It’s time for another instalment of ‘Frisking the Fixtures’, where we pinpoint the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) teams and players with the most appealing runs of matches from Gameweek 14 onwards.
We begin with a six-Gameweek look ahead in these articles, but we’ll peer beyond that where necessary.
As always, our colour-coded Fixture Ticker is the primary source for this piece.
ABOUT THE FIXTURE TICKER
Using this tool as a Chief Member, you can sort by difficulty, rank by attacking and defensive potential or find budget rotation pairings.
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And new, as of this season, is the ability to customise the colours!
There’s the:
- Premier League green/red colour scheme
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SEASON TICKER OVERVIEW: NEXT SIX GAMEWEEKS
MANCHESTER UNITED
As things stand, Manchester United sit top of our Fixture Ticker heading into the upcoming period.
Before their Gameweek 12 defeat to Everton, Rúben Amorim’s side had collected an impressive 11 points from a possible 15, with victories over Sunderland, Brighton and Hove Albion and Liverpool, alongside draws against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur. They recovered from that disappointing loss to the Toffees with a fine victory at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
The short-term schedule could offer further encouragement. United face Wolverhampton Wanderers twice, currently bottom of the table, and also host West Ham United in the next few Gameweeks. Bournemouth are haemorrhaging goals on the road, too, while Leeds United and Burnley follow in Gameweeks 20 and 21.
It is a run of fixtures that is likely to push United assets up the transfer rankings.
Despite that, investment is not without a caveat or two. Defensive issues persist, while the injury to Benjamin Šeško (£7.2m) and the looming AFCON departures of Bryan Mbeumo (£8.6m) and Amad Diallo (£6.3m) raise questions about how the attack will manage.
For now, the safest long-term option is penalty taker Bruno Fernandes (£8.9m). The Portuguese midfielder continues to offer multiple routes to points through goals, assists and bonus potential, and it would be no surprise to see his ownership rise sharply over the coming Gameweeks.
If you must go for a defender, Matthijs de Ligt (£5.0m) is United’s leading stopper for shots (11) and DefCon points (eight). He’s played every minute for the Red Devils this season.
LIVERPOOL
After a seismic slump, Sunday’s win over West Ham United brings hope that Liverpool may have turned a corner.
As the old FPL phrase goes, fixtures bring form, and that is exactly what potential investors will be hoping for in the weeks ahead. Liverpool’s upcoming schedule offers that chance.
From a defensive perspective, there have been massive concerns of late but Gameweek 12’s clean sheet was much needed. Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) and Ibrahima Konaté (£5.4m) are the safest bets at the back, especially the former, who also edges his centre-half partner for DefCon returns:
Upcoming fixtures against bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers, struggling Leeds United (home and away) and Sunderland – who are 19th for goals scored on the road – could provide further opportunities for a defensive revival.
The attacking performances have been up and down, too, but Liverpool, despite their slump, have still had more shots than any team bar Manchester United this season. That keeps the long-term appeal alive for the versatile Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.6m), who is the best bet for minutes – if not attacking returns – over the holidays.
Strong Sunday showings from Alexander Isak (£10.4m) and Cody Gakpo (£7.5m) also boost their potential, albeit with rotation and squad depth continuing to place a question mark over their week-to-week minutes.
As for Mohamed Salah (£14.1m), he leaves for AFCON soon – and Sunday’s benching now surely makes him a no-go.
MANCHESTER CITY
Manchester City bounced back to winning ways (just!) on Saturday. Before their narrow 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United in Gameweek 12, Pep Guardiola’s side had collected 15 points from a possible 18 across their previous six league matches.
There is every chance that momentum continues over the upcoming run. City face three bottom-six sides in the next five Gameweeks and also meet goal-shy travellers Sunderland, which further strengthens their short-term appeal on the Fixture Ticker.
Defensively, the numbers remain strong. With only 12 goals conceded so far, City rank among the top five sides for goals against. Only Arsenal have a better expected goals conceded (xGC) tally, too. That enhances the appeal of options such as Nico O’Reilly (£5.1m). Since his first start in Gameweek 4, he’s top among defenders for expected goal involvement (xGI):
At the other end of the pitch, the outlook is equally encouraging: City are the division’s top scorers with 27 goals. More than half of those strikes have come from Erling Haaland (£14.9m), who remains close to essential for many managers.
However, the favourable schedule also boosts the appeal of Phil Foden (£8.1m) and Jérémy Doku (£6.6m) as attacking alternatives. Foden has started the last 10 league matches in a row, with him and Doku among the top 10 midfielders for non-penalty xGI in 2025/26.
