Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 5
Filed under: Frisking the Fixtures - Posted by: Paul
Our midweek regular returns once again as we cast an eye over the upcoming schedules and reassess our Fantasy options. West Brom climb in our thinking, while Swansea and Tottenham continue to be smiled upon kindly by the fixture list:
The Strong
West Brom
Steve Clarke’s side are offered the perfect opportunity to bounce back from a first defeat of the season with a strong run of upcoming fixtures. Reduced to 10 men after Peter Odemwingie’s rush of blood to the head at Fulham, the Baggies were resultantly battered but now have four home games in the next six to get their campaign back on track.
West Brom welcome (RDG, QPR, SOT) to the Hawthorns and also have a derby trip to Villa on their short-term agenda. The schedule looks likely to attract further investment in a backline that has yet to concede at home this term, with Ben Foster, Liam Ridgewell and Gareth McAuley the usual suspects, while further forward, James Morrison’s role in “the hole” has helped him accrue 20 FPL points thus far. Up top, Shane Long is the likeliest starter, though Romelu Lukaku could be set for more game time in light of Odemwingie’s suspension.
Swansea
The fixture list continues to look prosperous for Michael Laudrup’s troops, with three home games in the next four. A couple of defensive slips saw the Swans lose their unbeaten record at Villa last time round but we still have plenty faith in the likes of Michel Vorm, Ashley Williams and Angel Rangel ahead of the visit of (EVE, RGD, WIG).
Ben Davies looks a decent cut-price option at left-back over those fixtures and with a trip to Stoke also thrown in, Michu and Nathan Dyer still look primed for points. Wayne Routledge and Danny Graham owners might be a little concerned after they were both replaced midway through the second-half last weekend and with their schedule taking a turn for the worse from Gameweek 9, many Fantasy managers will already be planning an exit strategy.
Tottenham
Having registered their first win of the campaign under Andre Villas-Boas, Spurs have further reasons to be cheerful. The London outfit have four strong looking fixtures in the next six, with (QPR, AVL, WIG) all rolling up to the Lane, while a Gameweek 9 trip to Southampton seems another winnable fixture.
Clashes against United and Chelsea will no doubt test their resolve but the aforementioned quartet of matches will surely see investment come Gareth Bale’s way. Jermain Defoe remains in the driving seat as the lone striker, while Aaron Lennon has quietly, but effectively, been adding points to his tally with a couple of assists so far. At the back, Kyle Walker picked up his first attacking returns of the season with an assist at Reading, though Kyle Naughton could be a cut-price short-term alternative, should Benoit Assou-Ekotto required a spell on the sidelines with a knee problem.
Everton
More than a little unlucky to register a home draw with Newcastle on Monday evening, the Toffees favourable schedule over the next couple of months suggests they will feature highly in our weekly Frisking articles.
The next four sees David Moyes’ side head to (swa, wig, qpr) in addition to a home clash with Southampton – Leighton Baines, Steven Pienaar and Marouane Fellaini will all continue to pick up interest, though Nikica Jelavic’s owners are holding their breath over the injury that forced him off just before half-time against the Magpies. Kevin Mirallas could be set to prosper if the Croatian is absent, though Victor Anichebe may prove to be a real differential punt.
Also Consider
West Ham – Sam Allardyce’s troops have shown plenty of defensive resolve with three clean sheets in the opening four Gameweeks. A run of fixtures which sees the Hammers square up to (SUN, qpr, SOT, wig) in the next five is likely to see further investment in their Fantasy assets – Jussi Jaaskelainen has also been racking up the save points, Guy Demel offers a cut-price option at right-back, while Kevin Nolan, with a goal in each of his two home games, are the stand-out options.
Fulham – normally, a schedule that reads (wig, sot, rdg) would be considered kind but when it comes to the Cottagers, there’s reason to be wary. Martin Jol’s side scored just 12 times on their travels last season but with Dimitar Berbatov now on board, they could well prosper over the upcoming Gameweeks. Fulham’s superb home form under Jol will certainly hold no fear ahead of visits from City and Villa in the next five.
Southampton – bottom of the table within a single point to their name, the Saints are in dire need of an upturn in fortunes. Nigel Adkins’ side now have three home clashes in the next five, with (AVL, FUL, TOT) all making their way to St Mary’s – if they are to get their season back on track, a couple of wins here look essential. Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana are the obvious names, though Gaston Ramires looks a decent differential in midfield.
