So I'm back to writing watchlists again for a couple of reasons. (1) I'm trying to peel away from Candy Crush and (2) I miss making watchlists. It's quite interesting to go through match data to see how people are truly doing.
Each week when Shotsontarget publish their stats for MatchCenter, I'll pick the match's "best players" and highlight their most outstanding stats to decide whether they will make the Watchlist.
Two metrics are used here, the first being Key Passes (a pass that creates a shooting chance) and Shots on Target in the Box. Players that stand out on either stat will be called Creators and Shooters respectively, while players who have both are coined All-Rounders.
Watchlist Guidelines:
Players that go on the Watchlist are Tier 1 all rounders, and some of the top 3/4 Tier 2 All-Rounders. Tier 1 All-Rounders are the most important, pinpointing potential "Gems" for the coming weeks.
The Tier 1 All-Rounders are "Gems" that will be worth PICKING UP if the maintain their stats (and tactical positioning) for 2-3 weeks in a row, and will certainly be the ones that are "worth a punt".
The Tier 2 All Rounders are also potential gems, but they are more of the "shining lights" in a weak team performance and are more likely to be picked up when their team hits form.
If there is no value there then I'll look through some top Shooters and top Creators. I'll also do a quick note on how these top Shooters' and Creators' chances are created in their respective systems, and make a quick verdict on whether to include them in the Watchlist or not.
I'll probably make a "Second Tier" Watchlist as well to accommodate players that are "coming into form", perhaps due to a new system or a new-found confidence.
Finally, I'll have a "Wishlist" for personal reasons: These are Tier 1 Watchlist players that I don't have that I wish to have, which is something I'll use for my upcoming transfer-in decisions.
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Top Shooters:
Rodriguez, Sigurdsson
I mean, the real question you have to ask yourself is this: If you invest say 5.9 in a striker (Remy), would you expect him to make 2 Sot in the box on average? I suppose I'd be quite satisfied with that, but another look at someone like Rodriguez (priced at 5.1 by the way) would suggest a more fixture-proof way of having your third striker playing.
The same case applies to Papiss Cisse. Unless Cisse is showing Ba-like conversion rates, there really is no point spending close to 9.0 on 2 SiB per game either. Will touch on the aforementioned duo, but not very optimistic at the moment.
Top Creators:
Cabaye
Alright Cabaye versus Sissoko has been a debate that hasn't really been heatedly discussed. Yet. Veterans are still worried about Ben Arfa's imminent return, while lots are discouraged by Cabaye's deep positioning. I'll proably have a quick look at Cabaye's movement in recent games and see what I can come up with.
The elite options
With only Liverpool and Spurs playing in the week, those with decent stats to back up their high scores are all the usual suspects really.
The Emerging Defenders
Vertonghen nearly got a hattrick. Oh the sarcasm. Enrique got an assist though, which is mildly interesting but will need more consistency to warrant a real scan.
Top All Rounders:
Tier 1: Bale
Tier 2: Townsend, Downing, Lukaku, Benteke
To be Given Verdict:
All-Rounders: Townsend, Downing, Lukaku
Shooters/Creators: Cabaye, Rodriguez, Sigurdsson
Townsend
For 4.4, what Townsend has done THIS GAME has been enough to warrant some attention at least. His heat maps suggest that he plays mainly on the right, and rightly so. 7 out of 9 attempts to beat his man have come from the right flank itself, and his open play crossing has some accuracy to it.
Shooting wise, he does take his shots from outside the box and you can imagine that he's not the kind of player that drifts into the box as a winger ala Hal Robson Kanu, but at least we have clearly defined his role now in the QPR side.
Conclusion? I wouldn't pick him up. For his price he's certainly one of the best, but looking at market trends, mid price forwards such as Remy, Benteke, Lukaku and even Papiss Cisse have garnered more interestm leaving us to invest in 4 expensive midfielders alongside Moussa Sissoko. Once again, only those with a front lineup of say, Rooney/RVP/Suarez would certainly consider Townsend. Not me. Not on Watchlist
Downing
In terms of his stats, the Spurs game summed it up quite nicely: 2/3 open play crosses were key passes, otherwise he had nothing beyond 1 decent attempt on goal. Beyond crossing there's not much more be can do. Even Liverpool fans would admit that his goal was quite fortunate to go through the defender's legs on the line.
I've mocked Stewart Downing many times before. United fans have mocked Stewart Downing as much. Liverpool fans probably have had as many goes at him as me. 2 goals and an assist later, you'd consider his price tag at 5.7 to be SOMEWHAT useful, but as with Andros Townsend, there just isn't any space for him at the moment. Not on Watchlist
Lukaku
Well Lukaku had the potential to jizz all over Swansea and if not for a really good save by Vorm, Lukaku would've been making lots of waves in the FPL crowd. The big man is quite a curious case, as he actually uses his size to beat players ion the ground rather than in the air, which is working so far for him anyway.