ARSENAL
Arsenal have been relentless this season, remaining unbeaten in all competitions since late August.
With that level of form, it is difficult to see Mikel Arteta’s side dropping many points, even with two testing fixtures against an improving Aston Villa. They also face Brentford, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion, a run in which they will be expected to return steady points.
From a defensive standpoint, no side has been stronger than Arsenal so far. Whether it’s clean sheets (seven), goals conceded (seven) or xGC (7.01), the Gunners top the pile. A double-up at the back will be back on the radar after the recent trickier run, then, with David Raya (£5.9m) and Jurriën Timber (£6.4m) (£6.4m) the clear frontrunners due to the injuries sustained by both first-choice centre-halves.
At the other end, only Man City can better Arsenal’s 25 goals scored. The penalty-taking Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) and Declan Rice (£7.0m) are the stand-out options: the Gunners’ two leading chance creators, they are capable of not just popping up with a goal but also delivering DefCon points. Saka has surprisingly banked six of those, with Rice on 10.
Eberechi Eze (£7.8m), Arsenal’s leading shot taker this season, is in vogue after his Gameweek 12 treble but the untimely return to fitness of Messrs Odegaard, Madueke, Gyokeres, Jesus and Martinelli does increase the prospect of rotation in this busy period.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Sean Dyche has overseen a sharp upturn in Nottingham Forest‘s form, albeit with the unbeaten run spoiled by Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
A trip to bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers begins a promising schedule for Dyche’s men. Forest also face an inconsistent Everton side twice (who will be missing defensive midfield lynchpin Idrissa Gana Gueye in both games) and fellow bottom-half outfit Fulham, which could provide further opportunities for points.
With three clean sheets recorded across their last five matches in all competitions, Forest are once again emerging as a side to monitor for defensive investment. Goalkeeper Matz Sels (£4.7m) offers a budget-friendly route into their backline, while defenders Neco Williams (£4.7m) and Nikola Milenković (£5.2m) also appeal.
Williams, interestingly, is among the top six defenders for defensive contributions since Dyche took over:
With Morgan Gibbs‑White (£7.3m) an injury doubt, defensive contribution specialist Elliot Anderson (£5.3m) also stands out with set-piece duties and a shot at taking penalties should key names remain sidelined. He created a Gameweek-high six chances at the weekend.
CRYSTAL PALACE
Crystal Palace have impressed under Oliver Glasner – but is the schedule now the Eagles’ worst enemy? Last Thursday, Palace began a run of 13 fixtures in 42 days. That’s more than any other Premier League club has to navigate.
A home fixture against Manchester City is clearly the most difficult test in their immediate run, but the broader schedule remains attractive. Matches against Burnley, Fulham home and away, and Leeds United offer significant appeal for Fantasy managers.
From a defensive perspective, Palace continue to stand out. They rank joint-second for fewest goals conceded and joint-second for total clean sheets (11 and six respectively).
Maxence Lacroix (£5.1m) offers some serious DefCon potential (see above), with little of the minutes worry that we may get with the cheaper Chris Richards (£4.6m) in a busy December. The more attack-minded Daniel Muñoz (£6.0m) remains a popular upside pick.
Further forward, with Ismaïla Sarr (£6.7m) potentially set for a spell out and then off to AFCON, penalty taker Jean-Philippe Mateta (£8.1m) is the clear stand-out name. His recent early substitutions, and the hectic schedule, obviously introduce a slight minutes concern despite his continued goal threat.
THE REST
It is no surprise to see Newcastle United also ranking highly on the Fixture Ticker. Recent defeats to Brentford and West Ham United were a concern, but the statement win over Manchester City hints at a possible shift in momentum. As does the ending of the away-day hoodoo in Gameweek 13.
It’s the double-header against Burnley that really catches the eye, although the fixtures around it aren’t straightforward: Spurs and Sunderland have been much better away and at home respectively.
Uncertainty around the goalkeeping situation means centre-back Malick Thiaw (£4.9m) emerges as the safer route for those seeking minutes security.
Further forward, predicting starters remains a challenge with the wingers in and out of the side. Nick Woltemade (£7.4m) may get the odd benching, as he did last week in the Champions League, but should start most games.
Fulham only creep into our thinking from Gameweek 14, while Bournemouth are potentially in the last-chance saloon: Gameweek 19 is the hopping-off point, if not sooner for the suspended Marcos Senesi (£5.0m).