Wigan – the Latics will look to recover from a 4-0 Old Trafford mauling and have three home games in the next five to return to form. Roberto Martinez’s side welcome (FUL, EVE, WHM) to the DW in the next five Gameweeks – Emmerson Boyce’s forward forays from the right of midfield could come to fruition for the out of position defender, while Shaun Maloney, with spot-kick duties in his locker, has already returned a goal and assist for his owners.
The Weak
Norwich
After a 5-0 opening day drubbing, Chris Hughton has steadied the ship with three back-to-back draws but the Canaries are braced for a difficult next few matches before the schedule begins to ease up. With Norwich facing (new, LIV, che, ARS) in the next four Gameweeks, John Ruddy can be expected to rack up plenty of save points, though faith in the likes of Robert Snodgrass and Grant Holt may be somewhat tempered.
Stoke
Tony Pulis’ side registered their fourth consecutive 1-1 draw of the season last weekend at home to City and while the Potters have been typically resilient, the fixture list shows no let-up. Stoke travel to (che, liv, mun) in the next four Gameweeks, with a home clash against Swansea offering the only respite in a tough start to the season. The fixture list smiles a little kinder from Gameweek 9 onwards, though – good news for owners of the likes of Robert Huth, Ryan Shawcross, Peter Crouch and Jon Walters. Crouch, in particular, has been a stand-out for the Potters – he currently sits on 27 FPL points, one more than Robin Van Persie.
Reading
With a single point from their first three and seven goals conceded in the last two matches, it’s not been the best of starts for the Championship winners. Brian McDermott’s side now hit the road three times in the next four, with an upcoming schedule that reads (wba, NEW, swa, liv). While the Royals boss will be comforted by the fact his side have found the net in all their games so far, Pavel Pograbnyak’s 11% of FPL owners may well be thinking of jumping ship with a difficult time ahead.
Also Be Wary Of…
Man United – Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have, conceivably, one straightforward fixture in the next six Gameweeks. With (liv, TOT, new, STO, che, ARS) on their upcoming agenda, though, Ferguson may well decide to do away with the rotation policy that bit hard against Wigan last time out – the club can surely ill-afford to bench the likes of Robin Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa if they are to successfully navigate such a schedule.
Arsenal – Arsene Wenger’s new-look side will be put firmly to the test over the next few Gameweeks, with a number of tricky trips ahead for the Gunners. A period which sees Arsenal travel to City and United, in addition to a visit to West Ham, also hands them a home clash with Chelsea in Gameweek 6. The defensive resilience which has seen Wenger’s side concede just a single goal will be key to their chances, while Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski offer the main attacking threat, as both look to add to their respective 24-point FPL tallies thus far.
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September 19 at 6:01 pm
marvellus says:
Is there a way of telling how many teams are in a Global league?
My ‘girlfriends’ team is top of the Mauritian league, want to know how many are in it without pressing next forever.
Typical, her team is my gut instinct team, that I spent about two mins on a week. And I spend ages on my team, which is 29th in the league. Follow my gut!
September 19 at 6:07 pm
Milanista says:
Go on to the second page of the league table. Then look at the web address and change the page 2 to a higher number until you find the last page.
September 19 at 6:09 pm
Locarno says:
Glad someone else typed that. I thought it was probably the most complicated way.
When you find the number, multiply by 50. And add those on the last page.
September 19 at 6:36 pm
marvellus says:
Cheers both.
September 19 at 7:22 pm
Back on the horse says:
did you put girlfriend in quotation marks because you don’t really have one?
September 19 at 7:29 pm
Ginkapo-Rule No.1: wwkd? says:
Why did I follow you here
September 19 at 7:32 pm
kaz says:
and i followed u here
September 19 at 7:33 pm
Ginkapo-Rule No.1: wwkd? says:
lol
September 19 at 6:02 pm
Phaze 1 says:
Quick question guys. Who would you rather have outta this lot.
A) RVP, Michu, Cuellar, Davis
B) Ba, Bale, Baines, Rafael?
September 19 at 6:05 pm
marvellus says:
I’d say B.
Not in the RVP camp, don’t think I ever will be.
September 19 at 6:03 pm
Krisbee says:
Play Fletcher or Kaca (I’m playing Demel and Jussi so its tricky whether to play Fletch!)
