As we count down the hours towards the Gameweek 4 deadline, there’s just enough time to turn our attention to another player worthy of the FPL spotlight Ollie Watkins (£8.0m) has started the new season in sparkling form for Aston Villa in all competitions and could well steal the show this weekend.
Last season, the former Brentford man enjoyed his best Premier League campaign yet for Aston Villa, scoring 15 goals in 37 appearances, beating his previous high of 14 goals in 2020-21. Whilst he is yet to get off the mark in 2023-24, that hasn’t stopped him from racking up a healthy portion of FPL points, pleasing an ownership that currently stands above 20%.
As it stands, Watkins has recorded an assist in all of the last three gameweeks, accumulating 5 points on each occasion. Fielded as a central striker by Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery, Watkins has proven a constant goal threat and it is only a matter of time before he opens his goalscoring account for the season in the Premier League.
However, the 27-year-old also started in Aston Villa’s Europa Conference League play-off first leg against Scottish side Hibernian, who Watkins duly put to the sword. A hat-trick completed before the 50th minute mark in a 0-5 win for the Villains in Edinburgh further underlined Watkins’ offensive potency.
Four starts, three goals and three assists in all competitions is an ominous return from the Villa forward, who is yet to blank so far this season from an FPL point of view. His side travel to Anfield in Gameweek 4 to face Liverpool. Whilst this is a tough fixture on paper, the Reds will be without captain and star centre-back Virgil Van Dijk through suspension. The hosts are also yet to keep a clean sheet after three gameweeks, so fantasy bosses should not be put off Watkins, who will be desperate to prove a point after being overlooked by England boss Gareth Southgate for the upcoming September internationals.