Welcome to another edition of Fantasy Premier League Forecasting Good Fixtures, in which we look forward to see which teams have a rather enticing run of games in their upcoming schedule.
After last week’s epic three games in the last seven days, a lot has changed in the English top flight, with Leicester City STILL leading the pack by five points after their win versus Watford on Saturday.
Not to mention, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal shared the spoils in an exciting North London Derby, but the result greatly hurt their chances of the title.
However, this week has four games less compared to the usual schedule (unless Hull beat Arsenal to make it five games less), and there are likely to be some shopping and changing to fill your respective absentees.
This list will not include any club that will play in the FA Cup this weekend to avoid letting you draft in someone that won’t feature!
Leicester City
Leicester City are not only shockingly top of the Premier League table after their efficient 1-0 win over Watford, but they also have a decent run of games heading into the tail end of the season.
This means that it is almost practically essential to own Riyad Mahrez (7.3) and Jamie Vardy (7.8), while any of their defenders are a good pick due to their seven clean sheets in their last 11 games.
Newcastle United (Home), Crystal Palace (Away), Southampton (Home), and Sunderland (Away) are up next for Claudio Ranieiri’s men, who are now favourites to win the league title.
Manchester City
One of the teams that will challenge Leicester City till the very end will by Manchester City, who may be trailing the Foxes by 10 points, but they have a game in hand that could prove decisive in the race for the title.
And their run of games seem to be in their favour as well, with Norwich (Away), Man United (Home), Bournemouth (Away), and West Brom (Home) coming up in their next four. The Citizens are usually strong against the smaller clubs, and with qualification to the Champions League quarter-finals virtually sealed after their 3-1 away win, expect Manuel Pellegrini to push their focus on the Premier League.
Sergio Aguero (13.6) and one of David Silva (9.9) or Yaya Toure (8.5) should greatly be considered, with the trio all amongst the points in their 4-0 victory over Aston Villa the previous gameweek.
Tottenham Hotspur
And last but not least in Forecasting Good Fixtures are Tottenham Hotspur, who are also in the hunt for the title and have a decent fixture list ahead of them.
You may think we’re biasing the list towards the current Top Four, but when you have games against Aston Villa (Away) and Bournemouth (Home) coming next it’s hard to argue. After that, it becomes a little more difficult for the Lilywhites but Liverpool (Away) have been conceding goals somewhat easily this term and Manchester United (Home) are not the powerhouse of the past.
Harry Kane (10.1) will be in buoyant mood after his wonder-strike against Arsenal last time out, while Christian Eriksen (8.6) and Dele Alli (6.0) are the stand-out midfield options for this period. Their defenders are also scoring well, with Toby Alderweireld (6.4) the elite pick of the bunch but it’s Kevin Wimmer (4.6) that offers the most value.