Following the conclusion of Gameweek 5 with West Ham’s 2-0 victory against Newcastle, we’re rolling out the first of this week’s Watchlist articles this afternoon, with our rankings offering player recommendations for the next four-to-six Gameweeks. David de Gea and Asmir Begovic appear for the first time this season as cheaper routes into the Manchester United and Chelsea backlines respectively, while West Brom defensive options are the order of the day, after the Baggies chalked up a third shut-out in five ahead of some favourable fixtures.
GOALKEEPERS
Despite failing to keep a clean sheet so par this season, Jack Butland keeps his place on top of our ladder by virtue of Stoke’s kind looking fixture list (LEI, BOU, avl, swa, WAT, new) over the next six Gameweeks. The 4.5-priced keeper has also registered seven extra points through saves, which does boost his appeal.
Swansea’s Lukasz Fabianski will have frustrated his owners after conceding exactly one goal for the third week running in the weekend defeat to Watford, but the Poland international remains a strong option for Fantasy managers, priced at 5.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL). Garry Monk’s side face four home matches over the next six Gameweeks (EVE, sot, TOT, STO, avl, ARS), although the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal will be visiting the Liberty Stadium.
After retaining his place in goal for West Brom, despite the arrival of Anders Lindegaard at the Hawthorns, Boaz Myhill remains a great budget option in FPL. The 4.5-valued keeper has returned an impressive three clean sheets and six bonus points in five appearances, and with the forthcoming fixtures (avl, EVE, cpl, SUN, nor, LEI) offering hope of further shut-outs, Myhill’s stock continues to soar. Having said that, there remains some uncertainty over his starting position, with Lindegaard’s presence and the expected return to fitness of Ben Foster during the latter part of October casting doubts.
After signing a new four-year contract last week, and subsequently starting Man United’s last two matches, David de Gea is firmly back in our thoughts. The Red Devils do face a testing run of fixtures over the coming period (sot, SUN, ars, eve, MCI, cpl), with just two home matches, but having conceded just three goals so far this season, it’s not a huge surprise that over 55,000 Fantasy bosses have already drafted the 5.4-priced Spaniard in this week.
With Thibaut Courtois ruled out for around three months with a knee injury, Asmir Begovic, available at 5.0 in FPL, will offer Fantasy managers a cheaper route into the Chelsea backline. Having conceded 12 goals in five matches, the appeal of the Blues rearguard is limited at the moment, but with the schedule improving considerably after this weekend’s home clash against Arsenal (new, SOT, AVL, whm, LIV), the Bosnian is certainly one to monitor, given his price tag.
Crystal Palace’s Alex McCarthy returns to our rankings this week with the Eagles’ schedule over the coming month or so (tot, wat, WBA, WHM, lei, MUN) very reasonable. The other main attraction is his 4.1 valuation, making the former QPR stopper the cheapest starting goalkeeper in FPL, although Julian Speroni is closing in on a return to first-team action, and will challenge the Englishman for the starting position.
There’s no doubt Joe Hart (5.7) is in outstanding form, having yet to concede a goal in the league. With Bacary Sagna available at 5.1 in FPL, though, and Aleksandar Kolarov priced at 5.9, Hart perhaps isn’t the best route into the Man City backline. The England international has only picked up one save point so far, also limiting his chances of earning bonus points, while Sagna and Kolarov have both flourished in terms of attacking returns and extra bonus.
After conceding six goals in his last two outings, Simon Mignolet is a significant faller in our latest update. The Reds do have two favourable home fixtures (NOR, AVL) over the next two Gameweeks, but with the schedule thereafter (eve, tot, SOT, che) much tougher, the 5.1-rated keeper may struggle to deliver any more shut-outs, while he has only registered one extra save point so far this term, further denting his appeal.
While Maarten Stekelenburg (5.0) has managed to keep three consecutive clean sheets, Southampton’s difficult upcoming schedule (MUN, SWA, che, LEI, liv, BOU) means he drops a couple of spots this time around. The Dutch international is also yet to pick up a save point, although given the matches to come, that looks set to change.
Sunderland’s decent fixtures over the next six Gameweeks (bou, mun, WHM, wba, NEW, eve) mean Costel Pantilimon clings on to a spot on our ladder this week. Given his 4.9 price tag, though, there are clearly better options available to Fantasy managers, bearing in mind that the Black Cats have conceded 11 goals so far this season.
DEFENDERS
With an average of 9.2 points per appearance, there’s no doubt Aleksandar Kolarov has been one of the players of the season thus far. With four plum home fixtures (WHM, tot, NEW, BOU, mun, NOR) over the next six Gameweeks, the now 5.9-priced Serbian, who has registered more goal attempts (nine) than any other defender, looks set to continue rewarding his 24% FPL ownership with further returns at both ends of the pitch.
