The new Premier League season is about to begin for millions of Fantasy Premier League managers across the world.
Planning can start right now as the 380 fixtures for 2021/22 have been released on premierleague.com.
See: 2021/22 Premier League fixtures
Gameweek 1 is often the most significant weekend of a campaign for Fantasy managers.
The opening round of matches can set the tone for the season, offering an early indication of key players to target for your squad.
Hitting the ground running
Patrick Bamford was a fine example from last term.
Leeds United’s first fixture was a trip to Liverpool, and Bamford showed the eye for goal that helped him finish as the second top-scoring forward in 2020/21.
The striker netted the first of his 17 goals for the season, earning seven points in the 4-3 defeat at Anfield.
All of Bamford's 2020/21 goals
🔥 Our number 9! What a season! pic.twitter.com/XAQIWiCAZs
— Leeds United (@LUFC) May 25, 2021
Bamford was selected by only 226,000 managers for Gameweek 1, despite a starting cost of just £5.5m.
But by Gameweek 4, he could be found in more than 1.75million squads, having produced three goals and two assists in his first three outings.
Instant impact
Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez immediately hinted at the potential that made him the best-value player in 2020/21 Fantasy when he made his debut for the club in Gameweek 2.
The Argentinian returned 13 points in a 1-0 win over Sheffield United, saving a penalty and earning two bonus points.
Villa's clean sheets in 2020/21
Having started at a cost of only £4.5m, Martinez went on to record 15 clean sheets and 186 points, a total that beat every other goalkeeper and defender.
Ending the campaign at a cost of £5.3m, his figure of 35.1 points per million was more than any other player in Fantasy.
Fast start by Calvert-Lewin
Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin also started the season strongly.
His winner against Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 1 set up the Toffees’ frontman to take advantage of a kind run of opponents.
Calvert-Lewin went on to score 10 goals and supply an assist across his first nine outings, blanking just once.
Managers rushed to acquire the Everton forward, and by Gameweek 11 he had risen £1.0m from his opening price of £7.0m.
Get prepared
The Premier League action may still be two months away, but using the fixtures to plan ahead now can help build an early platform for success in 2021/22.
Remember, you can get all 380 fixtures sent directly to your mobile device by using the Premier League's digital calendar, which you can set up right now at pl.ecal.com.
This allows FPL managers to sync the Gameweek deadlines to their devices.
Tomorrow: The Scout reacts to the 2021/22 fixtures
