Watchlist

The Watchlist Updated – Gameweek 35

Our refresh of the Watchlist rankings is rolled out once again this afternoon, with only four Gameweeks left to focus on. There are injuries to key midfielders and doubts surrounding a couple of heavy-hitting frontmen for us to ponder, whilst the double Gameweek 37 also plays a part in our assessment:

The Defence

Joe Hart and Pablo Zabaleta maintain their lofty places as the schedule remains kind for City. West Brom, Villa and West Ham have all still to pay visit to the Etihad in the final four Gameweeks, whilst a trip to Palace will hold little fear, given the Eagles’ struggles in front of goal – leaving only a trip to Everton as a potential stumbling block.

Petr Cech and John Terry also look on course to finish the season strongly. The Chelsea pair racked up a twelfth clean sheet in 18 matches last week in a run that has seen them concede just six times – Terry’s goal threat and bonus appeal earns him the nod over any defensive team-mate, with three very favourable matches in the last four (SUN, NOR, car) still left to play.

Man United’s David De Gea and Patrice Evra are on the rise as United prepare for a run of five fixtures in the final four Gameweeks. An upcoming trip to Everton is perhaps a deterrent but three home fixtures in the following two (NOR, SUN & HUL) look promising for David Moyes’ side. Whilst the likes of Chris Smalling (4.7) is far cheaper than the 6.4-priced Frenchman, Evra’s attacking potential has ensured he sits 58 points clear of any team-mate thus far.

Arsenal duo Wojciech Szczesny and Laurent Koscielny have trips to Hull and Norwich on either side of home games against Newcastle and West Brom to finish the season. The latter has now dropped to 5.4 but returned to action in last night’s win over West Ham and has a mere 6% ownership compared to fellow centre-half Per Mertesacker’s 24%, suggesting he could be an ideal differential as the Gunners look to improve a run of just one clean sheet in the last eight Gameweeks.

The goal threat of Martin Skrtel, Steven Caulker and Seamus Coleman keeps them bubbling under. Certainly, of the three, Skrtel (5.9) has the kindest run-in – trips to Norwich and Palace in addition to a home clash with Newcastle amongst his final four. Caulker entertains Stoke before travelling to Sunderland and Newcastle, whilst Coleman’s 40% ownership may be contemplating their options as the Toffees face United, Southampton and City in the next three.

Sunderland’s Vito Mannone and Marcos Alonso are still in the mix. Granted, a trip to Chelsea this weekend is far from straightforward, but with three home fixtures against their fellow strugglers in the final three Gameweeks (CAR, mun & WBA, SWA), the Black Cats could still offer us defensive returns for the run-in, with Mannone’s price-tag (4.5) still very budget friendly for those shopping for a stopper.

Lower down, Ben Foster and Liam Ridgewell have home games with West Ham and Stoke on either side of a double Gameweek 37 which also includes a trip to Sunderland. Tottenham’s Younes Kaboul is available for just 4.6 and has a kind remaining schedule (FUL, sto, whm, AVL) – the downside is that Tim Sherwood’s side have failed to keep out their opponents in the last six.

Fulham budget duo David Stockdale and Jonny Heitinga (4.3 and 4.6) have home clashes with Hull and Palace still left to play. Stockdale has earned two clean sheets in five appearances since returning to the first XI and has picked up save points in each of those matches, whilst Heitinga has chipped in with a goal, assist and three bonus points in the last seven.

Midfield

With Yaya Toure now sidelined for a couple of weeks, David Silva consolidates his spot at the summit ahead of City’s kind run-in. Three goals, four assists and 10 bonus points in his last six appearances highlight the little Spaniard’s scintillating form – his team-mate’s absence has made him the ideal replacement for many managers, with over 56,000 snapping him up since the previous weekend’s deadline.

Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen is another in-demand option. Priced at just 6.8, the Dane has thrived since returning to the first-team last month and has delivered four goals, a trio of assists and eight bonus points in his last four matches. Similarly to Silva, he’s becoming less of a differential as a result of the Toure exodus.

Up to third is Juan Mata, with United’s trio of above-mentioned home games looking very inviting. The Spaniard racked up 31 points in his last couple of appearances thanks to a move into “the hole” behind a lone forward, and with United’s main strikers still nursing injuries, Mata’s contribution could be key as David Moyes attempts to finish the season strongly.

Liverpool duo Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling offer options across the price brackets for the last four fixtures. The former’s spot-kick duties have come to his rescue time and again, whilst Jordan Henderson’s three-match ban suggests there’s less likelihood Sterling will be ousted from the starting line-up as Brendan Rodgers looks to make minimal changes to his settled side.