On the back of a third clean sheet this season, West Brom’s Craig Dawson moves up to second in our rankings. The 5.0-valued defender looks well placed to notch further defensive returns, given the Baggies upcoming fixtures (avl, EVE, cpl, SUN, nor, LEI), although having yet to register a bonus point, the cheaper Jonny Evans (4.8) may emerge as a better option over the coming weeks.
Bournemouth’s Simon Francis keeps his place towards the top of our ladder thanks to his attacking potential, which was again illustrated on Saturday, when the defender picked up his second assist of the season. The 4.5-rated right-back has created nine chances, more than any other defender, and certainly looks one of the better budget options at the back. Eddie Howe’s side still have three more favourable fixtures (SUN, sto, WAT) in which to register their first clean sheet of the season, with the schedule thereafter (mci, TOT, sou) looking much tougher.
With two strong fixtures (NOR, AVL) over the next couple of Gameweeks, Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel moves up a few places on our ladder. The Reds rearguard has looked decidedly shaky over the last two matches, conceding six goals, but the 5.5-priced defender certainly looks worth sticking with for the short-term, although the schedule from Gameweek 8 onwards (eve, tot, SOT, che) could spark something of a fire sale if he fails to produce the goods at Anfield over the next two weekends. Joe Gomez (4.8) is also close to overtaking the Slovakian as our preferred Liverpool option at the back if he can hold onto his place in the starting XI, after giving away a penalty in the 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford last weekend.
Kyle Naughton is a non-mover this week, with Swansea still looking relatively solid at the back. The former Tottenham man has also created eight chances so far this season, joint second among defenders, and offers a real possibility of returns at either end of the pitch, which, given his 5.0 price tag in FPL, holds plenty of interest.
Marc Muniesa remains around halfway up our ladder, but concerns over his prospects are mounting with Stoke struggling to keep things tight at the back. The fixture list (LEI, BOU, avl, swa, WAT, new) is still favourable for Mark Hughes’ side, but until the Potters pick up their first clean sheet, any further investment in the 4.5-rated defender appears unlikely.
Although Crystal Palace are yet to keep a clean sheet, Scott Dann is back in our thoughts, given the Eagles upcoming schedule (tot, wat, WBA, WHM, lei, MUN). The 5.0-rated defender is always a threat from set-pieces, and looks just about worth the extra outlay over Pape Souare (4.5).
Norwich’s Russell Martin is another who offers a threat from set plays, though the Canaries, like Palace, are yet to register a shut-out. Alex Neil’s men do face four reasonable fixtures (whm, LEI, new, WBA) over the next six Gameweeks, so the 4.5-priced Scotland international looks worth holding on to for the time being.
After picking up a third clean sheet in five matches in the 2-0 win against Newcastle, Aaron Cresswell (5.5) is another riser in our latest refresh. The former Ipswich man has already bagged two assists this season, and looks poised for further attacking points based on the fact he’s created seven chances for the Hammers, and also registered five goal attempts. Given the upcoming schedule (mci, NOR, sun, cpl, CHE, wat), further shut-outs also appear fairly likely if Slaven Bilic’s men can continue to keep the opposition out on their travels.
Like his Southampton team-mate Stekelenburg, right-back Cedric Soares falls this week due to a tricky run of upcoming fixtures. The 5.0-valued defender does benefit from his attacking threat, though, having created eight chances so far, and perhaps surprisingly only has an ownership of 4.3% in FPL.
Newcastle’s Daryl Janmaat is a climber this week, with the Magpies handed four friendly fixtures (WAT, CHE, mci, NOR, sun, STO) over the next six Gameweeks. The Dutch international registered an impressive five goal attempts in the 2-0 defeat at West Ham, three more than any other Newcastle player, while he racked up five touches in the penalty area, only bettered by striker Papiss Cisse’s six. Available at 4.9 in FPL and owned by just 3%, the right-back could be a handy differential, particularly after the Gameweek 8 trip to the Etihad.
There aren’t many defenders in better form over the last three Gameweeks than Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin, who is averaging 7.3 points per appearance during that period. The Spaniard has managed to create six chances so far, and while the Gunners’ upcoming fixtures (che, lei, MUN, wat, EVE, swa) are pretty treacherous, the 5.5-valued right-back still looks likely to deliver points for his 7.6% ownership, be it via defensive or attacking returns.
With United’s fixtures particularly difficult over the next month or so, Matteo Darmian remains towards the bottom of our rankings. The 5.7-rated defender has also only created three chances, which is something of a concern, as is his propensity to pick up yellow cards, with his third of the season coming against Liverpool last weekend.
On the back of a third successive home clean sheet in the 1-0 win against Swansea, Watford’s Allan Nyom earns a place on our ladder. The 4.5-priced defender has also racked up four bonus points, and faces a fairly favourable run of fixtures (new, CPL, bou, ARS, sto, WHM) through the rest of September and October.