September 19 at 6:04 pm
Home Run Baker says:
Fletcher
September 19 at 6:06 pm
Krisbee says:
ok play jussi and demel or cuellar/gibbs?
September 19 at 6:07 pm
Home Run Baker says:
Definitely start Gibbs
September 19 at 6:07 pm
Home Run Baker says:
Starting players on opposing teams is a fine strategy. Not unlike avoiding 2 DEFs on the same team. A good hedge.
September 19 at 6:03 pm
Count Of Monte Hristo - Heisenberg 1 Gus Fring 0 says:
Is Donnie Darko a good film?
September 19 at 6:04 pm
marvellus says:
No. Awful.
Most would disagree I think.
September 19 at 6:04 pm
The second coming of Moussa Dembele //FFC// UCL team says:
weird but good
September 19 at 6:05 pm
Scroobius Mac says:
I liked it. Good soundtrack.
September 19 at 6:05 pm
Marouannie! Get your guns!!! Fantasy UCL code 1208736-421041 says:
Not bad. I wouldn’t show it to a depressed teenager though.
September 19 at 6:06 pm
Count Of Monte Hristo - Heisenberg 1 Gus Fring 0 says:
Haha safe from that here. I’ll leave it for now.
September 19 at 6:09 pm
Pork Pie Sausage Roll says:
Not bad, but ridiculously overrated.
September 19 at 6:10 pm
Locarno says:
^This^
September 19 at 6:11 pm
MartinUnreal says:
I can’t stand Jake Gyllenhall or whatever his name is.
September 19 at 6:18 pm
1874FC says:
Not good, but ridiculously underrated
September 20 at 8:42 pm
Derm says:
Great film, not overrated.
September 19 at 6:05 pm
isacki - losing makes winning sweeter says:
Come. On. Juventus.
September 19 at 7:30 pm
kaz says:
+ 44
September 19 at 6:06 pm
MrFlibbles says:
Would like some opinions on these players:
Ridgewell Vs McAuley – 0.2 price difference will both keep places?
Kagawa Vs HBA – Will Newcastle start performing better and will kagawa get the minutes?
Berba Vs Ba Vs Graham Vs Fletcher – 3rd striker slot, I have Graham but he seems to not be returning the points and doesant seem to be much between the other strikers except fixtures – can berba do well away from home?
September 19 at 6:07 pm
Blue Moon Rising says:
Ruddy I Schwarzer
Ivanovic I Zabaleta I Demel I Harte I Clyne
Hazard I Michu I Yaya Toure I Piennar I Maloney
RVP I Tevez I Graham
0.3 million in the bank 1 FT
What changes do I need to make?
September 19 at 6:12 pm
Blue Moon Rising says:
Don’t all shout at once!
September 19 at 6:08 pm
Captain Shirokov says:
Thinking Bale (c) this weekend.
September 19 at 6:07 pm
Declan says:
Same here
September 19 at 6:08 pm
Home Run Baker says:
Rather you than me
September 19 at 6:08 pm
MartinUnreal says:
The last time I captained a player playing against QPR he got me 3 points…
September 19 at 6:15 pm
Home Run Baker says:
Twice 1.5?
September 19 at 6:09 pm
UNITED FORCE says:
DAMO SAYS:
” Raheem has 3 kids!? Man that dude fires on all cylinders “
I cant stop laughing
Sooooooooo funny
September 19 at 6:14 pm
Optimus says:
standard…………..charted
September 19 at 6:09 pm
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL says:
Do we think Hazard is essential for the next 5 GW? Or is he fixture-proof?
September 19 at 6:11 pm
Locarno says:
He’s fixture-proof. Whether he’s rested-proof is debatable.
September 19 at 6:15 pm
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL says:
Thanks..OK,let’s watch Chelsea-Juventus for now..
September 19 at 6:09 pm
Matt - Manager of Reims, the best club in France (almost) says:
NEW POST
September 19 at 7:37 pm
stupendous says:
Vorm
Boyce Saylor vertonghen
Bale Hazard Yaya Pienaar
Long Tevez Defoe
3m in the bank.
Would be a 4 pt hit to get this team, doing HBA, Graham and RVP for Hazard, Long and Defoe.
What do we think??? I am happy to debark the Rvp train. TOo much Spurs coverage? Keep HBA and forget the Hazard train?
