FPL GW6 Watchlist – Stand Out Players Who Impressed In GW5

Adios GW5! Some expected as well as some ‘banana skin’ results reinforce the fact that the Premier League is the most competitive & best league in the world. In the FPL universe, it was a brilliant game week for patient managers. Many of those who took out the likes of Sarr, Benrahma & Toney to bring in Jota (missing chances), Torres (rested), Traore (no comments) & Jimenez will surely feel hard done by GW5. Those who activated the wildcard & lost 20-30 points compared to their previous team would also feel devastated. BUT…but my advice for them would be to stay calm & plan ahead patiently. Play to your strengths & play the fixtures since we have 33 more GWs to go.

Note that there are just 2 more GWs before the next international break, so even a short term 2 week plan can do wonders. After 5 GWs of match data, the following are some of the inferences:

• Norwich, Newcastle, Leeds, Watford & Burnley are the teams to target against for attacking returns.
• Home vs away is again a factor with fans back in the stadium.
• We have an idea about the talismanic players in most of the teams.
• Abundance of players in all price ranges, so be brave to hop on & off players based on fixtures.

Let’s now dive into our weekly article & take a look at some players that caught our eye in GW5. They are viable options based on the next 2 fixtures before the international break kicks in.

Before going further, Do vote in this week’s FPL GW6 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 Salah as the best captaincy candidate and he returned once again in GW5 with a double-digit haul. Stay tuned for the GW5 Captaincy metric to see who tops it. Link to all our FPL Gameweek 6 blogs.

[Total_Soft_Poll id=”15″]

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

FPL GW6 Player Watchlist based on their GW5 Performance

Ismaila Sarr – 6.1m mid, 8.5% owned

GW5 performance: 15 points (2 goals)

The star player of GW5. Norwich City has now lost the last 5 games they played against Watford. Sarr & Co. gave the Norwich defenders a tough time. After scoring against Villa in the season opener, Sarr blanked in the last 3 matches. He definitely had his chances in those matches but Watford as a team underperformed. They were one of the worst attacking teams until they faced Norwich, so credit to all those managers who went en masse to get in Sarr for GW5.

• Goal attempts (on target) – 5 (5) 👀 all on target!
• Shots inside box – 5 (2^nd most in GW5)
• Big chances – 4 (most in GW5)
• Penalty area touches – 9
• xG – 1.57 (2^nd most in GW5)

Next fixtures: NEW (H), LEE (A)

Watford have 2 brilliant fixtures next & face the very obliging defences of Newcastle & Leeds. The Hornets forward line could find joy against the Newcastle defenders. Leeds look defensively shaky & have an injury crisis at the CB position. Sarr has been full of life in all matches he has played & if he is well complemented by his fellow team mates, he could exploit the lack of pace of the defenders in the 2 fixtures.

Further Read: FPL GW5 Fixture wise Stats and Eye Test-Based Review

Allan Saint-Maximin – 6.7m fwd, 11.4% owned

GW5 performance: 8 points (1 goal)

ASM proved that he is indeed the real deal with some stellar & eye-catching performances this season. In previous season’s, his progress was hampered by frequent injury stints possibly by playing out on the wide & tasked to dribble into the box. This resulted in him getting a lot of fouls but at the cost of getting injured as well. This season though, he has been playing centrally & getting into the box more frequently. In the absence of the talismanic Callum Wilson, Saint Max has taken hold of the baton to lead Newcastle from the front. 4 returns in 5 GWs is exactly the sort of form that us FPL managers should take note of.

He has been the most influential player for The Magpies & was unlucky not to get a 15-point return against Leeds. Most people had imagined Bielsa’s Leeds to harass Newcastle, but the match ended up being very open & both teams had opportunities to score more than the 1-1 scoreline. Along with Raphinha, ASM was the best player on the pitch & positionally he was the most forward Newcastle player as well. At 6.7m he could be a brilliant enabler for teams planning for the Ronaldo-Lukaku duo upfront.

• Goal attempts (on target) – 5 (4)
• Shots inside box – 4
• Chances created – 2
• Penalty area touches – 10 (most in GW5)
• xG – 0.28
• xA – 0.40

Next fixtures: WAT (A), WOL (A)

Since Newcastle are deemed to be one of the weakest defences, teams would look to play more attacking against them. This means that ASM could try to break forward in the next 2 away fixtures. He will look to exploit the half spaces & run in behind both the defences on the counter. Watford next could be a very open-ended game where both teams would look to play on the front foot. Against Wolves, Brentford showed us how their defence could be breached with purposeful attacks & breakaways, which Newcastle will look to emulate.

