Watchlist Update – Abundance of cheaper forward options

As the first international break of the season nearly at an end, we have wrapped up our analysis of the FFS Watchlist.

Having looked at goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders in detail since the conclusion of Gameweek 4, we finish with the all-important forward options.

What we found was that the so-called ‘third striker’ is not dead, as we thought it was. In fact, there are plenty of assets worth considering for this role with premium players the ones that are proving more disappointing.

Sergio Aguero (£11.3m) currently sits at the summit for the forwards’ section of our Watchlist. The Manchester City striker currently tops the charts for shots on goal in the whole league and faces four very favourable fixtures over the next five Gameweeks. They include home meetings with Fulham, Brighton and Burnley, as well as a trip to Cardiff. Returns in three of the first four weeks of the campaign give him an ‘A’ for form although we have to point out his Rotation Risk factor with Champions League football creeping back into the equation in the very near future.

Up next is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£10.9m) on account of Arsenal’s continuing run of appealing fixtures. The Gunners top our Season Ticker for attack over the next six Gameweeks, and we still believe that Aubameyang is the way to go. Alexandre Lacazette (£9.4m) may have nearly matched his shot count in 158 fewer minutes, but Aubameyang remains the more assured starter. Fresh from a first goal of the campaign in Gameweek 4 we think the former Borussia Dortmund man will make the most of Newcastle (away), Everton (home), Watford (home) and Fulham (away) in the next four weeks.

Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.7m) has earned more new owners ahead of Gameweek 5 than any other player so far, and with good reason. Only Aguero has had more shots than him among forwards, the two are level for efforts in the box but the Serbian is ahead on shots on target. Mitrovic’s form and price tag are hard to argue with. He has four goals and an assist in the first four Gameweeks of 2018/19 and has found the net 23 times in his last 30 matches for club and country.

Callum Wilson (£6.2m) is another one of many arguments against the so-called ‘death of the third striker’ in FPL. No forward has had more shots in the box since the start of the campaign than the Bournemouth man and he’s currently level with Aguero for efforts on target. Wilson looks to have a level of consistency above what he has produced in the past, which is why he sits so high on our Watchlist. With Leicester (home), Burnley (away), Crystal Palace (home), Watford (away), Southampton (home) and Fulham (away) it’s hard to find a reason not to include him in our squads.

Even though he has gone under the radar early on, Romelu Lukaku (£11.0m) is still very much at the heart of our thinking ahead of Gameweek 5. The Manchester United striker is currently second both for shots in the box and efforts on target thus far. With fixtures against Watford (away), Wolves (home), West Ham (away) and Newcastle (home) coming up between Gameweeks 5 and 8, there is plenty of reason to believe Lukaku can be a useful asset.

Harry Kane (£12.5m) remains the primary Tottenham striker as he continues to be the unchallenged number one in that position for Spurs. However, the England captain sits lower in the Watchlist than he has historically. Kane’s form isn’t too bad as he goes into Gameweek 5 with two goals and an assist to his name. However, Tottenham’s are neither here nor there with Liverpool and Man City book-ending a run of more favourable matches. It also has to be said that Kane is also currently operating at a lower level than last season as far as underlying statistics are concerned.

Danny Ings (£5.6m) is currently the cheapest forward entry on our Watchlist and he gets a mention with good reason. The Southampton man has matched Aguero and Mitrovic for shots in the penalty box and has registered just one fewer accurate shot than Man City’s leading attacker. The Saints fixtures are a little sticky between Gameweek 6 and 8 but things look good for a Gameweek 5 home meeting with Brighton.

Jamie Vardy (£8.9m) comes back into the equation for Gameweek 5 after returning from a suspension picked up against Wolves last month. There isn’t much data on him thus far, with just 93 minutes and no starts to his name in 2018/19. However, the Leicester City man has some appealing fixtures in which he could perform well. Only Arsenal and Bournemouth rank higher than the Foxes for Attack on our Season Ticker, with a Gameweek 6 hosting of out-of-form Huddersfield looking particularly tasty for Vardy.

Troy Deeney‘s (£6.1m) unexpected strike against Spurs, his second of the season, has put him in the thoughts of Fantasy managers. The fixtures still look tough for Watford, but Deeney actually has a goal in each of his last three home matches against Manchester United.

Glenn Murray (£6.5m) has three goals to his name thus far in 2018/19 which means we have to include him too. Brighton’s fixtures over the next three are a mixed bag with a trip to Southampton preceding back-to-back matches with Tottenham (home) and Man City (away). However, over six weeks they don’t look too bad with West Ham and Wolves both set to visit the Amex Stadium too.

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