With the international break now behind us, it’s time to turn our focus to Gameweek 4 and beyond in our look at which sides face the most favourable upcoming schedules.
West Ham and Arsenal grab our attention with four home matches in six, whilst a favourable stretch of fixtures affords Everton a chance to maintain momentum under new manager Ronald Koeman.
West Ham
(WAT, wba, SOT, MID, cpl, SUN)
The Hammers face four of the next six matches in front of their own fans, and also avoid all of the current top five over the coming period.
With Watford having conceded six goals in their opening three matches, the joint worst record along with Stoke and Liverpool, and having registered the second fewest number of goal attempts (25) so far, the Gameweek 4 match-up could deliver returns at either end of the pitch.
From an attacking perspective, the trip to the Hawthorns in Gameweek 5 may present the trickiest fixture, with West Brom having registered two clean sheets so far, but in truth the West Ham attack has to be fancied to fire over the coming weeks.
West Brom, Middlesbrough and Sunderland all feature in the bottom half for goals scored and total goal attempts, so those clashes in particular could yield a clean sheet or two for Slaven Bilic’s men, while Crystal Palace have only found the back of the net once, despite registering a healthy 27 shots from inside the box.
Dimitri Payet is back in action and could be set to throw his hat into the ring as another premium priced contender in midfield, though Michail Antonio is looking hard to ignore at 7.0. Up top, Simone Zaza could prove to be a differential worth gambling on if he settles quickly.
At the back, James Collins looks the value choice, with the Welshman also offering a decent set-piece threat.
Everton
(sun, MID, bou, CPL, mci, bur)
With only one difficult fixture in the next six – the away trip to the Etihad in Gameweek 8 – the Toffees appear to have the ideal platform to build on their promising start under new boss Ronald Koeman.
Trips to Sunderland and Bournemouth could prove fruitful given neither side have registered a win yet, while the duo have conceded five goals apiece, offering hope that Everton can flourish in the final third. Both team’s attacks have also failed to really fire so far, so clean sheets may also be on the cards.
Similarly, the clash against Burnley in Gameweek 9 should offer another favourable match-up, while Middlesbrough and Palace, the two visitors to Goodison Park over the coming period, have struggled for goals thus far, as already touched upon.
Leighton Baines could be worth consideration, then, particularly if he remains on penalty duties, while Ashley Williams’ penchant for clearances, blocks and interceptions makes him the pick of the 5.0 options. Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku should be able to rack up plenty of attacking returns over the next six Gameweeks, and provide strong value. Kevin Mirallas is also one to monitor if he can hold onto a role out wide.
Arsenal
(SOT, hul, CHE, bur, SWA, MID)
Gunners Fantasy assets were largely ignored as we chose our Gameweek 1 squads, but with four home fixtures in the next six, and only Chelsea to face from the traditional big clubs, they now appear ripe for investment.
Looking at the prospects for Arsenal attackers, the clashes against Hull and Swansea appear very favourable, with both clubs featuring in the top four teams for big chances conceded with seven and nine respectively.
Burnley have conceded the most shots from inside the box (35), offering another favourable match-up, while the encounters against Southampton and Middlesbrough should also be capable of serving up a few goals.
From a defensive standpoint, it’s fair to say that none of Arsenal’s next six opponents, bar Chelsea, have really impressed over the opening three matches. Southampton have failed to create a big chance so far, while Burnley rank last for shots inside the box, with just 11.
Swansea and Middlesbrough have both found goals pretty hard to come by too, so there should be plenty of opportunities for Arsene Wenger’s men to register some shut-outs here.
Laurent Koscielny, and if your budget allows, Hector Bellerin should prove to be worthy of their premium price tags at this stage of the season then, while at the other end of the pitch, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil have to be fancied to claim a few double-digit hauls and justify their premium valuations. Santi Cazorla may yet emerge as a valid mid-price asset on the back of a goal and two assists so far.
Also Consider
Tottenham
Spurs face five favourable match-ups over the next six Gameweeks (sto, SUN, mid, wba, bou), although they will have to deliver the goods predominantly on the road.
Stoke, Sunderland and Bournemouth have all endured poor starts to the season, and could be favourable opponents from both an attacking and defensive perspective. The Potters, in particular, have struggled in attack, scoring just twice and managing only 13 shots in the box.
Middlesbrough and West Brom have been slightly stronger, particularly defensively, but those match-ups are also ones in which Tottenham players have to be backed in.
Kyle Walker looks to offer the best value at the back due to his attacking threat, while Erik Lamela is the form pick further up the field, although rotation is a concern for the majority of Tottenham’s midfielders and forwards given the Champions League group stage gets under way next week.
Watford
Once the next two matches (whm, MUN) are out of the way, Watford assets should firmly be on our radars given their kind run of fixtures (bur, BOU, mid, swa).
Burnley, Bournemouth and Swansea have all shown degrees of vulnerability at the back in particular, with Bournemouth and Swansea leading the way for big chances conceded this season with nine apiece, while those matches should also offer up reasonable opportunities for clean sheets.
Middlesbrough have enjoyed a more positive start to the campaign, but again that Gameweek 8 clash should also give Hornets assets the chance to prosper.
At present, Jose Holebas offers the most upside from Watford’s defenders due to his goal threat from left wing-back, though new arrival Daryl Janmaat is one to keep an eye on, too. Etienne Capoue could prove more than just a handy fifth midfielder in light of that schedule, then, whilst Roberto Pereyra, Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney might also profit.
Stoke
Mark Hughes’ side are another to face four favourable clashes over the next slate of matches, although for the Potters, two of those (WBA, SUN) come at home, along with trips to Palace and Hull.
Only Hull from those four sides have really impressed from an attacking sense so far, so Stoke defenders should have a few chances to pick up a clean sheet, while the Hull and Palace fixtures in particular look positive from an attacking perspective.
The Sunderland clash in Gameweek 8 also looks a kind one, with only Man City making as many errors (three) as the Black Cats so far this season, while their total of 30 goal attempts is the sixth fewest among all 20 clubs.
Once Saturday’s home encounter with Tottenham is out of the way, then, Stoke players should begin to enter our thoughts, with Erik Pieters seemingly offering the best value at the back and Marko Arnautovic still our favoured pick in midfield. New loan signing Wilfried Bony looks to have the fixtures to get his Stoke career off to a positive start and could prove an excellent option at 7.3 up top.
Bournemouth
The Cherries play four of their next six (WBA, mci, EVE, wat, HUL, TOT) at the Vitality Stadium, so their budget options could provide good value over the next few weeks.
The fixtures against Watford and Hull should offer up good opportunities for Eddie Howe’s men to regain their form, but with West Brom often stronger defensively on their travels, the other four matches may not yield too many goals.
The Baggies have only scored twice so far this season, though, so that clash, along with those against Watford and Hull, appear to offer decent clean sheet potential, and perhaps bring Bournemouth defenders onto our radars.
Simon Francis is currently our Cherries defender of choice, but with so many of the attacking players short of form, rotation is a concern in those positions, making investment something of a risk. New loan acquisition Jack Wilshere – at 5.9 – is obviously one to watch if he can nail down a central support role and remain free of injury.
