With three postponements in Gameweek 8 and another cancellation to follow in Gameweek 12, we thought it was worth another frisk of the new-look fixture list ahead of Friday’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) deadline.
This article sees us assess the clubs and players with – in theory – the strongest and weakest runs of matches over the next six Gameweeks.
Our colour-coded Season Ticker is the primary source for this piece; using this tool as a Premium Member, you can sort by difficulty, rank by attacking and defensive potential or find budget rotation pairings. You can even set your own difficulty ratings, should you disagree with our own.
You can see a tutorial on the Season Ticker here.
OVERVIEW
BEST FIXTURES
FULHAM
The six goals of Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.9m) have only been topped by a freakish Erling Haaland (£12.0m), although another two forwards have tallied more FPL points due to the Serbian’s lack of assists and a Gameweek 2 penalty miss.
He has had the most goal attempts so far (27) and joint-most on target (15), which has all been achieved from a tough run of games. That’s why Fulham’s fixture swing, in which they avoid any of the ‘big six’ from now until Gameweek 15, has seen Mitrovic’s ownership skyrocket to 27.5 per cent.
Some may think that having both him and Andreas Pereira (£4.6m) is too much Cottagers coverage but the latter has his own strong claims, being a low-priced, nailed-on attacking midfielder with set-piece duties in his locker.
At the back, only goalkeeper Bernd Leno (£4.5m) has just over 0.4 per cent ownership – presumedly because Fulham are assumed to possess a poor defence. Yet they’ve conceded fewer shots than the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Manchester United, with Leno ranking sixth for most saves.
LEICESTER CITY
Bottom of the league are Leicester, stuck on just one point from six matches. Despite this, many FPL managers are hoping to stay ahead of the curve by purchasing James Maddison (£7.9m) in time for the Foxes’ fantastic fixture run.
Nottingham Forest (h) and Bournemouth (a) are a great way to return from the international break – maybe even enough to finally provide some Danny Ward (£4.0m) points in goal – with Maddison already on two goals for the season after his strong end to 2021/22.
Alternatively, Harvey Barnes (£6.9m) is one million cheaper and could be an outstanding differential. His three seasons have always involved at least 14 attacking returns, totalling 21 goals and 27 assists over 6,114 mins. This equates to around 68 full matches.
Staying away from their defence would seem advisable, given that they have let in two goals in all but one of their matches so far. And yet they are ninth-best for shots conceded, with the capture of Wout Faes (£4.5m) potentially boosting their clean sheet potential after personnel shortages at centre-half in the first six Gameweeks. The attacking qualities of full-backs Timothy Castagne (£4.4m) and James Justin (£4.3m) are available at a low price, should things improve at the rear.
ASTON VILLA
It seems like each season brings at least one tempting opportunity to punt on Lucas Digne (£4.7m). The left-back often finds a way to lure FPL managers onto the rocks with his set-piece duties and a love of reaching the byline, only to end up either scoring an own goal or getting sent off. Furthermore, he hasn’t scored since the 2018/19 campaign.
Speaking of repeatedly stepping into the same trap, what about Leon Bailey (£4.7m)? Pre-season hype saw the winger enter the first two Gameweeks in around 1.5 million teams but early rotation quickly ended hopes.
Suddenly, he’s played 90 minutes in Villa’s last two outings, scoring against Manchester City.
Five of the Villans’ next six fixtures are against teams that finished 13th in the Premier League or lower last season.
BOURNEMOUTH
Despite conceding the most goals (18) and having the league’s worst goal difference (-13), a comeback win over Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 6 has lifted Bournemouth to mid-table with two wins and a draw from six games.
The jury remains well and truly out on Cherries assets, not least because they have yet to appoint a new permanent manager to replace Scott Parker, but Dominic Solanke (£5.7m) is certainly at the front of the queue for anyone gambling on a ticker-topping fixture run that sees the south-coast side meet just one of the ‘big six’ in the nine Gameweeks before the World Cup.
Now fully fit, Solanke bagged 12 points versus Forest, following on from his 29 Championship goals of last season. The forwards market is currently congested but his price and fixtures could make him a great alternative.
