Whose fixture runs should we target?

Fixture runs are key in making the best FPL managerial decisions. We take a look at the Fantasy Football Scout season ticker to see which teams and players we should target.

When making FPL plans there are many things that managers should consider. Which players and team are in the best form takes priority. However, where possible managers should monitor the clubs fixture runs to target these form players with the best fixtures.

With Friday’s Double Gameweek 28 and 29 announcements which clubs should we target and who should we avoid?

The Fantasy Football Scout ticker allows managers to look at the upcoming fixtures. For members it allows the ticker to be sorted in to different categories.

• Difficulty overall
• Attack difficulty
• Defensive difficulty
• All fixtures
• Home fixtures
• Away fixtures

It also allows managers to delete Gameweeks. This is useful when managers know that they are planing to play the Free Hit chip for example, as they wouldn’t need to plan their transfers around that week.

Season Ticker: Good fixture runs

With the exception of potentially Spurs, the top five on the season ticker are not necessarily clubs that managers have historically rushed to invest in.

Aside from Spurs, the most heavily owned player across the other four teams is Newcastle’s Allan Saint-Maximin. Saint-Maximin is owned by 16.6% of the game. Wolves’ Conor Coadyis the only other player owned by more than 10% of the game at 12.7%. This makes investing in these options increasingly attractive as they would provide excellent differentials.

Wolves

Since Gameweek 12 Wolves have looked like a great defence to invest in. With seven cleansheets against team sheets including Spurs, Manchester United and Chelsea Wolves’ fixtures make them the perfect defensive buys. Managers have a free choice between Nelson Semedo, Conor Coady, Rayan Ain-Nouri or Roman Saiss. However with Saiss’ set piece threat he could be worth spening the extra £0.2m on over Coady.

Upfront Raul Jimenez could be a good option. Whilst Wolves have improved in attack in recent Gameweeks Wolves have scored just 21 goals this season, only Norwich and Burnley have scored fewer. However, with fixtures against teams such as Leeds who have conceded 46 goals this year he could be a great differential.

Wolves’ Gameweek 28 double against Crystal Palace and Watford, makes investment in the midlands team highly attractive.

Southampton

Top of the fixture ticker for the next five Gameweeks are Southampton. The Saints are also finding form at the right time having picked up draws against both Manchester clubs and a win over Spurs since Gameweek 23.

Tino Livramento has offered managers excellent value for money over the course of the season. Livramento was transferred out by over 175,000 managers ahead of Gameweek 26. However, those managers may regret that transfer with the Southampton fixtures looking likely to provide some clean sheets.

Upfront Armando Broja looks the perfect cheap forward, especially with the announcement of Double Gameweek 28. He is the perfect budget enabling forward, as well as being a player that managers would want to start every week.

Newcastle

The January transfer window was the perfect boost for Newcastle and it has seen them return a series of good results in recent Gameweeks. The injury to Kieran Trippier will likely worry FPL managers and may put them off investing in the Newcastle defence. Saint-Maximin is likely to be the most targeted of the Newcastle players ahead of their back-to-back Double Gameweeks. However, the like s of Joelinton and Chris Wood could offer managers good differentials if the Newcastle form continues.

Spurs

Tottenham have hit a difficult patch of form in recent weeks which has noticeably coincided with the absence of key defensive players in Eric Dier and Oliver Skipp. Whilst Skipp remains unavailable, Dier returned for Gameweek 26.

Spurs have three players currently owned by over 10% of the game. Son Heung-Min, Sergio Reguilon and Harry Kane will now have the benefit of an extra fixture against Brighton in Gameweek 29 making them attractive options for FPL managers.

Burnley

Burnley have been popular targets for FPL managers over the last couple of Gameweeks, mostly as a result of the announcement of back-to-back double Gameweeks. With fixtures against Brentford and Southampton, sandwiched between games with Chelsea and Man City, managers may need to bench any Burnley assets in 28 and 31.

Season Ticker: Bad fixture runs

Manchester United

FPL managers spent weeks holding on to their Manchester United assets in order to have them for Double Gameweek 25. However, with no Double Gameweek insight and Manchester United bottom of the fixture ticker from Gameweek 27 to 31 managers are selling United assets in their droves.

Bruno Fernandes was the third most transfered out player ahead of the Gameweek 26 deadline, with over 286,000 transfers out. Likewise teammate Cristiano Ronaldo was the fifth most sold player with over 245,000 transfers out.

With Mo Salah transferred in by over 810,000 managers the United assets seem to have been a casualty of needing to fund buying the Egyptian. It also makes sense because, with the exception of the Watford match, the fixtures look like ones to be avoided.

West Ham

The Hammers have been on fantastic form for most of the 2021/22 season. However, the lack of a Double Gameweek as well as a difficult run which includes matches agains Liverpool, Spurs and Aston Villa makes them less attractive.

Jarrod Bowen’s form continues to make him a good pick, even with the poor fixtures. However, teammate Michail Antonio now looks a difficult hold when other cheaper players such as Wood, Broja and Jimenez play at least one additional game.

Norwich

Norwich players have low ownership and sitting third bottom of the fixture ticker makes it likely to stay that way. Although, Norwich players such as Brandon Williams could offer a good value bench option. With the Norwich form and fixtures however, they are not a team to target.

Chelsea and Man City

Chelsea’s Blank Gameweek 27 causes them to sit far lower on the ticker than they would otherwise. Likewise Man City have a decent run of matches ahead. These two teams are examples of where the fixture ticker can be misleading as the lack of a Double Gameweek has them very low. However investing in their players could still be a fantastic option for some good looking single Gameweeks.

How should managers use fixture runs in their planning?

Fixture runs can be the perfect way to target a player, especially for managers who are torn between a couple of options. The announcements of Double Gameweeks in both Gameweek 28 and 29 has given FPL managers plenty of new options to target. Whilst it is always the case that there are single Gameweek players who perform well investing in teams with doubles is wise.

Playing the Double Gameweeks mean that managers can maximise the potential returns of their FPL players by having additional game time over the competition.