Who has best and worst fixtures in FPL over festive period?

The Scout uses the Fixture Difficulty Rankings (FDR) to identify the clubs and players with the best and worst schedules over the next four Gameweeks of Fantasy Premier League.

Who has the best schedule?

Chelsea's outstanding schedule suggests a double or even triple-up on their attackers could pay off.

According to the FDR, each of their next four matches score a mere two, with one being the easiest possible fixture and five being the hardest possible in the ranking.

Chelsea face Everton, Fulham, Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace in that spell.

While Cole Palmer (£11.2m) is the obvious pick and one of the very best captaincy contenders, Enzo Fernandez (£5.1m) can provide strong value as a budget midfielder - the Argentinian has three goals, four assists and 44 points over the last six Gameweeks.

Nicolas Jackson (£8.2m) provides an option up front, although it's worth noting he would serve a one-match ban if he collects a fifth yellow card of the campaign before Gameweek 20.

Fulham, Manchester City and Southampton each have three matches which score a mere two in the FDR in this period.

Clubs with the best fixtures in FDR

Home encounters with Southampton, AFC Bournemouth and Ipswich show why Fulham can offer budget solutions across all outfield positions in Fantasy.

Left-back Antonee Robinson (£4.8m) has already matched his total of six assists from 2023/24 Fantasy, while Alex Iwobi's (£5.7m) total of five goals and three assists is already one assist more than he managed last season. At a cost of just £5.5m, meanwhile, Raul Jimenez looks one of the best cut-price forwards to consider. 

Erling Haaland's (£14.9m) ownership has plummeted to 37 per cent on the back of only three goals and an assist in Man City's last 11 matches. But those remaining backers will be optimistic he can get back to his best against Everton, Leicester and West Ham United's obliging defences during this period.

Elsewhere, Arsenal's encounters with Crystal Palace, Ipswich, Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion can reward investment at both ends of the pitch. 

Bukayo Saka's (£10.6m) role as the Gunners' talisman is underlined by his total of 106 points in Fantasy, which is at least 45 more than any of their other midfielders or forwards. Gabriel (£6.2m) returned to action with a clean sheet and three bonus points last weekend and remains the best route into their defence, although a double-up with Jurrien Timber (£5.7m) could pay off. 

Who has the worst schedule?

A trio of highly-owned Fantasy assets are set for a far tougher time over the next four Gameeeeks, with Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers (£5.3m), Brighton's Joao Pedro (£5.9m) and Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo (£7.6m) the players in question.

Rogers has been sold by 175,000+ managers ahead of Saturday's 11:00 GMT deadline, yet still remains in almost 20 per cent of squads. The Villa star has only one goal and five blanks over his last six outings and, with Man City and Newcastle United up next, more sales can be expected. 

Joao Pedro is similarly out of form, frustrating his 22 per cent backers with just a single assist across his last four appearances. A trip to Villa and home encounter with Arsenal over Gameweeks 19-20 suggests he may struggle to improve upon that recent output.

As shown by his goal and nine-point haul against Chelsea last weekend, Mbeumo can still profit in tougher fixtures, as he tends to play as a centre-forward against such opponents. Nonetheless, his 28 per cent owners may be thinking twice over keeping him in the short term, at least, with Brentford set to face FOUR of the top five sides in the Premier League over their next six matches.

Clubs with worst fixtures in FDR