In what is likely to be our last major update of the current campaign, we roll out our weekly refresh of the Watchlist rankings this afternoon, detailing our player recommendations for the remaining Gameweeks. Unsurprisingly, the upcoming double Gameweek 36 plays a significant part in our assessment of the Fantasy landscape – read on for the reasoning behind our latest selections.
The Goalkeepers
Joe Hart retains top spot ahead of a superb run of fixtures for City. With plenty of rest and rotation blighting the back-four, Hart looks nailed-on for the remaining four Gameweeks – with home clashes against West Ham and Norwich and a trip to Reading supplementing a double Gameweek 36 (swa, WBA) plenty of points look on offer at both ends of the pitch for the now-deposed champions. In keeping with Roberto Mancini’s cup selection policy, Hart is also set to be rested for the FA Cup final, dispelling any fears of his starting role for the last five league fixtures.
Petr Cech sits is second due to a consistency of selection under Rafa Benitez. With Gary Cahill and Ashley Cole included in Chelsea’s Europa League squad to face FC Basel on Thursday, defensive rotation could be even more of an issue now – a double against United and Tottenham hardly looks straightforward, though.
Wigan’s Joel Robles is the cut-price option amongst the double Gameweek keepers. The Spaniard comes in at just 4.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and, similar to Hart, looks assured of league starts ahead of the FA Cup final, with Ali Al-Habsi likely to feature at Wembley next month – Robles also comes in cheaper than any of his Wigan defensive team mates. Indeed, the top six spots are filled by stoppers with a double, as Hugo Lloris, Ben Foster and Michel Vorm tuck in behind.
Simon Mignolet is the highest ranked keeper without a double on his agenda – the Sunderland man has registered back-to-back clean sheets and with three strong fixtures to follow (avl, STO, SOU) is afforded the platform for further returns as Paolo Di Canio’s side look to clinch their top-flight survival. David De Gea is further down, despite eight clean sheets in the last 10 Gameweeks – Sir Alex Ferguson could hand Anders Lindegaard a game or two between the sticks for United before the season is out but, more to the point, there’s a concern that United could be caught out once or twice now that the title is bagged.
Once again, the imminent return of John Ruddy places question marks over Mark Bunn’s starting role for Norwich and prevents either from making an appearance in our refresh – all the more frustrating given they have a trip to Stoke and back-to-back home games with Villa and West Brom. Artur Boruc is firmly on the radar, though – the Pole has conceded just three goals in the last six as Southampton flourish at the back under the guidance of new boss Mauricio Pochettino.
The Defenders
Vincent Kompany keeps his number one spot for City’s final five fixtures. The Belgian remains a constant at the back and seems immune to Roberto Mancini’s rotation – he’s the only defender to start each of the last three, with his manager’s decision to alternate the other three positions around his captain denting the appeal of the likes of fellow-regulars Pablo Zabaleta, Matija Nastasic Gael Clichy.
Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen and Chelsea’s David Luiz remain in second and third respectively. Both offer strong attacking potential and have delivered two sets of double figures in their last five appearances –Vertonghen is nailed-on at Spurs and while Luiz has occasionally been rotated under Rafa Benitez, he seems to suffer less than most Blues backline options.
With two favourable fixtures in the following three (FUL, WHM), Leighton Baines remains part of the top five and is followed by Wigan’s out of position contender Emmerson Boyce, as the Latics prepare for their impending double. Seb Bassong comes back into our thoughts as a route into the Norwich backline as Michael Turner struggles to shake off the groin problem picked up against Reading last weekend, while West Brom’s Gareth McAuley remains the best option for attacking return at the back ahead of their double.
Phil Jones gets the nod as our United defensive coverage. The former Blackburn man has started each of the last four, providing two clean sheets and two assists, and has benefitted from a versatility that has seen him fielded at centre-half, right-back and central midfield in recent matches. Given that he’s been injured for much of the season, fatigue won’t be an issue and could be crucial to his game time if Sir Alex Ferguson looks to freshen up his side over the remaining few matches. Carlos Cuellar and Nathaniel Clyne are the budget defenders of choice here – at 4.3 and 4.2 respectively in FPL, they look solid options for the run in.
