The Scout uses the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR) to identify the clubs with the best and worst schedules over the next eight Gameweeks in Fantasy Premier League.
Who has the best fixtures?
Liverpool and Man Utd
Liverpool and Manchester United each have the immediate schedules to attract investment all the way up until the second Wildcard of 2025/26 Fantasy becomes available in Gameweek 20.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (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 - both clubs have three matches which score only two over the upcoming four Gameweeks.
Across the next three Gameweeks, Liverpool are to home to Nottingham Forest and Sunderland, with a visit to West Ham United in between.
Man Utd host Everton and West Ham, while also visiting Wolverhampton Wanderers in their next four matches.
That explains why Bryan Mbeumo (£8.5m) is the most-bought player in Gameweek 12, earning 280,000+ transfers in after scoring four goals over the last four Gameweeks.
Meanwhile, team-mate Bruno Fernandes (£8.9m) has produced a return in each of his last four outings.
Liverpool and Man Utd's next four matches
| Liverpool | Man Utd | |||
| GW | Opp. | FDR* | Opp. | FDR* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Nottingham Forest (H) | 2 | Everton (H) | 2 |
| 13 | West Ham (A) | 2 | Crystal Palace (A) | 3 |
| 14 | Sunderland (H) | 2 | West Ham (H) | 2 |
| 15 | Leeds (A) | 3 | Wolves (A) | 2 |
*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture. Scroll across to see the full table on mobile
The table below shows all of the nine clubs whose average FDR score is under 3.0 across Gameweeks 12-19.
Crucially, both Liverpool and Man Utd also enjoy great runs of opponents for the next EIGHT Gameweeks.
If you're bringing in Mbeumo or Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (£14.2m) for this period, however, you need to be aware that both will depart for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) later next month.
Clubs with the best fixtures, GW12-19
| Club | No. of matches scoring 2 in FDR, next four GWs | Ave. FDR score | No. of matches scoring 2 in FDR, next eight GWs | Ave. FDR score |
| Liverpool | 3 | 2.3 | 5 | 2.4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man Utd | 3 | 2.3 | 4 | 2.5 |
| Fulham | 1 | 3.0 | 4 | 2.6 |
| Bournemouth | 2 | 2.5 | 3 | 2.6 |
| Crystal Palace | 2 | 2.5 | 3 | 2.8 |
| Man City | 2 | 2.8 | 3 | 2.8 |
| Brentford | 1 | 3.3 | 3 | 2.9 |
| Newcastle | 1 | 3.0 | 2 | 2.9 |
| Arsenal | 0 | 3.0 | 1 | 2.9 |
Scroll across to see the full table on mobile
Fulham, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace
Key players from Fulham, AFC Bournemouth and Crystal Palace have the potential for big returns, with the former pair averaging only 2.6 in the FDR across Gameweeks 12-19.
For the Cottagers, centre-back Joachim Andersen (£4.5m) and midfielder Ryan Sessegnon (£5.4m) can be players to help you fly up your mini-leagues, selected by just 2.8 and 0.7 per cent of managers respectively.
Andersen has collected 14 points from defensive contributions, placing him second among defenders. Sessegnon, meanwhile, has amassed 35 points over the last six Gameweeks, the same total as Arsenal's Bukayo Saka (£10.1m).
Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo (£8.1m) and Marcos Senesi (£5.0m) have the home fixtures to get back to their best after disappointing their respective 64.1 and 25.9 per cent ownerships recently. The Cherries entertain West Ham, Everton and Burnley over the next six Gameweeks alone.
Similarly to Bournemouth, Palace have three matches over Gameweeks 12-19 which score just two in the FDR.
Two of those are across the next three Gameweeks, with forward Jean-Philippe Mateta (£8.1m) providing their main goal threat against Wolves and Burnley.
Investment at the back also looks a wise move, with Marc Guehi (£5.1m) and Daniel Munoz (£5.7m) both placing among the top five defenders in Fantasy. While Guehi has been the most reliable Eagles player this season, blanking just once due to his multiple routes to returns, wing-back Munoz boasts a considerably greater goal threat.
