Some managers find this next, chaotic part of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season exciting. Some definitely don’t.
With Double Gameweek 25 imminent for four teams, the recent announcement of a Double Gameweek 28 complicates things. Both are followed by a blank.
In fact, we’re currently guaranteed just three matches in Gameweek 29, awaiting the answers provided by the FA Cup fifth-round that precedes Gameweek 27.
Here, we use our colour-coded Season Ticker to take an emergency ‘frisk’ of each team’s upcoming schedule, trying to determine who has the best fixtures. Using this tool as a Premium Member, you can sort by difficulty or rank by attacking and defensive potential.
You can also delete individual Gameweeks via the trash can icons above (highlighted in red), which come in handy when a Free Hit is coming and you want to plan your free transfers around this chip.
Should you disagree with our difficulty ratings, you can even set up your own. There is a tutorial on the Season Ticker here.
GAMEWEEK 25-29: SEASON TICKER
Sorted by perceived fixture difficulty, this is how our ticker currently ranks all 20 teams.
All of Gameweek 29 is assumed to occur, although we know many will be called off once the next FA Cup matches take place. From last week’s update article, here is the situation:
- Fulham v Spurs is ON
- West Ham v Aston Villa is ON
- Burnley v Brentford is ON
- Arsenal v Chelsea – a blank if Chelsea beat Leeds in the FA Cup
- Brighton v Man City – a blank if either Brighton beat Wolves or Man City beat Luton in the FA Cup
- Crystal Palace v Newcastle – a blank if Newcastle beat Blackburn in the FA Cup
- Everton v Liverpool – a blank if Liverpool beat Southampton in the FA Cup
- Luton v Nottingham Forest – a blank if either Luton beat Man City or Forest beat Man United in the FA Cup
- Man United v Sheffield United – a blank if Man United beat Forest in the FA Cup
- Wolves v Bournemouth – a blank if either Wolves beat Brighton or Bournemouth beat Leicester in the FA Cup
Further ahead, it is expected that Gameweek 34 will be both a blank and a double, with Gameweek 37 just a double.
GAMEWEEK 25-29: NUMBER OF FIXTURES
Let’s sort teams by the highest number of guaranteed fixtures.
| DOUBLES | BLANKS SO FAR | DEFINITELY GW 26? | DEFINITELY GW 29? | MINIMUM FIXTURES | MAXIMUM FIXTURES | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brentford | 1 | 0 | YES | YES | 6 | 6 |
| Man City | 1 | 0 | YES | NO | 5 | 6 |
| Bournemouth | 1 | 0 | YES | NO | 5 | 6 |
| Luton | 2 | 1 | NO | NO | 5 | 6 |
| Aston Villa | 0 | 0 | YES | YES | 5 | 5 |
| West Ham | 0 | 0 | YES | YES | 5 | 5 |
| Fulham | 0 | 0 | YES | YES | 5 | 5 |
| Burnley | 0 | 0 | YES | YES | 5 | 5 |
| Arsenal | 0 | 0 | YES | NO | 4 | 5 |
| Liverpool | 1 | 1 | NO | NO | 4 | 5 |
| Man United | 0 | 0 | YES | NO | 4 | 5 |
| Newcastle | 0 | 0 | YES | NO | 4 | 5 |
| Brighton | 0 | 0 | YES | NO | 4 | 5 |
| Wolves | 0 | 0 | YES | NO | 4 | 5 |
| Everton | 0 | 0 | YES | NO | 4 | 5 |
| Crystal Palace | 0 | 0 | YES | NO | 4 | 5 |
| Nott’m Forest | 0 | 0 | YES | NO | 4 | 5 |
| Sheff United | 0 | 0 | YES | NO | 4 | 5 |
| Tottenham | 0 | 1 | NO | YES | 4 | 4 |
| Chelsea | 0 | 1 | NO | NO | 3 | 4 |
Three sides could join Brentford in featuring six times – Manchester City, Bournemouth and Luton Town.
However, the latter two may have the awkwardness of having a double followed immediately by a blank – it could happen twice for the Hatters. Managers with Liverpool assets like Diogo Jota (£8.2m), Darwin Nunez (£7.6m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.6m) have this dilemma too.
Meanwhile, as of now, five teams are safe for both Gameweek 26 and 29. That’s handy for competitors who own Aston Villa, Brentford, Burnley, Fulham and West Ham United players.
