More than 1.3million managers in Fantasy Premier League have already played their second Wildcard of the season after the chip became available on 28 December.
Managers who are considering using it now should look at clubs' schedules for guidance when assembling a new squad.
First of all, Manchester City’s EFL Cup final against Aston Villa on Sunday March 1 means both sides, as well as Arsenal and Sheffield United, are without a Gameweek 28 fixture.
Those blanks will affect a number of highly-owned players in FPL.
Kevin De Bruyne (£10.8m) and John Lundstram (£5.0m) are among the five most-popular players in the game, sitting in 53.6 and 43.2 per cent of squads respectively.
Meanwhile, Sergio Aguero (£12.1m) and Jack Grealish (£6.7m) are both held by more than 24 per cent.
Three teams to target
Pinpointing sides who have favourable fixtures and who play in Gameweek 28 can help managers in their quest for mini-league success.
Southampton, Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers are among those with standout schedules from Gameweek 27 onwards.
In each case, according to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), four of their next five matches score just two.
The Scout shows how to pick a 15-man squad for under £100.0m which includes Liverpool pair Mohamed Salah (£12.8m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.7m), who are the top-scoring midfielder and defender respectively.
Goalkeepers
Alex McCarthy (SOU) £4.4m
The Southampton stopper is the cheapest starting goalkeeper in FPL. McCarthy has kept three clean sheets in Saints’ last eight matches.
Nick Pope (BUR) £4.7m
The Burnley man is the second top-scoring goalkeeper in FPL on 107 points. Pope’s nine clean sheets are second only to the 10 of Liverpool No 1 Alisson (£6.1m) this season.
Defenders
Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV) £7.7m
The Liverpool right-back has combined two goals and 12 assists with 11 clean sheets in his 26 Gameweek appearances. Alexander-Arnold has produced attacking or defensive returns in his last 12 starts.
Enda Stevens (SHU) £5.1m
Having played every minute of the season, he offers a secure alternative to Sheffield United team-mate Lundstram, who has been benched in each of the last three Gameweeks.
Federico Fernandez (NEW) £4.5m
Newcastle United’s centre-back is the second most-bought defender in the Gameweek, earning 17,000+ new owners. Fernandez has averaged 4.0 points per start this season.
Jack Stephens (SOU) £4.4m
The Southampton centre-back has delivered double-figure hauls against Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace in his last nine outings.
Romain Saiss (WOL) £4.4m
A big aerial threat for Wolves, Saiss’ total of 13 headed shots ranks third among defenders this season.
Midfielders
Mohamed Salah (LIV) £12.8m
Liverpool’s Egyptian has five double-figure hauls in his last 11 matches. Salah looks a standout captain option over Gameweeks 27-29, when he faces three of the bottom five sides.
Son Heung-min (TOT) £10.0m
The Spurs attacker has scored in his last four matches in all competitions. Son also appears to have been handed penalty duties with Harry Kane (£10.8m) sidelined through injury.
Harvey Barnes (LEI) £6.0m
Having scored in three of his last four matches, the winger offers a cut-price route into the Leicester attack.
Adama Traore (WOL) £5.8m
From Gameweek 18 onwards, Traore has been involved in half of Wolves’ goals when selected. He has three double-figure hauls in his last eight starts.
Todd Cantwell (NOR) £4.9m
Five of his six goals for Norwich City have come at home this season. Cantwell has three matches at Carrow Road in the next five Gameweeks.
Forwards
Jamie Vardy (LEI) £9.8m
FPL’s top-scoring forward, he produced returns against his next five opponents in the reverse fixtures. Vardy totalled five goals, two assists and 44 points in those matches for Leicester.
Raul Jimenez (WOL) £7.7m
The Wolves frontman looks a big all-round prospect for the coming period. Jimenez’s 69 shots inside the box and 38 chances created both rank second among FPL forwards this season.
Danny Ings (SOU) £7.0m
When selected, Ings has been involved in 62 per cent of his side’s goals this season. He faces four of the bottom six sides in the next six Gameweeks.
