Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 31 – The Strong

We turn our attentions to the upcoming schedules this afternoon and assess those sides with strong sets of fixtures over the next four-to-six Gameweeks. Chelsea and Leicester’s double Gameweek 34 plays a part in our thinking, whilst Swansea and the Baggies also have reason for optimism over the run-in.

Swansea

Garry Monk’s men curtailed a three-match winless streak with Bafetimbi Gomis’ late strike against Aston Villa last weekend, and with three home fixtures in their next five, the south Wales side will be aiming to finish the season on a high note. Hull, Everton and Stoke are the trio soon to make their way to the Liberty, whilst away days at Leicester and Newcastle also look promising. With double Gameweeks aplenty over the remainder of the campaign, though, Fantasy managers may be tempted to overlook many of the Swans’ assets in favour of those sides boasting a pair of fixtures in any given Gameweek, but that schedule ensures that Monk’s charges are more than worthy of our attention over the coming weeks.

The shutout against Villa means that Lukasz Fabianski now sits third amongst the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) goalkeeper rankings but whilst the 5.2-rated Pole looks likely to prosper further, injuries to Fraser Forster and Ben Foster offer us far cheaper routes elsewhere between the posts. Kyle Naughton is on offer for 0.9 less than the former Arsenal man and, having started every match for the Swans since his January move from Spurs, the right back is the standout option in their rearguard.

In midfield, Gylfi Sigurdsson has been less than productive in the last couple of fixtures, creating just one chance and managing a single shot from inside the box before being hauled off early at Villa. However, with Jefferson Montero challenging for more pitch time on the wings after notching two assists in his last three outings from the bench, we could see Monk choose to reshuffle his formation after a recent switch to 4-3-2-1. Ki Sung-Yueng presents managers with a more budget friendly option at 5.2, and has grabbed three goals and six bonus points in the previous seven Gameweeks. As mentioned, Gomis bagged his second goal in five with the winner against Villa on Saturday, and the fixture list now offers the Frenchman the opportunity to earn the label of a late-season forward differential.

Chelsea

The Blues avoided a second successive stutter thanks to forgotten man Loic Remy’s winner against Hull on Sunday, and now sit six points clear of second placed Man City with a match in hand. That extra fixture, versus Leicester, falls into Gameweek 34, offering Jose Mourinho’s side a very attractive double, though that is not the only feature of their upcoming schedule that is worth our attention. A home clash with Stoke is up next, followed by a trip across London to face relegation-threatened QPR, and with a Stamford Bridge meeting with Crystal Palace proceeding their double, managers investing in the Blues’ assets from this point onwards will be happy to hold until the climax of the campaign.

The backline’s less-than-convincing display against Hull is sure to have cast a few doubts into managers’ minds, though with only two goals conceded in their previous four outings before Sunday, that performance is likely to be seen as a temporary blip. That said, for those now nurturing doubts, Branislav Ivanovic’s attacking output – which has seen the Serb notch a goal or assist in four of the last six matches his side have failed to keep a clean sheet – ensures he is still well worth his 7.6 price tag. Thibaut Courtois and John Terry are the alternatives here.

Further forward, Eden Hazard’s price has now reached the 11.0 mark, and we can expect to see plenty of the 60% of managers still without his services to now find a place for the Belgian in their midfields prior to that double. The former Lille winger has now registered returns in five of the last seven Gameweeks, earning maximum bonus points on four of those occasions, and is more than validating the extra outlay over his midfield team-mates. Nevertheless, the 7.7-valued Willian has bagged a goal and two assists in his last four league starts, and may prove differential candidate for the impending double, whilst Cesc Fabregas remains just one booking shy of a two-match ban and needs to navigate the next two fixtures without incurring the referee’s wrath. Up top, Diego Costa’s recent injury scare places doubts over his involvement after the international break, but should he make a swift comeback the Spain international is sure to prove a popular option after his goal and assist showing against the Tigers.

West Brom

With four of the current top five to come in their final run-in, Tony Pulis’ outfit will be keen to take full advantage of his side’s remaining blue fixtures in order to ensure safety. Indeed, the Baggies boast a superb next three, with back-to-back home clashes with QPR and Leicester followed by a trip to Crystal Palace. A visit to struggling Newcastle is also on the cards in Gameweek 36, meaning that managers may consider retaining the Midlanders’ assets on their bench across those tough encounters with Liverpool and Man United.

Pulis’ backline have recorded clean sheets in four of their last six and look well worth our attention for those next three. With Craig Dawson suspended for the next Gameweek and Joleon Lescott and Gareth McAuley available for around the 5.0 mark, however, goalkeeper Boaz Myhill, at 4.0, looks the most attractive short-term punt in the Baggies rearguard, with his starts now ensured as a result of Ben Foster’s knee injury. Meanwhile, question marks hang over front two Saido Berahino and Brown Ideye. The former was ruled out of the England Under-21 squad, whilst the Nigerian remains a doubt with the knock that kept him out of last weekend’s trip to City. Both have served up three goals and six bonus points in their last six appearances, with Ideye also earning an assist, and if they can prove their fitness, remain viable options in the sub-6.0 price bracket.

