Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 9 – The Weak

Yesterday we rolled out the first installment of our weekly perusal of the fixture list, shining the spotlight on those teams with the easiest opponents over the next four-to-six Gameweeks. Today we turn the tables and expose their luckless brethren with poor looking schedules to follow. We see that Man United’s easy ride has come to an end, while a raft of mid-priced assets from the likes of Swansea and Sunderland could struggle to maintain their Fantasy value.

Man United

After an uncomfortable night at The Hawthorns on Monday, Louis van Gaal’s side now face a much sterner test over the next four weeks – a home match against Chelsea is followed by trips to Man City and Arsenal before the fixtures take a turn for the better.

Certainly, anyone who has gambled on the United defence so far needs no persuasion from the fixtures to abandon ship, though Angel Di Maria is an altogether different proposition. Three goals and four assists in six Gameweeks tells a Fantasy fairy-tale, but after limping off against the Baggies to have his thigh packed in ice, we’re yet to hear a prognosis from Old Trafford, with his owners facing a real conundrum. Further up the field, Wayne Rooney sits out the final match of his suspension this week but again, once he’s back the fixtures don’t look ripe for investment. Robin Van Persie looks horribly out of form anyway, while Radamel Falcao owners will be looking for an exit route if Van Gaal continues with the 4-2-3-1 set-up which saw the Colombian afforded just 19 minutes off the bench against the Baggies.

Swansea

In spite of some favourable recent fixtures, the Swans have now failed to win in any of the last five Gameweeks. After this week’s home clash with Leicester, the going gets tougher for a while, with three back-to-back fixtures against Everton, Arsenal and Man City looking a real test of their credentials.

With three clean sheets and an assist, Neil Taylor has been good value but these fixtures may cause some owners to consider their options. In midfield, Gylfi Sigurdsson has been extraordinary value but the popular Icelander – who has now blanked in four of the last five – may find himself shedding owners after this week has passed. Wilfried Bony, on the other hand, is on the up with goals in each of the last two and, in contrast to his team-mate, showed himself quite capable of scoring against all-comers last season. Even so, the wise path may still be to wait out these tough opponents before hitching one’s fortunes to the Ivorian’s wagon.

QPR

Rooted to the bottom of the table after conceding at least twice in six of the last seven Gameweeks, Fantasy interest could barely be any lower in Harry Redknapp’s basement-dwellers, with only Steven Caulker finding a place in over 5% of FPL sides.

With the R’s now set to face Chelsea and City in the next three matches, the omens don’t look good and with playmaker Joey Barton and the likes of Jordon Mutch still injured in midfield, there’s little to suggest a turnaround could be on the cards. Eduardo Vargas’ brace off the bench against Liverpool may have caught the eye but realistically, few, if any, will be paying 6.4 for a QPR forward at a time when so many budget forwards are firing on all cylinders.

BE WARY OF

Sunderland
Recipients of a thoroughly humiliating thrashing from Southampton, the Black Cats could scarcely have picked a worse time to lose form as the next six Gameweeks hold some nasty looking home encounters with Arsenal, Everton, Chelsea and Man City. Such fixtures mean that it is probably time to part company with the likes of Patrick Van Aanholt and John O’Shea, whilst Vito Mannone owners will be also mulling over a transfer out, in spite of his security of save points. In terms of attackers, Steven Fletcher and Connor Wickham had started to show glimpses of form but these fixtures will deter all but the most optimistic investment.

Crystal Palace
All things considered, The Eagles have fared surprisingly well under Neil Warnock. They could do with a few more points on the board, though, and while there are a few opportunities to do so, the next four Gameweeks contain a trip to Old Trafford and the visit of Liverpool, which make investment in this team somewhat fraught. Robbed of their chief allure – clean sheets – by the departure of Tony Pulis, the defence hasn’t been as porous as some had feared but managers would be wise to wait a few weeks before investing in Julian Speroni or Martin Kelly, whilst Jason Puncheon’s goal scoring seems to have dried up for the time being. Fraizer Campbell, on the other hand ,has quietly racked up three goals in four appearances to make a mockery of his budget price tag, but that rate will surely slow down in the face of tougher opposition.

West Ham
Sam Allardyce’s side have been something of a revelation this season. The Hammers’ handful of new signings have helped deliver their manager’s promise of more attractive, attacking football and the impressive results see them sitting fourth in the league. In truth, their long term fixtures are excellent, but there are a couple of upcoming flies in the ointment which may deter immediate investment, as they host Man City this weekend and roll up to Goodison a few weeks later. It may be best to hold fire on the likes of Adrian and James Tomkins – providing he recovers from a groin problem – for their likely clean sheets, then, whilst Stewart Downing and Diafra Sakho’s appeal will surely be on the rise before long.