Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 3

Our weekly assessment of the upcoming schedules finds a potentially prosperous outlook for the north London duo over the next four to six Gameweeks, though the fixtures seem a little more cruel for a trio of midlands-based outfits.

The Strong

West Ham

It’s two clean sheets from two for Sam Allardyce’s side after Saturday’s goalless draw at Newcastle. The Hammers upcoming four fixtures bode well for further returns at both ends of the pitch – home games with Stoke and Everton, coupled with trips to Southampton and Hull seem favourable for Jussi Jaaskelainen and James Collins owners, while Kevin Nolan will be confident of adding to the Gameweek 1 strike against Cardiff. The schedule takes a turn for the worse around Gameweek 7, though, giving us enough time to plan exit routes in advance.

Fulham

The Cottagers are afforded plenty opportunity to bounce back from last Saturday’s lunchtime defeat by Arsenal with a run of six fixtures which is rated the kindest of any side. Martin Jol’s men play host to West Brom, Cardiff and Stoke and with trips to goal-shy Newcastle and Palace also scheduled, Darren Bent could be set for a rise in ownership after climbing off the bench to score on his debut. Dimitar Berbatov will also be favoured, though the Bulgarian is expected to drop into “the hole” behind Bent, while Sascha Riether’s raiding runs from right-back may provide attacking returns. Aaron Hughes and David Stockdale could be decent budget prospects if Fernando Amorebieta and Maarten Stekelenburg remain sidelined with injury, though Brede Hangeland’s appeal may be on the up in light of the new bonus system.

Arsenal

While some may be deterred by Sunday’s north London derby, it’s worth remembering the last five at the Emirates have harvested 30 goals – Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud owners will have no fear heading into this one. After that, Arsene Wenger’s men have a schedule which could bring investment their ways at both ends of the pitch – home clashes against Stoke and Norwich, and visits to Sunderland and West Brom all look potentially prosperous, with Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker coming back onto the radar after the Gunners bounced back quickly from the Gameweek 1 defeat at the hands of Villa.

Tottenham

Andre Villas-Boas’ side also come into consideration over the next six matches. Spurs also have a clash with Chelsea on their agenda which may temper investment but with home games against Norwich and West Ham, supplemented with visits to Cardiff and Villa, plenty will be loading up on Roberto Soldado after the Spaniard notched in each of the first two Gameweeks. A weekend switch to 4-3-3 boosted Paulinho’s prospects of attacking points considerably, though many will wait until the transfer window closes until assessing the situation properly. With a clean sheet in each of their opening two, the Tottenham defence seems to have stepped up this season so far – Jan Vertonghen has collected bonus points in both his appearances, while Michael Dawson offers a cheaper alternative to the Belgian in the heart of the back-four.

Liverpool

Similar to Spurs, Brendan Rodgers’ side have also kicked off their campaign with back-to-back 1-0 wins. Once this weekend’s clash against United is out the way, investment in the Reds looks a likely tactic in light of their following five fixtures (swa, SOU, sun CPL, new) and with further analysis showing Liverpool have just one tricky match from Gameweek 4 to 11, many Fantasy managers will be pinpointing the Merseysiders as a source of points. Simon Mignolet looks the kindest route into the backline until the prognosis on Kolo Toure’s groin problem becomes a little clearer, while further up the pitch, Philippe Coutinho has hinted at producing the points without quite yet delivering. Daniel Sturridge continues to shine up top – a hefty bandwagon looks on the cards if he maintains his recent impressive displays as the Reds lone forward.

Also Consider

Hull – granted, a trip to City is far from enticing but Steve Bruce’s side are then handed three home games in four (CAR, new, WHM, AVL) to build on last week’s win over Norwich at the KC Stadium. Robbie Brady’s move to the left of a front three, allied with spot-kick duties, has already paid off for the 5.0 midfielder – he is bound to pick up some new owners, while James Chester’s budget 4.0 FPL price tag should bring investment his way at the back.

