The Scout helps managers in Fantasy Premier League plan ahead by highlighting clubs with good fixtures around the corner from Gameweek 12 onwards. Remember, you can now save up to FIVE free transfers.
Chelsea
Chelsea are among a host of sides whose schedule turns for the better from Gameweek 12, and many managers have been planning to take advantage of that by using their Wildcard over the international break for some time now.
Indeed, the Blues’ upcoming run of opponents goes all the way to the start of February, suggesting that Cole Palmer (£11.0m) and his team-mates can reward investment well into the next calendar year.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), as many as nine of Chelsea’s 11 matches from Gameweek 12 onwards score only two.
That spell includes visits to all three promoted clubs, while home encounters with Brentford, Fulham, AFC Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers give Palmer the chance to establish himself as the go-to captaincy pick in Fantasy.
Chelsea's fixtures from GW12
| GW | Opp. | FDR | GW | Opp. | FDR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Leicester (A) | 2 | 18 | Fulham (H) | 2 |
| 13 | Aston Villa (H) | 3 | 19 | Ipswich (A) | 2 |
| 14 | Southampton (A) | 2 | 20 | Crystal Palace (A) | 2 |
| 15 | Spurs (A) | 4 | 21 | Bournemouth (H) | 2 |
| 16 | Brentford (H) | 2 | 22 | Wolves (H) | 2 |
| 17 | Everton (A) | 2 |
*1 = easiest possible fixture, 5 = hardest possible fixture
Nicolas Jackson (£7.9m) has stepped up his consistency under Enzo Maresca, with only four blanks in 10 outings. The Senegalese has combined six goals with three assists and, with an ownership of just 17 per cent, looks the best option to double up on the Chelsea attack.
Certainly Jackson’s reliability is underlined when compared with Noni Madueke (£6.4m). Although the latter has amassed 48 points to the 58 of Jackson, he has blanked in seven of the first 10 Gameweeks and has proven a more frustrating player to own.
At the back, Chelsea’s total of two clean sheets has done little to merit consideration.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez (£4.7m) has 42 points, at least 19 more than any defender, but the Spaniard has had to rely on save points recently. After starting the season with 30 points over the first five Gameweeks, he’s mustered only 12 points in the subsequent five.
Reece James’ (£4.9m) recent return from a recurring hamstring injury is certainly worth monitoring. The right-back has immediately been handed a share of set-pieces – James has taken six of Chelsea’s 15 corners across the last two Gameweeks, playing 90 minutes on each occasion.
Brighton & Hove Albion
The Seagulls boast strong budget options across all outfield positions ahead of their own kind schedule.
Five of their seven matches from Gameweek 12 score only two in the FDR, which looks good news for the prospects of Danny Welbeck (£5.9m).
Brighton's fixtures from GW12
| GW | Opp. | FDR* |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | BOU (A) | 3 |
| 13 | SOU (H) | 2 |
| 14 | FUL (A) | 3 |
| 15 | LEI (A) | 2 |
| 16 | CRY (H) | 2 |
| 17 | WHU (A) | 2 |
| 18 | BRE (H) | 2 |
*1 = easiest possible fixture, 5 = hardest possible fixture
The forward has proven fixture-proof in the early stages of 2024/25, producing a goal or an assist against the likes of Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Liverpool over the last six Gameweeks alone.
If you need to free up the funds for Palmer in midfield, bringing in Welbeck for Erling Haaland (£15.3m) goes a long way, saving a massive £9.4m of your budget.
Haaland, crucially, endures a tough run of opponents from Gameweek 12, with Manchester City facing successive showdowns against Spurs, Liverpool and Nott’m Forest.
That move would allow you to field Palmer as one of three premium midfielders alongside Mohamed Salah (£12.8m) and Bukayo Saka (£10.1m).
Elsewhere for the Seagulls, two goals, three assists and just one blank in the previous five showcases the appeal of Georginio Rutter (£5.6m) as a greater source of value than Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m).
Rutter's ownership of just one per cent – compared with Welbeck’s 20 per cent – also marks him out as a huge differential for managers’ midfields.
When it comes to attacking potential from the back, the versatile Ferdi Kadioglu (£4.5m) could soon be a name on many managers’ lips.
The Turkey international played as a right winger against Liverpool last weekend, scoring and earning his third successive six-point haul in Fantasy. Although there’s no guarantee Kadioglu will retain his more advanced role, his Anfield strike clearly underlines his eye for goal.
Joel Veltman (£4.5m) is the likeliest of Brighton's defenders to collect bonus points whenever they keep a clean sheet.
All five of his bonus points have come in the three matches in which the Seagulls shut out their opponents – compare that to last season, where he didn’t earn a single bonus point, and it’s clear that Veltman is another whose prospects have improved under Fabian Hurzeler in 2024/25.