Who has the best and worst fixtures in Fantasy?

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

Who has the best fixtures?

According to the FDR, where the difficulty of each fixture is ranked from one to five (with one being the easiest possible match and five being the hardest) there are four clubs who have the best upcoming schedules.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Leeds United and West Ham United each have an average of only 2.5 in the FDR over the next four Gameweeks.

Newcastle United boast the best-performing assets among the five clubs whose average FDR score is 2.8.

Clubs with lowest FDR average, next four Gameweeks

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Arsenal

Investment at both ends of the pitch for the Gunners is likely to pay off in Fantasy, with Arsenal being arguably the one side you should be tripling up on right now.

Mikel Arteta's team face Fulham and Crystal Palace before back-to-back encounters with promoted clubs Burnley and Sunderland in Gameweeks 10 and 11.

At the back, Arsenal have conceded the fewest number of goals and big chances, or situations where the player is expected to score, a resilience which has helped Jurrien Timber (£5.9m), Gabriel (£6.3m) and Riccardo Calafiori (£5.7m) all rank among the six top-scoring defenders.

Those three players look better options than their goalkeeper David Raya (£5.7m) due to their many routes to returns. Timber and Calafiori have considerably upped their attacking output, both already matching their goal involvements of four and three respectively from the previous campaign after just seven fixtures. 

Gabriel, meanwhile, poses the greatest threat from set-pieces and also offers the security of match minutes, which has helped him collect a further six defensive contribution points. Timber and Calafiori, by contrast, have failed to pick up any points from the new metric as Arteta's tendency to replace his full-backs late on in matches has reduced their potential of hitting the threshold.

See: What are defensive contribution points?

In midfield, Bukayo Saka's (£9.9m) return from injury is perfectly timed at a point when a host of big-hitters are letting FPL managers down. His converted penalty against West Ham last time out further revives his appeal, as Viktor Gyokeres (£9.1m) was expected to be their new No 1 for spot-kicks. 

Saka's share of set-piece duties is another big factor in his favour, with Arsenal scoring a league-high seven goals from free-kicks and corners this season. Declan Rice (£6.5m) shouldn't be ignored due to his multiple routes to returns, with just a single blank to his name. 

Gyokeres' run of five blanks in seven has led to significant sales, with more than 229,000 managers moving him on ahead of Saturday's 11:00 BST deadline.

While that lack of consistency makes him one to avoid, the Swede's remaining owners (26 per cent of managers) will at least take some solace in the statistics. Indeed, Gyokeres' 12 shots in the box were second only to the 15 of Erling Haaland (£14.5m) in the last four Gameweeks. 

Arsenal's next four matches

*1 = least difficult fixture, 5 = most difficult fixture

Chelsea

Enzo Maresca's side have the very best mid-term run of opponents, according to the FDR. As many as five of Chelsea's next nine fixtures score only two - their home matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton and meetings with all three promoted clubs.

A run of three straight blanks has made Joao Pedro (£7.7m) the most-sold forward in the Gameweek but his huge ownership of 61 per cent makes it a risky business to go without the Brazilian, particularly if Cole Palmer (£10.3m) returns to action imminently. 

Elsewhere in Chelsea's midfield, Enzo Fernandez (£6.7m) offers far greater all-round attacking potential than Moises Caicedo (£5.8m), bettering his team-mate for shots in the box by eight to two and chances created by eight to one.

Although Caicedo has scored three goals, two of those strikes have come from outside the box, a rate which looks unsustainable for a player who had scored just once in each of the last four seasons.

The Ecuadorian's huge potential for defensive contribution points has, nonetheless, made him one of the most consistent picks in 2025/26 Fantasy. Indeed, Caicedo is among only four players who have produced a minimum of four points in six of the first seven Gameweeks.

In defence, Trevoh Chalobah's (£5.1m) many routes to returns make the most convincing case. The centre-back has amassed two goals, an assist, two clean sheets, two bonus points and six defensive contribution points in just six appearances.

Chelsea's next four matches

*1 = least difficult fixture, 5 = most difficult fixture

Leeds

Leeds' Gameweek 8 encounter with Burnley has been identified by some managers as the best time to play their Bench Boost chip, allowing them to profit from all 15 players in their squad.

If you're looking to invest, there are budget options in each outfield position.

Centre-back Joe Rodon (£4.1m) is an ultra-low priced defender who can bring in defensive contribution points, midfielder Anton Stach's (£5.0m) 12 shots and 14 chances created are team-leading totals, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin's (£5.5m) five big chances in the last four Gameweeks places him third among forwards. 

