The FPL players on the Watchlist ahead of Gameweek 1

The Watchlist articles make a welcome return to Fantasy Football Scout in 2021/22.

Last month, we asked for your opinion on which regular series you’d like to see brought back to these pages.

A whopping 79.2% of you were either ‘generally for’ or ‘very much in favour’ of the Watchlist’s resurrection (the highest positive response of any article type we put forward), so we’re reviving the strand for the upcoming campaign by popular demand.

Seven-time top 10k finisher and Scout regular Zophar will be taking the reins this season, producing a bi-weekly Watchlist piece and discussing what he thinks the initial rankings are by position.

About the Watchlist

Our reguarly updated Watchlist, which is visible on the sidebar, ranks players in each position for the month ahead – or rather, the next four Gameweeks.

This allows site users to get a longer-term view on recommended players beyond the weekly Scout Picks.

Players are selected according to factors such as current form, club injuries, club morale, forthcoming fixtures and whether or not the player in question is likely to be a bargain in FPL.

The table displays the player name and club, along with the abbreviation for the factors that played a part in their ranking. A key for these factors can be found below the player in the table and looks like this:

Arrows before the name indicate whether a player as climbed or fallen in our reckoning since the previous update or if they are a new entry into the tables.

Please note that while we may generally only recommend one player from each club within a position, alternative assets at the same club can always be considered.

Goalkeepers

Popular budget options Robert Sanchez and Daniel Bachmann top the goalkeeper rankings at the start of the season with decent fixtures and an affordable £4.5m price tag. The fact that they both have £4.0m back-ups from their respective teams increases their appeal further.

Save point magnets Emiliano Martinez (£5.5m) and Illan Meslier (£5.0m) follow the budget pair, with the former still the most-owned goalkeeper in FPL.

Jordan Pickford (£5.0m) and Lukas Fabianski (£5.0m) also offer clean sheet potential with a high chance of bonus so I have ranked them above the premium options such as Alisson, Ederson and Edouard Mendy (all £6.0m).

Uncertainty long-term over the goalkeeper position at Manchester United keeps Dean Henderson (£5.0m) out. 

Defenders

The top defensive picks, Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) and Luke Shaw (£5.5m) are the most popular defenders in the game, with 30% and 52% ownership respectively at the time of writing. Both offer set-piece potential and have excellent opening fixtures.

The third spot was a debate between Lucas Digne (£5.5m) and Vladimir Coufal (£5.0m) but the latter won out due to some doubts regarding Everton’s early cohesion under Rafael Benitez. I prefer Coufal over Aaron Cresswell (£5.5m) as the former is often more attacking when they play a back three and the half a million saving can go a long way. 

Ruben Dias (£6.0m) rounds off the premium picks: despite difficult fixtures, I still fancy Man City to keep a few clean sheets in the first six Gameweels and the Portuguese is a set and forget option. 

Kieran Tierney (£5.0m) has tricky matches in Gameweeks 2 and 3 but it is worth mentioning that only Man City (32) and Chelsea (36) conceded fewer goals than Arsenal (39) last season. The full-back should benefit from the lack of European commitments and is the Gunners’ key outlet on the left. 

Matt Targett (£5.0m) is my Villa defender of choice. The Midlands side have the best trio opening fixtures in the league and I quite like the home match-up against Everton in Gameweek 5 as well. 

In the £4.5m bracket, Luke Ayling, Joel Veltman and Ben White are my preferred options. Ayling is ahead of the other two as he offers some attacking potential with the other two playing at centre-back. 

Daniel Amartey (£4.0m) is my pick amongst the £4.0m defenders; the Ghanaian was impressive in the Community Shield and with Wesley Fofana (£4.5m) out long term he may see some appearances in the starting XI even when Evans returns, as the Foxes have a congested schedule this season with Europa League commitments. 

Midfielders

The most popular midfield assets in the game, Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) and Bruno Fernandes’ (£12.0m) inclusion doesn’t really require any explanation. 

Son Heung-min (£10.0m) has been playing in a striker role in the absence of Harry Kane (£12.5m) and has had a strong pre-season. Traditionally a fast starter, the Korean also has great fixtures from Gameweek 2 onwards and is a strong captaincy option in Gameweek 3.

