Having analysed those teams with Strong fixtures over the upcoming four-to-six Gameweeks, our second instalment looks at those with a hard time on the horizon. Two of the bottom three are facing further troublesome times, whilst the schedule continues to test Southampton’s resolve:

Southampton

Defeat at the Emirates, partly due to Artur Boruc’s madcap antics, marked the start of Southampton’s protracted run of difficult fixtures. With a trip to Chelsea up next and the visits of Man City and Tottenham in alternate weeks thereafter, Fantasy managers are left with a decision to make over what to do with the Saints assets that have served them so well.

Rotating our Fantasy options looks a possible strategy for the defence (West Brom and Palace offer alternatives across the price ranges), but attacking players such as Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert may struggle to repeat their recent form. James Ward-Prowse’s value has made him popular in some quarters, but with the threat of rotation from the return of Pablo Osvaldo, these fixtures may be the final nail in the coffin for his budget appeal.

Fulham

Rene Meulensteen’s installation as head coach alongside beleaguered manager Martin Jol didn’t have the anticipated impact as the Cottagers slumped to a fifth straight defeat against Swansea. For Fantasy managers, this is academic. Thanks to their appalling form, coupled with the upcoming fixtures, very few will have been scooping up Fulham players. Indeed, the London outfit face an uphill battle to get their season back on track, with Tottenham, Everton and Man City in the next six, though games against West Ham, Aston Villa and Norwich should provide some relief.

Such a schedule clearly doesn’t appeal and perhaps the most attention they can hope to inspire may be a detached interest in whether or not Meulensteen can rouse sleeping giant Dimitar Berbatov from his slumber. Managers may also want to monitor the performances of Sascha Riether, once he serves the last of a three-match ban this weekend – from around Gameweek 18 the fixtures turn rather better for the Cottagers.

Sunderland

Unlucky to have Wes Brown sent off in their showdown with Stoke, Gus Poyet’s Sunderland will take some satisfaction from having that red card overturned. As much as the Uruguayan’s regime has shown signs of progress, their short term fixtures dent any appeal. With Chelsea and Tottenham the next two visitors and a trip to Everton also in the next six, the fixture list looks bleak. Any would-be suitors would be well advised to wait until Gameweek17 before investing – a home game against Norwich is the first of an excellent run of fixtures.

Players to watch out for during that period may be the aforementioned Wes Brown, Phil Bardsley or even Vito Mannone, who appears to have made the goalkeeper position his own. Further up the field, Emanuele Giaccherini will be hoping to return to his promising early-season form, while Steven Fletcher can never be written off as a Fantasy force, with Jozy Altidore warming the bench in a recent move to 4-1-4-1.

BE WARY OF

Hull City
Despite an unexpected loss to Palace, Steve Bruce’s side have given a good account of themselves so far, showing plenty of the grit that newly promoted sides need to survive in the Premier League. However, the Tigers have a mixed set of fixtures on the horizon to test their mettle. With Liverpool and Arsenal up next and United also in the next six, only a home game against Stoke looks appealing. Owners of Curtis Davies and Maynor Figueroa may decide that now is the time to part company, perhaps with a view to welcoming them back with their January wildcard, when Hull are gifted some appealing home fixtures. Robbie Brady’s frustratingly protracted recovery from a hernia operation may combine with these tough matches to persuade his owners to jump ship.

Man City
A merciless thrashing of Tottenham continued the baffling pattern displayed by Manuel Pellegrini’s men all season – virtuoso displays at home while toiling on the road. With this in mind, the Blues’ upcoming schedule could bring out more of their Mr Hyde than Dr Jekyll – this weekend’s visit of Swansea looks like another routine win, but that is followed by three away games and Etihad clashes with Arsenal and Liverpool. No-one would bet against Sergio Aguero in his current form, but such fixtures may curtail further investment in the likes of Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri. David Silva has been ruled out of the Swansea fixture, but may return for the two away games. Meanwhile, leaking two goals to relative minnows Viktoria Plzen showed up City’s questionable defence to deter Fantasy managers from looking at Pablo Zabaleta or even Vincent Kompany, whose return from a groin injury is believed to be imminent.

Everton
With the most entertaining Merseyside derby in recent history behind them, Roberto Martinez’ men face a difficult short term schedule. A home game against Stoke ought to be routine enough, but that is followed by back-to-back trips to Manchester United and Arsenal. Once those fixtures are dispensed with, the Toffees will revel in the early Christmas present of a very favourable stretch of fixtures, beginning with a home game against a struggling Fulham. Anyone regretting their decision to drop Romelu Lukaku following his return to goal-scoring ways may want to wait until those two clashes are over before rectifying their error. Similarly, Kevin Mirallas’ slow rise to form could be temporarily halted, while Leighton Baines’ injury creates an opportunity for the likes of Phil Jagielka or Seamus Coleman from Gameweek 16 onwards.