The Midfielders
Gareth Bale makes an instant return to the top spot after recovering from an ankle problem to help see off City last weekend. With six double figure hauls in his last eight and with a double Gameweek 36 on the horizon, the Welshman has the form and fixtures to flourish further – the bandwagon looks set to roll and roll, with Bale a nailed-on captaincy contender for Tottenham’s pair of fixtures next week.
Michu is knocked into second spot but with a double Gameweek 36 and home clash against Fulham still to follow, the Spaniard remains high in our estimations. Chelsea duo Juan Mata and Eden Hazard also feature in the top five. Rafa Benitez’s rest and rotation policy will always cast question marks over the Blues’ squad but Mata and Hazard simply look too important to omit as he attempts to nail down a third place finish – the duo have started six of the last seven in spite of their hectic schedule and as demonstrated over the past couple of fixtures, the tactic of picking up both looks a viable one, with Hazard benefitting from spot-kick duties in Frank Lampard’s absence.
Theo Walcott is the highest ranked non-double Gameweek player – his potential could be boosted further if Arsene Wenger decides to hand him the lone forward role in light of Olivier Giroud’s suspension, though Walcott has shown he can deliver regardless. Paolo Di Canio’s arrival on Wearside has reinvigorated Stephane Sessegnon; back-to-back goals in the last two have seen the Benin international flourish and with Villa, Stoke and Southampton up next, has the platform to maintain that form.
Shaun Maloney’s cut-price appeal and out of position role on the left of Wigan’s front three earns him a spot just ahead of City duo Yaya Toure and David Silva. All three, of course, have a double Gameweek 36 and while the latter two undoubtedly have better fixtures, the threat of rotation ahead of the FA Cup final dampens their appeal – Silva is still hampered with a hamstring issue, too. Maloney, on the other hand, surely looks immune from rotation as the Latics battle to beat the drop – the double (wba, SWA) and a home clash with Villa hold promise.
Further down, strong fixtures for Robert Snodgrass and Philippe Coutinho boost their mid-price appeal, while the similarly priced James Morrison climbs on the back of West Brom’s upcoming double.
The Forwards
Carlos Tevez soars to the summit as a result of City’s impending double. With doubts still surrounding Sergio Aguero’s hamstring, his compatriot looks the most secure route into Roberto Mancini’s side and has scored in four of the last seven Gameweeks.
Arouna Kone moves into second – again, the double is a massive factor but given that he’s scored double the number of goals than any other Wigan team-mate, it looks like the Latics’ bid for survival could rest firmly on his shoulders.
It’s a rare occasion when Robin Van Persie isn’t sitting atop the forward rankings. Ironically, his hat-trick against Villa on Monday has lessened his appeal for the final four fixtures – with the title in the bag for United and with Luis Suarez banned for at least three, Van Persie seems to have the Golden Boot sewn up too. While he looks likely to start against former club Arsenal and Chelsea next, the remaining two fixtures (SWA, wba) may see Javier Hernandez afforded more game time up top.
Suarez’s suspension brings Daniel Sturridge back into our thoughts. With the Uruguayan missing at least three matches, the former Chelsea man offers a mid-price route into Liverpool’s attack and edges Romelu Lukaku into fifth spot in our refresh. The Baggies frontman has scored or assisted in eight of his last 10 starts but doubts over Steve Clarke’s forward selection policy prevents him from a higher position.
Further down, questions over the game time of Jermain Defoe and Demba Ba also keep them from climbing further up the rankings. Defoe has been subject to heavy investment this week on the back of his superb strike against City on Sunday but it remains to be seen whether he can oust Emmanuel Adebayor from the first-team. Only one of Defoe’s last six appearances have come courtesy of a starting role, suggesting he may still be behind the Togo international in the packing order. Both Christian Benteke and Rickie Lambert offer mid-price alternatives for the run in, though the lack of a double may dent their appeal in the eyes of many. Jay Rodriguez remains hard to ignore for those shopping in the budget bracket.
