Having taken an in-depth look at the teams with the most favourable schedules over the next six Gameweeks yesterday, our attention this afternoon shifts to the sides who look best avoided in the upcoming period. Watford’s form will be put to the test by a tough run of matches, while Bournemouth and Swansea may struggle to lift themselves out of the bottom six.
WATFORD
Both Odion Igahlo (5.9) and Troy Deeney (5.2) have racked up the points in recent weeks but with their schedule stiffening up after this weekend’s trip to Sunderland, recent investors may have some cause for concern. Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea all feature among the four sides allowing the fewest number of shots from inside their own box, while the encounter against Man City will also be tricky if Vincent Kompany recovers in time. The trip to Southampton is also not favourable, so there could well be a decline in the pair’s output over the coming period, although given their respective price tags, the odd goal would still represent solid value.
The clean sheet against Norwich was Watford’s sixth of the season, but with those fixtures against Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and City clearly difficult, along with the fact Sunderland have scored seven goals in their last four home matches, it’s hard to foresee them significantly adding to that total over the coming period. That’s without mentioning it’s unlikely they’ll be able to keep Southampton at bay in Gameweek 21. Those currently owning the likes of Heurelho Gomes (4.7) and Allan Nyom (4.6) may be happy to hold though providing they have strong alternatives in their 15-man squads.
BOURNEMOUTH
The Cherries recorded their second clean sheet of the season in the shock 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge, but further defensive returns could be hard to come by over the next month. Keeping out Arsenal and Leicester on the road would be classed as even bigger surprises than the shut-out registered at Chelsea, while Crystal Palace are a hard team to repel on their travels. Clean sheets in the other three matches (MUN, wba, WHM) are perhaps possible if Eddie Howe’s men can repeat that impressive performance from last weekend, but unless you already own the likes of Simon Francis (4.4), there certainly looks no reason to consider Bournemouth defenders for the time being.
It’s in attack where the Cherries have flourished of late, with no team managing more goal attempts (70) over the last four Gameweeks. Man United visit the south coast on Saturday, however, while the trip to Arsenal in Gameweek 19 could limit their chances of finding the net. Crystal Palace and West Ham do feature among the top four teams for shots conceded in the box over the last four Gameweeks, though, while West Brom have only kept two clean sheets at the Hawthorns so far. That encounter against the Baggies certainly looks crucial to the prospects of the likes of Josh King (4.6) and Dan Gosling (4.4) in the short-term, then.
SWANSEA
On the back of another lacklustre outing in the 3-0 defeat to Leicester, it’s hard to be positive over the outlook for Swansea’s assets. The Etihad is not somewhere you’d want to visit when you’re low on confidence, while the Gameweek 20 trip to Old Trafford will also provide a difficult challenge. Much will depend on the West Ham and West Brom home encounters, but with both those sides having shown they can frustrate opposition on their home ground, the merits of owning Andre Ayew (7.1), who still has an 18% ownership in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), look limited at this point in time. Even the home clash against Sunderland in Gameweek 21 doesn’t look so favourable given the Black Cats have kept three clean sheets in seven matches under Sam Allardyce.
The Swans haven’t kept a clean sheet since Gameweek 6, and their three away matches in the next six (mci, cpl, mun) certainly appear unlikely to yield a shut-out. The trio of home clashes (WHM, WBA, SUN) would, in normal circumstances, offer reasonably strong opportunities for defensive returns, but having conceded eight goals in their last three home matches, the likes of Kyle Naughton (4.8) are unlikely to attract any investment. Yesterday’s dismissal of Garry Monk may force a re-think, though, if the new manager can help the Swans rediscover their early-season form.
BE WARY OF…
Leicester
In truth, Riyad Mahrez (6.9) and Jamie Vardy (7.6) would have to be backed against any opponent right now, but in the next six the Foxes face Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool, three teams who sit among the four sides allowing the fewest number of shots from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks. Kompany could also be back for the Gameweek 19 clash, while a trip to Goodison Park is always a tricky fixture. Arguably, the home encounter with Bournemouth in Gameweek 20 looks the only straightforward showdown, though given that the Foxes have scored in every league match so far, betting against them could backfire.
At the back, Leicester have quietly racked up three clean sheets in their last six matches. As already mentioned, with Bournemouth also carrying a significant attacking threat, opportunities for further shut-outs appear limited.
Newcastle
While Georginio Wijnaldum’s explosive potential was again on show in the 2-0 win over Liverpool, with tough matches against Tottenham, Arsenal and Man United in the next six, the potential for the 6.9-priced Dutchman and the rest of Newcastle’s attacking assets look somewhat limited. Much will rest on the favourable home clash against Aston Villa in Gameweek 17, with the matches that follow against Everton and West Brom also potentially tricky.
Like Leicester, Newcastle have surprisingly managed three clean sheets over the last five Gameweeks, but with only the Villa and West Brom fixtures looking remotely favourable in the next six, further investment in the pick of the defenders, Daryl Janmaat (4.9), is probably unlikely, although Rob Elliot’s 4.0 price tag may perhaps attract a few suitors should they continue to surprise.
Norwich
According to our Season Ticker, the Canaries face the toughest upcoming schedule over the next six Gameweeks (EVE, mun, tot, AVL, SOT, sto) when it comes to attacking potential. Alex Neil’s side also offer up no reliable attacking asset, with regular rotation among the forwards in particular, so Fantasy managers look set to continue to ignore the attackers on show at Carrow Road.
Chances of defensive returns over the next three matches look very slim, given Norwich have managed one clean sheet all season, with only the home clash against Villa offering genuine hope of a shut-out in the next six. As with the midfielders and forwards, Canaries defenders haven’t really been on the radar of FPL bosses apart from Russell Martin due to his early season goal scoring form, and the upcoming fixture list means that isn’t going to change.
Southampton
The Saints have struggled for form at both ends of the pitch in recent matches, producing just three goals and a single clean sheet over the previous four Gameweeks.
Whether they have the form to overcome the next four (cpl, TOT, ARS, whu) is perhaps debatable, though. Arguably, those away trips look more favourable – Palace have lost four times on their own patch already, whilst West Ham have picked up three points in five and are severely hampered with injuries right now.
The home encounters with Spurs and Arsenal hold less appeal to the Saints’ main assets, and owners of Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane and Graziano Pelle will perhaps reconsider retaining their services if they fail to deliver this weekend at Selhurst Park.
