After rolling out the first instalment of this week’s Watchlist articles with a look at the goalkeepers and defenders yesterday, this afternoon we switch attention to our recommended midfielders for the next four to six Gameweeks. Our backing of Southampton assets continues with Sadio Mane moving to the top of our rankings, while Alexis Sanchez replaces Theo Walcott as our preferred Arsenal midfield option after Sunday’s surprising turn of events at the Emirates.
Despite failing to register attacking returns in Southampton’s 2-2 draw at Newcastle, our faith in Sadio Mane is undiminished. Available at 8.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Mane – who fired three goal attempts at St James’ Park last Sunday – should be able to deliver with Saints’ upcoming fixtures (EVE, wat, NOR, wba, MUN, SWA) pretty favourable, particularly over the next three weeks.
West Ham’s Dimitri Payet capped an impressive Premier League debut with an assist for Cheikhou Kouyate’s goal, and with four strong home matches (LEI, BOU, NEW, NOR) in the next six, the Hammers’ big summer signing looks primed for further attacking returns. With the majority of set-piece duties in his locker, the 7.5-priced France international looks to have significant assist potential, although he did only create two chances against the Gunners.
After a fairly quiet display against Swansea, and with some tough fixtures (mci, wba, CPL, eve, ARS) coming up, Eden Hazard may struggle to justify his 11.5 price tag in FPL over the coming weeks. The Belgian international has started previous Premier League seasons slowly, and with Jose Mourinho expected to travel to the Etihad with a defensive mindset, Hazard’s huge 55.8% ownership may start getting itchy feet if he fails to produce attacking points once again. Indeed, over 30,000 FPL bosses have already transferred out last season’s PFA Player of the Year.
David Silva was one of only a few big hitters to register attacking returns in the opening Gameweek, providing the assist for Vincent Kompany’s goal, while he was unfortunate not to be credited with some involvement in City’s opener. Manuel Pellegrini’s side have two more difficult fixtures (CHE, eve) before the schedule takes a significant turn for the better in Gameweek 4, with Silva looking a decent double-up option with Sergio Aguero from that point onwards.
After a 29-minute appearance off the bench against West Ham on Sunday, Alexis Sanchez could be thrust back into the starting XI for the trip to Selhurst Park this weekend. The Chilean staggeringly led all midfielders for penalty box touches in Gameweek 1 and also attempted three shots from inside the box. Although the former Barcelona man will set us back a hefty 11.0 in FPL, the fixtures (cpl, LIV, new, STO) look fairly kind for Arsene Wenger’s side. Expect a further Watchlist climb if he starts and shines against Palace.
Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez was one of the big stories from the opening Gameweek, scoring twice and bringing in a haul of 15 points. The Algeria international was part of our initial Watchlist rankings last week after an impressive pre-season, but few could have predicted such an explosive performance from the midfielder, who has already risen to 5.6 in FPL. With the fixture list (whm, TOT, bou, AVL, sto) still pretty favourable, this bandwagon looks well justified, with Mahrez looking one of the strongest options among the budget midfielders.
An impressive statistical performance – albeit with no attacking returns – in the 1-0 defeat to Man United has seen Christian Eriksen replace Nacer Chadli as our preferred Tottenham midfield option. Chadli’s price tag of 7.0 in FPL should still provide good value, but if your budget allows it, we think Eriksen is the one to own ahead of some appealing fixtures (STO, lei, EVE, sun, CPL, MCI) for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
While Raheem Sterling failed to deliver against West Brom on Monday night, the quality of City’s attacking performance as a team has us convinced the points will soon start flowing for the 9.0-priced midfielder. As previously mentioned with David Silva, the Citizens’ next two fixtures may prove prohibitive in terms of scoring goals, but in all likelihood, the temptation to carry at least two City attacking assets into the Gameweek 4 home encounter against Watford is something that will be on the minds of many Fantasy managers as we begin to plan for the next few matches. If you can’t double on Silva and Aguero, Sterling should be in your sights.
Although there is little to choose between Liverpool midfield trio Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Philippe Coutinho, we’re backing the later after he was handed the “number ten” role against Stoke on Sunday. The Brazilian schemer is more expensive at 8.0 in FPL, with the English duo coming in at 7.0, but if Henderson and Milner continue in the double-pivot, their chances of registering attacking points appear more limited ahead of four very strong Anfield encounters (BOU, WHM, NOR, AVL) in the next six Gameweeks.
Premier League newcomers Andre Ayew and Jeremain Lens delivered attacking returns on the opening weekend, and both have the fixtures to continue rewarding their owners. Ayew, available at 7.0 in FPL, scored in Swansea’s 2-2 draw at Chelsea, and also took all three bonus points, as he looks to replicate last year’s ten-goal haul for Marseille. The Swans’ upcoming schedule (NEW, sun, MUN, wat, EVE, sot) should give the Ghana attacker the perfect platform to build on an impressive debut.
It’s probably fair to say that Lens didn’t quite make the same impression as Ayew last weekend, mainly because of Sunderland’s terrible first half performance against Leicester. The Dutch international did manage to bag an assist last weekend and, coming in at 6.5 in FPL, could warrant some consideration with the schedule (NOR, SWA, avl, TOT, bou) pretty kind to Dick Advocaat’s men.
Bournemouth’s Matt Ritchie (6.0) served up a frustrating blank for his 5% ownership against Aston Villa on the opening day, and only managed to create one chance for his team-mates. With trips to Liverpool and West Ham up next for the Cherries, goals could be hard to come by in the short-term, although home matches against Leicester and Sunderland, sandwiching an away encounter at Norwich, mean we should perhaps be patient with our Bournemouth assets as Eddie Howe’s men come to terms with the rigours of the top flight.
Arsenal’s lacklustre performance against West Ham has seen Mesut Ozil slide towards the bottom of our ladder. The Germany international did create four chances and register two goal attempts in the 2-0 defeat, and should keep his place in the starting XI, although after such a flat display, Wenger could well ring the changes for the match against Crystal Palace. The former Real Madrid man, priced at 8.5 in FPL, will need to produce the goods soon, otherwise a mass exodus could be on the cards once City’s schedule turns from Gameweek 4 onwards.
One of the biggest disappointments from the opening weekend may well have been performance from Memphis Depay. The Dutch international struggled to make an impact against Spurs, and was substituted after 68 minutes. While the 8.5-rated midfielder’s starting spot doesn’t look in any doubt for now, like Ozil, he’ll have to convince his 24% ownership he’s worth retaining, with United’s fixtures after the matches against Aston Villa and Newcastle turning unfavourable (swa, LIV, sot).
