Saturday’s events has proved the catalyst for a number of key changes in the Watchlist, most notably in midfield.
Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to sacrifice Dele Alli for the home clash with Crystal Palace has seen him topple from the reckoning. With Christian Eriksen giving way to Alli on 68 minutes, Erik Lamela enjoys a climb in the Watchlist as our current preferred target in the Spurs midfield. Given Harry Kane’s decline as attacking cover, this finds Lamela rank fifth in a significant rise for the Argentine.
It is Everton’s Ross Barkley that enjoys the most significant ascent.
We would normally remain cautious on Barkley’s potential but the current Fantasy landscape compounds the appeal of the Toffees playmaker.
Sergio Aguero and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are absorbing big funds in attack, resulting in midfield options in and around the 7.5 Fantasy Premier League bracket becoming key targets.
Barkley has started the season with a goal and an assist and should have come away from the Hawthorns with a second strike of the season after planting a close-range header wide of Ben Foster’s goal.
Everton and Barkley have made a confident start under Ronald Koeman and their fixtures are just exceptional.
Stoke, Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace present winnable Goodison encounters, whilst the Toffees will also travel to Sunderland, Bournemouth and Burnley in their next seven.
With the Romelu Lukaku option priced out by the Aguero/Ibraimovic pairing, it is clear that Barkley is the key draw. He is a factor on set-pieces and is currently presumed to be Koeman’s designated penalty taker having scored in pre-season with Lukaku and Baines on the pitch.
Both Kevin Mirallas and Yannick Bolasie offer cheaper alternatives. Mirallas has also started the season strongly and plays his part at set-pieces, but his security of start is called into question now that Bolasie is an option to Koeman, with Gerard Deulofeu also in the mix. Barkley looks set to remain a constant with the pitch time of that trio is currently difficult to predict.
Bolasie at just 6.0 in the FPL is, nonetheless, set to be an intriguing option. If he earns regular starts as expected, we will need to monitor his output and underlying numbers in comparison to his displays at Palace. Koeman is certainly pledging to get more goals and assists from his big money signing.
Elsewhere, Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and the returning Dimitri Payet look strong as midfield big-hitters, but Barkley has the potential to keep pace with them if he can maintain his form over his most obliging run of opponents.
Lower down the rankings, Andros Townsend’s stock is also boosted by strong fixtures. The arrival of Christian Benteke now offers the alternative in the Palace ranks and it’s arguable whether this dents Townsend’s appeal given that his supply now has a target.
Nathan Redmond holds his high rank despite a run of testing opponents to come – St Mary’s meetings with Sunderland, Swansea and Burnley still offer potential profit.
Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez and Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne currently remain on the periphery – again impact of the Aguero/Ibrhimovic pairing is limiting their popularity, at least until they begin to provide evidence that they can justify their lofty price tags.
Sanchez certainly has the fixtures to thrive, although he currently seems to be struggling having been charged with the central striker role by Arsene Wenger.
