We’ve had another refresh of the Watchlist ahead of Gameweek 5.
In this article series, we take a look at the stand-out Fantasy Premier League (FPL) options over the medium term.
MORE ABOUT THE WATCHLIST
Players are selected and ranked according to factors such as club injuries, forthcoming fixtures, Rate My Team’s (RMT) points projections and whether or not the player in question is likely to be a bargain in FPL.
‘Form’ also comes into the equation.
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 tables below is as follows:
THE WATCHLIST: CURRENT RANKINGS
THE WATCHLIST: NOTABLE CHANGES
GOALKEEPERS
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (£5.5m) is a new entry this week, with Manchester City set to face Sunderland and Ipswich Town on home turf over the next three Gameweeks. Without any rotation risk, the Italian shot-stopper has delivered back-to-back clean sheets. Enzo Maresca’s men sit second for expected goals conceded (xGC), too, only behind Arsenal.
- Emiliano Martinez (£5.0m) and Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m) both drop in the rankings, mostly due to their teams’ respective fixtures.
DEFENDERS
- Like Martinez and Verbruggen, teammates Maxence Lacroix (£6.0m) and Maxim De Cuyper (£4.9m) also slide down a few spots.
- Lacroix was surprisingly benched by Xabi Alonso in Gameweek 4. However, given Chelsea’s defensive display in his absence, he should return to the backline for Friday’s trip to Brentford. The Blues haven’t kept a clean sheet since January. Still, Lacroix has banked defensive contribution (DefCon) points in two of his three starts. He came very close in the other match, too, with nine.
- De Cuyper is lowered mostly due to the fixtures, with Brighton and Hove Albion bottom of the ticker over the next five Gameweeks, with matches against Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City to come. Kaoru Mitoma (£5.9m) should be back after the international break, too, which could potentially eat into his minutes on the left wing.
- Anan Khalaili (£5.0m) is a new entry, with Crystal Palace sixth on the ticker over the next five Gameweeks. The underlying numbers are great, with seven shots across his three starts. He’s also banked DefCon points twice.
MIDFIELDERS
- Morgan Gibbs-White (£8.0m) gets a bump up the midfielder standings. Looking confident and with three attacking returns in as many matches, the penalty taker is about to face Coventry City’s poor defence. Further appealing clashes against Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town follow after the international break.
- Martin Odegaard (£6.7m) and Josh King (£5.5m) both enter the Watchlist, having already netted two goals apiece.
- Playing closer to goal, Odegaard has racked up 27 points across his first four matches, with six shots and 12 chances created. As for King, Fulham’s triple-header in Gameweeks 6-8 really catches the eye, with the Cottagers set to meet all three promoted clubs in a row.
FORWARDS
- There are no changes to report here, although we’ll be closely monitoring Joao Pedro (£7.8m), who remains a flagged doubt for Gameweek 5.
- We’ll wait to see how new arrival Liam Delap (£5.5m) fares this weekend before recommending him as a worthwhile medium-term purchase, but there is clear potential.
