After scanning for the teams with the strongest schedules over the next six Gameweeks, it’s now time to focus on those who are braced for tougher times.
Our trio of headline selections face just two home clashes over the next six Gameweeks, and play in front of their own fans in only three of the upcoming eight, urging extreme caution if considering players from these sides.
We’ll assess each team’s prospects in terms of goals and clean sheets and also pinpoint the stage at which their schedule improves.
Crystal Palace
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The Prospects – Goals
The Eagles have yet to score, although they have managed a reasonable 34 goal attempts.
A weekend trip to Turf Moor is not particularly kind, given Burnley’s impressive home form last term and their current confidence levels.
And Palace also face three of the four teams who have allowed the fewest number of close-range efforts over the opening three Gameweeks in the shape of Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle United.
In terms of upcoming visitors, Chelsea have yet to concede a big chance and Southampton have two clean sheets from three matches.
The Prospects – Clean Sheets
Visits to the Etihad and Old Trafford look very tough, with United the leading scorers so far with 10 goals.
Champions Chelsea are also gaining momentum and have to be fancied to register at Selhurst Park.
The other three matches at least offer some hope of respite, with Burnley, Southampton and Newcastle inconsistent in attack.
That being said, based on current form, defensive returns in those fixtures may also be scarce.
The Turning Point
Things don’t get much easier for Frank de Boer’s men until Gameweek 13, when they avoid all of the big guns over a seven-match stretch.
Verdict
It’s difficult to find any positives regarding Palace assets, with few viable options for our squads.
Much will depend on how quickly Mamadou Sakho can settle back in upon his return to full fitness, while the prospects at the other end of the pitch look reliant on Wilfried Zaha returning to contention following a knee injury. At 4.5, though, Ruben Loftus-Cheek – who started the first two Gameweeks until sustaining a groin problem – may yet prove a strong budget pick if he recovers quickly.
Watford
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The Prospects – Goals
Given Marco Silva’s staggering historical home record, it’s a blow that the Hornets only have two Vicarage Road encounters during this spell – and they happen to be against Man City and Arsenal.
Both of their defences can be vulnerable at times, though, with the Gunners ranked joint-second for big chances conceded with eight.
Upcoming hosts Southampton, Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion have all kept two clean sheets apiece, while Chelsea at Stamford Bridge also represents another difficult match-up.
But Silva’s side have impressed as an attacking unit so far, with the 2-0 win at Bournemouth offering encouragement for the forthcoming away trips.
The Prospects – Clean Sheets
While they’ve kept two clean sheets, Watford have allowed 27 penalty area attempts – a real concern ahead of this tougher run.
The Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea match-ups certainly look unlikely to yield defensive returns, although the remaining three fixtures aren’t so daunting.
Southampton and Swansea have both had their struggles in front of goal, while West Brom have only created two big chances and often toil to create opportunities from open play.
The Turning Point
The Hornets don’t really face a concerted run of kind fixtures until Gameweek 17, with further testing matches against Everton, Man United and Spurs before then.
Verdict
Recent investors in Richarlison will have to hope the Brazilian can defy the stiffening schedule, but with no Watford players boasting an ownership of 5% or more in FPL, Hornets assets should generally remain off the radar.
Bournemouth
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The Prospects – Goals
It has been a poor start for the Cherries, who have scored just a single goal in the first three Gameweeks and slipped to three defeats.
The four away trips all look tough, although Saturday’s clash against Arsenal may potentially be a decent match-up given the current malaise at the Emirates.
Much will depend on them taking advantage of favourable home meetings with Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City.
Only three teams have allowed more penalty area shots than Leicester, while the Seagulls are still finding their feet in the top flight.
The Prospects – Clean Sheets
Everton, Brighton and Leicester all sit in the bottom five for shots inside the penalty area, suggesting that Eddie Howe’s side may be able to produce some defensive returns in those matches.
A trip to Stoke City also appears reasonable – the Potters have only created one big chance so far.
But Spurs and Arsenal are both in the top four for total shots and should prove extremely difficult to repel.
The Cherries also sit top for the most shots conceded inside the box, which suggests that clean sheets may remain a scarcity.
The Turning Point
Gameweek 11 signals the start of a favourable six-match run in which Bournemouth avoid all of last season’s top seven.
Verdict
While Charlie Daniels got on the scoresheet in Gameweek 3, the concerns at the back mean he is likely to be testing the patience of his 13.9% FPL ownership. In general, Cherries assets offer little appeal due to their lack of form and the tricky forthcoming schedule.
Also be wary of…
Stoke City
On the plus side, the Potters face four of their next six at home.
However, Man United and Chelsea are the next two visitors to the bet365 Stadium, while Mark Hughes’ men also pay a trip to Man City.
Southampton and Bournemouth provide the other opposition at home, while a visit to Newcastle does somewhat balance out those three unfavourable match-ups.
Stoke’s testing start to the season means that their players are all generally owned by very few managers – although Jese Rodriguez is now in 9.3% of squads – and may struggle to deliver in the short-term.
Liverpool
Just two of the Reds’ next six (mci BUR lei new MUN tot) are at home, although the three-goal performance at Watford in Gameweek 1 suggests that may not be a huge problem, in terms of their attacking prospects at least.
It’s at the back where the outlook isn’t so bright, with the three goals conceded against the Hornets a worry for the upcoming away matches.
Burnley’s away performances so far, and the goal scoring exploits of Man United, are also a concern for the two home encounters, although the Reds have recorded clean sheets in both of their fixtures at Anfield. Indeed, they have registered a shutout in seven of their last nine league matches.
Rotation is another worry, in the full-back positions in particular, but the potential of their attackers to produce big hauls means that isn’t such a concern for Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino. But the potential return of Philipp Coutinho does unsettle matters to introduce a new variable.
Huddersfield Town
The Terriers’ kind start to the season will shortly come to an end, with a daunting spell between Gameweeks 7 and 17 in which David Wagner’s side face all of last season’s top seven.
While members of Huddersfield’s backline can be easily benched due to their budget price tags, it’s likely that we’ll be looking to get rid over this period.
Those who invested in Steve Mounie following his 12-point haul in Gameweek 1 will be keen to ship out the Benin international, with other budget forwards set to come to the fore.
Aaron Mooy’s set-piece duties mean he may be able to keep ticking over, though.
But in the short-term, matches against West Ham and, to a lesser extent, Leicester could bring in more points.
Manchester United
Saturday’s trip to Stoke could be the toughest test yet, while worse is to come.
The fixture list stiffens just as the UEFA Champions League group stage gets underway, with the schedule between Gameweeks 5 and 11 looking tough – Jose Mourinho’s men face Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea.
Many FPL managers who have tripled up on Man United assets may have second thoughts very shortly, then, with goals and clean sheets potentially more difficult to come by, alongside a more active rotation policy.
But such is the form of Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan – along with the defensive value offered by Phil Jones (5.1) – it may take a United defeat before owners begin to consider exit plans.
