In ‘Frisking the Fixtures’, we pick out the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) teams and players with a strong run of matches from Gameweek 4 onwards.
In this series, we start by looking at six-match stretches, but also highlight any favourable runs beyond this.
To do this, we’ll be using our all-new Fixture Ticker!
ABOUT THE FIXTURE TICKER
Using this tool, you can sort by difficulty, rank by attacking and defensive potential or find rotation pairings.
You can also see projected goals and clean sheet odds, and change the way you view the ticker. For example, there is an option to have Premier League badges rather than three-letter abbreviations.
You can even set your own difficulty ratings, should you disagree with ours.
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Despite losing key players over the summer, Newcastle have surprised many with their promising start to the season. The Magpies have drawn two and won one, their six goals making them the joint-third top scorers in the Premier League. They will be looking to maintain that momentum going into a favourable run.
Although a trip to Leeds next up will be a tough task, from Gameweek 5, they face two newly promoted clubs, goalless Aston Villa at home, a Crystal Palace side sitting rock-bottom for expected goals conceded (xGC), and an Everton outfit that has conceded 11 big chances in three matches. Only one side has allowed more than that – and that’s Fulham, who Newcastle face in Gameweek 10!
Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes (£6.8m) might be gone, and Will Osula (£5.9m) injured, but Matthias Jaissle has managed to draw a tune out of his attacking players, with Yoane Wissa (£6.2m), Anthony Elanga (£6.1m), Harvey Barnes (£6.0m) and Joe Willock (£5.0m) all finding form.
Barnes scored a worldy last time out against Bournemouth, Elanga has netted twice and Wissa has produced a goal and an assist. For managers adopting the Erling Haaland (£15.5m)/Joao Pedro (£7.7m)/Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) front three, Wissa looks a strong budget contender to replace the misfiring Leeds striker – even though we’ve seen quite a lot of the DR Congo dropping deeper recently.
Still, Wissa, along with Willock, is joint-top among his team-mates for shots on goal (six), while Elanga leads the way for chances created (four).
Above and below images from our Stats Centre
Wissa is also first on the expected goals front:
Although they have shipped four goals, there are also some appealing options in defence. Newcastle kept a clean sheet against Tottenham Hotspur, and in Lewis Hall (£5.1m) and Amar Dedic (£4.5m), they have two players of interest. Hall has taken 10 corners, has created three chances and produced one assist.
Dedic has also delivered an assist, but does not have the same defensive returns as Hall, whose 30 defensive contributions (DefCons) have earned four DefCon points already, surpassing the two of Sven Botman (£5.0m) and Malick Thiaw (£5.0m).
With Dedic being a slight injury concern from midweek, Hall has the edge for now.
CHELSEA
With the trip to Arsenal out of the way, Chelsea’s fixtures take a definite turn for the better.
Although Hull have the best defence in the league on paper, Xabi Alonso’s side have enough bite to penetrate this season’s surprise third-placed outfit. A trip to Brentford will not be easy but it’s Bournemouth, Spurs and Man Utd at home in three of the four Gameweeks after that, and those clubs have mustered just one clean sheet between them.
With eight goals scored, Chelsea are the joint-highest scoring team in the division. If they can find the net against Arsenal away, they can be expected to score against any team.
Joao Pedro (£7.7m), Cole Palmer (£9.6m) and Morgan Rogers (£7.6m) have all gone up in price since the start of the season, after producing two goals and at least an assist (Joao Pedro has two) each. The Brazilian forward leads the way on xG with 1.87 and is surely a must-have for the next six matches, even if he isn’t on penalties. Returning 2.7 points per £1m spent on him, he is the best value forward in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
There are compelling cases for the inclusion of both Palmer and Rogers. Only Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) has had more shots than Palmer’s 12, no midfielder has had more shots on target (five) than Palmer, and the England midfielder is also on penalties. His selection is really only down to whether managers deem him affordable.
On that note, the far cheaper Rogers makes for a great addition. While he has had three shots fewer than Palmer, his attempts have been of higher quality, as reflected by his expected goals (xG) per shot ratio (0.19 compared to Palmer’s 0.09). Rogers also comes out on top when it comes to expected goal involvement (xGI):
How about Chelsea’s defence? Well, they have yet to keep a clean sheet, and only two teams have conceded more goals than the Blues. Alonso will almost certainly improve them defensively with time, and the return of Moises Caicedo (£5.4m) will almost certainly help shore things up. But with goals flying in at the wrong end, and rotation (even in-game) off-putting, it’s tempting just to ignore the Blues’ backline.
Maxence Lacroix (£6.0m) is the pick of them, if you have to go there. The only Blues defender to play 270 minutes (no one else is even close), he’s also delivered DefCon points twice in three Gameweeks.
ARSENAL
We’ve included Arsenal here but, as many FPL managers will consider them almost fixture-proof anyway, their upcoming run has maybe less relevance.
Still, you’d much rather the ticker be green than red, and outside of their trips to the Amex and Anfield in Gameweeks 5 and 9, that’s the case.
Sunderland, Leeds, Forest and Hull are among the bottom seven teams for goals scored after three Gameweeks (averaging a goal a game or less), which bodes well for the likes of Riccardo Calafiori (£5.6m) and a cut-price Ezri Konsa (£4.4m).
Further forward, the concern is more if Mikel Arteta starts to rotate his regulars now that European football has started. Martin Odegaard (£6.6m) could swerve rotation more than most, and looks back to his best this season. He is the Gunners’ leading light for xGI (2.05) after three Gameweeks.