Newcastle – there’s no doubt the fixtures still fall in favour of the Magpies. With home games against Fulham and Hull, in addition to trips to Villa and Cardiff in the upcoming five Gameweeks, the schedule smiles kindly on Alan Pardew’s side – the problem, however, is whether they are capable of taking advantage of such a run. Yet to score this season, the Tyneside team have found the net just twice in their last eight league games – a clear sign of the lack of form from the likes of Papiss Cisse and Hatem Ben Arfa – though a clean sheet accrued against West Ham last Saturday may persuade some to take a punt on the likes of 4.5 priced Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa at the back.

Southampton – unlucky only to pick up a single point at home to Sunderland, Mauricio Pochettino’s team will be confident of further returns ahead of a kind run of matches. The Saints face a trip to Norwich and home games against West Ham, Palace and Swansea, offering Rickie Lambert the chance to return to goalscoring ways, though new boy Pablo Osvaldo looks one to watch once he nails down a regular role. At the back, Artur Boruc’s cut-price appeal should help the stopper pick up more suitors, while Luke Shaw’s new owners will be hoping he recovers from the knee problem that forced him off against the Black Cats; Nathaniel Clyne offers a similarly-priced alternative route into Pochettino’s backline although he is far from assured a start with Callum Chambers starting the opening two fixtures.

The Weak

Chelsea

After Monday’s draw at United, Jose Mourinho’s side brace themselves for a schedule which hands them just one home game in the next four. Up next for Chelsea is a blank Gameweek 3 and with trips to Spurs and Everton on either side of a home clash with Fulham, investment in the Blues is likely to slow down. The imminent arrival of Willian merely adds to what was an already convoluted midfield area, while the chopping and changing up front suggest Mourinho’s teamsheets could disappoint over the season. At the back, though, there’s a greater consistency of selection –Branislav Ivanovic owners may hold due to his goal threat, while John Terry’s relatively kinder price also brings him into consideration, with the Blues looking particularly resilient under Mourinho once again.

Aston Villa

Similar to the Blues, Paul Lambert’s side also have a blank Gameweek 3 on the horizon. A home clash with Newcastle looks potentially prosperous before a trip to Lambert’s former club Norwich precedes a showdown with City. Christian Benteke owners will perhaps look to hold, given his Gameweek 1 exploits, while Villa may even fancy their chances of earning a clean sheet in light of Newcastle’s woeful attacking form.

Sunderland

Having picked up a somewhat fortuitous point at St Mary’s on Saturday, Paolo Di Canio’s side prepare for a daunting run of fixtures. While a trip to Palace offers a little respite this weekend, the Wearsiders will then welcome Arsenal, Liverpool and United in three of the following four Gameweeks – with a single goal scored and no clean sheets in their first two fixtures, few will be keen to draft in any Sunderland players ahead of such a run.

Also Be Wary Of

Norwich – lucky to earn a draw in the season opener at home to Everton, the Canaries failed to find a way past Hull last week despite their opponents playing most of the game with 10 men. Looking at the fixture list, Chris Hughton’s unit face a real uphill battle to improve upon their recent displays – home clashes with in-form Southampton, Villa and Chelsea, allied with trips to Spurs, Stoke and Arsenal will perhaps force Robert Snodgrass and Ricky Van Wolfswinkel owners to think twice over holding, while Michael Turner and co may struggle to present us with defensive returns.

Stoke – Mark Hughes may have registered his first win as Potters boss but, in the short-term at least, the fixtures are likely to pose problems. Trips to West Ham and Arsenal, with the visit of City in between, suggest returns at either end of the pitch may be hard to come by, with a home clash against Norwich the only bright spot on the horizon.

West Brom – with Romelu Lukaku back at Chelsea and Nicolas Anelka possibly set to hang up his boots, Steve Clarke’s side are toiling up top. One of only two sides – along with Newcastle – yet to find the net this term, the midlands outfit have an upcoming schedule which could see them continue to struggle – showdowns with Swansea, United and Arsenal in the next five, in addition to a Gameweek 8 trip to Stoke, look enough to deter many from drafting in the Baggies assets. With Ben Foster sidelined for up to 12 weeks with a foot injury that forced him off last weekend, those holding West Brom defensive assets may be considering a switch once the home clash with Swansea has passed.