What's interesting about Lukaku is that his passing patterns are actually generating key passes, albeit really short and simple ones. Still, they're mostly in the final third of the pitch, and I'd be quite curious to pick him up post GW33 MAYBE if he still is able to start. Watchlist for now personally, it's really, really hard to displace my current front 3. Watchlist 2
Cabaye
I find myself considering Yohan Cabaye in my squad time and time again, wondering who is it that possessed me to buy Moussa Sissoko in the first place. The rational mind commanded me to get Cabaye in my Wildcard team in January, and he was the first casualty. For Adel Taarabt of all people. On to his stats.
Yohan Cabaye, playing a Gerrard-esque role in a 4-2-3-1 Newcastle side, had Cheikh Tiote marshalling the midfield alongside him. You'd logically think that Tiote would sheild the back four and Cabaye would spray Alonso-like passes across the field or simple ones to Moussa Sissoko, but we are all quite wrong here. In the game against Stoke, Cabaye and Tiote made most of Newcastle's key passes from deep, with only Gouffran and Cisse the remaining key pass providers as short cutbacks.
So what does this say for Moussa Sissoko? Is he the real deal or just inconsistent? The next game will tell us for sure, but at the moment I can't really spare a transfer to bring Cabaye in (or rather, I should have done that last week). Watchlist for now. Watchlist 2
Rodriguez
Jay Rodriguez is in the shadow of a fast-becoming-not-so-popular Rickie Lambert and his production has always been "there", just not producing FPL points. The stats of a striker are there: 4 shots on goal, 3 in the box, 2 on target (according to Squawka anyway).
Problem with ol' Jay is that everything else about him is shit. He can't pass, or cross, or beat his man, or win aerial duels. At 5.1 though he'd be a pretty good bench player to have, especially if you're thinking of fielding Gerrard, Bale, Mata, Walcott and another Double Gameweeker in your team with Suarez and RVP up front. no benching headaches, and your FTs every week can be used to change up the Double Gameweeker. Decent strategy. If Benteke loses form I'd consider Remy first, then him. Watchlist 2
Sigurdsson
Sigurdsson was a replacement for the injured Lennon ( I think) and I've always been a fan of his since Swansea, but unless Siggy is the star of the show, there is almost no way he's going to shine in matches. Liverpool wasn't an exception either, his 5 attempts were mostly blocked or missed. Doesn't make the watchlist for me, but I do hope to see him in action more ince Spurs qualify for the Champions League *spoiler alert* Not on Watchlist
Conclusion:
Wishlist: -
Watchlist 1:
Watchlist 2: Lukaku, Cabaye, Rodriguez
Watchlist Changes: Completely wiped the Watchlist (obviously) and so with new players on the board, at least I have decent alternative picks in case of injuries or unexpected blanks in the coming Gameweeks.
No recommendations this week. All the elite players have really good fixtures. Usually I'd recommend Benteke for this week if you don't have him already, but umm it's strategy dependent at the moment really. Without information on the upcoming DGWs, you might as well do 0 transfers now and let the international break after GW30 sort things out for you. Get an icecream and come back next Friday.
Rodriguez, Sigurdsson
I mean, the real question you have to ask yourself is this: If you invest say 5.9 in a striker (Remy), would you expect him to make 2 Sot in the box on average? I suppose I'd be quite satisfied with that, but another look at someone like Rodriguez (priced at 5.1 by the way) would suggest a more fixture-proof way of having your third striker playing.
The same case applies to Papiss Cisse. Unless Cisse is showing Ba-like conversion rates, there really is no point spending close to 9.0 on 2 SiB per game either. Will touch on the aforementioned duo, but not very optimistic at the moment.
Top Creators:
Cabaye
Alright Cabaye versus Sissoko has been a debate that hasn't really been heatedly discussed. Yet. Veterans are still worried about Ben Arfa's imminent return, while lots are discouraged by Cabaye's deep positioning. I'll proably have a quick look at Cabaye's movement in recent games and see what I can come up with.
The elite options
With only Liverpool and Spurs playing in the week, those with decent stats to back up their high scores are all the usual suspects really.
The Emerging Defenders
Vertonghen nearly got a hattrick. Oh the sarcasm. Enrique got an assist though, which is mildly interesting but will need more consistency to warrant a real scan.
Top All Rounders:
Tier 1: Bale
Tier 2: Townsend, Downing, Lukaku, Benteke
To be Given Verdict:
All-Rounders: Townsend, Downing, Lukaku
Shooters/Creators: Cabaye, Rodriguez, Sigurdsson
Townsend
For 4.4, what Townsend has done THIS GAME has been enough to warrant some attention at least. His heat maps suggest that he plays mainly on the right, and rightly so. 7 out of 9 attempts to beat his man have come from the right flank itself, and his open play crossing has some accuracy to it.
