In our Watchlist series, we pick out the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players who are the best medium-term targets in each position based on fixtures, form and value.
Unlike the Scout Picks, we’re not just focusing on the upcoming Gameweek with these articles.
Will (aka TopMarx) is updating the rankings regularly in 2022/23 and we’ll assess his latest update here.
ABOUT THE WATCHLIST
Our regularly updated Watchlist, which is visible on the sidebar, ranks players in each position for the medium term – typically the next four Gameweeks.
This allows site users to get a longer-term view on recommended players beyond the weekly Scout Picks.
Players are selected according to factors such as FPL’s form rating*, club injuries, club morale, forthcoming fixtures and whether or not the player in question is likely to be a bargain in FPL.
The table displays the player name and club, along with the abbreviation for the factors that played a part in their ranking. A key for these factors can be found below the player in the table and looks like this:
Arrows before the name indicate whether a player has significantly climbed or fallen in our reckoning since the previous update or if they are a new entry into the tables.
*Points divided by a club’s matches played over the last 30 days. These form ratings will become more useful after three to four Gameweeks have passed.
THE WATCHLIST: BEST FPL GOALKEEPERS
Robert Sanchez (£4.6m) rises to the top of the goalkeeper Watchlist and not just because he has banked three clean sheets already. Brighton’s fixtures for the next four Gameweeks are good enough to see them sit top of our Season Ticker, with two of three clubs with the lowest expected goals (xG) totals in 2022/23 to come in Gameweeks 6 and 7. Albion themselves are fourth for fewest expected goals conceded (xGC) this season.
Ongoing favourable matches for Leeds United sees Illan Meslier (£4.5m) enter the fray at the expense of Jose Sa (£5.0m), whose Wolves side face last year’s top two in Gameweeks 7 and 8. The Whites being only 13th for xGC keeps Meslier relatively low down on the above list, however.
THE WATCHLIST: BEST FPL DEFENDERS
There are no new defensive entries but there is a change in the pecking order at the top, with Joao Cancelo (£7.1m) tumbling to third. It’s still far, far too early in the season to be writing off his attacking potential as he won’t be playing as an ‘inverted full-back’ and tucking into central midfield every week but at present, Reece James (£6.1m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) are offering more going forward: they are joint-first for expected goal involvement (xGI) among defenders after the first four Gameweeks, with Cancelo down in 37th.
THE WATCHLIST: BEST FPL MIDFIELDERS
We remain unwavering in our faith in Mohamed Salah (£13.0m), who on a normal day would have despatched one of the two sitters he spurned in Saturday’s routing of Bournemouth and would be now averaging 7.5+ points per match. There’s a longer-term debate to be had and analysis to be done about the Egyptian’s value and potentially diminishing threat alongside Darwin Nunez (£8.9m) but his five years of loyal service have got to count for something at this stage.
You’ll see plenty of risers in the table above but that’s more to do with the plummeting appeal of Son Heung-min (£11.8m). You can never completely disregard a proven performer who has banked 20+ attacking returns in each of the last six seasons, especially while the fixtures remain appealing, but 13 points from four matches, some middling underlying numbers, this season’s inflated price tag and increased rotation risk after Richarlison’s (£8.5m) arrival are enough to see him drop significantly in our above list.
Raheem Sterling (£9.9m) comes into the reckoning: even before his brace against Leicester he was the most threatening of Chelsea’s underwhelming front three in the opening month and now has three dubious defences in the shape of Southampton, West Ham and Fulham to come.
THE WATCHLIST: BEST FPL FORWARDS
Forwards may be back in vogue – there are six strikers who have 25 points or more so far in 2022/23 and only one defender – but the pool of viable candidates remains relatively small.
There’s not that much beyond the sextet you see above here, none of whom have changed in our pecking order.
The likes of Raul Jimenez (£6.9m) and Ollie Watkins (£7.4m) have some tricky-looking fixtures either now or very shortly, while we’ve not seen enough of Dominic Solanke (£5.8m) or a beleaguered Bournemouth to promote last year’s 29-goal striker to the Watchlist despite the Cherries’ schedule easing off.
Erling Haaland (£11.8m) remains top of the pile in our humble estimation: he’s the best-performing FPL forward for expected goal involvement (xGI) this season, playing for the league’s joint-top scorers and with some very decent fixtures from now until the international break. It’s now down to Pep for the rest…
