The Watchlist – Gameweek Two

Our refresh of the Watchlist rankings, offering player recommendations over the next four to six Gameweeks, arrives once again this afternoon. We analyse the main movers and shakers in this week’s update, with the full listings per classification available on the sidebar on your right.

Defence

At the back, our faith in United’s assets takes a drop in light of Saturday’s showing. David de Gea and Phil Jones remain our preferred options amongst Louis van Gaal’s injury-hit backline, who still have the fixtures to take advantage of.

Palace, Hull and Swansea are amongst the main risers here – all three have a trio of home matches in the next five Gameweeks to boost their appeal. The managerial situation at Selhurst Park may persuade some to hold fire on the Eagles’ prospects as a result of Tony Pulis’ departure but with West Ham, Burnley and Leicester all paying visit in the short-term, Julian Speroni and Joel Ward climb up this week’s refresh. If Martin Kelly can hold onto the right-back berth, though, at 4.5 he could be the value option.

Similarly, Allan McGregor and James Chester welcome Stoke, West Ham and Palace to the KC and also travel to Villa and Newcastle. Steve Bruce’s side managed eight clean sheets at home last term and Chester has received plenty of interest after his 15-point haul at QPR in Gameweek 1, climbing to 4.6 in FPL.

Swansea pair Lukasz Fabianksi and Neil Taylor also rise. Garry Monk’s side showed they are no pushovers with an opening day victory at Old Trafford and now welcome Burnley, West Brom, Southampton and Newcastle to the Liberty in the next six – at 4.5, Taylor could be the best long-term option, though his minutes need monitoring after he was hauled off against United last weekend after a poor display against Adnan Januzaj.

An encouraging display away to Liverpool bodes well for Southampton’s prospects. Ronald Koeman’s side now face an incredible schedule which sees the face just one of last season’s top eight in the upcoming 11 Gameweeks – understandably, our hopes are high for defensive returns, then, with new keeper Fraser Forster and last week’s Anfield scorer Nathaniel Clyne very much in consideration.

Elsewhere amongst stoppers, Thibaut Courtois and Vito Mannone both move up in our estimations after starting for Chelsea and Sunderland last weekend, with the pair looking to have established themselves as the first-choice keepers at their respective clubs.

Midfield

Goals in the Community Shield and at home to Palace keeps Aaron Ramsey at the summit, though Arsenal’s fixtures – Everton, City, Spurs and Chelsea in the next six – will be a real test of the Welshman’s form. Ramsey’s appeal as a route into the Gunners midfield means Alexis Sanchez drops in out thinking due to the price difference of 9.0 to 10.5.

It’s a similar situation at Chelsea. A man-of-the-match display against Burnley, ensures Cesc Fabregas climbs above Eden Hazard as our preferred Chelsea midfielder. Jose Mourinho’s men have three favourable upcoming home matches (LEI, SWA, AVL) in the upcoming six, though with Everton, City and Arsenal in the upcoming six, the fixtures are somewhat mixed.

There’s no surprise to see Gylfi Sigurdsson as our mid-price midfielder of choice. The 6.2-priced Swansea playmaker sparked this season’s first major bandwagon after a goal and assist against United underlined the potential of a player who averaged 5.7 points per game in his first stint at the Liberty – as mentioned above, the schedule smiles more than kindly for the Icelandic international.

Further down, Christian Eriksen remains on our radar as Spurs prepare for three matches in four at the Lane, whilst Thomas Ince could provide us with an out-of-position option for Hull. Handed a role up front alongside Nikica Jelavic last weekend, Ince, at 5.5, could be set for a more prominent role in light of Robert Snodgrass’ long-term injury.

Southampton’s upcoming schedule boosts the points potential of Dusan Tadic and James Ward-Prowse. At 7.5 and 5.0 respectively, the offer alternatives across the price brackets and were fielded on the left and right of a front three at Anfield last weekend – it’s uncertain whether the latter will remain in Ronald Koeman’s first-team plans, though, as rumours gather on a move for Tottenham’s Andros Townsend.

Forwards

It’s “as you were” for the top three forwards, after Wayne Rooney, Diego Costa and Daniel Sturridge all found the net in Gameweek 1. The potential return of Robin van Persie this weekend could shake thing up though, with the Dutchman likely to swipe spot-kicks off his strike partner.

The strength of our options up front is underlined by Sergio Aguero’s move into the top five – there’s still enough question marks over his match sharpness, though, after a late return to training. As we saw on Sunday, though, the Argentine requires little time to make an impact and he is immediately installed as out City frontman of choice, though David Silva offers an in-form alternative in midfield and seems more secure for pitch time right now.

Swansea’s aforementioned schedule ensures Wilfried Bony gets the nod as the top of the mid-price options. Thirteen goals in his final 18 appearances for Garry Monk’s side in 2013/14 highlights the Ivorian’s capabilities and with Sigurdsson pulling the strings behind him, you’ve got to fancy his chances.

Beneath Bony, the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor and Graziano Pelle are perhaps the pick of the bunch due to upcoming fixtures – while the former is still likely to retain spot-kicks for Tottenham, there’s uncertainty surrounding Southampton’s number one penalty taker, with Tadic potentially rivaling Pelle for the honour.

Saido Berahino’s double for West Brom bring the youngster into contention as a budget rival to Bojan Krkic. Crucially, Berahino was handed penalty duties by Alan Irvine last weekend, though bearing in mind that both are playing in attacking midfield and have three road trips in the next four, their appeal is a little limited.