With Gameweek 34 now almost upon us, our Watchlist rankings have been afforded their weekly refresh and are available in the sidebar to your right. While a blank weekend schedule for eight clubs plays a key role in our update, we also have one eye on double Gameweeks 35 and 36, as Fantasy managers reshuffle their squads in preparation for the schedule ahead…
Goalkeepers
Michel Vorm holds steady at the top, with fixtures against three of the bottom five in the next three Gameweeks. The Swansea stopper has home games against Blackburn and Wolves, in addition to a trip to Bolton, suggesting returns are set for an improvement after a run of three defeats. Vorm, and the likes of Steven Caulker, both look strong short-term candidates here.
Crucially, the three main climbers all have fixtures this weekend. David De Gea offers a route into a United backline that has picked up five back-to-back clean sheets and, with three Old Trafford fixtures in the next four (AVL, EVE, SWA), defensive returns will surely continue, with a Gameweek 36 trip to City the only stumbling block.
Wojciech Szczesny also moves up the rankings as Arsenal prepare for three home fixtures in the next four; the Gunners welcome the likes of Wigan and Norwich to the Emirates and, having picked up three clean sheets in the last four Gameweeks, have looked solid at the back. Ben Foster also rises – the West Brom stopper entertains Villa and QPR at the Hawthorns and, with three clean sheets in the last four home games, looks a decent option at 4.8.
Adam Bogdan and Shay Given both remain in the top five. The latter’s pair of home fixtures in double Gameweek 35 look appealing, while the Bolton keeper’s two double Gameweeks and a 4.0 price tag are likely to see investment comes his way after the weekend is out of the way.
Defenders
The top five remain as they were, with Jonny Evans an immovable object at the top of the defender rankings. United’s obliging run will continue to offer the chance of points, as the Old Trafford side edge ever-closer to retaining their title. Thomas Vermaelen’s eye for goal and potential defensive returns sees the Arsenal defender sit firmly in behind Evans – with trips to Stoke and West Brom and a home clash against Chelsea also on the horizon, the in-form Gunners man has the chance to add to his five-goal haul.
Steven Caulker and Michael Turner both offer cut-price routes into the Swansea and Sunderland backlines. The pair have the advantage of playing in Gameweek 34 and have been picking up the bonus points of late – they afford Fantasy managers a cheaper alternative to their respective keepers over the next few matches.
James Collins makes a climb with Villa’s double Gameweek 35 in mind, David Wheater maintains his top five berth courtesy of his set-piece threat as Bolton’s pair of double Gameweeks approaches, while Gareth McAuley makes his way up the pecking order in light of two home fixtures against QPR and Villa – costing a mere 4.2, the Baggies centre-half is another cut-price option over the weeks ahead. Robert Huth’s goals in back-to-back Gameweeks suggest he’s timing his run perfectly ahead of Stoke’s double Gameweek 36.
Leighton Baines is the biggest faller here, after his omission from Everton’s home clash against Sunderland on Monday. The left-back has never been a rotation risk but, with the Toffees still in with a chance of FA Cup glory, David Moyes is clearly keen to keep Baines wrapped up safely. A defeat to Liverpool at the weekend would no doubt alter our thinking; Baines would surely be an automatic starter once again but has an Old Trafford test before his double Gameweek 36 and trip to Wolves.
Midfield
A lack of form and a blank weekend sees Gareth Bale plummet in our estimations. Without a goal since Gameweek 23 and with just a trio of assists to show since then, the Spurs man takes a substantial fall in the rankings. With strong fixtures ahead him, however, an upturn in Tottenham’s form could yet see him re-established in the top places. While Bale’s Fantasy owners will doubtless be tempted to hold – new investors will be few and far between.
Antonio Valencia grabs top spot and is closely followed by Gylfi Sigurdsson. Valencia’s form and fixtures are likely to see him remain near the summit for the rest of the campaign unless United take the foot off the gas, while Sigurdsson’s next three fixtures (BLA, bol, WOL) are sure to see him prosper before the Swans schedule takes a turn for the worse in Gameweek 37.
Theo Walcott and Stephane Sessegnon are both in the top five and offer strong fixture coverage over both Gameweek 34 and 36. Hatem Ben Arfa rises, courtesy of his remarkable form over the last few fixtures – despite a blank weekend to come, a home clash with Stoke and double Gameweek 36 should see the Frenchman prosper on the Newcastle right flank yet again.
Clint Dempsey enjoys a climb but has it tempered by his blank Gameweek this weekend. The Fulham man’s upcoming home clash with Wigan and double Gameweek 36 should see a hike in ownership continue, particularly if he maintains the role up front that has harvested three goals over the Easter schedule. Expect him to push the top three Watchlist places once this weekend has passed.
Steven Pienaar moves up the list after scoring or assisting in each of his last three fixtures. The on-loan Spurs man is, of course, cup-tied and likely to be immune to league rotation; this was shown last Monday, where he led a depleted Everton side to a 4-0 win over Sunderland, as David Moyes rang the changes ahead of the FA Cup Semi-Final with Liverpool.
While Martin Petrov holds steady, Ryo Miyaichi takes a fall ahead of Bolton’s couple of double Gameweeks. The on-loan star has played just 58 minutes of the Trotters’ last two matches and with four games in a fortnight after this week’s blank, he looks the more rotation prone of Owen Coyle’s midfield duo.
Forwards
It’s pretty much “as you are” near the summit of the forward rankings, with the top five all remaining steady. Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney continue to lead the pack – both have obliging Gameweek 34 fixtures and favourable schedules from here on in, with only a trip to City placing question marks over Rooney.
Papiss Cisse and Emmanuel Adebayor sit steady in third and fourth respectively. Cisse’s relentless thirst for goals shows little sign of abating and a home clash with Stoke, followed by a double Gameweek 36, is likely to see his ownership soar after seven goals in his last four. Adebayor was a victim of Harry Redknapp’s rotation last Monday but with penalty duties in his locker and a favourable run of fixtures from here on in, he remains in the top five and presents the viable alternative for those who sell Bale.
Yakubu’s brace against Liverpool last night sees the Blackburn man jump in the rankings – with games against Swansea, Norwich and Wigan yet to come, his goals will be key in his side’s fight for survival. Andreas Weimann is another climber. The Villa youngster’s smartly-taken goal against Stoke on Monday is likely to keep him in the first XI ahead of double Gameweek 35 home clashes against Sunderland and Bolton.
Further down, Peter Crouch and Nikica Jelavic amble their way upwards – both have blanks this weekend but have strong form and double Gameweeks to follow. With the pair also having favourable fixtures after the double, Fantasy managers could confidently hold onto Crouch (qpr, BOL) or Jelavic (wol, NEW) for the remaining couple of Gameweeks.
Danny Graham is the only faller in the updated forward rankings. The Swansea man has now gone seven games without a goal and, having dropped to the bench against Newcastle last Friday, looks prone to rotation as Brendan Rodgers reshuffles his options up front in an attempt to solve his side’s lack of goals.
