Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 6 – The Strong

After the international break provided a short respite from Premier League action, it’s full steam ahead for the next few weeks, and tonight we’re focussing on the sides who have the most favourable schedules over the upcoming six Gameweeks. League leaders Manchester City feature once again ahead of four home clashes in the next six, while West Brom and Stoke could provide some interesting mid-price and budget options over the coming month or so, given their respective strong schedules.

West Brom

According to our Season Ticker, the Baggies have the most favourable fixtures over the next six Gameweeks (avl, EVE, cpl, SUN, nor, LEI), and while Tony Pulis’ side doesn’t throw up a huge number of Fantasy options, investment in their backline certainly looks well advised.

With three clean sheets already registered, we should definitely be casting our eyes over Boaz Myhill (4.5), Jonny Evans (4.8) and Craig Dawson (5.0), with no matches against any of last season’s top eight on the horizon. Investment in Myhill does carry a slight risk, however, with Anders Lindegaard currently competing for the starting position in goal, while Ben Foster is expected to return to full fitness towards the end of October. Evans went straight into the starting XI following his move from Manchester United, and should see his meagre 0.3% ownership increase over the coming weeks, while Dawson looks to offer the safest route into the back four, having played every minute so far this season.

The midfield options at the Hawthorns hold limited appeal, with Pulis rotating his wide men on a regular basis, so it’s the likes of Salomon Rondon (7.0) and Saido Berahino (6.3) among the forwards who could emerge as viable options over the coming weeks. With only three goals scored so far this season, and just 29 goal attempts from inside the box, the fourth worst record in the top flight, the pair perhaps look overpriced compared to the likes of Callum Wilson (5.8) and Jamie Vardy (6.1). While Berahino is likely to return to the starting XI sooner rather than later, he may be forced to play out wide in a 4-5-1 formation on occasions, which also limits his appeal.

Stoke

There is no doubt the Potters have some very eye-catching fixtures (LEI, BOU, avl, swa, WAT, new) over the next six Gameweeks, but having yet to pick up their first win of the season, our confidence in Stoke assets may perhaps limit any further investment for the time being.

Without a clean sheet from their first five matches, the likes of Jack Butland and Marc Muniesa (both 4.5) aren’t likely to figure too highly on most Fantasy managers watchlists at this point, particularly given Mark Hughes’ men are ranked third for shots conceded inside the area (52). Butland has registered seven extra points through saves, though, and looks worth persevering with for his 7.0% ownership.

Stoke also fare poorly when looking at the shots from inside the box statistics; they rank joint-second worst (24) in the Premier League. Home matches against newly promoted sides Bournemouth and Watford in particular offer hope that Xherdan Shaqiri (7.0) and Mame Biram Diouf (6.6) are worthy of consideration over the coming period, though the Senegal international’s owners will be a little concerned after he started wide on the right against Arsenal. Bojan played 16 minutes at the Emirates on Saturday and, now available at 5.4 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), could well be the one to target, with a current ownership of just 1.2%. Until we see the former Barcelona man named in a starting XI, it’s perhaps best to hold fire as he continues to build up his match fitness.

Man City

There’s still no stopping Manuel Pellegrini’s side, with their 100% record maintained thanks to Kelechi Iheanacho’s late winner at Selhurst Park on Saturday. With four very favourable home fixtures (WHM, NEW, BOU, NOR) over the next Gameweeks, City look well set to continue to offer Fantasy managers a vast array of options to choose from.

So far, it’s their miserly defence which has emerged as the most profitable way to use up our three City slots, with Aleksandar Kolarov (5.9) the primary option. As we’ve seen over the first five, doubling up with either Vincent Kompany (6.4) or Bacary Sagna (5.1) could pay dividends, although the latter will soon have to compete with Pablo Zabaleta for the starting position at right-back, with the Argentine expected to return to first-team action over the next few weeks following a knee injury. Kompany, meanwhile, is confident of recovering from a calf complaint in time for the weekend after being forced off against Juventus last night. The matches against Newcastle and Bournemouth in particular offer hope of further shut-outs, with both sides featuring among the bottom four sides for total goal attempts so far this season.