CRYSTAL PALACE
Crystal Palace stopped the rot with a much-needed win over Fulham in Gameweek 3, which will help them view their benign run of fixtures in good heart.
The Eagles don’t meet any of last season’s top seven in the next six Gameweeks. Stretched over the next nine Gameweeks, they meet all three newly promoted clubs – starting with Ipswich Town this weekend.
Not that Palace’s defending is anything to write home about. No team has conceded more goals than the eight of Pierre Sage’s side, so he will be hoping for a first clean sheet against Ipswich this Saturday.
If they can do, the case for Tyrick Mitchell (£4.5m) will gather pace. Now that Daniel Munoz (£5.4m) has upped sticks to Nottingham Forest, Mitchell has taken on wing-raiding duties, and was rewarded with a brace in Gameeweek 3.
Mitchell also missed a sitter against Manchester City when popping up unmarked in the area and this new feature of his game is one worth keeping an eye on. No defender has had as many big chances (three) as Mitchell, has had more penalty-box touches (10) or can match his expected goals on target (xGOT) of 1.11, while only four defenders have attempted more shots (five). In terms of pure xG, only three defenders beat Mitchell’s xG of 0.77:
It’s worth bearing in mind that Aran Khalaili (£5.0m) also poses a goal threat, with three shots, five penalty box touches and one big chance. He is also a magnet for defensive contributions, for which he ranks joint-third in the game with 33, earning him four DefCon points.
Attacking-wise, it’s hard to make a case for anyone. Palace are massively stocked with attacking midfield options, hence plenty of minutes risks, while Jorgen Strand Larsen (£6.0m) and Eddie Nketiah (£5.5m) seem to be sharing game-time up top.
Yeremy Pino (£5.5m) and a more advanced Daichi Kamada (£5.0m) hold the ‘dual 10’ shirts for now, and created five chances between them in Gameweek 3. Kamada also scored in midweek, with Pino having two very good chances of his own. Really, though, more convincing options exist at these price points for now.
ALSO CONSIDER
COVENTRY CITY/IPSWICH TOWN
We’ve grouped these two together just to highlight when their £4.0m defenders (and other budget assets) could step in and do a job for Fantasy managers.
Coventry don’t face any of last season’s top six over the next 10 Gameweeks, while Ipswich Town have some decent games either side of Gameweek 7’s trip to Manchester City. The Tractor Boys face both of their fellow Premier League new boys over the next 10 Gameweeks, too.
Coventry’s pointless, goalless start needs to be put in context: they’ve had trips to Arsenal and Manchester City in their opening three matches.
Taiwo Awoniyi‘s (£5.5m) five shots and an xG of 1.24 from two starts so far is encouraging. At the back, Bobby Thomas (£4.0m) has shown signs that he could be a good budget enabler. As well as banking four DefCon points, his attacking threat is significant: in Gameweek 3, he had more shots (five) than any other FPL defender.
Ipswich, too, have had to face three clubs in Europe: Sunderland, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Julio Enciso (£5.5m) has delivered two assists already, while he lies joint-second among all FPL midfielders for shots (12).
At the back, and while Leif Davis (£4.0m) carries some appeal with his offensive threat, DefCon points are more predictable than attacking returns for budget defenders – and Dara O’Shea (£4.0m) and Issa Diop (£4.0m) have four of those each already.
EVERTON
Everton have a wonderful opportunity to shoot up the table across the next three Gameweeks, with Spurs, Ipswich and Hull next up.
We only put them in the ‘Also Consider’ section because their subsequent run from Gameweek 7-13 is something of a horror show, with the exception of Coventry (h) in Gameweek 9.
Only three forwards have had more shots than the nine of Thierno Barry (£5.6m), who is another contender for that third striker slot. Budget-friendly, deprived of competition up top, and with a shout of inheriting penalties, we can maybe overlook the fact that he’s not the most convincing of finishers.
Elsewhere, James Tarkowski (£6.0m) could deliver the goods at both ends of the pitch. The defensive stalwart already has 33 defensive contributions this season, for four DefCon points, and has demonstrated his threat at the other end with a goal.
With James Garner‘s (£6.0m) lack of match fitness depriving him of the 90-minute run-outs that usually lead to DefCon points, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£6.5m) remains the go-to in midfield. He’s come close to DefCon twice himself, while he’s reclaimed a share of set plays and can’t be beaten by anyone in the Everton squad for shots (nine) or chances created (eight).
TEAMS WITH GOOD FUTURE FIXTURE RUNS TO WATCH OUT FOR
Finally, some runs to put in the diary that start after the international break.
Fulham have been far from convincing this season and are still seeking their first win, but three matches against the newly promoted sides should not be overlooked in terms of FPL potential.
Josh King (£5.5m) has looked sharp, delivering a goal and an assist already for 19 FPL points. Timothy Castagne (£4.5m) could also be worthy of consideration in Gameweeks 6-8, given that he already has a clean sheet and two assists to his name – although it’s fair to say the Cottagers have looked ropey at the rear.
As for Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth, they have decent runs starting from Gameweek 7 – aside from tricky away clashes in Gameweek 8.
They’re on the backburner for now, while we see if a) Roberto De Zerbi can get his multi-million-pound new signings and newly fit-again midfielders to gel and b) how Marco Rose deals with the workload of Europe.