There's even an argument for considering Ismaila Sarr (£6.7m) as a triple-up option. This season, Palace's total of 34 big chances - or situations where a player is expected to score - is joint-second along with Man City.
Brentford and Man City
Brentford and Man City have great runs from Gameweek 13, with both clubs playing at home to a promoted opponent in two of the subsequent four Gameweeks.
Having climbed to second in the forward standings, the Bees' Igor Thiago (£6.3m) has the schedule to secure his place in our line-ups alongside Erling Haaland (£14.9m) and Mateta.
Indeed, with home matches against Burnley and Leeds, along with a visit to Wolves, midfielders Dango Ouattara (£6.0m) and Kevin Schade £7.0m) and right-back Michael Kayode (£4.5m) could all help managers fly up mini-leagues, with all three owned by under one per cent of managers.
For Man City, expect Nico O'Reilly's (£4.9m) current ownership of 1.8 per cent to climb rapidly. The left-back's 11-point haul against Liverpool last time out means he has blanked only once in his seven starts, averaging seven points per match in those contests.
In midfield, Rayan Cherki (£6.3m) and Jeremy Doku (£6.4m) have each delivered a double-digit haul in the last two Gameweeks and could offer outstanding value if they can avoid Pep Guardiola's rotation.
If you still have your Triple Captain chip left to play, the table below shows that Haaland is at home to Leeds, Sunderland and West Ham across Gameweeks 13-17.
Some managers are looking to play the Free Hit chip in Gameweek 13 - with Brentford are at home to Burnley and Man City hosting Leeds; players from the two home sides are expected to dominate the line-ups of those using the chip.
Brentford and Man City's schedules, GW13-17
| Brentford | Man City | |||
| GW | Opp. | FDR | Opp. | FDR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Burnley (H) | 2 | Leeds (H) | 2 |
| 14 | Arsenal (A) | 5 | Fulham (A) | 3 |
| 15 | Spurs (A) | 3 | Sunderland (H) | 2 |
| 16 | Leeds (H) | 2 | Crystal Palace (A) | 3 |
| 17 | Wolves (A) | 2 | West Ham (H) | 2 |
Scroll across to see the full table on mobile
Who has the worst fixtures?
Sales of Tottenham Hotspur's highly-owned players are picking up pace ahead of a brutal schedule that's likely to keep them out of consideration in Fantasy for many matches to come.
Along with Leeds, Spurs' average FDR score of 3.4 across the next eight Gameweeks is the worst of any side, which goes a long way to showing why Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) is the most-sold player in the Gameweek.
Despite his 282,000+ sales, Kudus remains in 21.7 per cent of squads, while defenders Micky van de Ven (£4.8m) and Pedro Porro (£5.5m) are found in 33.4 and 17.3 per cent respectively. If you're still holding any of Thomas Frank's regulars, now could be the time to move them on, with a visit to leaders Arsenal up next.
Sunderland are also set to embark on a tough run of opponents that looks very unlikely to reward them with many clean sheets. Robin Roefs' (£4.7m) spot as the top-scoring goalkeeper looks increasingly under threat, with save points looking his likeliest source of returns.
While budget defenders Omar Alderete (£4.1m) and Nordi Mukiele (£4.2m) can still bring in defensive contribution points, the Black Cats' run of two clean sheets in seven matches shows why it may be best benching them for now.
Finally, West Ham's tough schedule suggests it could be time to bring in a replacement for Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) up front, with Mateta and Thiago the leading candidates.
| Club | No. of matches scoring 2 in FDR, next four GWs | Ave. FDR score | No. of matches scoring 2 in FDR, next eight GWs | Ave. FDR score |
| Leeds | 0 | 3.5 | 0 | 3.4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spurs | 1 | 3.5 | 1 | 3.4 |
| Sunderland | 0 | 3.5 | 1 | 3.3 |
| West Ham | 0 | 3.5 | 1 | 3.3 |
| Wolves | 1 | 2.8 | 1 | 3.3 |
Scroll across to see the full table on mobile