Riyad Mahrez (£9.0m) has also impressed this summer and should be safe from Pep Guardiola’s rotation in the first few fixtures given how behind the rest of the squad are in terms of match fitness. The Gameweek 2 clash against Norwich is particularly appealing.

Sadio Mane (£12.0m) is another player likely to benefit from a full pre-season and the Senegalese is only lower down this list due to his price tag, which makes him difficult to accommodate. The fact that Diogo Jota (£7.5m) is listed £4.5m cheaper also dents Mane’s appeal. 

Like Jota, Mason Greenwood (£7.5m) is an explosive option but his game-time is at risk after Gameweek 1, with more first-teamers returning to the side. A strong start would go a long way in cementing his spot. 

In Kevin De Bruyne’s (£12.0m) absence, Ilkay Gundogan (£7.5m) is likely to be running the midfield for the reigning champions and was their sharpest attacker in the Community Shield. He also took a large share of their set pieces.

Harvey Barnes (£7.0m) was another player who caught the eye in that game and the winger has hit the ground running after his return to fitness. The injuries to the centre-backs means that the Foxes are unlikely to roll out a back three, and playing in a 4-3-3/4-4-2 system suits the winger. 

With Emiliano Buendia’s (£6.5m) injury, Raphinha (£6.5m) is the pick of the £6.5m-rated midfielders despite difficult opening fixtures. 

Said Benrahma (£6.0m) has been West Ham’s form player during pre-season and the Algerian has occupied the role vacated by Jesse Lingard (£7.0m), playing just behind Michail Antonio (£7.5m). I’ve put him down as a slight rotation risk as the Hammers have a wealth of midfielders at their disposal but I do genuinely think he’s one of the first names on the teamsheet on current form.

Ismaila Sarr (£6.0m) is a player I’m expecting big things from this season. My main concern with him is what formation Watford play, as he’s much more effective in a 4-3-3 than a 4-4-2. The Hornets deployed the latter against Palace and given the number of strikers at their disposal, I’m a bit worried that’s what Xisco will opt for. 

Emile Smith-Rowe (£5.5m) is a bit underpriced in FPL in my opinion but there are noises in the transfer market about the Gunners wanting to sign a number 10, so I would perhaps wait till the window closes before bringing in the youngster.

Forwards

Antonio tops the list of forwards with Kane unavailable for Gameweek 1. The Hammers striker boasted some of the best non-penalty xG numbers last season and has had a strong pre-season as well. 

Danny Ings (£8.0m) is a player I really rate and despite limited pre-season training with Villa, I expect him to hit the ground running, and the opening three fixtures are simply too good to pass up. 

Jamie Vardy (£10.5m) can always be relied upon to start for the Foxes and their opening three fixtures are quite favourable. At just 11% ownership, he is a bit of a differential as well. 

Injury doubts move Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£8.0m) lower down the list. with the Everton forward nursing a toe problem which makes him a doubt for the opening fixture. 

With 31 goals and 10 assists in the Championship, Ivan Toney (£6.5m) is the cheapest forward on the Watchlist and is expected to be fit for Gameweek 1 despite missing their last friendly. 

Patrick Bamford (£8.0m) will be looking to build on a successful season and with penalty-taking duties in his locker as well, he is a reliable pick in a Leeds side that will always score goals. 

Newcastle showed some proficiency in attack towards the end of last season and with Alain Saint-Maximin (£6.5m) fit, Callum Wilson (£7.5m) should get plenty of service to thrive on. If Newcastle score, it’s likely that the Englishman is involved.

Kelechi Iheanacho’s (£7.5m) spot in Leicester’s starting XI remains in doubt at the moment due to the Foxes’ likely shift to a back four, and the signing of Patson Daka (£7.5m) which sees him rank low on the Watchlist.

Ollie Watkins (£7.5m) suffered an injury in Villa’s last friendly, the severity of which is not yet known, so the Englishman drops a few spots in the rankings. It also remains to be seen how he fares playing alongside Ings rather than in the lone striker role he occupied last season.

Rounding off the Watchlist is a favourite of The FPL Wire, Chris Wood ($7.0m). The Kiwi international remains Burnley’s talisman but I’m not keen on investment in the Clarets’ attack with their opening run of fixtures.

Speaking of The FPL Wire, we recently had the pleasure of hosting some legends from the Fantasy community on our latest podcast. Some great insight to be gained ahead of the new season. Do check it out!