Further Read: Popular Player Comparisons ahead of FPL GW6- Pukki vs ASM vs Armstrong

Marcos Alonso – 5.8m def, 17.5% owned

GW5 performance: 10 points (1 assist)

The Chelsea juggernaut keeps marching on & on (sorry but a bit of a Chelsea fanboy moment there!). Chelsea has been the team to beat this season & along with Liverpool & Manchester United, should provide real competition this season to Manchester City in retaining their title. Not many would disagree that Alonso is one of the best wingbacks to play in the Premier League since Antonio Conte unleashed the beast. Surprisingly, he has even kept Chilwell out of the team, who had a season defining role for Chelsea last season.

Alonso deserves all the credit though, having adapted himself pretty well to Tuchel’s tactics since pre-season. His willingness to join the attack at every given chance & take shots on goal adds to his appeal. Against Spurs, he was the 2^nd most forward player on the pitch & Emerson Royal struggled to keep pace with him. At times he made a mockery of the Spurs backline by running at them alongside Lukaku. He should’ve had a goal, if not for the goal line clearance from Dier. During the ‘Chels-essential’ period starting from GW7 he looks to be the player with the most upside. He has different avenues to points by being on set pieces as well.

• Goal attempts (on target) – 5 (1)
• Shots inside box – 4 (3^rd most in GW5) 👀
• Big chances – 1
• Chances created – 4 (most in GW5)
• Penalty area touches – 5
• xG – 0.52 👀
• xA – 0.20

Next fixtures: MCI (H), SOU (H)

Since Tuchel has become the Chelsea manager, City have only scored once in 3 games against Chelsea. This season Chelsea has looked a bit susceptible & have Mendy to thank for the 1st 3 clean sheets they kept. But this could be attributed a bit to the rotation Tuchel had to do owing to the fitness of some defenders. Alonso is a good bet for those looking to ship out Shaw, Reguilon or Coufal. He is the highest scoring defender as of now & easily passes the eye test & stats test.

Further Read: Differential Captain For GW6: TAA | Brentford Defensive Analysis

Cristiano Ronaldo – 12.7m fwd, 46.7% owned

GW5 performance: 6 points (1 goal)

The legend, the Numero Uno player in the Premier League right now. If you are one among the 50% managers that are yet to be swayed by his iconic status, it is quite evident that Manchester United is Ronaldo right now. From the 3 matches that he has played (Champions league included), he has scored 4 out of the 7 goals they have scored. He does hog the limelight & is becoming their main talismanic player, brushing aside Bruno Fernandes. Unsurprisingly, he is the runaway leader in most of the attacking stats even though he has played only 2 matches!

Against West Ham, he basically camped inside the 18-yard box & if not for Fabianski’s crucial saves, he could’ve easily had another consecutive double-digit return. At least for the next 2 GWs, if you doubt Salah’s captaincy credentials, then Ronaldo is possibly the best FPL captain alternative right now. United have not been at their best, but Ronaldo has been prolific in getting into good scoring areas. With more minutes playing together with his team mates the chemistry should definitely improve.

• Goal attempts (on target) – 7 (5)
• Shots inside box – 7
• Big chances – 3 (2^nd most in GW5)
• Penalty area touches – 13
• xG – 1.84 👀

*All of the above except big chances are GW5 leading stats.

Next fixtures: AVL (H), EVE (H)

The thrill of hearing another hair-raising “Siuuuuuuuuu” from the home fans should be reason enough to consider having Ronaldo in your FPL teams. Ronaldo has scored 9 goals in 14 games against Villa during his previous stint. Villa have been bad defensively & conceded 6 goals in the 2 away games they played this season. Everton have remained defensively susceptible especially to set-pieces & counter attacks. With Pickford also not fit for the encounter it should also undoubtedly be a plum fixture to target.

Hope you enjoyed the article and helps you with your decisions. Look forward to your valuable comments & opinion. May your arrows be green!

All stats & heatmaps are courtesy of Fantasy Football Scout & SofaScore respectively.

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 5:

FPL GW5 Fixture wise Stats and Eye Test-Based Review
Differential Captain For GW6: TAA | Brentford Defensive Analysis
Popular Player Comparisons Ahead Of FPL GW6

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

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