After a busy period of Premier League action over the past week or so, we’ve given our Watchlist rankings a major makeover. With Gameweek 30 blanks for ten teams and a host of yet-to-be confirmed double Gameweeks still to follow, navigating the fixture list at this time the season is proving trickier than ever. For now, the, our rankings are weighted in favour of those players
GOALKEEPERS
Joe Hart moves all the way to the top of our ladder with Man City’s favourable upcoming schedule (nor, MUN, bou, WBA, che, STO) firmly in mind. The Citizens also have their trip to Newcastle yet to be rearranged, with the fixture perhaps likely to fall into Gameweek 34, where City already travel to Stamford Bridge. With Vincent Kompany now back to anchor the defence, clean sheets look far more likely for the 5.6-priced England goalkeeper, who should now see his 18% ownership in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) rise over the coming weeks as the cheapest guaranteed starter in the City backline.
Leicester’s Kasper Schmeichel keeps his place in second position with the Foxes facing the most favourable run of fixtures over the next six Gameweeks (NEW, cpl, SOT, sun, WHM, SWA) according to our Season Ticker. The Danish goalkeeper, available at 4.7 in FPL, has kept clean sheets in five of his last six home matches, and with four of the next six at the King Power Stadium, looks a very strong option between the sticks.
On the back of Saturday’s shut-out in Swansea’s 1-0 win over Norwich, Lukasz Fabianski climbs a spot or two on the Watchlist. The upcoming fixture list (bou, AVL, sto, CHE, new, lei) remains fairly friendly for the Swans, particularly in the short-term, so the former Arsenal goalkeeper, currently valued at 4.7 in FPL, remains a reliable option for Fantasy managers.
The fact Tottenham face a hugely favourable fixture at bottom of the table Aston Villa this weekend, when 10 teams face a blank, means Hugo Lloris is another keeper to enjoy a rise up the Watchlist. Mauricio Pochettino’s side also face kind home matches against Bournemouth and West Brom over the next six Gameweeks, although trips to Liverpool and Stoke, along with a home clash against Man United, do slightly limit the appeal of the 5.2-rated Frenchman beyond the next two Gameweeks.
It’s a decent run of fixtures over the next three Gameweeks (SOT, wat, SWA) that sees Stoke’s Jack Butland keep his place towards the summit. The Potters have also only conceded three goals in their last four matches, so although Butland could well be surplus to requirements from Gameweek 33 onwards (liv, TOT, mci), when keepers with double Gameweeks are likely to be all the rage, he’s certainly worth sticking with until then.
Having failed to keep clean sheets in pretty favourable match-ups against Bournemouth and Sunderland over the last two Gameweeks, Southampton’s Fraser Forster suffers a slight drop in our latest update. The former Celtic keeper also faces a mixed upcoming schedule (sto, LIV, lei, NEW, eve, avl), and perhaps doesn’t hold quite as much appeal, given he now sets us back 5.1 in FPL.
A strong schedule after Saturday’s difficult home fixture against Man City (wba, NEW, cpl, SUN, WAT) sees Norwich’s John Ruddy climb up to around the halfway point on our ladder. The Canaries stopper is also very kindly priced at 4.1 in FPL, although with just three clean sheets all season, the Norwich defence remains hard to trust.
The prospect of potential double Gameweeks for Everton’s Joel Robles and West Brom’s Ben Foster sees the pair rise up our rankings this week. The Toffees have matches away to Liverpool and Sunderland that need to be rearranged, with a double in Gameweek 34 (SOT, liv) a possibility. With fairly favourable matches in Gameweeks 33 and 35, Robles, available at a bargain price of 4.3 in FPL, certainly looks worth monitoring.
Foster (4.9) could face a double at home to Watford and away to Arsenal in Gameweek 34, while the Baggies also face favourable clashes against Norwich and Sunderland in the short-term.
Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet is another keeper who is without a fixture this weekend. Nonetheless, with two doubles still to follow, the Belgian – who has conceded once in the last three Gameweeks – has to be one to consider when wildcarding. Priced at just 4.9, his appeal is on the rise at a time when the return of Jon Flanagan has increased question marks over the security of pitch time from the Reds’ full-backs.
Adrian is another who stays on our radars with the possibility of a DGW34 (lei, WAT), although with a blank in Gameweek 35, the 5.0-valued West Ham stopper may struggle to attract significant investment. He will face another double, though, perhaps in Gameweek 37 (SWA, MUN), with the home fixture to Man United needing to be rearranged.
David de Gea (5.7) completes our goalkeeper rankings, with the possible DGW34 perhaps bringing two very favourable home fixtures against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
DEFENDERS
There’s no change at the summit of our defender rankings, with Leicester’s Christian Fuchs still the man to catch. The Austrian international has averaged 5.8 points per appearances over the last 11 Gameweeks, and with that afore-mentioned favourable run of fixtures over the next six Gameweeks, the 4.9-rated defender remains a fantastic option for our five-man backlines, while his team-mate Robert Huth (4.8) also holds plenty of appeal due to his set-piece threat.
