The Scout assesses the sides with the most favourable opening schedules in 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League.
Manchester City
The champions’ opening run of opponents lifts the appeal of an early triple-up on their key players.
Over the first six Gameweeks, Man City face four of the six sides who have been promoted in the last two seasons.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), each of those four matches scores only two.
Man City’s first six matches
| GW | Opponent | FDR | GW | Opponent | FDR |
| 1 | BUR (A) | 2 | 4 | FUL (H) | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | NEW (H) | 4 | 5 | WHU (A) | 2 |
| 3 | SHU (A) | 2 | 6 | NFO (H) | 2 |
Here are three players who could thrive during that opening run of fixtures.
John Stones (£5.5m)
Despite being restricted to 21 Premier League starts last season, the England star still averaged a respectable 4.3 points in those matches.
Stones offered many routes to returns in Fantasy, combining two goals and two assists with seven clean sheets and 13 bonus points.
His prospects were lifted by a change of position under Pep Guardiola in the latter stages of the campaign, switching from a centre-back to a defensive midfielder.
Still classified as a defender in Fantasy, Stones’ potential at both ends of the pitch can help him enjoy a strong start to the season.
Jack Grealish (£7.5m)
The winger’s form after the FIFA World Cup helped secure him a regular role for the Treble-winners.
Grealish made 17 of his 23 starts last season from Gameweek 17 onwards. He seized that opportunity, producing four of his five goals and nine of his 10 assists during that stretch.
The underlying numbers also back up his all-round influence on Man City’s attack.
Grealish’s 34 shots, 25 shots in the box and 35 chances created all ranked third for City from Gameweek 17.
Erling Haaland (£14.0m)
The Norwegian took Fantasy by storm last season, ending as the top-scoring player on 272 points thanks to 36 goals and nine assists.
Haaland claimed 11 double-figure hauls in 33 starts, highlighting why he was the go-to captain for millions of managers in 2022/23.
All 3️⃣6️⃣ of @ErlingHaaland's @premierleague goals! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/Cr3M3HZWjI
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 22, 2023
As the focal point of Guardiola’s attack, his 59 big chances last season were more than four times the total of any other Man City player.
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 6: Luton Town
