Why you should invest in these three clubs ahead of Blank Gameweek 29

In Gameweek 29, four Premier League clubs will be without a fixture in Fantasy Premier League due to the EFL Cup final taking place that weekend, meaning that Fantasy managers will have to navigate some highly-owned players not having a match.

Here, FPL expert Sam Bonfield looks at the clubs who have a guaranteed fixture in Blank Gameweek 29 (BGW29) and have kind short-term schedules beforehand, identifying which players you should look to invest in.

Following the announcement that there will be a Double Gameweek 25 (DGW25), a lot of Fantasy managers will focus on bringing in players from those teams once they are confirmed following the midweek EFL Cup semi-finals.

However, if a team play twice in DGW25, it also means that they will have a BGW29. Investing heavily in the DGW25 teams will then mean managers either need to sell some of these assets ahead of BGW29 and bench others, or use their Free Hit Chip to navigate the blank. 

This means that investing in players with good fixtures from now up to and including Gameweek 28, and an attractive fixture in BGW29, could be a wise strategy. 

It's worth remembering that the possible repercussions of the FA Cup semi-finals on Gameweek 34 could make that the best time to Free-Hit, as there could be up to EIGHT teams without out a fixture.

AFC Bournemouth

Four of Bournemouth's next six matches are classified as a two in the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR).

Bournemouth's next six fixtures

The Cherries have scored 41 goals and kept six clean sheets this season. However, it is their form since Gameweek 13 that makes them especially attractive to invest in.

Bournemouth have kept five clean sheets since Gameweek 13, second only to the six of Nottingham Forest.

In that period they have conceded 11 goals, which is only bettered by the 10 of Arsenal.

Between Gameweek 25 and Gameweek 30, and even beyond that, there are plenty of opportunities for clean sheets.

The Gameweek 25 trip to bottom side Southampton is particularly appealing - since Gameweek 13, Saints have scored the fewest goals, with nine, and only registered one clean sheet.

Players to target

Milos Kerkez (£4.9m) and Dean Huijsen (£4.4m) look like good investments in defence.

Both players have registered two goals since Gameweek 13, with Kerkez also recording an assist in that time. Meanwhile, Huijsen is one of only five defenders to register two double-digit hauls during this period.

Huijsen has registered seven shotts on goal in this period, with Kerkez producing six. Both totals are more than many of the popular FPL defenders such as Jurrien Timber (£5.6m) and Ola Aina (£5.4m).

Meanwhile, Andoni Iraola's side have also scored 25 goals since Gameweek 13, averaging over two goals per match.

This could make investing in the likes of Justin Kluivert (£5.9m), Antoine Semenyo (£5.6m) and Dango Ouattara (£5.0m) very tempting. Kluivert has recorded 11 attacking returns since Gameweek 13, second only to Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) among FPL midfielders.

Kluivert also benefits from being Bournemouth's penalty taker, although the Dutchman's 29 attempts on goal since Gameweek 13 are one fewer than Ouattara and significantly inferior to the 39 of Semenyo.

Only two midfielders in the game, Salah and Cole Palmer (£11.3m), have had more attempts on goal in this period than Semenyo.

Ouattara leads the way among these three Bournemouth midfielders for chances created, with 15. Kluivert has racked up 14, with Semenyo one behind on 13.

Brentford

The Bees also have a attractive fixture run as well as a guaranteed fixture in BGW29.

Brentford's next five fixtures

Brentford have scored 42 goals this season, of which 29 have come at home - the most of any home team in the Premier League this season. As part of an attractive run of fixtures, Brentford travel to West Ham and Leicester and play Everton at home, with all three matches scoring just two in the FDR.

Players to target

Bryan Mbeumo (£7.9m) has registered 17 attacking returns this season, 11 of which have come at home. His 14 goals this season is only bettered by the 21 of Salah among FPL midfielders.

Mbeumo has also been clinical in front of goal, with his goal conversion rate of 28.6 per cent better than any other regular starting midfielder. For context, Salah's goal conversion is 23.3 per cent, Palmer's is 16.5 per cent and Spurs star Son Heung-min's (£9.8m) is 14.3 per cent.

Alongside Mbuemo, forward Yoane Wissa (£6.3m) is also a good investment for this run of fixtures. Wissa is one of only nine forwards in the game to have already registered more than 100 points this season.

Over the last four Gameweeks, Wissa has had more shots on goal than Erling Haaland (£14.7m), Cody Gakpo (£7.6m) and Alexander Isak (£9.5m). The Brentford forward has registered 11 goals and two assists over the course of the season so far. 

Everton

Many managers invested in Everton for their DGW24, with the likes of Jordan Pickford (£5.1m) and Vitalii Mykolenko (£4.4m) proving popular picks.

While Everton will not have another Double Gameweek straight after, as Liverpool potentially do, the Toffees are guaranteed to have a fixture in BGW29, at home to West Ham United.

Everton's next five fixtures

The Toffees' next three matches look trickier than those of both Brentford and Bournemouth, but the fixtures against Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham from Gameweek 28 are very appealing. 

Players to target

The likes of Mykolenko, Beto (£4.9m) or Iliman Ndiaye (£5.5m) could be good options. For managers who invested ahead of DGW24, the temptation may be to switch on to another team who are set to play twice in DGW25, but Everton assets look like easy holds.