Aaron Ramsey shrugged off a muscle problem to climb off the bench and supply an assist in last night’s win over West Ham – at 7.0, the Welshman is the most budget-friendly route into the Gunners’ attacking options in the centre of the park.

Sunderland’s schedule over the final three Gameweeks is enough to keep Adam Johnson in our thoughts. The Black Cats wide man has managed just a goal and assist in his last four, but with a trio of home games against the porous defences of Cardiff, West Brom and Swansea, he cannot be overlooked as Gus Poyet’s side go for broke. Morgan Amalfitano is an in-form budget option at just 4.2. The Frenchman has scored or assisted in each of his last three, picking up 22 points, and may appeal to those looking for a cut-price midfielder with a double Gameweek 37 on their schedule.

Forwards

Luis Suarez remains at number one, though Sergio Aguero is hot on his heels after returning from injury last weekend. A start against Sunderland this evening would be likely to elevate the latter in our estimations, bearing in mind City have an extra fixture yet to play. The Argentine’s average of 7.3 points per game is far superior to team-mate Edin Dzeko’s 4.6 ppg, though with Toure out and the fixtures looking very favourable, there’s a chance Manuel Pellegrini may go for two up top, keeping Dzeko – priced at just 7.4 – high in our rankings for now.

North London duo Emmanuel Adebayor and Olivier Giroud rise as a result of their remaining fixtures. As the interest in Tottenham team-mate Eriksen intensifies, Adebayor remains under the radar – at 7.7, he’s owned by just 5% of teams, and having bagged a 13-point haul in his previous home appearance, welcomes Fulham to the Lane this weekend. Giroud is undoubtedly frustrating to own but his goal and two bonus points against West Ham last night took him into fourth spot for strikers, with an average of 5.1 points per game over the season.

Romelu Lukaku drops down as Everton prepare to face United, Southampton and City in the next three Gameweeks. For those who snapped up the Belgian ahead of their double and are considering a transfer out, it’s worth noting that he’s already scored or assisted against all three of those sides this term, and with the Toffees in flourishing form, we keep him relatively high in this week’s Watchlist.

Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge are both injury worries. Whilst Sturridge has toiled in recent matches, scoring in two of his last seven, Rooney’s form has been on the rise – six goals in as many matches, with 50 points delivered over that period, signifies just how important his return to fitness could be for United and Fantasy managers alike. Now down to just 11.1, those three home games against Norwich, Sunderland and Hull look too tempting to ignore if he recovers from a toe problem.

Fulham’s Hugo Rodallega offers an option in the budget bracket. Priced at just 5.0, the Colombian has struck the winner in each of the last two Gameweeks and still has home games with Hull and Palace to help steer the Cottagers to safety.

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824 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Jinswick
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Any of you guys know the best place to get tickets for the FA Cup final?

    Am flying back for it and prepared to pay top dollar

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    1. Rödallegabomb ᴿᴮ
      • 11 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      A mate of mine sells tickets, and has a website (which is a little bare to be honest), I could ask him to hook you up.

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      1. Jinswick
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        9 years, 11 months ago

        Sorry for the late reply - yeah that sounds good.

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  2. The Manbearpig
    • 10 Years
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Saw a similar post to this before and thought it was a fun idea. Rate these 4 characters/people 1-4.
    T. Henry
    Batman
    Barack obama
    qui gonn jin

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    1. Irish Madridista ⭐
      • 13 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      Batman
      Qui-gonn
      Obama
      My left shoe
      Henry

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      1. The Manbearpig
        • 10 Years
        9 years, 11 months ago

        Not a arsenal fan I see.
        For me it would be:
        king henry
        Qui-gonn
        Batman
        Obama
        your left shoe

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        1. Irish Madridista ⭐
          • 13 Years
          9 years, 11 months ago

          I like Arsenal, and Henry is a fantastic footballer.

          The problem is, he was also a great basketballer in Paris one fateful night.. 😉

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          1. The Manbearpig
            • 10 Years
            9 years, 11 months ago

            oh haha... so you're gonna rate him fifth on a list that goes from 1 to 4 for that? wouldn't you have done the same if you were him though?

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          2. The Manbearpig
            • 10 Years
            9 years, 11 months ago

            How do you get a profile pic?

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  3. HVT
    • 13 Years
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Has scout ruined Fantasy Football ?

