With Gameweek 9 coming to a conclusion on Monday night following Stoke’s 1-0 win at Swansea, we now turn our attentions to the sides with favourable upcoming schedules. After coming back from a two-goal deficit to secure a point at St Mary’s, there’s further reason for optimism at Leicester, whilst Southampton and Newcastle also find the fixtures firmly in their favour.
LEICESTER
The Foxes are the third highest scorers in the league and face three teams (Watford, Newcastle and Swansea) over the coming period that feature in the top six teams for shots conceded in the box over the last four Gameweeks. A home match-up against Crystal Palace also appears pretty reasonable, with the visit of United and trip to West Brom looking the only tricky fixtures. Premier League top goalscorer Jamie Vardy (7.0) should continue to be in amongst the goals, then, while Riyad Mahrez’ 53% ownership may hold in the hope his strong appearance off the bench at St Mary’s will see the 6.5-priced Algerian return to the starting XI.
While Leicester are still searching for their first shut-out, they are ranked top for clean sheets on our Season Ticker. West Brom, Watford and Swansea all feature in the bottom six teams for shots in the box in the last four Gameweeks, while Palace have only scored four goals in as many matches, with three coming from the penalty spot. Budget options Kasper Schmeichel (4.5) and Robert Huth (4.4) are perhaps worth a roll of the dice, then.
NEWCASTLE
On the back of their first win of the season, the fixture list indicates the Magpies could string a few results together. Upcoming opponents Leicester, Bournemouth and Sunderland all feature in the top six sides for goals conceded over the last four Gameweeks, whilst Stoke and Palace have managed just two clean sheets apiece this season.
With just one clean sheet so far, investment is certainly more likely in the attacking assets at St James’ Park, with Georginio Wijnaldum (6.9), having a current ownership of just 3% in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), an obvious target after his huge 25-point haul against Norwich. Ayoze Perez (5.1), Aleksandar Mitrovic (6.2) and Mousa Sissoko (5.7) also look worthy of consideration, particularly for those looking to make up lost ground in mini-leagues given their low ownerships.
Newcastle have conceded more times (12) than any other team over the last four Gameweeks, but do face five teams over the upcoming period who are struggling for goals, with Leicester the only side who have scored more than six in their last four. The obvious target at the back is Daryl Janmaat (4.9), given his added attacking potential. The Dutch defender has a goal and an assist from his last four appearances, and looks one of the strongest options at the back in FPL in the short-term. With Tim Krul now ruled out for the rest of the season, Robert Elliot (4.0) also looks worthy of consideration.
SOUTHAMPTON
While the Saints have difficult trips to Liverpool and Man City on the slate over the next six Gameweeks, the other four fixtures are very favourable. Sunderland and Aston Villa have only managed two goals apiece in the last four, while Bournemouth are also struggling for goals following long-term injuries to Max Gradel and Callum Wilson. Stoke have also only managed five strikes on their travels this season, so defensive returns appear on the cards for the Southampton rearguard. All of the members of the back four also hold decent attacking potential, although it’s Virgil van Dijk (5.5), with two goals in his last three outings, who looks the pick of the bunch right now.
Bournemouth and Sunderland have both conceded eight goals in their last four, and look favourable match-ups for a Saints attack that’s notched ten times over the same period. Clashes against Stoke and Aston Villa should also hand Graziano Pelle (8.3) and Sadio Mane (7.9) good opportunities to register further attacking points, whilst even City’s defence – with eight goals against in their last four – affords reason for optimism here.
ALSO CONSIDER…
Crystal Palace
Alan Pardew’s side host Leicester’s dodgy defence and also have two very favourable home clashes (SUN, NEW) in the next five matches, promoting their attacking prospects, in particular. Whilst a visit from United might not be straightforward, it’s worth noting that the Red Devils have conceded seven times in their last four away matches, leaving a trip to Liverpool as the only real problem as the Merseysiders grow in confidence under Jurgen Klopp. The likes of Yohan Cabaye (6.5) and Yannick Bolasie (6.2) both look reasonably strong mid-price options for the coming period.
