FPL GW4 Watchlist – Stand Out Players Who Impressed In GW1-3

In this article we shall focus on teams & players that have impressed in the opening 3 GWs & have a good fixture run going forward, at least up until the next international break after GW7. We shall repeat this analysis before GW8 so that we keep the wheel rolling to hopefully find FPL gems for our teams. We believe this article(FPL GW4 Watchlist) will prove beneficial for managers to make an informed decision, whether on a wildcard or having to decide on the best option for the free transfer(s), before the GW4 deadline.

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⭐ Teams Watchlist

⚔ Strong Attackers

Teams that have displayed good attacking intent with favorable fixtures ahead. The higher the numbers, better the team. The lesser the difference between expected & actual performance, the more reliable a team & their players are. League position for various stats are mentioned in ( ).

🐺 Wolves

You would be forgiven if you called them last season’s Brighton for having massively underachieved their expected goals (xG) data. They endured a daunting opening 3 GWs having faced teams like Leicester, Spurs & Manchester United, but still put up some pretty impressive numbers. They are yet to score a goal this season but had more shots than their opposition in all 3 matches.

Wolves have adapted quickly to new manager Bruno Lage’s attacking tactics like a duck to water. Their intricate play & shots on target ratio definitely are promising enough to consider their players for our FPL teams. With a brilliant upcoming fixture run, Wolves surely cannot underachieve anymore! If you needed any more reason to include a Wolves player, the below stats should definitely convince you.

Team stats GW 1-3

• Goals scored = 0, xG = 5.40 (4^th) – scored 0 goals when they should have scored at least 5 👀
• Goal attempts = 57 (3^rd)
• Chances created = 45 (3^rd)
• Big chances created = 3 (7^th)
• Shots inside box = 36 (3^rd)
• Shots on target = 14 (5^th)
• Mins. per xG = 52.8 (4^th)
• xG on target = 3.21 (9^th)

🟢 Players to target: Jiménez (7.4m), Adama Traoré (6m)

Further Read: FPL Gameweek 4 Fixture Swings: Teams and Players to Target and Avoid

🍬 Everton

Everton under Rafa Benítez has been impressive in the 3 matches against Southampton, Leeds & Brighton. Many people, even hardcore fans, were not convinced with his appointment as the Toffees manager, owing to his successful Liverpool career. Considered to be a defensive manager, Everton’s attacking stats over the last few matches are comparable to those of upper table teams.

Calvert-Lewin (DCL) has been the focal point of their attack & the whole team has been complementing him with good chance creation. DCL (8.2m) has scored in all 3 matches & is the designated penalty taker as well. Look out for info on his injury status before transferring him in. Demarai Gray (5.6m) is a budget alternative who has been a positive influence on the side & his resurgence has contributed greatly to the attacking output. Also, Abdoulaye Doucouré (5.5m) is attacking the box more & could challenge others in the 5.5m bracket.

Team stats GW 1-3

• Goals scored = 7, xG = 5.34 (5^th)
• Goal attempts = 45 (5^th)
• Chances created = 38 (4^th)
• Big chances created = 4 (6^th)
• Shots inside box = 28 (6^th)
• Shots on target = 19 (2^nd)
• Mins. per xG = 53.2 (5^th)
• xG on target = 7.49 (3^rd)

From the above stats, it is evident that Everton have performed like a top 6 team & with upcoming fixtures against Burnley, Villa & Norwich, they can continue their rich vein of form.

🟢 Players to target: DCL, Gray, Doucouré

Further Read: A Guide To FPL Team Structure | Wildcard FPL Gameweek 4

⚪ Leeds United

Leeds are yet to reproduce their heroics of the 2020/21 season. They had started last season with the 4-3 thriller against Liverpool. Even though they lost that match Bielsa’s high intensity tactics captured the imagination of soccer fans. This season however, they have shown glimpses of their attacking intent in the opening matches but have not been able to dominate opponents with their high intensity pressing.

Team stats GW1-3

• Goals scored = 4, xG = 3.18 (15^th)
• Goal attempts = 39 (7^th)
• Chances created = 29 (7^th)
• Big chances created = 4 (6^th)
• Shots inside box = 19 (13^th)
• Shots on target = 9 (8^th)
• Mins. per xG = 89 (14^th)
• xG on target = 3.19 (10^th)

With favorable fixtures ahead the above stats should only get better. Bamford (7.9m) & Raphinha (6.5m) have impressed & still look like the go to options in attack. Dan James has been a refreshing addition to the squad & it could make them more unpredictable to play against.

🟢 Players to target: Bamford (7.9m), Raphinha (6.5m)

⚒ West Ham United

This list would remain incomplete without a word on West Ham & it is akin to saying ‘water is wet’. They have been the most impressive team over the opening period & have picked up from where they left off last season. Being mid-priced assets, West ham players look like perfect season keepers, especially Michail Antonio (7.9m) who is in the form of his life.

Team stats GW1-3

• Goals scored = 10, xG = 6.64 (3^rd)
• Goal attempts = 51 (4^th)
• Chances created = 40 (4^th)
• Big chances created = 8 (3^rd)
• Shots inside box = 38 (2^nd)
• Shots on target = 19 (2nd)
• Mins. per xG = 42.6 (3rd)
• xG on target = 8.52 (2^nd)

The FDR might suggest them of having a mixed set of fixtures, but based on above stats as well as the eye test, they are definitely playing like a top 4 team. So those considering to remove West Ham players on WCs or free transfers to make way for Ronaldo or downgrading options, we suggest “to strike while the Iron(s) is hot” & rather jump on them until they show massive decline in form.