ALSO CONSIDER
It’s also a good run of games for West Ham United, a side with just three goals so far. Midfielder Jarrod Bowen (£8.1m) is a popular Wildcard pick this week, based purely on his amazing 2021/22 campaign of 12 goals, 17 assists and 206 points. He is without any attacking return this time.
At left-back, new signing Emerson (£4.0m) could become the game’s leading cheap defender but first needs to secure a spot in David Moyes’ starting XI.
When ordering the Season Ticker by relative difficulty, Newcastle actually rise to second place. Kieran Trippier (£5.3m) is the third most-owned defender due to a 39 per cent ownership, with forward Alexander Isak‘s (£7.0m) two outings fetching an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.26.
Trippier and goalkeeper Nick Pope (£5.1m) have the highest number of Gameweek 8 transfers so far, such are the huge expectations for their hosting of Bournemouth. As alternative options, Miguel Almiron (£5.0m) and Allan Saint-Maximin (£6.4m) can also be considered.
Elsewhere, Crystal Palace’s ticker placement is poor because they are one of eight teams to blank in Gameweek 8. But when assessing the streak from Gameweeks 9 to 16, the Eagles fly up to second.
Talisman Wilfried Zaha (£7.2m) will be highly sought after, having already netted four times and scored in the final four fixtures of last season. Vicente Guaita (£4.5m) and Marc Guehi (£4.4m) are solid defensive options.
WORST FIXTURES
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
The honeymoon period of owning the likes of Robert Sanchez (£4.7m) and Pascal Gross (£6.0m) is over. Not only have the Seagulls lost head coach Graham Potter to Chelsea but they immediately follow a blank Gameweek with matches against Liverpool (a) and Spurs (H).
Alexis Mac Allister (£5.6m) has four goals and 37 points from the last four games but also a non-penalty expected goals (NPxG) score of just 0.22.
With uncertainty over Potter’s replacement and no knowledge of which players will be preferred, avoiding Brighton, for now, is a safe recommendation.
MANCHESTER UNITED
Marcus Rashford (£6.6m) was bought en masse ahead of Gameweek 7, only to see the Red Devils’ next two league matches get postponed. Not only that, a muscle injury has kept him out of Thursday’s Europa League clash.
The 24-year-old would offer great out-of-position potential but his return to fitness may already see Anthony Martial (£6.9m) and Cristiano Ronaldo (£10.2m) back into proceedings.
Teammates Jadon Sancho (£7.3m), Antony (£7.5m) and Diogo Dalot (£4.5m) should be more secure starters but upcoming meetings with Man City (a), Spurs (H) and Chelsea (a) will be tough.
LIVERPOOL
Finally, fellow Gameweek 8 blankers Liverpool will soon face Arsenal (a) and Man City (H). Whilst premium assets Mohamed Salah (£12.9m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) are usually deemed fixture-proof, these fixtures coincide with some shaky form.
Salah has scored twice in six appearances but infamously blanked during the 9-0 destruction of Bournemouth – the only match where Alexander-Arnold has delivered returns. That’s why this week’s big debate amongst Wildcard users has been whether to ditch Liverpool assets.
That includes Luis Diaz (£8.2m). The Colombian has played all but 13 minutes so far but the congested schedule, combined with the reintegrations of Darwin Nunez (£8.9m) and Diogo Jota (£8.9m), may soon see him rested.
ARSENAL
Had Arsenal’s Gameweek 9 fixture against Brentford been postponed as first feared, there would have been a mass fire-sale of Gunners assets ahead of Friday’s deadline instead of the slow hemorrhage we are witnessing now.
The trip to west London this weekend might well be a last hurrah for the likes of Gabriel Jesus (£8.1m) in many FPL managers’ teams, given that Spurs, Liverpool and a ‘blank’ follow in the subsequent four Gameweeks.
More favourable fixtures against Leeds, Southampton and Nottingham Forest surround that blank in Gameweek 12, however, so the Gunners’ time out of the FPL spotlight may well be brief.
