As we cast our eye forward to Gameweek 22 and beyond, West Bromwich Albion’s mid-price options could be all the rage ahead of a hugely promising run of fixtures over the next four-to-six Gameweeks.
Everton’s leading assets should also be able to maintain their impressive form via a kind upcoming schedule, while the big-hitters from Manchester United and Arsenal also look blessed with the platform to produce.
West Bromwich Albion
(SUN, mid, STO, whm, BOU, CPL)
The Baggies have four very enticing home fixtures in the next six, as we begin to consider the prospect of stocking up on Tony Pulis’ squad assets.
Clean sheets have been hard to come by for the Baggies over the past few months, but, given the calibre of opposition faced over the next few weeks, that situation looks set to improve.
Middlesbrough have only scored once in four, while Sunderland have notched just two goals in their last four away trips.
Chris Brunt and Gareth McAuley should continue to provide excellent value through this soft part of the Baggies schedule, then, given that the pair are also capable of producing at the other end of the pitch.
Albion have scored 13 goals in their last five home fixtures, so backing their attack may also pay dividends.
Only Swansea City have conceded as many goals as Sunderland (12) over the last four Gameweeks, while Bournemouth, Stoke City and Crystal Palace have all be shipping at an alarming rate.
Matt Phillips and Salomon Rondon look very credible options, then, boasting Fantasy Premier League (FPL) price tags of just 5.8 and 6.8 respectively.
Everton
(cpl, sto, BOU, mid, SUN, tot)
The Toffees schedule is very kind all the way up to Gameweek 29, with the next five home matches, in particular, looking profitable in terms of defensive returns.
Ronald Koeman’s side have kept clean sheets in their last two matches at Goodison Park, and could be able to continue that run against the likes of Bournemouth and Sunderland and beyond.
The away fixtures, bar the trip to White Hart Lane, also appear favourable, so it’s no surprise that Leighton Baines continues to see his ownership and price climb. The left-back is a slight doubt for this weekend due to a rib injury, though, with the likes of Seamus Coleman offering a similarly-priced alternative down the opposite flank.
Everton have also displayed an improved cutting edge of late, bagging 11 in their last four matches; the fixture list certainly provides the stage to continue that trend.
As already mentioned, Palace, Stoke, Bournemouth and Sunderland all rank in the top seven for the most goals conceded over the last four Gameweeks, so Romelu Lukaku will doubtless get opportunities to add to his 12-goal tally.
With over 100,000 new owners flocking to the Belgian ahead of Gameweek 22, only Spurs’ Harry Kane has seen more traffic since the passing of Saturday’s deadline.
Manchester United
(sto, HUL, lei, WAT, mci, BOU)
United enjoy just three of their next eight matches at Old Trafford, but still enjoy a hugely favourable schedule all the way up to Gameweek 32.
Only the Manchester derby in Gameweek 26 looks likely to provide a stern test, and, given City’s vulnerability at the back, that may still harvest goals for Jose Mourinho’s men.
The three home fixtures in the next six, in particular, look hugely promising for the prospects of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is likely to be a popular captaincy choice across those matches.
The Swede should punish any non-owners over the next few months, then, while the options to gamble on a second United attacker, such as Henrikh Mkhitaryan or Paul Pogba, also appears to be a viable strategy.
At the other end of the pitch, the prospects also appear bright, with the home matches again looking very positive in terms of clean sheet potential.
Hull City and Watford both place in the bottom four for away goals scored this season, so those match-ups, in particular, look destined to yield defensive points.
Phil Jones continues to look one of the standout options in the mid-price bracket: available at 4.9, he looks to be a value option right up until Gameweek 32 with his starting role remaining reasonably assured.
Arsenal
(BUR, WAT, che, HUL, sot, liv)
The Gunners are another team who should provide bountiful returns at both ends of the pitch over their next four home matches.
Hull City, Leicester City and Burnley all feature among the six teams conceding the most goals on the road this season, while Watford have shipped 14 in their last five away trips.
The away fixtures are more difficult, but given that Alexis Sanchez tends to thrive on the road, the Chilean will likely be unaffected and remain a key asset.
With Olivier Giroud recovered from a toe injury, he could also be able to maintain his impressive form in light of that fixture list.
The prospects from a defensive standpoint aren’t so positive, with those away matches likely to stretch Arsene Wenger’s defence.
That being said, the Emirates ties are extremely favourable, with Hector Bellerin (once confirmed as fit) and Laurent Koscielny back on the menu as heavy-hitter options.
Also Consider
Southampton
Claude Puel’s men may be struggling for form in the league, but their next four fixtures (LEI, swa, WHM, sun) are the strongest among all 20 teams.
The schedule should provide the Saints with the ideal opportunity to get back on track, then, although, from an attacking perspective, it’s unlikely whether any Southampton asset will push for inclusion in our squads.
The Southampton defence provides the more obvious targets, particularly in the shape of Virgil van Dijk, who is expected to shake off a minor knock to face Leicester City on Sunday.
Saints’ more favourable fixtures come on the road, though, and with other premium defenders set to provide better value than Van Dijk, significant investment in the Dutchman remains unlikely.
Maya Yoshida, who has now started the last six in all competitions while Jose Fonte remains frozen out, continues to offer an intriguing alternative with his modest 4.2 price point.
Bournemouth
The Cherries have two favourable matches (WAT, CPL) over the next two Gameweeks, while they face five home matches in the upcoming eight rounds of fixtures.
There are some tough match-ups over that stretch, against the likes of Everton and Man United on the road, but, in general, Bournemouth attackers should be able to produce returns to more than justify their mid-price valuations.
With penalty duties in the locker, Junior Stanislas looks the obvious target, particularly with neither Callum Wilson nor Benik Afobe able to nail down a starting role in the attack.
At the back, Charlie Daniels could be good for a clean sheet or two, while his attacking threat continues to present an alluring option.
Middlesbrough
Aitor Karanka’s side face a kind run of fixtures (WHM, WBA, tot, EVE, cpl, sto, SUN) all the way to Gameweek 28, so investment in their defence should continue to reap reward.
Boro have kept three clean sheets in their last five, and with some decent fixtures to come at the Riverside Stadium, they should be able to maintain such form.
Calum Chambers, priced at just 4.5 in FPL, looks one of the leading budget options available to us through this period, then, with his 5.2% ownership continuing to rise.
However, with Karanka trialling a three-man defence at Watford, wing-backs George Friend and Fabio – both at 4.4 – could emerge to usurp Chambers as the preferred route.
While the fixtures are reasonably promising from an attacking perspective, two successive blanks means that investment in ‘Boro options in the final third remains unlikely. Karanka’s men have scored 17 goals this season – fewer than any other Premier League side.
Crystal Palace
The Eagles run of opponents all the way through to Gameweek 27 (EVE, bou, SUN, sto, MID, WMA) looks very promising, with the fixtures perhaps likely to lead to a turnaround in form.
The possibility for clean sheet points appears bright against the likes of Sunderland and Middlesbrough, in particular, so defensive assets such as Scott Dann, and potentially Jeffrey Schlupp, may provide effective differentials.
Christian Benteke is without a goal in his last six appearances in the league, but a brace against Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup in midweek may prove to be a turning point for the Belgian ahead of several kind match-ups.
A reminder that our members can use their version of the sidebar fixture ticker to sort by difficulty over a period of Gameweeks and, using the Attacking and Defence filters, view and sort difficulty according to the likelihood of scoring goals (attacking) and keeping clean sheets (defending) over the period of Gameweeks selected.
All these ratings were refreshed and updated in the last 24 hours based on this season’s data.
