Who are the best Arsenal picks in FPL for their strong fixtures?

Arsenal have endured a tough recent run of matches, facing Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle United in the last four Gameweeks.

But their upcoming run of opponents suggests their key assets could deliver big returns in Fantasy Premier League.

According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), three of their next four matches – including their home match against Burnley this weekend – score only two.

Arsenal’s next four Gameweeks

Arsenal's top performers in Fantasy

Bukayo Saka (£8.6m) has been the Gunners’ top-performing player in the opening 11 Gameweeks, earning 66 points thanks to four goals and five assists.

His FPL owners will hope he is fit to face Burnley this weekend after limping off in Wednesday's 2-0 win against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League.

"It was just a kick and I was told by the physios he wasn't happy to continue," said manager Mikel Arteta. "I want to assume he will be OK."

Ben White (£5.7m) and William Saliba (£5.2m) have been the only mainstays in a defence that have kept five clean sheets, with right-back White’s attacking potential giving him the edge.

Meanwhile, Eddie Nketiah (£5.7m) has profited from a run of starts in the absence of first-choice forward Gabriel Jesus (£7.8m).

Nketiah has scored five goals and assisted a further two, with his seven goal involvements bettered only by the nine of Saka.

He will be hoping to continue his run of league starts if he can shake off the ankle knock that ruled him out of Wednesday's Champions League win over Sevilla.

Highest-scoring Arsenal players in FPL

Who's most likely to score?

As the recent focal point of their attack, Nketiah ranks top for both shots and shots in the box.

Saka, meanwhile, is joint-first with Nketiah for big chances, while the winger’s 14 shots in the box and nine shots on target also put him among Arsenal’s top two players.

Despite missing the last two matches through injury, the influence of Martin Odegaard (£8.4m) is also obvious. The Norwegian has had 10 shots on target, more than any team-mate this season.

The output of Gabriel Martinelli (£7.7m) has been restricted by the quality of his scoring opportunities in 2023/24.

He has yet to receive a single big chance and has scored only once, converting a mere 6.3 per cent of his shots.

By contrast, Martinelli's 16 big chances placed second for Arsenal last season, and helped him score 15 goals, joint-top with Odegaard.

Top Arsenal players for attacking threat

Who's most likely to get an assist?

When it comes to creativity, Saka has been in a league of his own for Arteta’s side.

His 24 key passes are at least nine more than any team-mate, while his four big chances created are at least double that of any other Arsenal player.

Martinelli has particularly stepped up his creativity in the absence of Odegaard.

See: The Scout's FPL GW12 Ones to watch

The Brazilian has made eight of his 15 key passes in the last two Gameweeks. To put that into perspective, no other Gunners player has made more than two across those matches.

The statistics also highlight the influence of full-backs White and Oleksandr Zinchenko (£4.9m), with both placing among Arsenal’s top five creators this season.

Arsenal's top creators 2023/24

What about the defence?

Arteta’s rotation has limited the number of genuine options in the Gunners’ rearguard this season.

Whereas White and Saliba have each started all 11 of their matches, Zinchenko and Gabriel (£4.8m) have made only seven starts apiece.

Although Saliba is the most-popular Arsenal defender, found in over 26 per cent of squads, his underlying statistics suggest this is no more than a cost-saving exercise due to White’s higher price.

Saliba has offered almost no attacking threat, with two shots and two key passes.

White, on the other hand, has produced four shots as well as his 10 key passes. He also leads Saliba by seven bonus points to four.

Should managers find White’s price a little too much, they should instead consider the Gunners’ new goalkeeper, David Raya (£4.8m).

See: FPL experts' plans for goalkeepers

The Spaniard has started each of the last seven matches and averaged 4.6 points per start, second only to the 4.8 of White among Arsenal’s regular starters in the rearguard.

Raya compared with Arsenal defenders 23/24

So, who are the best Arsenal picks?

Ultimately, Saka’s potential for both goals and assists makes him the standout Arsenal player to target for the next few Gameweeks.

The England star’s consistency is another huge factor in his favour, with only two blanks in his 10 appearances this season.

Doubts over Odegaard, combined with Martinelli’s lack of goal threat, suggest Nketiah could be worth a short-term move, although Arteta reports he too is "racing against the clock to be fit" after missing Wednesday's Champions League match.

Nketiah is capable of big hauls, as evidenced by his hat-trick and 17 points at home to Sheffield United in Gameweek 10. 

However, Nketiah is far less reliable than Saka, and six blanks in his 11 appearances indicate he is far more likely to test managers’ patience.

At the back, White’s numbers suggest he is worth the extra cost compared with Saliba.

But bringing in Raya at a cost of only £4.8m could be the smarter move, with Saliba offering almost zero attacking threat to justify his higher cost of £5.2m.

Indeed, the Spaniard’s average of 4.6 points per match (ppm) is superior to his 4.4ppm from last season, when he was the top-scoring goalkeeper in Fantasy on 166 points.

View all the latest FPL tips ahead of Gameweek 12 in Fantasy Premier League