Shooting wise, he does take his shots from outside the box and you can imagine that he's not the kind of player that drifts into the box as a winger ala Hal Robson Kanu, but at least we have clearly defined his role now in the QPR side.
Conclusion? I wouldn't pick him up. For his price he's certainly one of the best, but looking at market trends, mid price forwards such as Remy, Benteke, Lukaku and even Papiss Cisse have garnered more interestm leaving us to invest in 4 expensive midfielders alongside Moussa Sissoko. Once again, only those with a front lineup of say, Rooney/RVP/Suarez would certainly consider Townsend. Not me. Not on Watchlist
Downing
In terms of his stats, the Spurs game summed it up quite nicely: 2/3 open play crosses were key passes, otherwise he had nothing beyond 1 decent attempt on goal. Beyond crossing there's not much more be can do. Even Liverpool fans would admit that his goal was quite fortunate to go through the defender's legs on the line.
I've mocked Stewart Downing many times before. United fans have mocked Stewart Downing as much. Liverpool fans probably have had as many goes at him as me. 2 goals and an assist later, you'd consider his price tag at 5.7 to be SOMEWHAT useful, but as with Andros Townsend, there just isn't any space for him at the moment. Not on Watchlist
Lukaku
Well Lukaku had the potential to jizz all over Swansea and if not for a really good save by Vorm, Lukaku would've been making lots of waves in the FPL crowd. The big man is quite a curious case, as he actually uses his size to beat players ion the ground rather than in the air, which is working so far for him anyway.
What's interesting about Lukaku is that his passing patterns are actually generating key passes, albeit really short and simple ones. Still, they're mostly in the final third of the pitch, and I'd be quite curious to pick him up post GW33 MAYBE if he still is able to start. Watchlist for now personally, it's really, really hard to displace my current front 3. Watchlist 2
Cabaye
I find myself considering Yohan Cabaye in my squad time and time again, wondering who is it that possessed me to buy Moussa Sissoko in the first place. The rational mind commanded me to get Cabaye in my Wildcard team in January, and he was the first casualty. For Adel Taarabt of all people. On to his stats.
Yohan Cabaye, playing a Gerrard-esque role in a 4-2-3-1 Newcastle side, had Cheikh Tiote marshalling the midfield alongside him. You'd logically think that Tiote would sheild the back four and Cabaye would spray Alonso-like passes across the field or simple ones to Moussa Sissoko, but we are all quite wrong here. In the game against Stoke, Cabaye and Tiote made most of Newcastle's key passes from deep, with only Gouffran and Cisse the remaining key pass providers as short cutbacks.
So what does this say for Moussa Sissoko? Is he the real deal or just inconsistent? The next game will tell us for sure, but at the moment I can't really spare a transfer to bring Cabaye in (or rather, I should have done that last week). Watchlist for now. Watchlist 2
Rodriguez
Jay Rodriguez is in the shadow of a fast-becoming-not-so-popular Rickie Lambert and his production has always been "there", just not producing FPL points. The stats of a striker are there: 4 shots on goal, 3 in the box, 2 on target (according to Squawka anyway).
Problem with ol' Jay is that everything else about him is shit. He can't pass, or cross, or beat his man, or win aerial duels. At 5.1 though he'd be a pretty good bench player to have, especially if you're thinking of fielding Gerrard, Bale, Mata, Walcott and another Double Gameweeker in your team with Suarez and RVP up front. no benching headaches, and your FTs every week can be used to change up the Double Gameweeker. Decent strategy. If Benteke loses form I'd consider Remy first, then him. Watchlist 2
Sigurdsson
Sigurdsson was a replacement for the injured Lennon ( I think) and I've always been a fan of his since Swansea, but unless Siggy is the star of the show, there is almost no way he's going to shine in matches. Liverpool wasn't an exception either, his 5 attempts were mostly blocked or missed. Doesn't make the watchlist for me, but I do hope to see him in action more ince Spurs qualify for the Champions League *spoiler alert* Not on Watchlist
Conclusion:
Wishlist: -
Watchlist 1:
Watchlist 2: Lukaku, Cabaye, Rodriguez
Watchlist Changes: Completely wiped the Watchlist (obviously) and so with new players on the board, at least I have decent alternative picks in case of injuries or unexpected blanks in the coming Gameweeks.
No recommendations this week. All the elite players have really good fixtures. Usually I'd recommend Benteke for this week if you don't have him already, but umm it's strategy dependent at the moment really. Without information on the upcoming DGWs, you might as well do 0 transfers now and let the international break after GW30 sort things out for you. Get an icecream and come back next Friday.
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