Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 1 – The Weak

Having analysed the sides with the most favourable opening to the new season, we now turn our attention to the teams who face a treacherous path over their initial four-to-six Gameweeks.

Newcastle’s new head coach Steve McLaren has been handed an unwanted baptism of fire back in the top flight, while West Brom and Everton also look to have been handed starts that looks set to curb any initial Fantasy investment in their squads.

NEWCASTLE

After a catastrophic second half of the 2014/15 campaign, the fixture list appears to have handed the Magpies little respite.

An opening day home clash with Southampton is followed by trips to Swansea and Manchester United, with Arsenal visiting St James’ Park in Gameweek 4. While there should be some new faces in the squad by the time the upcoming campaign kicks-off on August 8, it’s very unlikely that we’ll be looking to invest in their Fantasy assets given the degree of difficulty of their opening four fixtures.

This will at least give Fantasy managers the opportunity to observe how the Magpies will set up under McLaren, and get insight into his first choice XI.

Should Tim Krul be priced at 4.5 as he was last season, he looks a viable option as a rotational keeper, although with Bournemouth and Norwich facing easier starts, there could be better alternatives out there. Daryl Janmaat will likely be the prime defensive target once the season is underway. He registered eight assists last term and offers the potential of attacking returns. The potential lack of defensive points during the opening month looks likely to delay any interest, however.

Further forward, Papiss Cisse scored 11 goals last season, despite missing chunks of the season due to injury and suspension. However, with the fixtures and new squad additions in attack expected, Cisse, along with promising starlet Ayoze Perez, will be way down on our pre-season pecking order.

WEST BROM

With home clashes against last season’s top two, in addition to the visit of Southampton in the opening five Gameweeks, many may choose to initially avoid Tony Pulis’ side in the quest for mid-price options. Nevertheless, the Baggies could provide us with stronger potential on the road: they managed shut-outs in four of their nine away matches under Pulis’ guidance and with trips to Watford, Stoke and Aston Villa on the agenda, further clean sheets could be in the offing.

Given their form under the former Stoke boss, few, if any of the West Brom first choice defence are set to be priced under 5.0 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL). Combined with the tough Hawthorns schedule, that could temper early interest in their defensive ranks.

Ben Foster is expected to be out until October, so the valuation of back-up goalkeeper Boaz Myhill could hand us a cheaper route into the Baggies backline, though reports linking Crystal Palace understudy Wayne Hennessey with a move to the Hawthorns need to be monitored.

In attack, investment in Saido Berahino appears unlikely given that a price hike from his starting value of 5.5 last season is expected, while the current midfield potential also looks sparse. Chris Brunt’s appeal is likely to remain diminished – the Irishman seems poised to continue as a midfielder across the Fantasy games, despite being fielded as a left-back on several occasions by Pulis last time out.

EVERTON

The Toffees are poised for a horrendous opening run of matches which, given Everton’s patchy for under Roberto Martinez in 2015, is likely to see Fantasy managers steer clear until the schedule lifts around Gameweek 11.

After opening the season at home to Watford, Everton then face all of last season’s top eight and a trip to West Brom in the next nine fixtures, suggesting few Fantasy managers will be sniffing around Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman and Romelu Lukaku from the offset.

There was a distinct lack of consistency among Everton’s midfielders last season, so the luxury of taking a “watching brief” over the opening month of the campaign could be a handy luxury. Ross Barkley and new signing Tom Cleverley may offer potential, while Kevin Mirallas, should he stay at Goodison Park, could yet provide a viable option in the mid-price category.

BE WARY OF…

Crystal Palace
Following his return from the African Cup of Nations, Yannick Bolasie was played a part in ten of Palace’s 21 goals, so the DR Congo international is a name on the radar of many a Fantasy manager heading into the new season. Favourable clashes at Norwich and at home to Aston Villa in the first three Gameweeks offer hope he can maintain that form, but a swift exit strategy may be required given that Alan Pardew’s men then face away trips to Chelsea and Tottenham, sandwiching a home encounter against Manchester City, while a home fixture against Arsenal is also less than favourable. The Eagles kept just two clean sheets following Pardew’s arrival at Selhurst Park, so aside from Scott Dann’s clear threat from set-pieces, we’re not expecting much from the Palace backline.

Chelsea
While it is difficult not to envisage Jose Mourinho’s side getting off to a strong start, there is little doubt they face the toughest opening schedule amongst the expected title contenders. Certainly, an opening day fixture at home to Swansea looks promising, given they scored nine goals against Garry Monk’s men last season, while trips to the Etihad and the Hawthorns may well prove profitable for Chelsea’s defence. Mourinho is often content to take a point from away matches against his rivals, whilst the Baggies may be happy to sit deep in a similar fashion when the champions pay visit. With a home clash against Arsenal on their agenda over the first six, the Blues’ schedule is rated second worst overall in our ticker and some may subsequently be hesitant at starting the season with a full set of Chelsea charges.

Watford
The Hornets first three home clashes on their return to the Premier League sees them face a trio of strong travelling defences, as West Brom, Southampton and Swansea all pay visit. Watford will also make trips to Everton and City in the opening six Gameweeks, so goals could be hard to come by early on for the likes of Troy Deeney. At the other end it’s likely that most, if not all, of Watford’s backline will be available for 4.5 in the FPL, providing some decent rotation options, though fellow new boys Bournemouth and Norwich have far more inviting opening fixtures and will likely provide stronger alternatives.

Liverpool
With the Reds defensive starters likely to come in between 5.5 and 6.0 in the FPL, the difficulty of their away fixtures will deter many from considering the Liverpool rearguard. Trips to Stoke, Arsenal and United in the opening six Gameweeks look unlikely to yield clean sheets, given they conceded 13 goals across the corresponding matches last season, so while the home clashes against Bournemouth, West Ham and Norwich are very favourable, the likes of Martin Skrtel or Simon Mignolet could be overlooked by many. The prospects in midfield are slightly rosier, with Jordan Henderson and Philippe Coutinho battling for our attention, whilst James Milner could also come into the reckoning, depending on his starting price. We’ll be looking for some clarity in attack over pre-season, though, with the arrival of Danny Ings and Divock Origi adding to Brendan Rodgers’ options in the final third.