Should managers start targeting AWAY fixtures in Fantasy?

The Scout highlights numbers which suggest managers may need to reconsider their approach to identifying the best fixtures in Fantasy Premier League.

Fantasy managers generally expect that players are more likely to deliver attacking and defensive returns in home matches. But data from the season so far is suggesting we might need to rethink that assumption.

In defence, for example, Liverpool are the only side to keep more than ONE clean sheet at home. By contrast, the Reds are among five sides to keep at least two clean sheets in AWAY matches.

That is shown by the output of the best performers in home and away matches this season.

Whereas SIX of the top 13 points-scorers in away matches are goalkeepers or defenders, NONE of the top 12 points-scorers in home matches are goalkeepers or defenders. 

A number of attacking players, like Mohamed Salah (£12.7m), are also performing far better on their travels.

The Egyptian's 44 points in away matches are more than any player has managed in home encounters so far. Indeed, Salah has three double-figure hauls in only four away appearances - just one fewer than he managed in 16 outings last season.

So, should Fantasy managers be more open to captaining a premium player when they are on the road? 

When choosing which defenders to start and bench, should we target the away fixtures instead of the home matches? And who are the most consistent players who can be relied upon regardless of match location?

Here, we delve into the data for answers.

Who are the top performers in away matches?

Salah has produced three of his four goals and three of his four assists on his travels, with his 44 points at least 15 more than any other player.

The aforementioned displays of defences in away matches mean that Liverpool are among four rearguards represented in the list of the top-performing players away from home.

Arsenal’s Gabriel (£6.2m) has been the standout pick, thanks to his impact at both ends of the pitch. 

The Brazilian has yet to blank on the road in 2024/25 Fantasy, combining two goals with two clean sheets to average 9.3 points per match (ppm) - exactly the same as Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer (£10.8m). 

Top-scoring performers in away matches, GW 1-7

*Defenders earn four points per clean sheet, while midfielders earn one point

Manchester United’s Andre Onana (£5.0m) and Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez (£4.7m) have been significantly boosted by a penalty save each on the road. Combined with his three clean sheets, Onana has amassed 29 away points, second only to Salah across the first seven Gameweeks of 2024/25.

Onana's team-mate Diogo Dalot (£5.1m), meanwhile, has an assist, three clean sheets and five bonus points in four away appearances.

If the Man Utd duo can replicate that form at Old Trafford, they have the upcoming schedule to make a big impact on managers' plans.

According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), five of Man Utd’s next six matches score just two. That includes home encounters with Brentford, Leicester City and Everton, as well as away trips to West Ham United and Ipswich Town. 

Chelsea supply four of the players in the away table above, more than any other side, with Nicolas Jackson (£7.9m) and Noni Madueke (£6.5m) also impressing under new head coach Enzo Maresca.

Whereas Madueke’s hat-trick against Wolverhampton Wanderers in Gameweek 2 accounts for 20 of his 26 away points, Jackson has been more consistent. The Senegalese has blanked in only one of his three road trips and has been involved in five away goals, the same as Palmer.

Who are the top performers in home matches?

While Salah is the top performer on the road, his fellow Liverpool winger Luis Diaz (£8.1m) leads the way on 11 points per match (ppm) in home fixtures this season. 

The Colombian has produced three goals and an assist in those outings, including huge hauls of 14 and 16 points. Yet he is the most-sold player in the Gameweek after only featuring as a substitute against Crystal Palace last weekend, suffering over 182,000 sales.

Although the Reds have two tough upcoming matches after the international break, at home to Chelsea and away to Arsenal, it’s worth noting that three of their next four fixtures are at Anfield, with Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa heading to Merseyside.

Despite a Liverpool attacker topping both the away and home lists, it is Palmer and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (£15.4m) who impress most of all. Sitting joint-top of the overall standings on 67 points, they are the ONLY players who feature in both the home and away assessments. 

Both have been involved in six goals in home matches, with the Norwegian ranking top on 41 points thanks to six goals in four appearances at the Etihad Stadium. 

Haaland has blanked only once in those matches, with hauls of 17 and 13 points showing just why he is the most-selected player in Fantasy, found in over 73 per cent of squads.

Top-scoring performers in home matches, GW 1-7

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Haaland and Palmer's premium-priced rival Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) has also been involved in six goals in home matches, scoring two and assisting a further four.

Meanwhile, Saka's Arsenal team-mate Kai Havertz (£8.3m), Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo (£7.5m)  and Fulham’s Emile Smith Rowe (£5.7m) have each yet to blank in home matches this season.

Indeed, Mbeumo's average of 10ppm in such fixtures is near-identical to the 10.3ppm of Haaland and shows he can be a worthy captaincy candidate. 

Smith Rowe has averaged 8.3ppm at Craven Cottage, producing all his attacking returns this season - two goals and an assist - in three home encounters. Similarly to Diaz, though, he has had significant sales after he was benched in Gameweek 7, and has already dropped £0.1m in price this Gameweek. 

But Fulham's upcoming schedule suggests those managers may well regret that decision. According to the FDR, three of their next four home matches – against Brentford, Wolves and Brighton – score a mere two.

Wood and Delap can make an impact

Elsewhere, Son Heung-min (£9.9m), Chris Wood (£6.2m) and Liam Delap (£5.6m) have the home form and upcoming fixtures to soon make a big impact on managers' plans. 

Having missed each of the last two Gameweeks through injury, Tottenham Hotspur’s Son has plummeted to a mere four per cent ownership in Fantasy.

If he recovers from a hamstring injury for Gameweek 8, the South Korean could be the ultimate differential. Son has averaged 9.3ppm in home fixtures – the same as Saka – and has four matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the next six Gameweeks, entertaining West Ham, Aston Villa, Ipswich and Fulham.

Nottingham Forest’s Wood is averaging 6.7ppm at the City Ground and, like Son, has four home fixtures in the next six Gameweeks.

Ipswich forward Delap, meanwhile, has scored three goals in three home matches, averaging 7.0ppm. The Tractor Boys host Everton and Leicester in the upcoming three Gameweeks.