A home match against West Ham in Gameweek 9 also suggests that Leeds can offer more than just cheap picks for your bench. Beyond that, though, it's hard to justify investing, with their promoted counterparts Burnley and Sunderland providing far better value right now.

Leeds' next four matches

*1 = least difficult fixture, 5 = most difficult fixture

West Ham

After visiting Everton and Arsenal in his first two matches in charge, Nuno Espirito Santo now has the schedule to gain some momentum as West Ham's new head coach.

Home matches against Brentford and Burnley, combined with a visit to Leeds, gives Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) the chance to continue his talismanic displays. The West Ham captain has scored and earned three bonus points in three of the last five Gameweeks, producing nine points on each occasion.

Crucially for Fantasy managers, Nuno's appointment could also bring the Hammers' rearguard into contention - the Portuguese steered Nottingham Forest to 13 clean sheets last season, second only to the 14 of Liverpool.

Centre-backs Maximilian Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos (both £4.4m) are the ones to watch for defensive contribution points, while goalkeeper Alphonse Areola now sets you back just £4.3m.

West Ham's next four matches

*1 = least difficult fixture, 5 = most difficult fixture

Newcastle

Similar to Arsenal, the Magpies merit attention at both ends of the pitch ahead of matches against Brighton & Hove Albion, Fulham, West Ham and Brentford.

Eddie Howe's side have claimed a league-high five clean sheets, with centre-back Dan Burn and goalkeeper Nick Pope (both £5.1m) being their top performers on 43 and 41 points respectively.

In attack, Nick Woltemade (£7.2m) is clearly the form pick. The German has scored in three of his first four matches over Gameweeks 4-7, with his 24 points being second only to Haaland among forwards. 

Although Woltemade took and scored a penalty against Nott'm Forest last time out, it does remain to be seen if he is Newcastle's No 1 for spot-kicks.

In their previous match against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the UEFA Champions League, Anthony Gordon (£7.4m) scored two penalties while Woltemade was on the pitch. Notably, Gordon had already been replaced when Newcastle were awarded their spot-kick in Gameweek 7.

While Gordon has yet to score in the league, he's clearly shown plenty of goal threat. Indeed, among midfielders who have at least two starts to their name, his 22.5 minutes per shot is second only to the 16.8 of Chelsea's Palmer.

Gordon and Woltemade's classifications in Fantasy also lends weight to the former's prospects. As a midfielder, Gordon earns five points for each goal he scores and one point for every clean sheet that the resilient Magpies produce. As a forward, Woltemade picks up four points per goal and is not rewarded for any clean sheets.

Newcastle's next four matches

*1 = least difficult fixture, 5 = most difficult fixture

Who has the worst fixtures?

As the table below shows, there are seven clubs with an average FDR greater than 3.0 over the next four Gameweeks.

If you're still holding Aston Villa players, it's time to let them go. Unai Emery's side face four of the top five clubs in the upcoming period, with matches against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Liverpool and AFC Bournemouth earning them an FDR average of 3.8.

The table below also helps to show why Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (£14.4m) and Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (£9.0m) have both suffered heavy sales across the international break, with neither form or fixtures on their sides.

Notably, the two top-scoring players in Fantasy, Haaland and Antoine Semenyo (£7.9m), are also among those set for testing times. 

Similarly to Villa, Man City face four of the top five in their next five matches, while Bournemouth visit Crystal Palace, Man City and Villa.

Despite his tough schedule, Haaland's underlying statistics suggest he can still be the most productive captain pick. His 28 shots in the box are at least 12 more than any other player, while his 14 big chances are at least twice the total of every player apart from the nine of Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m).

Although Bournemouth's schedule could persuade many of the 25 per cent who own Marcos Senesi (£5.0m) to bench him at the back, Semenyo's goal threat should make him a certain starter in your side - the Ghana international's 17 shots, 15 shots in the box and seven big chances all place him top among midfielders. 

Finally, if you own any Palace assets, their consistency suggests they are worth holding through this tricky spell. As many as five of their players have produced no more than two blanks this season - centre-backs Marc Guehi (£4.9m) and Maxence Lacroix (£5.1m), wing-backs Tyrick Mitchell (£5.0m) and Daniel Munoz (£5.6m) and winger Ismaila Sarr (£6.5m).

Clubs with highest FDR average, next four Gameweeks

Scroll across on mobile to see the full table