The Scout assesses the sides with the most favourable opening schedules in 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League.
Luton Town
A kind run of opponents gives the Championship playoff winners the chance to offer strong value for managers in Fantasy.
Luton avoid all of last season’s top five sides in the first 10 Gameweeks, lifting their prospects at both ends of the pitch.
That schedule is also reflected in the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), with each of those 10 matches scoring no more than three.
Luton's first 10 matches
| GW | Opponent | FDR | GW | Opponent | FDR |
| 1 | BHA (A) | 3 | 6 | WOL (H) | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | BUR (H) | 2 | 7 | EVE (A) | 2 |
| 3 | CHE (A) | 3 | 8 | TOT (H) | 3 |
| 4 | WHU (H) | 3 | 9 | NFO (A) | 2 |
| 5 | FUL (A) | 2 | 10 | AVL (A) | 3 |
Here are two players who could thrive during that opening run of fixtures.
Alfie Doughty
Luton’s 3-5-2 formation can help the wing-back emerge as their best option in Fantasy.
Rob Edwards’ side rely heavily on the delivery of their wide players, with Doughty and fellow wing-back James Bree their top two for key passes in 2022/23, with 59 and 60 respectively.
Doughty’s impact is all the more impressive given that he didn’t feature until Luton’s 15th match of the last campaign.
Yet he still scored twice and supplied five assists across his 31 appearances.
An overwhelming winner 👏
— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) January 7, 2023
This cracker from Alfie Doughty is your Goal of the Month! 🔥#COYH https://t.co/XcV2bI0OQN pic.twitter.com/3yhIQ7UNP3
A share of set-pieces further adds to Doughty’s appeal as Luton’s go-to defender at present.
But with Bree leaving the club last season, Edwards’ move for a new right wing-back means there will be competition to Doughty in Fantasy.
Carlton Morris
The Luton forward has the all-round style of play to immediately profit from their kind early schedule.
Morris was a huge success in his debut campaign for the Hatters last term, scoring 20 of their 57 goals in the Championship and assisting a further seven.
Indeed, that total of 27 goal involvements was more than twice the tally of any team-mate, with his fellow forward Elijah Adebayo next-best on 13.
The underlying statistics further strengthen Morris’s case for consideration in managers’ opening squads.
His 124 shots and 102 shots in the box were both team-leading totals last season, while his 53 key passes placed third.
With his potential for both goals and assists, Morris could prove a very handy source of value in the first few fixtures.
Download: Complete FDR for 2023/24 (PDF, 220kb)
Also in this series
Part 1: Arsenal
Part 2: Brentford
Part 3: Brighton
Part 4: Chelsea
Part 5: Liverpool
Part 7: Man City