Watchlist Update – Out of position midfielders on the rise

As the final international break of 2018 comes to a close we have been finalising the Watchlist for Gameweek 13.

Having assessed goalkeepers and defenders last week, our attention now turns to midfield.

Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) still cannot be moved from the top of the midfielders section of the Watchlist. Only two players have better form than him according to the Official FPL website and he has averaged 8.25 points per match in the last four Gameweeks. The fixtures continue to be favourable for Liverpool too, with them ranking fourth on our Season Ticker for attacking potential between now and Gameweek 16.

Raheem Sterling (£11.2m) climbs up to second on account of his excellent form in recent weeks. No FPL midfielder can offer better according to the Official FPL website with the Manchester City man registering two goals and three assists in the last three Gameweeks. The defending champions’ fixtures remain middling according to our Season Ticker and with no-shows at home to Huddersfield and Burnley in Gameweeks 2 and 9 respectively, Sterling has to retain his Rotation Risk factor.

Eden Hazard (£11.3m) drops one place based on a fixture swing for Chelsea. They rank 18th on our Season Ticker for attacking potential over the next four Gameweeks with Tottenham (away), Fulham (home), Wolves (away) and Manchester City (home) their upcoming opponents. Hazard’s form has dipped a little too with one no-show and just two starts since Gameweek 9, for an average of two points per Gameweek in that time. We still believe he is worth holding onto though, with his points average between Gameweek 4 and 8 a whopping 11.6 per game.

Richarlison (£6.9m) continues to climb the Watchlist, especially with some appealing fixtures on the horizon. Three of Everton’s next four matches is at Goodison Park, Cardiff, Newcastle and Watford the opposition. The Brazilian seems more at home in his new centre-forward role with each passing Gameweek, recording an average of 6.6 points per match in his last five league outings.

Also rising with the Everton man is Manchester United’s Anthony Martial (£7.6m). It is hard to ignore his six goals in five matches for the Red Devils and now that he has underlying statistics to back up his form, he gets a deserved fifth-place in our rankings. The fixtures look good for Jose Mourinho’s men too with Crystal Palace (home), Southampton (away), Arsenal (home) and Fulham (home) their next four opponents.

Sadio Mané (£9.9m) falls several places as double coverage of the Liverpool attack looks difficult to justify. The Senegalese international has offered some value as a cheaper alternative to Salah this season but he has just two attacking returns since Gameweek 5 compared to the Egyptian’s six.

Next up is Ryan Fraser (£6.2m) who is proving a steady option to own this season. He has not blown us away in recent weeks but has still maintained a streak of four assists in his last five Gameweeks. The fixtures are still tricky for Bournemouth right now, hence the drop down the Watchlist, with Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool three of their next four opponents.

James Maddison (£6.8m) continues to slip down the Watchlist as his owners look elsewhere for a fitter option. The Leicester City man is reportedly ‘in content’ to face Brighton this weekend but he is still without an attacking return since Gameweek 7. The underlying statistics remain in his favour, hence why he stays on the Watchlist even as the Foxes schedule begins to stiffen.

Felipe Anderson (£6.9m) jumps onto the Watchlist after scoring three goals in his last two Premier League matches. West Ham’s next match is against Manchester City but Newcastle, Cardiff and Crystal Palace follow. Joining Anderson at the foot of the Watchlist is Bluebirds centre-forward Callum Paterson (£5.2m). Classified as a midfielder in FPL, he is playing out of position and has three goals in his last four matches.

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