Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 12 – The Strong

Three of the top four are handed the platform to cement their lofty positions as we cast an eye over the upcoming schedules across the next four-to-six Gameweeks. League leaders Chelsea and defending champions City have very reason for optimism, as do Big Sam’s Hammers, whilst Harry Redknapp’s QPR will be looking to take advantage and climb out of the drop zone.

Chelsea

The Blues confirmed their ascendancy with another confident victory against Liverpool last weekend, and Jose Mourinho’s men now set off on a superb string of fixtures that should only see their dominance at the summit escalate. The away trip to Newcastle in Gameweek 15 could prove tricky if the Magpies are able to maintain their current form until then, though, that encounter aside, the next six hold plenty of potential for big returns for Chelsea across the pitch, with home clashes against West Brom, Hull and an out-of-sorts Spurs leaping out in particular, and the visit to the Stadium of Light in two Gameweeks’ time also set to have the Blues’ boys licking their lips in anticipation.

At the back, Chelsea’s assets have failed to find any consistency up until this point in the season, though their upcoming schedule could hold the key to turning that around. The Londoners are without a clean sheet in their last four, whilst their most popular asset – the 24%-owned Braislav Ivanovic – has struggled to replicate his early season attacking form. Instead, managers eyeing up a route into their backline may turn to Cesar Azpilicueta, who made an instant return to the starting XI from suspension on Saturday, and is available for 1.2 less than Ivanovic, at 6.0.

The midfield conundrum surrounding the Blues’ popular picks has deepened this week with the withdrawal of Cesc Fabregas from the Spain squad due to injury. An absence for FPL’s most popular midfielder would see the 10.0-valued Eden Hazard rocket on to managers’ radars as a straight swap for the former Barcelona man, though Oscar’s recent form could see the Brazilian lure a few his way for the more budget friendly price of 8.4. Up top, there’s no such conundrum, with Diego Costa notching his tenth goal of the season against Liverpool – now back up to 11.0, the forward looks set to go from strength to strength with his recent injury concerns seemingly conquered.

Man City

Let’s not kid ourselves, City’s current form is doing anything but demanding our attention. The title hopefuls now sit eight points off the summit after winning just one of their last three in the league, with that victory over their Manchester rivals their only win in the last six in all competitions. Nonetheless, Manuel Pellegrini’s side certainly have the fixtures in their favour from now right up until Christmas, with more imminent encounters against Swansea, Sunderland, Leicester and Crystal Palace holding particular appeal, and their hopes of overcoming the current slump will surely be lifted by this schedule.

Key to these hopes will be Sergio Aguero, without whom things could have been looking a lot worse than they are right now. The Argentine has bagged goals in five of his last six appearances, with a total of nine strikes accumulated across those displays, and continues to press home his near ‘essential’ status for Fantasy managers’ frontlines. Frustratingly, there’s slim pickings elsewhere in the final third, with David Silva still injured and Yaya Toure way off form, whilst Samir Nasri’s recent injury recovery has knocked James Milner to the bench in two of the last three. At the back, meanwhile, Gael Clichy is now nailed on at left back and, coming in at 5.3, offers managers a budget route into City’s rearguard due to Aleksandar Kolarov’s calf injury absence.

West Ham

After stumbling to a goalless draw with Aston Villa last time out, many managers were left dismayed with their decision to invest in the Hammers’ attacking assets. Nonetheless, the east Londoners still reside in the top four, and their long term prospects look great, with home encounters against Swansea and Leicester coupled with tempting away meetings with West Brom and Sunderland in their next six.

At the back, Aaron Cresswell is beginning to come to the fore after averaging  5.5 points per appearance over his last four. One of the few positives from the Villa draw was the Hammers’ second clean sheet of the season, and with Cresswell also offering attacking potential from the flank, the 5.4-priced defender is riding high in our Watchlist right now.