Leicester

The Foxes face a race to beat the drop now and the upcoming schedule will provide Nigel Pearson with optimism that his side can start to accumulate some points before time runs out – the Midlanders host three very winnable fixtures against West Ham, Swansea and Newcastle at the King Power Stadium in their next six. Nevertheless, from a Fantasy perspective, all eyes will be on Gameweek 34, as the Foxes travel to Burnley before entertaining league leaders Chelsea in a double header.

Pearson, however, has thrown something of a spanner into our double Gameweek plans of late: the Foxes boss has tinkered with the prospects of Jeffrey Schlupp and Riyad Mahrez, shifting the former to left back and dropping the latter to the bench against Spurs at the weekend. Andrej Kramaric was another victim of rotation in the 4-3 loss, leaving forward pair Jamie Vardy and David Nugent to bag the acclaim with a goal and assist apiece. If that defeat was anything to go by, we can expect to see Pearson reshuffle his attack frequently over the remainder of the campaign, with the result being that managers are likely to steer clear of the Foxes’ offensive assets. On the other hand, managers may still be tempted by Schlupp’s prospects prior to the double, with the Midlanders’ clean sheet against Hull in Gameweek 29 suggesting that they are capable of producing at the back; 4.4-priced keeper Kasper Schmeichel is another option for those now in the hunt for a replacement between the sticks.

Also Consider…

West Ham 
The Hammers returned to winning form with their victory over Sunderland last weekend, and now boast encounters with four of the current bottom five (lei, qpr, BUR, avl) in their next six. Adrian and Aaron Cresswell could well be set to profit at the back, then, with the latter’s goal and four assists up until this point justifying his 5.6 price tag. In the middle, Stewart Downing now has just a single assist to show for his last eight league outings but will be hoping the schedule affords him a return to form. Diafra Sakho has earned a hike in our Watchlist this week after his last-minute winner against the Black Cats, and the Senegalese striker could now bet set to make a mockery of his 5.4 price tag as he faces the three worst defences in the league in his next five.

Southampton
Ronald Koeman’s clan have made a triumphant return to form in recent weeks and are still embroiled in the race for the top four. One look at their fixture list will tell you that they’re in with a good chance, too, with four of their next six opponents currently residing in the bottom half of the table (eve, HUL, sun, lei). Having conceded a single goal in their last three Gameweeks, and bagged an assist apiece, Nathaniel Clyne and Ryan Bertrand look set to finish the campaign as strongly as ever then, though, in the wake of the premature end of Forster’s season, veteran keeper Kelvin Davis is set to compete with full back duo for our affections in the Saints’ rearguard thanks to his budget 4.4 price tag. Further forward, Saido Mane has earned two goals and an assist in his previous six league starts, and continues to look a strong contender for our midfields, whilst Shane Long has arrived back on our radars after starting the Saints’ last two and finding the scoresheet against Burnley last weekend. With Graziano Pelle still misfiring, the Irishman’s pitch-time looks secure, and his 1.4% ownership makes him a ready-made differential for the remainder of the campaign.

Crystal Palace
The Eagles have seemingly steered themselves clear of the relegation rat race with a series of impressive showings since Alan Pardew’s installation, and the former Newcastle manager will be looking to keep up that good work across a decent next four. A home clash with Man City is up next, though once that is out of the way three promising fixtures await (sun, WBA, HUL) and Fantasy managers will be eyeing up their short-term prospects – indeed, with Chelsea, Man United and Liverpool then on the agenda in back-to-back Gameweeks, investment is unlikely to last far beyond Gameweek 34. The Eagles have conceded two or more goals in a match just once since Gameweek 23 and Scott Dann, with two goals and as many assists accrued this season, is set to challenge for a spot in our backlines. A wealth of options are on offer in midfield – Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon have served up three assists in the last four, whilst Wilfried Zaha has now notched in each of the previous two Gameweeks. Up top, the 5.1-priced Glenn Murray has notched four goals and an assist in his last four and, with an ownership of 0.1%, could tempt those in search of a short-term forward punt.

Tottenham
It was Harry Kane to the rescue once again when Leicester visited White Hart Lane last weekend, and the young striker could add further value to his price tag next season over the course of Spurs’ next six, which features encouraging trips to Burnley, Newcastle and Stoke as well as a home encounter with Aston Villa. Few are likely to shift the armband from Kane in the coming weeks, even with a number of other sides boasting double Gameweeks, with the youngster having now returned double figures in five of his previous eight appearances. Christian Eriksen looks set to remain firmly in the striker’s shadow for what’s left of the campaign, though with two assists in his last four, the Dane is still a viable pick in midfield. Meanwhile, the north Londoner’s backline have failed to cover themselves in glory of late, conceding an average of 2.3 goals per match over the past six Gameweeks, though Danny Rose’s attacking output ensures that the left back remains an appealing option – we await, however, to hear further news of the injury that has seen him withdraw from the England squad.