Watchlist Update – Shift among forwards as Chelsea options tumble

We’ve updated the Watchlist after a manic few days of Fantasy Premier League action.

Going into Gameweek 16 there have been major changes among the forwards.

Meanwhile, Chelsea options take a tumble while a battle continues at the summit of the midfielders section.

The biggest change going into Gameweek 16 is that the top of the forwards section has finally been vacated by Sergio Aguero (£11.3m). His recent injuries and no-shows have pushed him down to sixth place as Fantasy managers focus more on Manchester City’s midfield rather than their attack.

Taking his place at the top of the pile is Tottenham striker Harry Kane (£12.5m) who has scored or assisted in each of his last four matches and still has a favourable run of fixtures ahead of him. He is closely followed by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.3m) who has three goals and an assist in his last four and also has favourable fixtures on the horizon.

Raúl Jiménez (£6.0m) takes the place of Marko Arnautovic as the best budget forward following the West Ham man’s injury. The Wolves striker is proving excellent value for money this season, having either scored or assisted in four of his last five outings. The fixtures aren’t quite as great as a few weeks ago but the newly-promoted side still have Newcastle (away) and Bournemouth (home) before Liverpool (home), although Jiménez has proved he can even register points against the big boys.

Callum Wilson (£7.0m) simply cannot stop scoring which is why he also climbs the charts, although arguably the biggest riser Aleksandr Mitrovic (£6.7m). It has been a topsy-turvy season for the Fulham striker, scoring five goals in his first six matches, blanking for the next six in a row. However, in the last three matches, he has a total of 18 points from two goals and an assist. Reinvigorated under Claudio Ranieri and with good fixtures coming up, Mitrovic could well come back into the template soon.

Replacing Arnautovic as the West Ham representative among the forwards is Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez (£6.3m), who has three goals in his last five outings. Also, in the four matches prior to Gameweek 16, he had actually registered more attempts on goal than Arnautovic from fewer minutes.

Things are tight at the top of the midfielders charts with Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) still holding off competition from Raheem Sterling (£11.6m) and Leroy Sané (£9.4m). Liverpool’s trip to Bournemouth and Manchester City’s top-six clash with Chelsea definitely forms a part of that decision this week, that and the fact that, theoretically, Sterling and Sané are more likely to be rotated than Salah.

Eden Hazard (£11.0m) has slipped down to seventh place given Chelsea’s struggles of late. The player himself has actually produced plenty of chances in recent weeks but his attacking players are not converting those chances, hurting his appeal.

Felipe Anderson (£7.2m), Richarlison (£7.1m) and Christian Eriksen (£9.2m) have all gone above the Chelsea man. Spurs’ Danish midfielder especially seems to be back to his best, providing four assists in the last three Gameweeks. Kieran Trippier has been absent for some of those allowing him a greater role in set pieces once again and even when they played together against Southampton, the Englishman’s corners were often taken short for Eriksen to cross in. An injury doubt over Trippier plays into his owners’ hands going forward.

Andrew Robertson (£6.5m) and Aymeric Laporte (£6.1m) remain the top defensive options despite their recent absences. We still believe they will play more often than not over Christmas and the defensive records of their respective clubs are too good to ignore.

Marcos Alonso (£7.1m) has dropped to fourth amid Chelsea’s recent struggles and their upcoming clash with Manchester City. Matt Doherty (£5.0m) goes above him as he continues to tick over with returns, a goal or an assist in each of his last two matches.

Christopher Schindler (£4.3m) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.2m) are the budget options lower down the rankings while Lewis Dunk (£4.5m) comes in for the suspended Shane Duffy.

Lukasz Fabianski (£4.6m) and Hugo Lloris (£5.4m) are the risers in the goalkeeper section as their fixtures continue to appeal.

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