City’s attacking assets have largely disappointed over the last few weeks, but given those favourable home clashes in particular, they will surely deliver over the coming period. David Silva (10.2) should return to the starting XI against West Ham on Saturday, but with Kevin de Bruyne (10.0) now also in the mix, there’s some uncertainty over whether the Spaniard will continue to provide the attacking points necessary to justify his price tag. Yaya Toure and Raheem Sterling (both 8.9) offer cheaper options in midfield, while Sergio Aguero’s 31.8% ownership in FPL will be hopeful of the Argentine starting against the Hammers after he came on as a late substitute last night.

Liverpool

With home fixtures against Norwich and Aston Villa in the next two Gameweeks, Liverpool assets certainly look great options in the short term.

Simon Mignolet (5.1), Martin Skrtel (5.5) and Joe Gomez (4.8) should certainly be on our radars then, although the Reds’ defence, after a strong start to the season, keeping three consecutive clean sheets, have been poor in the heavy losses to West Ham and Man United.

Further forward, Philippe Coutinho (8.1) returns from a one-match ban this weekend, and should help reignite the attacking play of Brendan Rodgers’ side after a lacklustre showing at Old Trafford. Christian Benteke (8.5) still managed to find the back of the net against United, but will need greater service from the midfield if he is to cement himself as a Fantasy must-have. Liverpool face more testing fixtures from Gameweek 8 onwards (eve, tot, SOT, che), so their prospects really need to deliver over the next two weeks if they are to remain in our thoughts.

Also Consider

Crystal Palace
Alan Pardew’s side face a reasonable slate of fixtures over the next six Gameweeks (tot, wat, WBA, WHM, lei, MUN), so with the former Newcastle boss chopping and changing his forwards, the likes of Yannick Bolasie (6.3) and Bakary Sako (5.6) in midfield look the ones to target. It is, however, worth noting that both West Brom and West Ham have yet to concede on their travels, while Watford have kept three clean sheets at Vicarage Road.

With the Eagles yet to register a shut-out this season, it’s hard to push the claims of Alex McCarthy (4.1) and Scott Dann (5.0) with great confidence, although the former’s price tag does make the former QPR stopper a viable option between the sticks.

Swansea
The Welsh outfit play in front of their own fans in four of the next six (EVE, sot, TOT, STO, avl, ARS) and, having won both of their matches at the Liberty Stadium this season, home comforts should have Fantasy managers on red alert. Lukasz Fabianski and Kyle Naughton (both 5.0) look the pick of the options at the back, with both Tottenham and Stoke struggling to score on the road.

Andre Ayew (7.3) and Bafetimbi Gomis (7.5) have already attracted plenty of investment, given their form over the early weeks of the season, and the pair should continue to provide great value in the mid-price bracket. Jefferson Montero (6.0) and Jonjo Shelvey (5.5) could be worthy of some consideration as differentials, with the latter’s underlying stats particularly impressive.

Bournemouth
The Cherries have provided Fantasy managers with two great budget options so far this season in the form of defender Simon Francis (4.5) and forward Callum Wilson (5.9), and the pair should continue to flourish over the next three Gameweeks (SUN, sto, WAT).

Aside from those two, there’s no doubt Matt Ritchie (5.8) has been one of the disappointments of the season so far, having yet to register any attacking returns. With no clean sheets or save points to his name, Artur Boruc (4.5) holds little appeal in goal. Should Glenn Murray (5.8) force his way into the starting XI alongside Wilson, he could emerge as a handy differential, with his current ownership in FPL standing at just 0.2%. In truth, though, Bournemouth’s fixtures from Gameweek 9 onwards (mci, TOT, sou) make further investment outside of Francis and Wilson unlikely.