Fantasy Premier League

FPL long view: Plan for players with good fixtures from Gameweek 8

By The Scout 3 Oct 2024
McNeil, Wood

The Scout highlights the opportunities ahead for Fantasy managers based on the upcoming schedules

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The Scout helps managers in Fantasy Premier League to plan ahead for Gameweek 8 and beyond, highlighting clubs with good fixtures around the corner. Remember, you can now save up to FIVE free transfers.

Everton

The Toffees are set to embark on a very favourable run of opponents that could raise the appeal of their budget assets in Fantasy.

According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), each of Everton’s five matches from Gameweek 8 onwards score just two.

They visit promoted pair Ipswich Town and Southampton, along with West Ham United, as well as entertaining Fulham and Brentford.

Everton's fixtures from GW8
GW Opp. FDR*
8 Ipswich (A) 2
9 Fulham (H) 2
10 Southampton (A) 2
11 West Ham (A) 2
12 Brentford (H) 2

*1 = easiest possible fixture, 5 = hardest possible fixture

Dwight McNeil (£5.6m) has been the Toffees' top performer during the early stages of 2024/25 Fantasy, producing three goals, two assists and 39 points across the first six Gameweeks. Playing as a No 10, McNeil has made 21 key passes - a total more than any other player in FPL. Also on set-pieces, he can provide superb value in Fantasy across this run. 

Elsewhere, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) is worth considering in the budget forward bracket, having produced two goals and an assist over the last four Gameweeks. 

At the back, Vitalii Mykolenko has dropped to just £4.3m in cost and could be a handy option if the Toffees can improve defensively, having failed to register a clean sheet so far. Certainly, the return of Jarrad Branthwaite (£4.8m) in defence made a big difference last weekend, helping Sean Dyche's side to their first win of the season against Crystal Palace

Nottingham Forest

Four home matches over the next six Gameweeks also bodes well for the prospects of Forest players.

Four of those matches score two in the FDR, with City Ground encounters against Crystal Palace, West Ham and Ipswich, as well as a trip to Leicester City.

Nott'm Forest's fixtures from GW8
GW Opp. FDR*
8 Crystal Palace (H) 2
9 Leicester (A) 2
10 West Ham (H) 2
11 Newcastle (H) 3
12 Arsenal (A) 5
13 Ipswich (H) 2

*1 = easiest possible fixture, 5 = hardest possible fixture

Forward Chris Wood (£6.2m) has impressed the most so far this season, with three goals taking him to sixth in the forward standings on 31 points. His 11 shots in the box and eight shots on target both place top among team-mates and mark Wood out as the Nott'm Forest attacker most likely to score during this upcoming run.  

Ola Aina's (£4.5m) bonus-point potential makes him a good budget prospect in defence. He has earned at least two bonus points in both the matches in which he has helped his side keep a clean sheet.

Be wary of investing in Chelsea and Bournemouth…

Chelsea and AFC Bournemouth, on the other hand, are both braced for tough upcoming runs of opponents that could limit the output of their players.

Although Cole Palmer (£10.7m) backers will be happy to hold after his four goals and 25 points last weekend, his team-mates such as Nicolas Jackson (£7.9m) may struggle to profit from matches against Liverpool and Arsenal between Gameweeks 8-11.

Bournemouth face three of the current top five clubs over Gameweeks 8-10 before their schedule improves significantly. If you don’t own their in-form top scorer Antoine Semenyo (£5.7m), it’s worth waiting until Gameweek 11 before looking to acquire him.

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