In midfield, it’s all about the born-again Stewart Downing, whose resurgence as a viable Fantasy asset has helped him pick up 57 points already this season, more than Eden Hazard or Raheem Sterling. Up top, Diafra Sakho may have finished his run of goals against Villa, but bearing in mind the Senegal striker has scored in six of his seven starts, his owners won’t be too downhearted by a Gameweek 11 blank. For those looking down the differential route, however, the 7.0-valued Enner Valencia currently sits in just 1.8% of teams and has notched twice in his last four, with a couple of assists also accrued across that period.

QPR

People may be forecasting the worst for Harry Redknapp’s outfit, who have won just twice so far this season and have failed to make it out of the bottom three since Gameweek 5, but a look back at their recent displays tells a different story. The R’s have faced Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City in their last four, only losing narrowly to the first two and scrapping to a deserved 2-2 draw with City last weekend. With a victory over Aston Villa also secured, it’s clear that their recent form deserves more praise than is perhaps coming its way, and with those tricky fixtures now out of the way, the Hoops’ schedule brightens significantly.

The R’s home agenda is particularly enticing, with the visits of Burnley and Leicester to Loftus Road (where both of QPR’s victories this season have transpired) sure to be considered early relegation battles, and proceeding encounters with West Brom, Crystal Palace and Swansea then seeing them through to the New Year.

The main reason for the R’s recent upturn in threat has undoubtedly been the goal scoring form of Charlie Austin, who has bagged four in his last three, firing in a total of eleven attempts across those matches. At 5.8, and having looked so dangerous against the likes of Chelsea and City, Austin could make a mockery of his price tag if he can continue in the same vein across the coming weeks. In the middle, Leroy Fer is the only attractive asset having tallied three assists to this point in the campaign, whilst at the back Steven Caulker remains a fairly popular pick thanks to his attacking potential from set pieces, though Yun Suk Young now looks the standout option thanks to his lowly 3.9 price tag after securing a starting berth since Gameweek 8.
 

Also Consider…

Newcastle
It’s now four consecutive wins for the Magpies, who now face a great next three (QPR, whm, bur) before putting their credentials to the test against Chelsea and Arsenal in Gameweeks 15 and 16. A home clash with rivals Sunderland proceeds that, however, and Alan Pardew will be optimistic over his side’s chances of pushing further up the table across their next six. Daryl Janmaat is one of the most in form players in the league right now, with his two assists against West Brom last weekend adding to the three clean sheets accrued in the last four, though Paul Dummett’s 4.1 price tag is likely to tempt many. Another budget option thriving for the Tynesiders is Ayoze Perez, whose run of three consecutive goal scoring appearances seems to have convinced Pardew he’s worthy of a starting role, and at 4.8, he could be worth considering if he can keep ahead of Papiss Cisse as the Magpies’ lone striker.

Everton
The Toffees have managed a couple of disappointing draws in their last two league outings, but now have three terrific home fixtures in the following five (WHM, HUL, QPR) to get themselves back on the victory trail. Leighton Baines continues to ride high at the summit of the FPL defender rankings, having notched double figures on four occasions already this season, though the 5.7 valued Phil Jagielka is an option for those unable to stump up the funds for the marauding left back. Further forward, Romelu Lukaku will be hoping to rediscover his shooting boots, though Samuel Eto’o, at just 5.6, could be set to outshine the young Belgian after having clearly earned his manager’s trust and started each of the Toffee’s last three, scoring twice. Kevin Mirallas (7.2) has stepped up his recovery from a hamstring problem and could be one to monitor, having notched twice in six appearances before injury struck.

Liverpool
The Merseysiders may be lacking form but with Palace, Stoke, Leicester and Sunderland in the next four, the schedule affords them a chance to get their season back on track. Key to their chances is likely to be the availability of Daniel Sturridge – now back in training, the injury-prone forward could be set to shake up our Fantasy frontlines if he can rediscover last year’s form. Sturridge’s presence should also help Raheem sterling re-emerge as a midfield contender – the youngster is now down to 8.5 after netting just once in the striker’s absence. A single shut-out in eight shows just why few will be prepared to gamble on Liverpool’s defence, though, with Dejan Lovren failing to vindicate the show of faith that sees him sit in 16% of FPL sides right now.