The FPL Watchlist – Gameweek 12: Newcastle players on the rise

Following the international break and pre-match press conferences, The Watchlist has been updated for Gameweek 12 and beyond.

• READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 12 team news: Friday’s live injury updates

ABOUT THE WATCHLIST

In The Watchlist, we take a look at the stand-out Fantasy Premier League (FPL) options over the medium term.

This is in contrast to the Scout Picks, which deals only in the upcoming Gameweek.

There are fewer ‘kneejerk’ moves because we’re selecting players for their prospects over a period of six Gameweeks or so.

Players are selected and ranked according to factors such as club injuries, form (last four Gameweeks), forthcoming fixtures, Rate My Team’s points projections and whether or not the player in question is likely to be a bargain in FPL.

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

The key for the factors you’ll see in the below tables is as follows:

THE WATCHLIST: BEST FPL GOALKEEPERS

David Raya (£5.5m) remains top of the shot-stoppers in our Watchlist, with Arsenal about to embark on a positive fixture swing right through to January.

The Gunners’ are without a clean sheet in seven league games, but they are third-best for expected goals conceded (xGC) over the season.

Furthermore, Raya is at the top of RMT’s points projections over the next six Gameweeks.

Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m) and Robert Sanchez (£4.7m) also play for two teams near the top of our Season Ticker in Gameweeks 12-17.

Sanchez has not been in the best of form for Chelsea but our RMT points projections tool has him as the best ‘value’ goalkeeper over this period.

Elsewhere, Andre Onana (£5.1m) faces two of the league’s lowest scorers next. There are tough-looking clashes with Arsenal and Manchester City ahead, however, so it’s a mixed bag of opponents to kick-start the Ruben Amorim era.

As for Lukasz Fabianski (£4.0m), he consolidates his place on the list largely thanks to his affordable price.

THE WATCHLIST: BEST FPL DEFENDERS

There’s little movement in the top five, with the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold’s (£7.0m) place taken by team-mate Virgil van Dijk (£6.3m).

Liverpool have the best defensive numbers in the Premier League but do have clashes against Man City and Newcastle on the horizon, slightly denting his appeal.

With nine chances created in his last six matches, Lewis Hall’s (£4.4m) combination of attacking threat, appealing fixtures and clean sheet potential marks him out as one of the stand-out budget defenders.

Meanwhile, Brighton and Chelsea’s fixture swings are a big reason why Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m) and Levi Colwill (£4.5m) rise in our defenders’ Watchlist.

Aston Villa’s Pau Torres (£4.5m) also climbs in the pecking order.

We’ve opted for the Spaniard over Lucas Digne (£4.7m) simply because the spectre of rotation looms large over Gameweeks 13-15, with Aston Villa set to contest three league matches in seven days.

Estupinan doesn’t have the midweek cup distractions that Digne does, while the recovery period between games is largely more favourable for Brighton – with the exception of Gameweek 14 to 15.

Gone are Ethan Pinnock (£4.5m), Vitalii Mykolenko (£4.3m) and Nikola Milenkovic (£4.5m) from the list, with fixtures about to toughen up for each of their respective sides.

Everton’s run is particularly iffy from Gameweek 15 onwards.

THE WATCHLIST: BEST FPL MIDFIELDERS

We’re resisting the urge to tinker too much here, with Mohamed Salah (£12.9m), Cole Palmer (£10.9m), Bukayo Saka (£10.1m), Bryan Mbeumo (£7.9m) and Antoine Semenyo (£5.7m) still among the most attractive midfielders over the next six Gameweeks and beyond.

It’s worth noting that Semenyo is just one booking away from a ban, so make sure you have decent bench cover.

Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m), Anthony Gordon (£7.2m) and Karou Mitoma (£6.4m) also climb into contention.

Fernandes has produced double-digit hauls in consecutive Gameweeks. During that period, he is top among all FPL players for key passes and joint-third for big chances.

The Portuguese is perhaps more of a two-week purchase for those in a luxury position to make such a move, however.

Gordon and Mitoma’s fixtures are key to their appeal.

Other than the visit of Liverpool in Gameweek 14, the six-Gameweek outlook is pretty good for Newcastle, with all bar Arne Slot’s side in the bottom half for xGC.

Some excellent fixtures are coming up now for Brighton, too.

Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) slides down a few spots, with Newcastle and Arsenal up next for West Ham United. There’s plenty to look forward to in December, however, with trips to newly-promoted Leicester City and Southampton in the schedule.

THE WATCHLIST: BEST FPL FORWARDS

Alexander Isak (£8.5m), on a run of three matches without a blank, rises to second in the Watchlist.

During that period, only Erling Haaland (£15.2m) has racked up more big chances and expected goals (xG). Another positive is that he faces West Ham next – Isak netted a brace home and away against the Hammers last season.

Joao Pedro (£5.5m) is a new name on our Watchlist, having scored and assisted on his return to the Brighton squad in Gameweek 11.

He’s also RMT’s best-value forward for projected points from now until the end of the year.

Nicolas Jackson (£7.9m), Evanilson (£6.0m) and Liam Delap (£5.6m) all move up the rankings. Just be mindful that the Chelsea forward is one booking away from a one-match ban.

Dominic Solanke‘s (£7.7m) and Chris Wood‘s (£6.6m) appeal dips, however, with trickier sets of fixtures to navigate.

All of Tottenham Hotspur’s next four opponents are top-half material for xGC, for example.

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