This article is part of our Ball Watching series.
I. Congratulations, you just missed the boat on owning Jonathan Walters.
The Stoke forward has scored in three of his last four appearances -- an accomplishment that I'd bet against reoccurring the rest of this season. Worth noting, however, is that fellow Potters forward Peter Crouch picked up a goal and an assist against Arsenal at the weekend. Just when Andrew Laird and I forgot about him on the podcast, he provides a gentle reminder...a very gentle reminder. Please keep staying away from both in most formats.
II. Welbeck Demotion
The return of Olivier Giroud has spelled tough roads ahead for Danny Welbeck. Now thrust into the winger rotation by Arsene Wenger, the young Englishman was relegated to the bench against Stoke at the weekend in favor of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. And with Theo Walcott likely to return in January, Welbeck will be finding himself in an even more difficult fight for playing time. Keep valuing Giroud significantly higher in all formats.
III. Saido Later
Saido Berahino will not be ranked by me in this week's EPL rankings. The West Brom forward was lifted from the starting lineup at the weekend despite West Brom only netting once in its last five games. Both team and player form are poor heading into the condensed schedule, where players will also be given days off, so I'm staying away from all things West Brom until they prove otherwise.
IV. A New Additional to the Top-Tier Strikers
Wilfried Bony is making a case as a top-tier striker along the likes of Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero but at a lower price. I have previously stated that he's my top second-tier forward, but that may not be flattering enough. The Ivorian has scored seven goals in nine games and tops all Premier League players with 19 goals in 2014. The rumors have already started to fly that Bony is now auditioning to replace the now-injured Aguero at Man City.
V. Aguero's Replacement?
Speaking of Aguero, he will miss at least a month after suffering a knee injury very early in Saturday's match against Everton. This opens the door for Stevan Jovetic to live up to his large price tag. Or it could signify the return of Edin Dzeko. Or it could mean that Man City go after the likes of Bony, as previously stated. Either way, Yaya Toure is the No. 1 option for the sky blue side of Manchester. And #2, and #3....
VI. No Austin This Week
I guarantee you I will not be ranking Charlie Austin this week, and it's because of his sending off, not because of his play. Six goals and an assist in his past seven games have made me looking like a fool again and again, but it does not change the fact that he will not play in Gameweek 16.
VII. The return of Diafra Sakho
The West Ham forward's goal as a second-half substitute was dwarfed by Andy Carroll ending his nine-month goal drought with two goals and an assist against Swansea City on Sunday. However, keep in mind that Sakho has now scored seven times in his last eight appearances for West Ham. The scariest part about these two for opposing clubs is that they linked up between each other seamlessly, with Carroll assisting on Sakho's goal. Both should be worth consideration should they start together going forward.
