1. Aston Villa

Aston Villa now have a great run of games starting from GW12 all the way until GW25, with them facing just Man City and Arsenal as tough teams in that time.

🥇 Watkins: 5 goals and 2 assists in 11 games. He is the best Villa option to go for if you have the money for the FWD. However, a big red flag is him having completed 90 minutes just 3 times this season. With the festive period approaching, it will be even more of a concern, especially with Jhon Duran’s good form.

🥈 Rogers: He continues to be one of the best cheap midfielder options and should be considered again ahead of the likes of Semenyo and Smith Rowe. He has 3 goals and 2 assists this season, and you could almost start him every game barring 2 until GW25.

🥉 Digne: Digne the troll has been quietly accumulating points despite his team not keeping many clean sheets at all. At £4.7m, with 3 assists to his name already, he has also created 8 big chances this season—the most among defenders in the league.

2. Bournemouth

The tougher fixtures have gone by, and now is the time to get 1-2 Bournemouth players in.

🥇 Semenyo: The best Bournemouth player to own currently. He has 4 goals and an assist despite playing against some of the toughest teams in the league. He also scored last week vs Man City, and in the next 6 GWs he plays 3 of the worst defenses in the league.

🥈 Evanilson: A great cheap forward option at £6.9m, who is now starting games regularly for his team. He has 4 goals and an assist in the league this season. All his attacking returns have come in the last 5 GWs. He has scored in the last 3 consecutive games and looks to be in form.

🥉 Kerkez: Bournemouth, defensively at home, are top 3 in almost every underlying stat, and you could rotate him and play him in just home games.

3. Brighton

Brighton now have a run of incredible fixtures for the next 10 GWs at the least, where they play all 3 promoted teams and only play Arsenal among the top 4 PL teams.

🥇 Welbeck: Looks bang in form since the start of the season. Hurzeler has made him a different beast since taking over. With 6 goals and 2 assists this season, only Wood and Haaland have more points among forwards. If you have the extra £0.5m, then he is absolutely worth the upgrade from Joao Pedro.

🥈 Joao Pedro: He has been very, very unlucky with injuries this season. He has started just 3 games this season, scoring 2 goals in that time. He came on for a 25-minute cameo vs Man City and singlehandedly turned the game in Brighton’s favor with a goal and an assist. An incredible option at £5.4m, but he could see a benching here and there with Ferguson also fit. With 9 GWs in 40-odd days, Joao Pedro’s minutes might be managed to keep him fit.

4. Chelsea

Chelsea have one of the best fixture runs of any team that lasts until GW22, where they play all 3 promoted teams.

🥇 Palmer: He is as close to a must-have as it gets—one of the first premium players along with Salah I would currently want in the team. 7 goals and 5 assists with 3 double-digit hauls already, he has been a talisman for Chelsea since last season.

🥈 Jackson: Jackson has 20 goals and 8 assists in 40 starts since he joined Chelsea. He also has 6 goals and 3 assists this season. Only Haaland among forwards has more attacking returns. Keep in mind that Jackson is on 4 yellows and could miss a game if he gets a 5th yellow.

🥉 Rob Sanchez: He is one of the best GK options to get right now and also on wildcard. Chelsea have a great extended run of fixtures, and he could be a great alternative to Raya.

5. Manchester United

One of the disappointments of the season, Man United had one of their worst opening 7 games in history, but fixtures breed form, and I expect them to recover now.

The new manager Amorim will now be in charge, and the team is likely to see a major boost in morale in the short term regardless of the coaching.

🥇 Onana: The best GK option to go for alongside Raya. Onana is top for saves and top for clean sheets as well.

🥈 Bruno Fernandes: One of the trolls of the season for his owners. He is massively underperforming his xGI of 5.5 and has just 1 goal and 2 assists to show so far.

🥉 Mazraoui/De Ligt: Currently the 2nd best defense in the league with 5 clean sheets. IPS and EVE are next with decent sets of fixtures.

The new manager plays a 3-4-3, meaning we expect Mazraoui to play even further forward. De Ligt, in a back 3, may be more nailed than Mazraoui. Mazraoui is cheap with way more upside, but De Ligt may offer potentially more minutes.

6. Newcastle United

Newcastle United have been one of the most inconsistent teams this season, with their form and performances very hard to predict. Now they have a decent run of fixtures which lasts until GW24.

🥇 Isak: He is the only Newcastle option I would consider. 3 goals and an assist in 7 starts. He also has the 2nd best xG in the league from GW8 and 9 since his return from injury, and a great run of fixtures means it could be time to get him.

7. Wolves

A very underwhelming team so far who have been on the receiving end of everything. They are also the team without a win along with Southampton and Ipswich.

They had one of the worst runs of fixtures to start the season, but the tides have turned, and they now have the best run of fixtures until at least GW17, in which they play all 3 promoted teams along with Palace and Everton, who are also bottom 5 in the league.

🥇 Cunha: According to some reports, Cunha did train normally, but he had an ice pack on his knee after training—that might be something to monitor in the press conference. He has 5 goals and 2 assists in 10 starts this season. At £6.8m, he is a decent cheap forward if you are looking to invest more into your midfield.

🥈 Rayan Aït-Nouri: Despite having one of the worst fixtures, he has been able to get 3 goals and 2 assists as a full-back. He scored against Liverpool and provided an assist vs Chelsea. Clean sheets may be hard to come by, but his X-factor is his immense attacking potential.

🥉 Strand Larsen: If you are extremely tight on budget, go for Larsen, who saves £1m over Cunha.

4 goals and an assist, but xGI is relatively lower than Cunha. I still prefer Cunha as a prime Wolves attacker.