Ahead of the upcoming international break, we’ve given all our Watchlist rankings, which offer player recommendations for the next four-to-six rounds of fixtures, a refresh. Today our attention turns to the latest movements among the midfielders, with Kevin de Bruyne replacing David Silva as our preferred City option, while Theo Walcott is back on our radar after starting Arsenal’s last four league matches.
While Riyad Mahrez blanked for only the second time this season in Leicester’s 5-2 defeat against Arsenal, the fact that the Foxes currently top the Season Ticker for attacking potential over the next six Gameweeks (nor, sot, CPL, wba, WAT, new) means the Algerian keeps his place on top of our ladder. The now 6.5-priced midfielder is by far the most popular player in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), with his ownership standing at 52%, and should continue to offer great value while the fixtures are still in his favour.
After finally delivering on his outstanding underlying statistics by bagging a hat-trick in Arsenal’s 5-2 triumph at Leicester, Alexis Sanchez moves up to second spot. The Chilean’s 20-point haul was the biggest individual score of the season so far, and while the Gunners’ upcoming schedule (MUN, wat, EVE, swa, TOT, wba) is fairly mixed, there’s little doubt the 11.1-valued attacker – who also registered a goal and assist against Olympiakos on Tuesday – looks to be returning to his best form.
Having scored in Manchester City’s last two league matches, Kevin de Bruyne appears in our rankings for the first time. In the absence of David Silva, the Belgian has starred for the Citizens, and while he drew a blank upon Silva’s return to action last night, his goal threat does look superior to the Spaniard’s so far this season. The former Wolfsburg midfielder has attracted over 59,000 transfers in this week, seeing his price rise to 10.2 in FPL, with Manuel Pellegrini’s side still in the midst of a very favourable run of fixtures (NEW, BOU, mun, NOR, avl, LIV).
West Ham’s Dimitri Payet remains towards the top of our ladder, having kept up his strong form with an eight-point haul in the 2-2 draw against Norwich. The former Marseille man, who will now set us back 7.9 in FPL, leads all midfielders for chances created over the last four Gameweeks (19), and faces a reasonably favourable fixture list (sun, cpl, CHE, wat, EVE, tot) over the next month or so.
With an average of 8.5 points per appearance over the last four Gameweeks, there no doubt Man United’s Juan Mata has emerged as one of the most consistent midfielders in FPL. The Spaniard’s price has risen from 8.5 to 8.8 in a matter of weeks, and while United face a difficult next three fixtures (ars, eve, MCI), the former Chelsea man appears likely to at least keep ticking over with attacking points.
After registering a goal and four assists in his last three appearances at St Mary’s, and with three favourable home fixtures (LEI, BOU, STO) on the horizon, the stock of Southampton’s Sadio Mane is definitely on the rise. The Senegal international looks kindly priced at 7.8 in FPL, given he lies joint-third among midfielders for shots from inside the box (nine) over the last four Gameweeks and, with a current ownership of 4%, could be worth some consideration for those looking make up lost ground in mini-leagues.
One player whose form looks to be sliding in the opposite direction is Swansea’s Andre Ayew. Having registered an impressive nine shots from inside the box during his first three appearances for the Swans, the Ghanaian has only managed three close-range attempts over the last four Gameweeks. With four home fixtures over the coming period (TOT, STO, avl, ARS, nor, BOU), however, Fantasy managers face a tricky decision on whether to stick or twist on the 7.2-rated attacker.
Having been deployed in the number ten role against Tottenham, Yaya Toure was thriving at White Hart Lane, creating two chances and registering two goal attempts. Forced off by a hamstring problem at the weekend, he also suffered a recurrence in last night’s win over Monchengladbach and remains a doubt for the weekend clash with Newcastle. City’s fixtures mean the majority of Toure’s 31.7% ownership will probably hold on to the 8.9-priced midfielder should he prove his fitness for the weekend, but with just one assist from his last four outings, he needs to start producing sooner rather than later to prevent a mass exodus.
Eden Hazard keeps his place around halfway up our ladder after grabbing an assist in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw at Newcastle. The Belgian seems to slowly be returning to his form of last season, having created 17 chances over the last four Gameweeks, joint-second among midfielders, although he has only managed five shots from inside the box over the same period. The fixture list (SOT, AVL, whm, LIV, sto, NOR) is more favourable for the 11.3-valued midfielder now, though, so the former Lille man could well be set to bring in the points.
While Theo Walcott disappointed many Fantasy bosses at the start of the campaign, he is back in our thoughts this week, given he’s started the Gunners last four league matches as the lone striker. The now 8.5-priced attacker is still likely to find himself among the substitutes from time-to-time, with Olivier Giroud offering Arsene Wenger a different option up front. Nonetheless, if the England international can continue to gain the majority of starts, he offers outstanding value, given he leads all midfielders for shots in the box (19) over the last four Gameweeks.
With only three more difficult fixtures (LIV, MUN, ars) left to their extremely tough start to the season, and a trio of favourable match-ups (SUN, whm, AVL) thereafter, Everton’s Ross Barkley certainly looks one to watch. The England international has been thriving in the number ten role this season, registering two goals and three assists, and still looks to offer outstanding value with his current price tag of 6.9 in FPL.
Crystal Palace’s Yannick Bolasie clings onto a place near the foot of our ladder by virtue of Palace’s favourable upcoming schedule (WBA, WHM, lei, MUN, liv, SUN), particularly in the short-term. The DR Congo international is still looking for his first attacking points of the season, though, and while he has managed an impressive 11 goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks, only two of those have been on target. With plenty of other options available to Fantasy managers in the mid-price bracket, significant investment in the 6.2-rated midfielder appears unlikely right now.
With Liverpool’s treacherous run of fixtures (eve, tot, SOT, che, CPL, mci), further investment in Philippe Coutinho may be unlikely at this point. Given he lies second only to Alexis Sanchez for total goal attempts (35) this season, the 8.1-rated Brazilian may be worth holding on to by his current 15% ownership. The return of Daniel Sturridge should also boost his prospects, with Coutinho grabbing two assists in the 3-2 win against Aston Villa.
Although Sunderland have failed to score in their last three matches, their favourable run of fixtures (WHM, wba, NEW, eve, SOT, cpl) over the next month or so means Jeremain Lens sneaks into the final place in our rankings. The 6.5-priced wide man enjoyed a strong start to the season, bagging a goal and three assists, and could come into the equation as a differential option, with his current ownership standing at just 0.7% in FPL.