    Long long time ago (at least 10 years) I started playing Fantasy Football (not FPL) when use of the internet wasn't so prevalent - it was done ironically through a radio station (today FM) and scores posted on ' the Cork Examiner ' on Tuesdays , no dgws / no bonus , simplistic in reality ,
    My mates and I made a ' pot ' and away we went , I would research fixtures / listening to sports news for injuries / bans etc , Motd was ' essential ' for visual analysis as sky / SSN wasn't as indept as it is now .
    As internet became more accessable we moved on as did the whole world ! And discovered the sky game - the graphics were brilliant / the interface smooth / we were buzzing with the whole new system , in fact it was infectious ! The ' pot ' grew , more joined , ranks increased , strategy became more important , fixtures / Form were the ' buzz ' words , you hid your team from rivals , you never discussed proposed transfers / upcoming Dgw / (c) choices - it was like we weren't in the same mini - leagues at all ! All you spike about was past success / failures !
    I / we then discovered FPL 4/5 years ago but the lads were slow to change - Na they said - " if it ain't broke " , I was playing the two games at this point and a few dead teams as 'yardsticks' , I found Fantasy scout a few years ago via a google search and inititially I lurked just extracting information to my advantage - my interest / ranks soared even higher , so eventually I decided to ' share ' and contribute on site.
    Everything has been going swimmingly probably till this season when I've struggled with rank , so as the season nears it's end I've been doing a rv of why ?
    Yea Ramsey / Yaya / RVP / def baps are to blame , But had the advent of social Media blown this game wide open ?
    Information is so easily shared now and so quickly has it undermined the use of skills / tactics / planning etc ? Guys don't even have to use a search engine for scout anymore - they have a link direct from FPL now , ( hats off to Mark and co ) this link is for me the origin of " The Casual " - he/she pops on Friday has a lurk around , makes his transfer and he's off , no research / planning - nothing ,
    Is this too easy ? Or is this evolution ?
    Fantasy Football Scout has created the Beast , can it now tame it ?
    Or are we destined for template teams as the norm with Punts / differentials the extreme ?

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    1. Kings of Lyon ★
      • 13 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      Great post!! These tools are available for everyone, i am amazed that very few of my cash ML rivals know about the site. As long as I keep taking their money off them im not going to complain.

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    2. Irish Madridista ⭐
      • 13 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      I don't think it has ruined it, but it has changed it.

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      1. Irish Madridista ⭐
        • 13 Years
        9 years, 11 months ago

        Quality post by the way HVT 🙂 +1

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        1. HVT
          • 13 Years
          9 years, 11 months ago

          🙂

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    3. FPL price manipulators are …
      • 10 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      Just this season. Next season normalcy will resume

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    4. Valar(Keith)
      • 14 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      My thoughts exactly.. have a +1.. i miss the fpl of old.

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    5. applebonkers
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      i guess it's hard to tell just how much it helps unless you are an actual casual yourself. i'm sure it does of course, but just how much it helps, who knows

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    6. Wet Knee Houston
      • 10 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      Yes, it has. "The only solution" is a fresh new game every year, with at least 50% of the rules changed 😀 Of course, the general public will never adhere to this, commercially it would make no sense etc. But for those competitive and passioned it might make more sense than the current game. Just a rant, of course.

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      1. HVT
        • 13 Years
        9 years, 11 months ago

        Is this why the UFPL is being created ?
        For the ' Pros ' persay ?
        Obviously it's a pay per play game as well.

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        1. Wet Knee Houston
          • 10 Years
          9 years, 11 months ago

          I doubt (my "model" is an anarchist fantasy anyway, they won't change the rules). If UFPL gains a bit of popularity, it will probably follow the same path as FPL: forums, advices, scouts etc. I don't know why it was created, i assume that they wanted a pay per play game and thought FPL should be let free, it was way too popular. But it can be argued your way too: a bit more complicated & tactical, so harder to be subject of template approach.

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    7. meerlight
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      I think the real casuals, e.g. everyone at my work, knows nothing about FFS. THey seem to just log in at some point in the week, scan the fixtures, look at injuries, and make some transfers.

      One such person sits next to me. He takes about 5 minutes, tops, to make his transfers. The real galling bit about the whole affair is that until this week he has been leading the league. After an appalling start to the season (along with a lot of others), I have overtaken him this week, and should pull away after this evening.

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      1. BeachBadger
        • 10 Years
        9 years, 11 months ago

        I think this year is an anomoly for that kind of thing. My friends dead team from 3 months ago is still going strong. 2nd in our mini league only to me. Think Im the only one who uses FFS.

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    8. tm245
      • 12 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      Interesting post -- the future is in single ownership games, imo, as the knowledge a diehard has accrued would be .

