Frisking the Fixtures – The Strong – Gameweek 27

Impending blank Gameweeks for many teams produces difficult ground for our regular look at the upcoming schedules. We delve deep in our assessment of the next four to six Gameweeks, beginning with those who have promising fixtures to follow. Continued investment in a pair of solid Fantasy performers, Southampton and Chelsea, looks a valid tactic, whilst a handful of out-of-form sides are handed the chance to reverse their recent struggles:

Southampton

A puzzlingly weak team selection from Mauricio Pochettino saw the Saints crash out of the FA Cup to Sunderland but Fantasy players are the real winners here as this means Southampton keep their fixture in Gameweek 29. Their next six fixtures include trips to West Ham and Crystal Palace plus home games against Norwich and Newcastle, with only the visit of Liverpool and a game at White Hart Lane to trouble what has been the best value source of Fantasy profit this season.

The ever-popular Artur Boruc is as good a pick as ever between the sticks. In defence, Calum Chambers appears to have stolen the spot from Nathaniel Clyne, though Jose Fonte is the elite moneybags option. It’s hard to look past Adam Lallana in midfield as he continues to impress in his bid for World Cup game time but up front there’s a real tussle for our affections between Jay Rodriguez and last year’s Fantasy workhorse, Rickie Lambert. Both come highly recommended.

Newcastle

Alan Pardew’s side have looked bereft of ideas since the departure of Yohan Cabaye and last Gameweek suffered a humiliating trouncing at the hands of Tottenham. They do, however, have a decent stretch of fixtures coming up to potentially reinstate some of their swagger. A probable blank week in Gameweek 29 is an annoyance (teams without one are thin on the ground) but the fixtures either side of that could be promising for Fantasy managers in dire need of a differential (AVL, hul, ful, CPL).

Newcastle’s defensive form has swung wildly from one end of the gauge to the other this season, with flagrant disregard for their opponents. A swing back to the positive would bring Tim Krul and the generously priced Mike Williamson onto our radars. In midfield, Hatem Ben Arfa was benched last time around after a run of three starts and looks to be in the doghouse once again, so we look to the strikers for options. Loic Remy has now served his suspension and will be absolutely integral to the remainder of Newcastle’s campaign – at one point in the season, he fired eight goals in as many games to demonstrate his potential.

Fulham

We’ve yet to see anything of new managerial appointment Felix Magath but Rene Meulensteen can afford to feel a little aggrieved at his luck; Magath enjoys a much kinder fixture list than his predecessor to prove his merits. The next four fixtures for Fulham include West Brom, Cardiff and Newcastle, fixtures that could help the new manager steer the Cottagers to safety.

With a meagre three clean sheets all season, it would be a brave Fantasy manager who invested in Maarten Stekelenburg or Sascha Riether but Magath has worked with Lewis Holtby before and could coax goals and assists from him. Steve Sidwell scored his sixth goal of the season against Man United a couple of weeks ago to continue his surprise ascent up the Fantasy rankings but it may be Kostas Mitroglou who is of most interest. The Greek striker was on fine form before signing for Fulham and, if the new manager is able help him bring that form to the Premier League, we could have a genuine differential on our hands.

ALSO CONSIDER

Norwich
Another team whose Fantasy appeal is boosted by a lesser-spotted Gameweek 29 fixture, Norwich’s appeal is mostly centred around defence; they haven’t conceded a goal at home since Gameweek 19, despite hosting Man City and Newcastle. Their next six fixtures include the visits of Stoke and Sunderland as well as visits to Aston Villa and Swansea. To capitalise on their defensive form, John Ruddy is a little expensive but is second in the Fantasy standings for saves and third for keepers overall. In defence, Martin Olsson is the pick of choice, having both security of starts and price on his side. For those hoping to venture beyond the comforts of clean sheets for Canary-shaped points, Robert Snodgrass has grabbed a goal and assist in his last five games and could be on the verge of finally replicating the form that saw him rack up 152 points in his debut season last time around.

Cardiff
Ole Gunnar Solksjær’s stewardship at the Bluebirds has not been hugely successful so far, despite an agreeable schedule. There is still hope in the form of some handy home fixtures, though; Hull and Fulham pay visit in the next six, with a trip to West Brom also over that period. Such fixtures could be lucrative for David Marshall and Ben Turner in defence, whilst in midfield, Craig Noone has impressed and now looks assured of his starts. Wunderkind Mats Möller Dæhli was the subject of his manager’s praise after a stand-out display in the weekend cup los to Wigan – at 4.5 in the Fantasy Premier League game, he could be a worthwhile budget enabler if he can nail down a start.

Chelsea
Having failed to replicate last week’s equine feat in the FA Cup, Chelsea are now the only top four team without a blank Gameweek to contend with. Their fixtures are a little mixed, with daunting home games interspersed with kinder away trips but, with their gritty form and title aspirations, the only question over investment in the Blues looks like being one of quantity: to double or triple is the quandary facing Fantasy managers. John Terry is likely to return from a muscle injury this weekend and is still the defender of choice, though Branislav Ivanovic has been marauding high up the pitch lately and been rewarded with two goals and an assist in the last three. The performances of Eden Hazard have made him impossible to ignore and searching for lucrative differentials in the Chelsea strike force has become something of a fool’s errand, especially with Fernando Torres back to steal game time from Samuel Eto’o.