The Eagles had kept two clean sheets before shipping three goals against West Ham, although Dwight Gayle’s early sending off was partly to blame. At the back, the Sunderland and Newcastle match-ups certainly look the most likely source of points. Defensive returns in the other fixtures could be hard to come by, so unless you own the likes of Scott Dann (5.1) or Pape Souare (4.6), further investment probably isn’t merited at this point.
Chelsea
With confidence in the Blues slightly restored following the 2-0 win against Villa, the upcoming fixture list (whm, LIV, sto, NOR, tot, BOU) perhaps means we can start seriously considering Chelsea Fantasy assets once again. Jose Mourinho’s decision to bench Eden Hazard against Villa means Diego Costa (11.0) looks the most secure Chelsea attacker for that run of matches, with the Belgian’s owners potentially looking for a way out if he fails to make the starting XI at Upton Park.
On current form, it’s arguable that only the clashes against Stoke, Norwich and Bournemouth stand out as favourable for defensive points, though the Canaries have scored eight goals in their five away matches so far. If the Chelsea rearguard can return to the resilience of last season, though, they are more than capable of earning clean sheets against the toughest of opposition. At 5.0, Asmir Begovic is the cheapest route into the backline, with Kurt Zouma (5.5) another good option, although as seen against Southampton, he could miss the occasional match due to rotation, leaving Cesar Azpilicueta (6.0) as the most secure defender.
Stoke
After winning three on the spin, the Potters face Watford, Newcastle and Sunderland in the next five fixtures, with clashes against Chelsea and Southampton also thrown in. Certainly, those first three matches boost the appeal of both Marko Arnautovic (6.0) and Bojan (5.3) in terms of attacking options.
Watford and Sunderland have both found it difficult to score in recent outings, so those two clashes, in particular, offer plenty of hope for defensive returns. The other matches appear fairly unlikely to yield further clean sheets, but Jack Butland and Geoff Cameron (both 4.5) look valid budget prospects, with the former’s save points heightening his points potential.
Sunderland
Likewise, it’s the fantastic value offered by some of Sunderland’s Fantasy assets that brings some of their assets onto our radars. The upcoming fixtures (NEW, eve, SOT, cpl, STO, ars) are pretty mixed, with the Arsenal defence among the strongest in the league right now, while the Everton and Southampton backlines are generally strong units. The home match-ups against Newcastle and Stoke look potentially prosperous, though, if Big Sam can raise the confidence levels, while Everton have been leaking goals at home this season. Steven Fletcher (5.0) looks the obvious attacking target, whilst Jeremain Lens – having played a part in five of their eight goals – will surely return to contention after sitting out last weekend through suspension.
The Black Cats were encouragingly more solid at the back on Saturday, although the West Brom attack is one of the weakest in the league. Newcastle and Stoke both feature in the bottom five for total goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks, though, so with all of the Sunderland defenders – aside from Patrick van Aanholt – available for under 4.5 in FPL, they could be worth a look if Big Sam can work his magic.
Everton
With the Toffees tough start to the campaign coming to an end after Saturday’s trip to the Emirates, big things are expected over the subsequent five Gameweeks (SUN, whm, AVL, bou, CPL). Four of those sides have conceded at least six goals in their last four matches, while the other, Palace, still offer reasonable hope of attacking returns for Romelu Lukaku (8.4) and Ross Barkley (6.8). West Ham are surprisingly ranked fourth for shots conceded inside the box (38) over the last four Gameweeks.
Roberto Martinez’ men have already managed shut-outs at Southampton, Tottenham and Swansea, so certainly the trip to Bournemouth offers hope of more defensive points. Sunderland and Aston Villa are ranked among the bottom seven teams for shots inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, and also look potentially fruitful opponents in terms of garnering further defensive points. Palace, as already mentioned, have been relying on penalties for their goals in recent weeks. Phil Jagielka (5.4) is the cheapest option available to FPL bosses from the Toffees backline but with Seamus Coleman fit again and Leighton Baines close to a return, many may look to the raiding full-backs instead.
