With Crystal Palace’s upcoming schedule so favourable, Scott Dann is the big riser among the defenders this week after netting the Gameweek 12 winner at Anfield. Nicolas Otamendi takes over as our preferred Man City defender, with Aleksandar Kolarov now a rotation risk due to the return of Gael Clichy and Vincent Kompany suffering with an ongoing calf complaint.
GOALKEEPERS
On the back of four straight clean sheets, Man United’s David de Gea still tops the goalkeeper rankings. The Spaniard’s price has risen to 5.6 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), with over 11,000 Fantasy managers drafting him in this week, and given the upcoming fixtures (wat, lei, WHM, bou, NOR, sto), there is clearly plenty in his favour.
With Crystal Palace’s upcoming schedule over the next six Gameweeks (SUN, NEW, eve, SOT, sto, bou) deemed the most favourable according to our Season Ticker, Wayne Hennessey is the big riser among the goalkeepers in our latest update. The Wales international only sets us back 4.0 in FPL, and with three clean sheets from his last six outings, looks an outstanding budget option between the sticks.
We’re maintaining Arsenal’s Petr Cech towards the upper end of our ladder with the Gunners next four fixtures (wba, nor, SUN, avl) very favourable. The 5.6-priced Czech Republic international has only conceded two goals in his last five appearances, and has registered four save points over that period, pretty impressive given Arsene Wenger’s side are riding high towards the top of the Premier League.
The potential for Heurelho Gomes still looks reasonable despite conceding twice at Leicester in Gameweek 12. Watford’s fixture list (MUN, avl, NOR, sun, LIV, che) over the next six throws up three favourable match-ups, so having accrued 60 points in FPL this season, more than any other keeper, the Brazilian continues to look well worth his 4.6 price tag.
Chelsea’s Asmir Begovic is retained near the top of our rankings with the Blues facing four very appealing home matches (NOR, tot, BOU, lei, SUN, WAT) over the upcoming period. While it’s hard to place much faith in the Blues backline based on what we’ve seen so far this season, the fact the former Stoke keeper comes in at just 5.0 in FPL heightens his appeal.
The outlook for Southampton’s Maarten Stekelenburg (5.0) looks fairly bright, at least in the short-term, with the Saints facing three strong match-ups (STO, mci, AVL, cpl) over the next four Gameweeks. His prospects are also boosted given Ronald Koeman’s men have registered back-to-back shut-outs against Bournemouth and Sunderland.
Jack Butland and Tim Howard stay around halfway up our ladder, but for vastly different reasons. The Stoke man is the form keeper in the top flight right now, keeping four clean sheets in his last five matches, while also registering three save points and six bonus points. The Potters upcoming schedule (sot, sun, MCI, whm, CPL, MUN) is very unfavourable for the 4.6-valued England international, who may have to mainly rely on save points over that time frame.
On the other side of the coin, Everton’s Howard remains in the middle of a great run of fixtures (AVL, bou, CPL, nor, LEI, new) for the Toffees, but has been unable to register a clean sheet since Gameweek 6. The absence of skipper Phil Jagielka is clearly hurting the prospects of the Everton rearguard, but the 5.1-rated American should still manage a clean sheet or two given the level of opposition Roberto Martinez’ men will be facing.
The prospects for Simon Mignolet (mci, SWA, new, WBA, wat, LEI), and Joe Hart (LIV, SOT, sto, SWA, ars, SUN) still appear fairly bright. Setting us back 5.0 and 5.7 in FPL respectively, both may struggle to deliver great value over the upcoming period – Mignolet, in particular, may struggle for our attentions given that there are cheaper options in Liverpool’s back-four.
Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris (5.1) is back in our thoughts with Spurs facing four of their next six at White Hart Lane (WHM, CHE, wba, NEW sot, NOR). With one clean sheet and four save points in six, though, the Frenchman may struggle for our attentions.
DEFENDERS
With Hector Bellerin still uncertain to feature due to a groin injury, we’re rolling with Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny as our favoured Gunners defender. The France international’s prospects are also boosted by his set-piece threat, having registered a joint-high five shots among defenders from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks. Available at 6.0 in FPL, and with the aforementioned kind fixtures in the short-term, the former Lorient defender looks the pick of the premium option right now.
Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk may have been toppled from the summit with Saints’ upcoming schedule mixed, but the Dutch international still holds plenty of potential with those two favourable home match-ups against Stoke and Aston Villa in the short-term. The 5.6-priced Van Dijk has already scored twice this season, highlighting his potential at both ends of the pitch, though it’s worth noting he was subbed off in Holland’s win over Wales last night and has since been ruled out of the Dutch squad for Tuesday’s clash with Germany. For now, he remains in contention on our Watchlist until we hear further prognosis on his availability for the weekend.
United’s Chris Smalling remains towards the top of our ladder. The 6.7-priced centre-half offers a reliable source for clean sheets and has also bagged nine bonus points this season, joint-second among defenders in FPL. Despite his lofty valuation, Smalling’s security of starts, allied with some fine fixtures (wat, lei, WHM, bou, NOR, sto), suggests he could be worth that extra outlay. Like Van Dijk, he was also forced off last night and caution is clearly required until we know more on his injury.
Crystal Palace’s Scott Dann is the big climber in our latest refresh on the back of his 10-point haul in the Eagles 2-1 victory at Anfield. The former Blackburn defender is second only to Aleksandar Kolarov for bonus points (nine to 11) amongst defenders, while his goal against Liverpool was no fluke given he’s registered five shots from inside the box in his last four outings. With the fixtures extremely favourable and a kind price tag of 5.1 in FPL, the centre-half looks a great option for our five-man backlines.
The outlook for Liverpool’s Alberto Moreno still looks fairly positive, although he has only picked up five points in FPL over the last three weeks. The Reds left-back has managed six goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks, joint-highest among defenders, while he has also created six chances. Still available at 4.8, and with favourable clashes against Swansea, West Brom, Newcastle and Watford on the horizon, the former Sevilla defender should be able to deliver returns at both ends of the pitch.
Having established himself as a regular in the starting XI at Man City, playing every minute of their last seven matches, Nicolas Otamendi has emerged as a viable option for Fantasy managers. As touched upon already, there are question marks over both Aleksandar Kolarov and Vincent Kompany, so the Argentina international, who does set us back a considerable 6.5 in FPL, has taken over as our preferred City defender. The former Valencia man is also a significant threat from set plays, having totalled three goal attempts in his previous four outings, while he scored six times in La Liga last season.
Although Tottenham haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last three matches, Mauricio Pochettino’s men are generally looking a more solid outfit at the back this season. With those four home matches already mentioned to consider, we’ve moved Eric Dier up a couple of spots in our rankings. The 5.2-rated England U21 international is playing out-of-position in the defensive midfield role for Spurs, and holds some attacking potential, with two goals so far this season.
We’re also seeing plenty of potential in Everton’s Seamus Coleman, despite the Republic of Ireland international’s slightly disappointing underlying statistics given his considerable 5.9 price tag in FPL. The Toffees right-back has only created two chances in his last four outings, while he has totalled four goal attempts, with two from inside the box. As with his team-mate Howard, though, the upcoming fixtures for Everton mean their assets are likely to come good over the next few weeks.
It’s largely the same that can be said of Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta. The Spain international is struggling for defensive points, with just one clean sheet in his last six appearances, while he has failed to create a chance in his last four matches. The 5.9-priced defender does look nailed on at the back for the champions, though, while their home fixtures (NOR, BOU, SUN, WAT) in the next six should really yield some long overdue shut-outs.
After being substituted at half-time in Leicester’s 2-1 win against Watford, and with his place in the starting XI appearing in some doubt, Jeffrey Schlupp (5.0) is a big faller this week. The Ghanaian does hold plenty of upside given he is often fielded in an attacking role by Claudio Ranieri, while the Foxes fixtures (new, MUN, swa, CHE, eve, liv) are fairly reasonable. While Danny Simpson has little attacking potential, the former QPR right-back has started the last five matches, and is available at just 4.0 in FPL.
West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell clings onto a place on our ladder with the Hammers upcoming schedule (tot, WBA, mun, STO, swa, avl) very favourable, particularly in the medium-to-long-term. The 5.6-valued left-back also leads all defenders for chances created over the last four Gameweeks, with eight to his name.
Another defender who usually has to rely on attacking points to provide reasonable value is Newcastle’s Daryl Janmaat. In saying that, Steve McClaren’s side have managed to keep clean sheets in their last two matches, so the Holland international, available at 4.9 in FPL, looks a reasonable option at the minute, although the Magpies upcoming schedule (LEI, cpl, LIV, tot, AVL, EVE) is mixed, despite facing four home matches.