      Right now you get no competitive advantage from knowing the intricacies of the Norwich back line, for example (not sure any reward should be given for that), but if the available player pool had more scarcity than it does now, your knowledge would pay off with being able to find the best replacement whereas the less knowledgable player would not be able to play it as well.

      I don't like the Fantrax interface and would love for single ownership leagues to emerge on FPL, but UFPL might be the best we've got for now. I just need to move from America by August, or purchase an offshore home so I can play.

      The deeper the squads and the more challenging the choices, the harder/more rewarding the game will be.

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      1. tm245
        • 12 Years
        9 years, 11 months ago

        *would be rewarded.

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  4. Open Controls
    1. Kings of Lyon ★
      • 13 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      SFW?

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      1. applebonkers
        • Has Moderation Rights
        • 14 Years
        9 years, 11 months ago

        yes

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      2. Irish Madridista ⭐
        • 13 Years
        9 years, 11 months ago

        N... ish

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    2. Optimus.
      • 13 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      That's facial hair is truly awful i agree

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      1. Optimus.
        • 13 Years
        9 years, 11 months ago

        It reminds me of the bears they made out of pubes on Jackass 😉

        http://www.windsorstar.com/entertainment/cms/binary/3665524.jpg?size=640x420 😀

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        1. Optimus.
          • 13 Years
          9 years, 11 months ago

          *beard

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    3. HVT
      • 13 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      Never knew Mark and Granny looked that good 😉

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    4. A.
      • 12 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      Could have done a slightly better photoshop job on that 😉

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    5. The Sarjeant
      • 10 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      It looks like the girl on the left has a snail trail.

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  5. Colonel Klink
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Bench one (please and thank you):
    Baines
    Coleman
    AJ

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    1. applebonkers
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      AJ

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      1. Colonel Klink
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        9 years, 11 months ago

        That's how I'm leaning. United is a bit depleted, and Baines and Coleman have attacking potential.

        Cheers.

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  6. Count of Monte Hristo
    • 10 Years
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Puncheon and Ward on my bench as it stands. Should I swap them with anyone?

    Adrian

    Zabaleta // Terry // Baines

    Cazorla // Gerrard // Silva // Eriksen

    Suarez // Lukaku // Dzeko

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    1. bobyroby
      • 9 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      No way. Nice team.

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  7. FPL price manipulators are …
    • 10 Years
    9 years, 11 months ago

    When is the scout cast and where can I watch it

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  8. sinik
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    9 years, 11 months ago

    as far as we know from Martinez, Baines is starting tomorrow right?

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    1. Colonel Klink
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      As far as we know, in a couple hours. And then hopefully this weekend, to the tune of a few goals.

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      1. sinik
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        9 years, 11 months ago

        yeah just realized now..running on fumes here 😆

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    2. Reckoner.
      • 12 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      Match is tonight.

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      1. sinik
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        9 years, 11 months ago

        yeah just realized now..running on fumes here 😆

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  9. yer old da
    • 14 Years
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Yaya out for Ramsey or Nasri? Already have Silva and Aguero.

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    1. Irish Madridista ⭐
      • 13 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      Big fan of Brand, he's a weirdo but he's very smart and fairly funny 🙂

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      1. roscola
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • Has Moderation Rights
        • 12 Years
        9 years, 11 months ago

        I like him a lot but I don't think he's as smart as he thinks he is. He neatly demonstrates the difference between eloquence and intelligence

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  10. Valar(Keith)
    • 14 Years
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Mutch got STK and sun in the next 2. Anyone planning on playing him for those and benching yaya for the Double? could be a great move.. Gotta chose between swapping Yaya for Mata or Aj for mata..

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  11. Cpt Crunch Scott talent
    • 10 Years
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Steve McNulty should be in England squad for Brazil, right?

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  12. Neville's Advocate
    • 9 Years
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Are none of the games tonight on TV?!

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  13. CrazyFoolMrT
    • 10 Years
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Pulling my hair out this week.

    GKs: Hart, Mannone

    DFs: Coleman, Shaw, Olsson, Flanagan, Ward

    MDs: Januzaj, Barkley, Yaya, Ki, Hazard

    FWs: Lukaku, Suarez, Dzeko

    Have 0 in the bank and two FTs, but with Yaya, Hazard and Ki all injured (or doubts) should I move out one, two or three of these guys?

    My gut tells me to move out all three for Mata, Ramsay and Eriksen, taking the four point hit.....

    Decisions, decisions.....

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    1. CrazyFoolMrT
      • 10 Years
      9 years, 11 months ago

      At least with all the dependable midfielders injured or doubtful, it makes the GW interesting

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