We have begun our detailed assessment of the Watchlist as we head into another international break.
The absence of any Fantasy Premier League action this weekend means we can delve deeper into our rankings and have a look at specific positions.
As per usual, we will start with the goalkeepers.
Alisson (£5.7m) retains control of the top spot in this classification as he collected his seventh clean sheet of the campaign against Fulham. Blanks in Gameweeks 10 and 11 mean that the Liverpool goalkeeper’s form has dropped to a B, but the Reds’ defensive form this season is too hard to ignore. The only team to have allowed more shots in the box during the last four matches is Chelsea. The reason why Alisson gets to hold his place at the top of the Watchlist over Kepa (£5.5m) is that he is the most assured of a starting place at Liverpool, while Marcos Alonso’s role at Chelsea impinges on his goalkeeper’s Fantasy popularity.
Ederson (£5.8m) remains in second place with the same number of clean sheets as Alisson. There has been a question raised about Manchester City’s defence after two consecutive matches without a shutout, one of which being goal-shy Southampton. They also rank lower than Liverpool on the defensive section of the Season Ticker for the next four Gameweeks.
As already stated, Rui Patrício‘s (£4.6m) rise back up the rankings coincides with Wolves’ very appealing fixture swing. With Arsenal and Tottenham now out of the way, they face Huddersfield (home), Cardiff (away) and Newcastle (away) between now and Gameweek 16. That has seen Patrício climb to third place in the Watchlist rankings, finally breaking up the top three of Alisson, Ederson and Kepa. Wolves rank second for defence on the Season Ticker during the next four Gameweeks while Chelsea sit 18th ahead of meetings with Spurs (away) and Manchester City (home). Patrício has 37 saves to Kepa’s 23 thus far and can offer that at a much cheaper budget price.
Also retaining a good position on the Season Ticker is Brighton. Their shot-stopper Mat Ryan (£4.5m) has more than earned fifth-place on the Watchlist with three clean sheets in his last four matches. The Seagulls are particularly strong at the back when playing at home, with Leicester and Crystal Palace the next two visitors to the Amex Stadium. Brighton’s next two away games hold promise too with Burnley and Huddersfield combining for a total of eight goals in 10 games played in front of their own fans this season.
Up next is Lukasz Fabianski (£4.5m) despite West Ham’s poor defensive form this season. His ability to record saves and bonus has been his primary appeal so far, his Gameweek 12 score of five points comprising of six stops and one bonus. He currently ranks second in the league for saves while no goalkeeper has more than his seven bonus after the first 12 matches. For some additional context, Kepa is just six FPL points ahead of Fabianski’s total score with five clean sheets more than him, while Patrício has four shutouts and is just three points ahead.
Jordan Pickford (£4.9m) experiences a slight climb up the rankings with Everton’s appealing run of matches over the next four Gameweeks. The Toffees play at home three times in that run against Cardiff, Newcastle and Watford. Marco Silva seems to have made some defensive improvements of late after overseeing a clean sheet away at Chelsea in Gameweek 12. Meanwhile, in their last three matches at Goodison Park Everton have been breached just once.
Kasper Schmeichel (£5.0m) comes next after back-to-back clean sheets for the first time this season in Gameweek 12. The Foxes face Brighton, Watford and Fulham in their next three. Their shot-stopper is just above Newcastle’s Martin Dubravka (£5.0m) who has two clean sheets in his last three matches. The fixtures look good for the Magpies with Burnley, West Ham, Everton and Wolves their next four opponents but a question mark still remains. Only three teams have allowed more shots in the penalty area than Newcastle in the last four Gameweeks.
Joe Hart (£4.5m) replaces Ben Foster at the base of the goalkeeper list. Neither Burnley or Watford has been adept at keeping clean sheets this season, they combine for just six clean sheets in 24 matches, but the difference here lies in saves and bonus. Nobody has made more stops than Hart’s 54 this year, while Watford’s Foster has registered just 28 saves. Furthermore, the fixtures look more appealing for Burnley over the next four. While Javi Gracia’s Hornets face home matches against Liverpool and Man City and trips to Leicester and Everton, the Clarets play Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Brighton.
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