The FPL Watchlist: Villa up, Palace down

We’ve had another mini-update of The Watchlist ahead of Gameweek 3, with risers and fallers kept to a minimum.

With many of the pre-season picks still in high demand and only two Gameweeks gone, there’s not much kneejerking – yet.

MORE ABOUT THE WATCHLIST

In The Watchlist, we take a look at the stand-out Fantasy Premier League (FPL) options over the medium term.

This is in contrast to the Scout Picks, which deals only in the upcoming Gameweek.

Players are selected and ranked according to factors such as club injuries, form, forthcoming fixtures, Rate My Team’s points projections and whether or not the player in question is likely to be a bargain in FPL.

Arrows before the name indicate whether a player has climbed or fallen in our reckoning since the previous Gameweek or if they are a new entry into the tables.

The key for the factors you’ll see in the below tables is as follows:

Traditionally, we tend to avoid club duplication in each position unless a) there’s a compelling case for a double-up due to fixtures/form or b) there’s a much cheaper alternative to highlight. For instance, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (£12.6m) and Diogo Jota (£7.5m) both make the midfielders’ list.

THE WATCHLIST: LATEST STANDINGS

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THE WATCHLIST: MAJOR CHANGES

Having more comprehensively discussed each position in the last two Gameweeks, here we focus only on the major changes.

VILLA UP

With their clash with Arsenal out of the way, Aston Villa players get a bump up the standings in all four positions.

The Villans sit top of our Season Ticker over the next six Gamweeks, with arguably one of the best four-match stretches of the campaign up next.

We’re hoping fixtures can breed form for Ollie Watkins (£9.0m). Post-Euros rust has seen his game-time reduced so far but he will only get sharper by the week – not just in terms of minutes on the field but also his radar in front of goal after he spurned two huge chances in Gameweek 2.

Morgan Rogers (£5.1m) has passed the eye test but can he now deliver tangible returns? He did just that at the tail-end of last season, banking three goals and an assist in his final six starts. A repeat of that in the next half-dozen fixtures would be more than satisfactory given the minimal outlay in FPL.

Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) and Emi Martinez (£5.0m) climb in their respective positions. Konsa is Rate My Team’s best-value defender for projected points in Gameweeks 3-8, while Martinez trails only Robert Sanchez (£4.5m) for that metric between the sticks. We’ve more faith in the Villa backline with Amadou Onana (£5.0m) shielding it and there were certainly positive signs in the opening two Gameweeks, with West Ham United and Arsenal not offering much threat until self-inflicted goals were conceded.

PALACE DOWN

We’re not jettisoning Crystal Palace assets just yet. Fixtures against Leicester City and Everton are still to come in the next four Gameweeks, two match-ups that were pinpointed as potential points-spinners before a ball was kicked in 2024/25. They remain so.

But it’s fair to say the Eagles’ appeal is, if not gone, diminished. The visit of Liverpool is now on the six-week radar. A suddenly free-scoring Chelsea, who were an unknown quantity under Enzo Maresca, are up next. Outgoings and injuries at the back haven’t helped, although Marc Guehi (£4.5m) seems to be staying now.

Daniel Munoz (£5.0m) and Dean Henderson (£4.5m) drop in the rankings but Eberechi Eze (£7.0m), joint-top of the Premier League goal attempts list, remains a non-mover for now.

NEW ENTRIES AND DISAPPEARING FROM VIEW

Leif Davis (£4.5m) is our only new entry this week, with Ipswich enjoying a similarly good fixture swing as Villa.

The best run of matches probably doesn’t start until Gameweek 5, when the Tractor Boys face Southampton, Everton and Leicester in a six-week period. We’ll be hanging fire on Ari Muric (£4.4m) until then, gauging how solid the Town backline is against sides who aren’t Manchester City and Liverpool.

Davis gets an immediate placing, however. It’s not just about defensive returns for him: he’s a winger masquerading as a full-back and is Ipswich’s corner taker. His name can’t be mentioned without the 18 assists of 2023/24 being referenced, nor the Championship-best 125 key passes. This year’s Alfie Doughty?

Christopher Nkunku (£6.4m) and Lewis Hall (£4.5m) beat a hasty retreat. Nkunku scored on Thursday evening but 90 minutes in Switzerland, and other positional rivals starting in last week’s six-goal demolition of Wolves, suggests another league benching. Hall, who we had flagged as a possible rotation risk, became just that as Lloyd Kelly (£4.5m) started at Bournemouth. The ex-Chelsea man had a positive impact upon his introduction at the Vitality but Kieran Trippier (£5.9m) seemingly staying put only adds to the unpredictability at full-back, so there are far better £4.5m alternatives out there now.

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