🟢 Players to target: Antonio, Benrahma (6.4m), Fornals (6m)

🧱 Strong Defences

🐺 Wolves

In addition to going for their attackers, Wolves are a good team to invest for defensive returns as well. In spite of playing some tough opening fixtures they have remained tight as a unit at the back. They look well organized & hopefully can sustain that mentality against their upcoming easier opponents as well. They have been playing with 5 defenders at the back & there is talk that Lage might opt for 4 defenders moving forwards. But, it is still viable that he continues with the same setup due to them already being a good attacking force (as discussed earlier). After all, Tuchel (Chelsea), Potter (Brighton) & now Lage has shown us that 5 at the back does not necessarily mean a defensive formation.

Team stats GW 1-3

• Big chances conceded = 3 (3^rd)
• Goal attempts conceded = 27 (2^nd)
• Goal attempts in box conceded = 20 (5^th)
• xG conceded = 2.51 (4^th)
• Mins. per xG conceded = 113.5 (4^th)
• Shots on target conceded = 14 (8^th)

🟢 Players to target: Semedo (4.9m), Coady (4.5m), José Sá (5m). Saïss (5m) is a genuine threat if he manages to keep his place.

Further Read- FPL GW4 Wildcard – Best Combinations, Strategy Tips, And Team Reveal

🔴 Liverpool

To mention Liverpool as a reliable defence is just stating the obvious & most of us would have at least one defender from Liverpool (ahem Tsimikas owners!). They have not been foolproof though & Alisson has bailed them out a few times as well but with Van Dijk (6.5m) leading the backline again, there is food for thought about possible defensive double ups. Most people have been looking at including Diogo Jota (7.6m), in addition to the highly owned pair of Salah (12.5m) & Trent (7m), after the injury to Firmino (8.8m). With so many budget midfield options to chose from having equally good fixtures, it might be a shrewd move to double up on their defence instead.

Team stats GW 1-3

• Clean sheets = 2
• Goals conceded = 1, xG conceded = 2.9 (6^th)
• Big chances conceded = 3 (3^rd)
• Goal attempts conceded = 29 (3^rd)
• Goal attempts in box conceded = 22 (7^th)
• Mins. per xG conceded = 96.9 (6^th)
• Shots on target conceded = 9 (3^rd)

* The next 3 opponents – Leeds, Palace & Brentford have looked suspect at defending set pieces & VVD or Matip (5m) or Robertson (7m) along with TAA could score more points than Jota. Interestingly, there have been 3 goal involvements from Liverpool defenders in the last 2 matches against Leeds!

Further Read- A Guide To FPL Team Structure | Wildcard FPL Gameweek 4

Before going further, Do vote in this week’s FPL GW4 allaboutfpl captaincy poll. The same will be available in the captaincy analysis and metrics blog written by@AK_FPL1. The metrics has been delivering consistently with a 100% record this year. Last week the metric predicted Antonio as the best captaincy candidate ahead of Salah, Son, and Kane and he scored a monster haul once again. Stay tuned for the GW4 Captaincy metric to see who tops it!

[Total_Soft_Poll id=”13″]

The results and the captaincy metric blog will be published soon based on the votes.

⭐ Players Watchlist – Enabling Ronaldo

Since many managers are planning to transfer in Ronaldo (12.5m) for their teams (myself included!), below are few budget forward and midfield options (<7.5m) based on last 3 GWs of data. Only those players with a reasonable fixture difficulty rating (FDR) in the next 4 GWs are included so as to provide points potential as well, rather than just remain as bench fodder. I leave it up to you to decide on which player to go for based on budget & personal preferences, since all of them have the potential to score similar points.

Forward options (< 7.5m)

Midfield options (<7.5m) + Jota

Jota is an interesting option if Firmino is ruled out for a few weeks, so let’s include him as well in the discussion.

Thanks for reading & appreciate your support in helping us grow. Hope this article helps you with your decisions & may your arrows be green!

All stats are courtesy of Fantasy Football Scout.

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 4:

A Guide To FPL Team Structure | Wildcard FPL Gameweek 4
FPL GW4: Goalkeepers Analysis | Best Goalkeeping Option
FPL GW4 Wildcard – Best Combinations, Strategy Tips, And Team Reveal
FPL Gameweek 4 Fixture Swings: Teams and Players to Target and Avoid
Why You Don’t Need to Wildcard This Early Into The 2021/22 FPL Season
Bruno Fernandes Hold or Sell Going Into FPL GW4 | Stats Analysis
FPL GW3 Fixture Wise Stats Review | Key FPL Stats that Caught our Eye
2021/22 FPL Chip Strategy: What to do with the Elusive Boosts
Fixture Analysis For Optimal Wildcard Strategy | FPL 2021/22 Season

We have also made an elaborate guide covering every rule and chip available in FPL for the 2021/22 FPL Season ~ 2021/22 Fantasy Premier League Season Rules, Tips | The Ultimate Guide

Check out our Rules and Basics Guide, FPL Chip Strategy, FPL Chips, FPL Team reveals, FPL History, team reveals, FPL Tools here.

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We’ll be covering fixture analysis, players to watch out for in FPL Gameweek 4, differential picks, Wildcard drafts, captaincy metrics, transfer trend analysis, expected line up, press conference summaries, Buy, hold, sell analysis for FPL gameweek four, our expert panel team reveals and more. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for all our blogs and subscribe to our free newsletter through the link below. We’ll also be posting regularly about the same on our social media accounts so follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook keep our notification ON.

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