Gameweek 26 best wildcard

Looking at the Gameweek 26 best wildcard team. Using the Fantasy Football Scout season ticker we can see which teams have the best run of fixtures. This can then aid FPL managers in picking out some of the best assets for the run ahead.

The wildcard gives managers the opportunity to change their entire team for any reason. Managers activate their wildcards for several reasons. Whether that be to target fixture swings or just change their team up, the wildcard can be precious to our planning.

Fixture ticker

We can see from the ticker below, the teams at the top have the easiest fixtures, whilst the teams at the bottom have the toughest fixtures up to Gameweek 31 (a six match period).

Who has the best fixtures?

Brentford, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham all rank amongst the top five teams with the easiest fixtures.

Who has the worst fixtures?

Manchester City, Fulham, Liverpool, Everton and Wolves all rank amongst the bottom five teams with the worst fixtures.

Balance

Squad balance will be vital over the next few weeks. Making sure we have a balanced squad to both navigate the blank Gameweek and attack the double Gameweek could be detrimental if looking to gain rank or an edge over our mini-league rivals.

The best wildcard team

Trying to find the right balance between teams and players that have blanks and double Gameweeks ahead could be key. It is also worth noting that we will have free transfers to use between each Gameweek as well.

Goalkeepers

Brentford investment could be absolutely key in the wildcard. They face two double Gameweeks ahead, a fixture in blank Gameweek 28 and also have a fixture in blank Gameweek 32. Their assets can be held all of the way through and for that reason David Raya (£4.8m) could be a great addition.

Leicester’s Danny Ward (£4m) makes a great backup and will only feature at the discretion of the fantasy manager. Some may even consider rotating him with Raya depending on the fixtures.

Defenders

Newcastle have a fixture in Gameweek 28, a double Gameweek in 29 and a fixture in blank Gameweek 32 so investing in the one of the best defences in the league could be wise. Kieran Trippier (£5.9m) has sustained some of the best distribution stats in the league this season and should be highly considered. Doubling up on the Newcastle defence with a cheap option like Sven Botman (£4.5m) could also be beneficial. Both defenders will be benched for their game against Manchester City, then return after that to help bench the players that blank.

Brighton may have a blank Gameweek in Gameweek 28 but the potential for two double Gameweeks make up for that. Pervis Estupinan (£4.7m) has created five assists in his last seven matches in all competitions so has huge attacking threat. He will be rotated with one of the bench options who play a fixture when Gameweek 28 arrives.

Doubling up on the Brentford defence could be another great move and it also enables a well balanced squad with Ethan Pinnock’s £4.4m price-tag. Another great inclusion could be Ben White (£4.7m). He is a cheap way into an Arsenal defence that have kept two back-to-back clean sheets and have sustained some great defensive stats all season. Arsenal do not have a double Gameweek but they play fixtures all of the way through the next period.

Midfielders

Brighton are scheduled for two double Gameweeks so it could be difficult to avoid their attacking assets. They rank second for big chances (21) and third for shots on target (32) in the last six matches so it could be worth selecting their best player in terms of expected goal involvement, Solly March (£5.1m). Doubling up on the attack could also be beneficial with Kaoru Mitoma (£5.3m) who has hit four returns in his last six matches including two double-digit hauls.

No player in the league in the last six matches has scored more goals (seven) and had more attempts on goal (26) than Marcus Rashford (£7.2m). He faces a Liverpool side who have conceded more big chances that most teams this season. Rashford has a blank Gameweek in 28 then a double Gameweek in the round immediately after.

Arsenal have been maintaining some of the best offensive stats in the league this season. Although they do not have a double Gameweek in 29 they do have a fixture in 28. For that reason, it could be wise to keep hold of penalty taker Bukayo Saka (£8.5m).

Leicester have a fixture in Gameweek and then a very good double Gameweek in Gameweek 29 against two teams conceding some concerning defensive stats. If fit, James Maddison (£8.1m) could be a fantastic addition. The midfielder has banked nine goals and five assists in just 17 matches this season.

Forwards

Manchester City blank in Gameweek 28 and have a single fixture in Gameweek 29 but until then it could be worth keeping the best asset in the game, Erling Haaland (£12.2m). Not only has he scored more points than any other player this season but he is also the highest owned so his short term inclusion could be vital.

Brentford face two double Gameweeks ahead and the standout player is without a doubt Ivan Toney (£7.6m). He faces two of the worst defences in the weeks ahead and also sits as the third highest scoring striker in the game, reflecting a great season so far.

Tottenham have some of the best fixtures in the league over the next several Gameweeks. Although they do not have a double Gameweek they have a fixture in Gameweek 28 and in Gameweek 32. Harry Kane (£11.7m) sits as the second highest scoring player in the game.

How balanced is this squad?

This squad would give managers six double Gameweek payers in Gameweek 26, nine players in blank Gameweek 28 and 10 double Gameweek players in Gameweek 29. All of this is without the use of transfers, so free transfers will help increase that number as we progress through this tough period.