Those favourable clashes against Aston Villa and Bournemouth over the next two Gameweeks help Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld (6.4) climb back up our ladder. The Belgian centre-back is still owned by a staggering 43% of FPL bosses, and once again showcased his attacking threat with a goal in last weekend’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal.
Swansea’s Ashley Williams has added a goal threat over the past few months, netting twice in his last eight appearances. The 4.9-priced Wales skipper also has the appeal of being a bonus point magnet, having collected 21 extra points so far this season, four more than any other defender. The plum home fixture against Aston Villa in Gameweek 31 also heightens his short-term appeal.
Bournemouth’s Charlie Daniels keeps his place towards the top of our rankings having registered a goal, assist and two clean sheets in his last four outings. The Cherries left-back, still available at a very reasonable 4.9 in FPL, faces favourable matches against Swansea and Aston Villa in the next four, with a mass exodus then looking likely as we build towards the doubles.
With Vincent Kompany gradually edging towards his best form, the Belgian is a big climber this week ahead of a kind run of fixtures (nor, MUN, bou, WBA, che, STO) and a potential double should the trip to Newcastle fall into Gameweek 34. The City skipper sets us back 6.2 in FPL, and looks the safest way to cover the Citizens back four.
Although Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk netted his third goal of the campaign in the 1-1 draw against Sunderland, the Dutch international slides down our ladder with Saints only facing two favourable match-ups (NEW, avl) in the next six. The 5.7-valued centre-back does conveniently have a fixture this weekend, though, with Ronald Koeman’s men travelling to take on Stoke at the Britannia.
As was the case with John Ruddy, it’s Norwich’s favourable upcoming schedule from after Gameweek 30 that sees us promote Russell Martin up the Watchlist. The Scotland international, rated at just 4.2 in FPL, also has a decent goal threat, having scored three times earlier in the season, and has registered four goal attempts in as many matches.
The fact that Chelsea’s fixtures are pretty kind after this weekend’s blank means Branislav Ivanovic stays around halfway up our rankings. Matches at Aston Villa, Swansea and Bournemouth may yield defensive returns, given the Blues have kept clean sheets in four of their last six on the road, while the 6.6-priced Serbian is always capable of chipping in with the odd goal or assist.
Stoke’s Philipp Wollscheid drops a couple of spots with the outlook for the Potters defence not particularly bright from Gameweek 33 onwards (liv, TOT, mci). His 4% ownership will be happy to stick with the 4.5-valued German for decent match-ups against Southampton, Watford and Swansea over the next three Gameweeks, though.
There isn’t much to be positive about regarding Arsenal’s fixture list in the short-term (blank, eve, WAT, whm), so Hector Bellerin finds himself spiralling down our ladder. The upside of that favourable home clash against Watford perhaps isn’t enough to earn the Spaniard a stay of execution, particularly given his 6.2 price tag in FPL. The right-back did remind us of his attacking potential last weekend, though, bagging two assists, and could be a leading option should the Gunners fixture at home to West Brom be rearranged for Gameweek 34, where they already face a favourable home clash against Crystal Palace.
The prospects of a double Gameweek down the line also bring Watford’s Nathan Ake to our attention. The Hornets have the away fixture to West Ham that will need to be rearranged, with the possibility of a double in either Gameweek 34 or 37, where they already face a trip to West Brom and a visit to Anfield respectively. Available at 4.4, the Watford defender could be a handy enabler for those looking to use their wildcard before the pending DGW.
North east duo Daryl Janmaat and Patrick van Aanholt hold station towards the bottom of the Watchlist with both facing doubles further down the line. Should Newcastle’s match at home to Man City be rearranged for Gameweek 34, the Magpies could face two home fixtures (SWA, MCI), while they also face pretty favourable match-ups against Sunderland and Norwich before then.
Van Aanholt does face a blank this weekend, but Sunderland’s match at home to Everton will form a possible DGW34, where they currently travel to face Norwich. The Dutch left-backs attacking threat, having scored five goals and registered three assists so far this term, could make him an attractive proposition priced at 4.7 in FPL as we scour for budget options with plenty of upside.
Splitting Janmaat and Van Aanholt on the Watchlist is Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel, who returns to our rankings this week in the expectation he will regain his place in the Reds starting XI by Gameweek 31, having been an unused substitute in their past few matches following a hamstring injury. The Slovakian has seen his price drop to 5.3 in FPL, and with the schedule very favourable from Gameweek 33 onwards (STO, bou, NEW), and with matches at home to Everton and Chelsea to possibly form doubles in Gameweek 34 and 37, Fantasy managers appear likely to try and get some Liverpool coverage at the back.