September 20 at 8:29 am
karthik888 says:
noob alert, who is HBA?
September 20 at 5:30 pm
AndyZ says:
Hatim Ben Arfa
September 19 at 7:46 pm
Wii not fit says:
Should I downgrade Mcauley to demel in order to upgrade lambert to berbatov/crouch?
September 20 at 2:50 am
jagshmash says:
not a bad option… you’ll only want to play either at H anyway… though demel hasnt shown any goal threat yet
September 20 at 8:23 am
ATHELTICO TIMBO says:
Yes
September 21 at 8:25 am
BigFootJon says:
YES
September 21 at 1:15 pm
Adam. says:
YES
September 20 at 2:21 am
FredrikH says:
Who to start this weekend?
A) Distin – Swa (A)
B) Clark – Sou (A)
C) Davies – Eve (H)
September 20 at 10:58 am
fusen says:
I never see Sunderland in either ‘Strong’ or ‘Weak’ sections on frisking articles.
September 20 at 7:30 pm
nige2111 says:
Any help from wise heads much appreciated, good feeling about Dembele this week, not sure about defence long term, any thoughts welcome about changes as getting spanked in my league at the mo…cheers
Jaaskelainen (Dederici)
Baines I Rangel I Demel (Lowton, Jenks)
Hazard I Dembele (c) I Santi Cazorla I Michu (Guthrie)
Berbatov I Van Persie I Tevez
September 21 at 8:25 am
BigFootJon says:
looks good to me, you got any concerns about Tevez being rested?
I like Dembele idea, TOT have good fixtures coming up, although not sure if I would have him as my captain, maybe go with Berbatov or Hazard?
September 21 at 8:33 am
BigFootJon says:
mmm change that TOT have SOME good fixtures coming up, but theres also ManU Chelsea…
September 21 at 8:22 am
BigFootJon says:
any selection advice for me?
Jasskelainen , (McCarthy)
Reid, Naughton, Bertrand, (Demel), (Wilson)
Kaca, Cazorla, Hazard, Yaya (Sterling)
Defoe, Berbatov, RVP
4.2M in bank
Ive gone crazy an played wildcard! Defence is weak but I prefer a weaker defence to rotate.
Unsure between RVP or Tevez, or possibly go with both and leave out Berbatov or Defoe?
Any thoughts would be good
September 21 at 8:46 am
BigFootJon says:
mmm i decided to take out RVP an put in Ba, giving me 10m to make any changes in the future (ie bring in Tevez or RVP [or Rooney or Aguero!])
September 21 at 8:48 am
j.m says:
I think I’m good for this week but in a dilemma for the next.
Vorm (Federici)
Ivanovic, Ridgewell, Demel (Hangeland, Tierney)
Hazard (VC), Bale (C), Michu, Maloney
RVP, Tevez, Graham
Almost all my players play away next week, against the likes of Man United, Arsenal, Man City and Stoke.
And I’m stuck with dead weight like Federici and Tierney!
Any ideas guys? Much thanks!
September 21 at 8:56 am
BigFootJon says:
do you have any transfers left for this week or money? upgrading Tierney to O’brien for extra 0.1 would give you some extra options?
September 21 at 1:12 pm
Adam. says:
Federici –> Begovic
September 21 at 1:12 pm
Adam. says:
Any hope of Aguero coming back this week? Or will he be rotting on my bench for a 2nd since my WC??
September 21 at 1:16 pm
jaybommber says:
Which of these would you start..
Hangeland Demel Cole A Zabaleta Barnett
thinking first three.. but fletcher is a threat to west ham.. no?
September 21 at 6:01 pm
Christian says:
Foster
Ivanovic Hangeland Jagielka
Hazard(C) Michu Yaya Pienaar
Fletcher RVP(VC) Tevez
(Jussi) Demel Guthrie Clyne
Good to go?
September 21 at 8:43 pm
orangepeel says:
Er…
Routledge or Zabaleta to bench?
September 22 at 9:00 am
puzzydee says:
Jaaskelainen,
Ivanovic, McAuly,Clark/Demel
Nolan, Hazard(c), Michu, Cazorla
Berbatov, Tevez, RVP(vc)
Maloney Mertesacker
Not sure whether to play Clark or Demel.
Any ideas/ suggestions would be much appreciated.
I’m figuring already got West Ham coverage with jaska