FPL long view: Arsenal stars can thrive from Gameweek 13

The Scout helps managers in Fantasy Premier League plan ahead by highlighting clubs with good fixtures from Gameweek 13 onwards. Remember, you can now save up to FIVE free transfers. 

Arsenal

After enduring a tough recent run of opponents, Arsenal have the schedule to thrive at both ends of the pitch in Fantasy all the way through until early January.

According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), four of their six matches from Gameweek 13 score only two. Indeed, none of their eight matches from Gameweeks 13-20 score more than three. 

Arsenal's fixtures from GW13

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

Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) has been the Gunners’ most consistent player at the start of 2024/25 Fantasy. The winger has blanked in only three of his 10 outings, earning 67 points thanks to three goals and seven assists. 

Each of Saka’s 31 shots and 28 key passes are team-leading totals, which highlights his huge potential for goals and assists as Arsenal’s talisman under Mikel Arteta.

The recent return from injury of playmaker Martin Odegaard (£8.2m) could be good news for Saka, allowing him to up focus more on scoring goals rather than creating them.

Indeed, with Arsenal now back to full strength in attack, Kai Havertz (£8.0m) could be revived as an option up front.

If Arsenal can find their form, there’s an argument for tripling up on their key assets. At the back, Gabriel’s (£6.1m) huge threat at set-pieces makes him their best option - his 11 shots in the box are more than the combined eight of every other Gunners' defender this season. 

Goalkeeper David Raya (£5.5m) and full-back Jurrien Timber (£5.5m) are less expensive than the Brazilian and could prove great value picks if you’re looking to double-up in defence rather than in attack. 

Raya has already matched his total of six bonus points from 2023/24 and, combined with clean sheet and save point potential, could soon be challenging for top spot in the goalkeeper standings.

An injury to Ben White (£6.2m) should allow a run of starts for Timber, who has offered strong potential for assists this season. Despite starting only eight of the first 11 Gameweeks, his 10 key passes place fourth for the Gunners. 

Be wary of investing in Fulham

Fulham

Owners of Emile Smith Rowe (£5.7m)  and Raul Jimenez (£5.8m) should be preparing an exit route after Fulham’s home match with Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend.

The pair are the top performers for Marco Silva's side in Fantasy this season, averaging 5.3 and 5.6 points per start respectively. 

Smith Rowe's GW11 goal v Crystal Palace

But their ability to maintain that output will now be put firmly to the test from Gameweek 13, when the Cottagers face five of the current top 10 - Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea – in a brutal six-match spell.

Smith Rowe’s ownership of 27 per cent makes him the fourth most-popular player in his position, and finding a replacement could be a wise move.

AFC Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo (£5.7m) has the schedule to provide a like-for-like budget solution in Gameweek 13, while in the mid-price bracket, West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) has a great run of opponents from Gameweek 14.

Wolves’ Matheus Cunha (£6.8m) should lead the list of Jimenez replacements, with each of his next five matches from Gameweek 13 scoring just two in the FDR.

Wolves' fixtures from GW13

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