Having analysed the defenders and midfielders over the last few days, we complete our look at the updated Watchlist rankings with a run through the latest movements up front. Man City’s Sergio Aguero is back on top of our ladder after scoring the winning goal in the 2-1 win at Watford last time out, whilst Romelu Lukaku and Jamie Vardy slip a little with concerns over their availability for Gameweek 21.
Sergio Aguero returns to the summit for the first time in a number of months after showing some flashes of his best form against Watford and Everton in the Capital One Cup in midweek. With City facing four home matches in the next six (EVE, CPL, whm, sun, LEI, TOT), the 13.1-priced forward certainly looks to have the platform to plunder the goals. His underlying statistics have also been impressive over the last two Gameweeks, totalling 19 penalty area touches, joint-third among front men, while also managing seven shots from inside the box. His 14% ownership will hope he is left out for Saturday’s FA Cup tie at Norwich, then, with two Premier League matches next week. Given Raheem Sterling and Kelechi Iheanacho were both unused substitutes on Wednesday night, those wishes could well be met.
Harry Kane remains in second position in our latest update, with Spurs’ favourable upcoming schedule (LEI, SUN, cpl, nor, WAT) firmly in mind. The England international, available at 9.8 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), has only registered five penalty box touches over the last two Gameweeks, but, having averaged 7.4 points per appearance in his previous last five matches at White Hart Lane, Kane has to be backed to produce on home turf over the coming period.
With two tricky away fixtures next week (mci, che), and having picked up an ankle injury on Wednesday night, Everton’s Romelu Lukaku (9.3) slips down the third spot on our ladder. Although Toffees boss Roberto Martinez confirmed earlier today that the Belgian is recovering quickly, his stock has to take something of a hit. Favourable fixtures (SWA, NEW, sto, WBA) do follow, however, whilst there’s no doubt the former Chelsea striker has offered outstanding value over the past few months, racking up 10 goals and three assists in his last 10 appearances.
Another one of the form forwards, Watford’s Odion Ighalo, keeps his place on the Watchlist this week, having found the back of the net in difficult fixtures against Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham over the festive period, while the Hornets upcoming fixtures (sot, swa, NEW, CHE) are fairly reasonable. Still setting us back only 6.4 in FPL, the Nigerian looks set to continue to offer fantastic value for Fantasy bosses as a cheap third forward.
On the back of three consecutive blanks, and with a question mark over his fitness for the match at Tottenham on Wednesday, Leicester’s Jamie Vardy continues to fall down our rankings. The former non-league striker underwent minor groin surgery at the start of the week, but is thought to have a chance of featuring in Gameweek 21. The now 7.5-rated forward is the most transferred out player so far this week with over 163,000 sales ahead of a difficult run of fixtures (tot, avl, STO, LIV, mci, ars) for Claudio Ranieri’s men, with many Fantasy managers perhaps favouring Riyad Mahrez as their route into the Foxes attack.
Having registered attacking returns in six of his last eight outings, Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud keeps his spot around halfway up our ladder. The Frenchman hasn’t delivered a single double-digit score over that period, however, and with a testing schedule over the next three Gameweeks (liv, sto, CHE), his prospects in the short-term at least don’t look particularly bright. Rotation could also be a concern for the 9.2-priced forward should Arsene Wenger look to utilise Theo Walcott up front once Alexis Sanchez returns from injury.
Should any FPL bosses be on the lookout for a differential for their three-man forward lines, Chelsea’s Diego Costa could be the man for the job. The Spain international rises a few places in our latest refresh after registering a goal and assist in the Blues’ clinical 3-0 victory at Crystal Palace. The champions face four home fixtures over the next six Gameweeks (WBA, EVE, ars, wat, MUN, NEW), and with a price tag of 10.7 in FPL, and an ownership of just 6%, the former Atletico Madrid striker could well be worth a roll of the dice for those looking to make up lost ground in mini-leagues.
Another forward on the move up the Watchlist is Man United’s Anthony Martial, who registered 12 points in the 2-1 win against Swansea thanks to a goal, assist and full bonus. Louis van Gaal’s side do only face two home clashes over the coming period (new, liv, SOT, STO, che, sun), but, available for just 7.6 in FPL, the France international is another who could be seen as a viable differential option, with his ownership standing at 7%. It does remain to be seen whether the new-found attacking intent seen over the last two matches can be maintained for a sustained period, though.
With four home matches in the next six (CPL, LEI, wba, whm, NOR, LIV), Aston Villa’s Jordan Ayew clings onto his place towards the foot of our ladder. The 5.5-rated forward is available again after missing the 3-1 defeat to Sunderland due to suspension, and while the Ghanaian is unlikely to capture the imagination of Fantasy bosses due to the current predicament at Villa Park, he could continue to surprise as a budget option.
Stoke’s Bojan hold station in the final spot on the Watchlist, having managed a reasonable two goals and as many assists over the last four Gameweeks. The former Barcelona attacker offers brilliant value at just 5.2 in FPL, but his prospects are dented somewhat by a pretty testing upcoming schedule (NOR, ARS, lei, mun, EVE, bou), while the fact he’s been substituted around the hour-mark in his last two appearances is also a cause for concern.
