FPL watchlist: Teams and Players to Target for the Next 5 GWs

The FPL is absolutely buzzing right now! Let’s get straight into my watchlist for the next five GWs. There’s so much happening, and you’ll find every “FPL watchlist,” “FPL teams to target,” and “FPL players to target” answer you will need in this article. I’ve gone deep into this season’s fixtures and trends, and what I’m seeing is too good not to share.

Teams to Target for the Next 5 GWs

If you want to climb the ranks quickly, target fixtures. To find out more about fixture difficulties, refer to Sportsdunia's free Fixture Difficulty Tool. For me, three clubs look ripe for points: Tottenham, Leeds, and Liverpool. These sides not only have great underlying stats but also very winnable matches on the horizon.

• Tottenham: Spurs are showing balanced attacking and defensive play, with clean sheets and attacking returns likely over the next five matches. They’ve got Wolves (A), Leeds (H), Brighton (A), Fulham (H), followed by a goalless Villa, which is as appealing as it gets.
• Leeds: This team surprised me defensively since coming up, keeping two clean sheets already. With Burnley, Brighton, and Fulham as three of their next five, defensive assets from Leeds make my watchlist easily.
• Liverpool: The Reds have started locking up shutouts again and still score late winners. Their run includes Villa, Fulham, and Sunderland, all perfect for attacking and defensive FPL returns.

Honourable mentions go to Man City and Crystal Palace: City for the usual attacking dominance (spoiler alert: Haaland is a fixture-proof monster) and Palace for decent price-value differentials.

FPL Watchlist: Key Players by Position

Now let’s zoom into “FPL players to target” for the next 5 gameweeks, my picklist from recent stats, fixture analysis, and some gut feel.

Goalkeepers

• Sanchez (Chelsea, £5.0m): Nails saves and bonus points, plus an easy run of fixtures.
• Areola (West Ham, £4.5m): Might not get the clean sheets, but racks up saves when WHU are under pressure.

Defenders

• Micky Van de Ven (Tottenham, £4.7m): Looks solid at the back and pops up for attacking returns. A true bonus magnet and top of my watchlist.
• Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace, £4.5m): With Palace’s defensive grit and some attacking threat, Guehi is a cheap way into a good schedule.
• Leeds Defenders (Gudmundsson, £4.0m; others £4.5m): If you love budget options, Leeds defenders have surprised everyone with clean sheets this season.

Midfielders

• Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, £14.5m): No-brainer, right? Salah’s form and favourable fixtures make him the must-own midfielder on my FPL watchlist. Ignore the price hike; he’s worth every penny.
• Cole Palmer (Chelsea, £10.0m): Palmer’s playing time is nailed, and the fixtures are gentle. He can rack up goals and assists vs weaker teams.
• Eberechi Eze (Arsenal, £7.5m): Eze is running the Arsenal attack, shots, key passes, and maybe even penalties. His xG involvement has shot up, making him a differential to target in FPL.

Forwards

• Erling Haaland (Man City, £14m): Haaland is FPL royalty. Even if fixtures aren’t perfect, he delivers, so if you don’t have him yet, find the funds ASAP.
• Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa, £9.0m): Watkins looks really driven for this campaign, and Villa’s tougher matches now seem less daunting based on the current defensive form of opponents.
• Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace, £7.5m): Mateta is criminally under-owned. He leads Palace for shots in the box and keeps delivering, so I’ve added him to my transfer targets.

FPL Watchlist Tips: Strategy for GW5-10

The secret is always fixtures plus form. Navigate the next five by targeting clubs that play promoted and out-of-form sides. Mix must-have premiums like Salah and Haaland with a few differentials, Eze, Van de Ven, and Mateta are great shouts. I’m banking on Tottenham and Leeds for defensive returns, and Liverpool’s attack to haul big. Take a look at Sportdunia's points predictor tool to see what your gameweek score may look like.
So that’s my FPL watchlist for the next 5 FPL gameweeks, packed with “FPL teams to target,” “FPL players to target,” and a little inside scoop. Let me know what you think, and don’t forget to check those lineups an hour before the deadline, it makes all the difference!
May the green arrows be with you this season.