Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 7 – The Weak

Yesterday, we highlighted the main beneficiaries of the schedule over the next four to six Gameweeks, with a look at those teams set for promising runs of fixtures. Today we look at the flipside of the coin, as we see that United’s kind opening stretch is about to come to an end, Chelsea face a tough test to maintain their unbeaten record, while Aston Villa still have plenty to do to weather their stormy ride.

Man United

United were well on the road to bouncing back from their Leicester humiliation, leading West Ham last weekend, when Wayne Rooney lashed out at Stewart Downing and earned himself a three-match ban. Louis van Gaal will be hoping his team can continue their progress without their captain, but in terms of fixtures, the next six Gameweeks look tough – the Red Devils face four of last season’s top five in Everton, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Beset by injuries, the Reds’ defence has been anything but solid and the upcoming fixtures will surely be the last straw for any remaining owners of David De Gea or Marcos Rojo. In contrast, the Reds’ impressive midfield cast has been a profitable source of Fantasy points. Although these fixtures present managers with a dilemma over Angel Di Maria, with Ander Herrera injured and Juan Mata far from guaranteed regular pitch time, the Argentine remains the man most likely in the middle of the park. Up top, Robin van Persie scored his second goal in as many matches last week, and whilst his owners may be minded to keep hold, new investment may be hasty, whilst Radamel Falcao’s relatively minimal impact has failed to convince he’s worthy of the hefty outlay for now.

QPR

In spite of a relatively kind opening schedule, the R’s are stuck in the relegation zone already and Harry Redknapp has his work cut out to avoid seeing his team sink further into the mire. Over the next six Gameweeks Liverpool and Man City roll up to Loftus Road to test the Rangers, while a trip to Stamford Bridge is hardly appealing. Such fixtures lower the Fantasy stock of this team even further and investment at this point looks exceedingly unlikely.

The Hoops’ defence hasn’t really measured up to even the modest expectations, with just one shut-out and 13 goals conceded. Steven Caulker’s threat in the box has already come to fruition but looks unlikely to compensate for the goals we can expect to be conceded over this schedule, and while Rob Green has seen off the threat of Alex McCarthy, it’s fairly academic for Fantasy purposes. The set-piece delivery of veteran Niko Krancjar has caught the eye of some in recent weeks, but with these fixtures, he doesn’t look like a wise purchase. Similarly, Charlie Austin notched his second goal of the season and will be hoping to reprise his promotion-winning form, but with so many in-form budget strikers to choose from, the schedule is a persuasive deterrent.

Aston Villa

After a fabulous opening to the season, Paul Lambert’s Lazarus-esque team have hit a wall of fixtures, losing 3-0 to both Arsenal and Chelsea. Next up, they face Man City and then Everton before the schedule once again eases up. Anyone who has retained Brad Guzan or Alan Hutton through the aforementioned matches will no doubt keep them pinned to the back of their substitutes bench but fresh investment in the defence that kept three clean sheets in their first four will surely have to wait until Gameweek 9. News of Christian Benteke’s return to action will be music to Lambert’s ears and affords Fantasy managers a nice settling-in period to assess his form before investing.

Be Wary Of…

Hull
Steve Bruce’s side did well to come back at Man City after going two goals down, with a display that demonstrates the confidence and attacking impetus instilled this season. Hull will need that for two of their next three fixtures, though, as after the home comforts of hosting Crystal Palace, they face back-to-back trips to both Arsenal and Liverpool.

The fixtures after that are a bit mixed for the Tigers until around Gameweek 15 when they embark on a very nice run. Until then, it’s a little hard to recommend the likes of Allan McGregor or Curtis Davies – certainly James Chester has become persona non grata after missing out through Bruce’s formation tinkering. In midfield, Mo Diame’s two goals have caught the eye but he will struggle to keep that pace against the upcoming opposition, while Nikica Jelavic and Abel Hernandez may also toil, and are again victims of the current proliferation of budget talent.

Chelsea
Unbeaten in all competitions this season, Jose Mourinho’s side seem to be cruising to glory and their prime Fantasy assets are hot property. But, as they showed against Man City, even their wings can be clipped against tough opposition as Mourinho reins in his team’s attacking instincts to edge ahead in tight matches.

With that in mind, a schedule that includes Arsenal, Man United and Liverpool in the next six Gameweeks could curtail the Blues’ Fantasy potential, although home fixtures against QPR and West Brom amidst that run may compensate. In addition, it shouldn’t be forgotten that the defence could be the main beneficiaries of Mourinho’s tactics, enhancing the appeal of Branislav Ivanovic and bringing the so far under-performing Gary Cahill, John Terry and Cesar Azpilicueta into contention. Cesc Fabregas, on the other hand, presents a dilemma for his legion of owners, and although Diego Costa is unlikely in the extreme to leave any teams, he might find himself bereft of armbands, offering hope of differential captains to shake up the rankings.

West Brom
As Alan Irvine gradually gets to grips with the Baggies’ hot seat, his team are now unbeaten in three games in all competitions and will take great heart from thumping Burnley on Sunday. Unfortunately, the fixture list looks set to disrupt their momentum, with showdowns against Liverpool, Man United and Chelsea over the next six Gameweeks.

The excellent value of Andre Wisdom (ineligible to face Liverpool this weekend) looks set to be tested, while Craig Dawson will be relying on goal threat to prop up his points. Graham Dorrans found his feet very abruptly with a huge 16-point haul last weekend but will struggle to repeat it in the near term, while Saido Berahino’s brace has similarly caused some ears to prick up – given the schedule, anyone considering investment may be better off waiting until the storm has passed.