clashes (SWA, SUN) to come over the next few weeks, the Argentine could yet prosper if he can recover in time. With Wilfried Bony fit and available, though, acquiring the Argentine certainly doesn’t come without risk attached, with his minutes likely to be managed even if fit.
The extraordinary run of Leicester’s Jamie Vardy keeps rolling on, although with the fixtures over the next six Gameweeks more favourable for Lukaku and Kane, the Foxes front man stays in fourth position in our rankings. Claudio Ranieri’s side do face a reasonable match up in Gameweek 15, travelling to struggling Swansea, but their schedule thereafter (CHE, eve, liv, MCI) could limit the output of the now 7.5-rated England man.
Watford’s Odion Ighalo has certainly been one of the surprise packages of the season, and the Nigerian leads the way amongst forwards for shots from inside the box (13) and penalty box touches (31) over the last four Gameweeks. Available at a meagre 5.8 in FPL, the former Udinese attacker looks a great option in the short-term, with Norwich and Sunderland up next for Watford, although the schedule thereafter (LIV, che, TOT, MCI) stiffens up considerably.
After serving his one-match suspension, and with only two difficult fixtures in the next six (AVL, cpl, TOT, ARS, whm, nor), Southampton’s Graziano Pelle moves up a couple of spots this time around. It is a concern the Italian has only registered five shots from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, along with the fact confidence may be low at St Mary’s following the demoralising 6-1 home defeat to Liverpool in the Capital One Cup. Nonetheless, history has shown the former Feyenoord striker can be relied upon for a steady stream of attacking points, particularly against the weaker sides in the league, so the 8.2-priced forward should remain a reliable option for Fantasy bosses.
Anthony Martial remains in contention based on the fact Man United have the most favourable upcoming schedule (WHM, bou, NOR, sto, CHE, SWA) according to our Season Ticker. The France international is unlikely to attract much investment given he hasn’t scored since Gameweek 6, while he’s only managed three goal attempts in his last four appearances. Setting us back just 7.8 in FPL, and with four home fixtures and a favourable trip to Bournemouth on the horizon, the former Monaco attacker should soon be back amongst the goals.
While Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud looks a strong option for Gameweek 15 with the Gunners entertaining Sunderland, the fact he’ll be a rotation risk for the favourable home clashes against Bournemouth and Newcastle over the festive period means he remains towards the bottom of our rankings. Theo Walcott is closing in on a first-team return and may even be available for the weekend, so the 8.9-valued Frenchman appears unlikely to be a viable option.
Daniel Sturridge (10.1) returns to our Watchlist on the back of his impressive performance against Southampton on Wednesday night. Although Jurgen Klopp has a plethora of options in attack, Sturridge’s deadly eye for goal could well prosper over the next few fixtures (new, WBA, wat, LEI, sun, whm) despite the fact he’s very unlikely to last 90 minutes as he builds up his fitness.
Having only scored his first Premier League goal against Stoke in Gameweek 10, Watford’s Troy Deeney has since bagged another three goals, while he also has four assists to his name this season. The Hornets captain comes in at 5.1 in FPL, 0.7 cheaper than his strike partner Ighalo, and is a real differential, with his current ownership standing at just 2% in FPL. For those who favour playing with a 3-5-2 formation, the 27-year-old looks the ideal man to fill that cheap third forward slot, given he can easily be benched when he faces a difficult fixture.
