Fantasy Premier League: The three teams with positive fixture swings you should target

We reach Gameweek 9 in Fantasy Premier League with fixture swings very much at the forefront of our minds, especially with the ability to change up our teams using multiple free transfers this season.

With several teams heading into a period where their short-term fixtures become markedly less difficult, Tottenham Hotspur remain high on the agenda in the transfer market this week, while Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers players should also on our radars.

So how should these fixture swings influence our transfer plans for attacking players going into Gameweek 9?

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham are in a good run of form, with three wins in four games and 12 goals scored in this period.

Plenty of fantasy managers have made moves in the past couple of weeks to bring a Spurs attacker into their side, a trend that’s showing no sign of slowing down. Doing so can be easily justified when you look at their next six fixtures, with matches against Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Ipswich Town on their schedule.

Son Heung-min (£9.9m) returned from a two-match injury absence in electric form in Gameweek 8, with 69 minutes of football in a 4-1 win against West Ham United, during which he scored.

Tottenham’s captain is now their second-highest-scoring FPL player of the season (41) after James Maddison (43) — even if he had a controversial fantasy assist taken away from him on Monday —  and is prone to explosive performances. Son is their recognised talisman, plus it’s believed he remains first choice on penalties.

However, he won’t play in the Europa League game against Dutch visitors AZ Alkmaar today (8pm UK time, 3pm ET), with head coach Ange Postecoglou saying the South Korean “was never going to be involved” in this fixture but is “a bit sore after the weekend”. So keep an eye out for any further updates on his fitness.

Elsewhere, Son’s fellow midfielders Maddison (£7.6m) and Dejan Kulusevski (£6.2m) each notched attacking returns against West Ham, though the former was substituted at half-time for tactical reasons.

Postecoglou’s desire to fit all his attacking midfielders into the team hasn’t always been successful, so I wouldn’t recommend buying Maddison right now. Kulusevski, on the other hand, has played 90 minutes in six consecutive Premier League games, scored his second goal of the season in Gameweek 8 and has a significant involvement in set pieces.

That win against West Ham was frustrating viewing for owners of Brennan Johnson (£6.7m) and Dominic Solanke (£7.7m), who found their players absent from goal involvements on a day when Tottenham scored four.

It’s worth noting that Johnson still put in an exemplary performance, with five shots from inside the box and two key passes, so don’t overlook him on the basis of one blank. He still has four goal involvements in the past four gameweeks and appears to be a favourite of Postecoglou, playing 90 minutes in the last two matches. Solanke was kept quiet but does boast eight big chances on goal so far this season, ranking joint-eighth among all players in that metric, despite missing two games through injury.

Richarlison (£6.8m) did get some late minutes from the bench to threaten Solanke, who had played the full 90 in three of the previous four gameweeks, for his place, with the Brazilian likely to get the nod tonight. When it comes to evaluating Spurs and buying their assets ahead of Gameweek 9, keep an eye on the AZ game in terms of minutes played and the fitness of their players afterwards before committing to potential moves.

I currently own Solanke and haven’t ruled out a move to double-up on Tottenham attackers, with Son a potential replacement for Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) of Arsenal, whose fitness concerns continue.

Manchester United

A United fixture swing beginning in Gameweek 8 was much discussed at the start of the season but when it arrived, there were huge question marks about their form.

Erik ten Hag’s side came into their game against Brentford last Saturday with two draws and a defeat in their previous three outings, and having failed to score a single Premier League goal in that period. A pretty convincing 2-1 home win over Brentford, however, has opened up the window to consider bringing in United players, despite continued speculation over Ten Hag’s future.

United had a season-high 23 shots on goal in the game, with Alejandro Garnacho (£6.2m) their standout performer, scoring and taking all three bonus points. It was the fourth consecutive game where he’s played the full 90 minutes, with the 20-year-old’s performances off the bench in three of the opening four gameweeks now a distant memory.

Garnacho had eight shots against Brentford, the most by any other player in a single Premier League match this season, and also led the way for shots on target in Gameweek 8 with five. He looks to be the standout option from the United attack, with Bruno Fernandes (£8.2m) playing a somewhat deeper midfield role with Kobbie Mainoo out injured.

A lack of clarity on positioning is also enough to deter me from investing in Christian Eriksen (£5.4m), who has been sharing set pieces with Fernandes and is set for more minutes in Mainoo’s absence.

Marcus Rashford (£6.9m) carries the most potential in terms of a United player capable of reaching double digits for goals in a season but his recent share of minutes remains a concern. He has played 90 minutes just once in the past five gameweeks and found himself benched for the trip to Crystal Palace in Gameweek 5, making Garnacho the more attractive option.

Again, we need to be mindful of midweek Europa League action, with United facing Fenerbahce in Turkey tonight (8pm UK, 3pm ET), which may influence our thinking on their optimal assets going forward. I’ll likely give their players two more gameweeks before investing in Gameweek 11 for fixtures against Leicester City, Ipswich and Everton.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves had a torrid run of fixtures to start their season, which means it’s perhaps unsurprising to see them bottom of the table with just one point after eight games. However, better matches are finally here for them and remain in place right through until Christmas, including meetings with Brighton & Hove Albion, Palace, Southampton and Fulham in the next four gameweeks.

Despite those poor results, Wolves have managed to score in every fixture since Gameweek 2, and have six goals from their past four league matches.

Jorgen Strand Larsen (£5.5m) has four goal involvements so far, including goals in each of the past two games. He’s also a great differential, as a player in just over one per cent of sides at the time of writing. Strike partner Matheus Cunha (£6.5m) has the pedigree in FPL, with 19 goal involvements last season, and he’s potentially on penalties too. Cunha has also scored twice in the past four gameweeks, and played 90 minutes on five occasions so far. Both of them are justified punts for the upcoming run of games.

While the focus for this piece is on offensive players, it’s difficult to think about Wolves without mentioning defender Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.4m), who also has a remarkable four goal involvements this season.

Playing high up the pitch as a wing-back, he is among the most attacking defenders in the game, with three big chances and 10 chances created to his name. He is also friendly on the budget. Ait-Nouri could well come into my side this week and be my third defender to start consistently for the next two months. Attacking returns are expected, and any clean sheets are just gravy.

(Top photos: Cunha, left, and Garnacho; Getty Images)