Those wanting to avoid using their Free Hit in Gameweek 29 should probably stock up on individuals like Ollie Watkins (£8.7m), Jarrod Bowen (£7.8m), Ivan Toney (£8.2m) and Sergio Reguilon (£4.4m).
But those who’ll activate the chip at that time have a bit more freedom regarding the next few transfers.
GAMEWEEK 25-29: BEST FPL FIXTURES
BRENTFORD
Even if the penalty-taking makes Toney feel fairly fixture-proof, managers wanting his team-mates need to consider that – although they’re the only outfit with six guaranteed matches in this period – Double Gameweek 25 is versus Man City and Liverpool. The top two, with a trip to Arsenal soon afterwards.
Saturday’s assist at Wolverhampton Wanderers may have showcased the attacking potential of defender Reguilon but it was the Bees’ first clean sheet in 13 attempts.
LUTON TOWN
If managers have enough squad depth to cover their Blank Gameweek 26, grabbing several cheap Luton names could turn out well. The team with two doubles has followed the high of scoring four times in successive games with the low of losing at home to Sheffield United but there are still bargains to buy.
Forward Elijah Adebayo (£4.9m) has netted five times in five matches, Ross Barkley‘s (£5.0m) latest ten have yielded seven goal contributions and Alfie Doughty (£4.6m) has just finished a great streak of returns.
Six in a row brought a combination of goals, assists and clean sheets. Yet the unlucky Sheffield United blank saw him create nine chances – more than anyone else in a single 2023/24 Premier League match.
ARSENAL
Of the teams without any upcoming double, Arsenal have the nicest-looking run and are in superb form alongside it. 6-0 at West Ham, 5-0 against Crystal Palace and a 3-1 statement victory over Liverpool all within their last four outings, where Bukayo Saka (£9.0m) has made a mockery of those January doubters.
After five blanks from six, he’s responded with four goals in the last three. The form of Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.1m) has been incredible too. Three FPL goals (four in real life), a couple of clean sheets and three double-digit hauls in the centre-back’s seven most recent matches.
Arsenal possess the league’s best defence, are scoring for fun and have found some form.
ASTON VILLA
Alternatively, Aston Villa are starting to wobble, having ended Gameweek 20 above the Gunners. Two wins from seven, both against newly-promoted sides, where popular autumn FPL names like Matty Cash (£4.6m) and Moussa Diaby (£6.4m) are old news.
Neither are nailed-on starters anymore, whereas Leon Bailey (£5.6m) has slowly played his way into Unai Emery’s line-ups but still rarely gets near 90 minutes. Not that it’s stopped him from producing four goals and two assists from his last nine starts, often delivering in cameos too.
He and Watkins host Nottingham Forest when others don’t play in Gameweek 26. So there may sometimes be an urge to risk selling the latter but he now offers the safety of fixture certainty until and beyond Blank Gameweek 29.
MANCHESTER CITY
When buying, the advantage of Man City’s players over Liverpool’s is they don’t follow Double Gameweek 25 with a blank. Instead, it’s a trip to Bournemouth.
The problem is that, according to bookmakers, their meeting with Brighton and Hove Albion is the most likely Gameweek 29 postponement. Added to that is the squad rotation that’ll come with the Champions League’s return. Kevin De Bruyne (£10.8m) and Kyle Walker (£5.5m) were victims at the weekend and it could soon be the turn of Phil Foden (£8.0m) and Julian Alvarez (£6.8m).
A tougher, unlikelier sale would be star forward Erling Haaland (£14.4m), especially after his brace against Everton.
WEST HAM UNITED
Finally, a top-half team that will definitely play in Blank Gameweek 29 but has just lost 6-0 to make it five without a win. They’re conceding goals at an alarming rate, to the point where Alphonse Areola (£4.2m) owners will like that the cheap goalkeeper features in the big blank but won’t be expecting a clean sheet against Villa.
Still the sixth-best FPL midfielder, midfielder Bowen is being used up front and has 11 goals this season. None have arrived since Gameweek 18 but, despite this, managers may still see him as a good short-term replacement for the absent Jota, Cole Palmer (£5.9m) and Richarlison (£7.2m) in Blank Gameweek 26. Or maybe even a punt on Mohammed Kudus (£6.8m).
8 months, 19 days agoJamie V Goal