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FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch: Best teams to target and avoid

Plan your moves accordingly!

The international break is coming to a close and players will be looking forward to getting back with their clubs for more league action. For Fantasy PL managers, there will likely be a lot of planning to carry out, as some squads have their fixtures turning too. The difficulty of the fixtures for a team definitely has an impact on the performances of their individual players, which obviously equates to more FPL points. In this FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch, we will address the best teams to target ahead of the next 5 gameweeks, as well as the recommended teams to avoid too. Use this as a guideline to help you pick out the FPL players that have the most potential, as well as to help you avoid the traps along the way.


FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch: Best teams to Target

These teams are expected to get a good result in the majority of their next 5 matches, which means it would be a pretty good idea to pick up some of their players.

1. Tottenham

Now under new management, with Antonio Conte taking place of out-of-favour Nuno Espirito Santo, Spurs will be looking to their season back on track. They currently sit at an underwhelming 9th place, 6 points off the top 4. However, the fixtures look promising for Tottenham, as they face Leeds, Burnley, Brentford, Norwich, and Brighton, with just 1 top-half team involved in the form of Brighton. The other 4 sides are all in the bottom 6 of the PL table, and they’re all back-to-back too. Furthermore, all those teams except Brentford rank in the bottom half for xG, and all but Brentford and Brighton rank in the bottom half for xGA as well. The risk is more on how Conte’s Tottenham turns up to these matches, as it is not yet fully certain how the players will fit into the new style of football.

FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch
FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch: Tottenham

Clearing space for one of the Tottenham premiums in Kane (12.2 million) and Son (10.3 million) is not advised. However, if the funds are open, it does not require the sacrifice of another useful asset in the team, both could be useful options. Whilst Son is the safer, more reliable pick for this season, Kane is still a high-value differential pick, with just a 7.6% ownership. If neither are realistic options, Conte’s popular 5-back defense may be worth investing into, with Lloris (5.4 million) and Reguilon (5 million) decent assets. Alternatively, Lucas Moura (6.4 million) could be a great budget midfielder, who has emerged as a recent starter under Conte’s wing. He averages 1.78 shots and 1.3 key passes per 90 minutes and only has ownership of 0.8%.


2. Brighton

Brighton has been one of the surprise performances this season, returning results which one wouldn’t expect, and was hanging around in the top 4 for a while as well. Hopefully, this good form returns, since they have one of the fixture runs which most would like to target coming up. The Seagulls come head to head with Villa, Leeds, West Ham, Southampton, and Tottenham across the next 5 weeks. Villa, Leeds, and Southampton are the ones to focus on, with all 3 sitting in the bottom half for points, xG and xGA (Southampton are 10th on this). Brighton has been picking up many draws recently, and losing points that should not have been lost, however, this is a good opportunity to improve on that.

FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch: Brighton

Trossard (6.5 million) is the ideal pick at a fair price, who also only has ownership of 2.5%. He averages 2.9 shots per 90 minutes and is predicted 18.98 points over the next 4 weeks, which is about 4.75 points on average. Other options include Maupay (6.5 million) and Duffy (4.4 million). With Sanchez suspended as well, that paves the way for Steele, the Brighton backup to get some action. This could be a great opportunity to get a short-term, playing goalkeeper for just 4 million.


3. Crystal Palace

One more team that is under new management for the Premier League season is Crystal Palace, with former Arsenal legend, Patrick Vieira taking control of the wheel. They’ve been doing a pretty good job recently too, currently unbeaten in their last 6 games. It wasn’t just any ordinary unbeaten run either, the Eagles managed to pick up points against the likes of Arsenal, Leicester, and even Manchester City, who were surprisingly sunk 2-0 in the hands of the Eagles. Let this great form continue, as the fixtures ahead are also a pretty sight. Palace will meet Burnley, Villa, Leeds, and United in the coming 5 gameweeks, featuring 4 bottom-table teams and just one top 6 team. 3 of those teams all rank in the bottom 3 for xGA in Burnley, Manchester United, and Villa. Leeds is not far off at 16th.

FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch
FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch: Crystal Palace

Palace has a whole host of attacking potential, that can very well bring home some FPL points. Gallagher (5.8 million) will likely be a focal point in the coming weeks, both as a budget pick, and as a source of points will come. With already 4 goals and 4 assists under his belt, the youngster is also predicted to score around 25.32 points over the next 4 weeks too. This averages to about 6.33 points per game. Only Salah has a higher predicted rate than Gallagher, out of all FPL players in all positions. Zaha (7 million) and Edouard (6.5 million) are also useful attacking picks as well.


4. Manchester City

The well-renowned Pep Roulette has been deadly so far this season, with big names that were expected to start, surprisingly being benched. However, with the upcoming fixtures looking bright for City, it might well be time to take part in Guardiola’s minigame. Man City faces Everton, West Ham, Villa, Watford, and Wolves, with not a single Top 6 team in line. Adding onto that, Villa, Watford, and Wolves both rank in the bottom half of the table for xG, and Watford, Wolves, and Everton all rank in the bottom half for xGA. In comparison, City ranks top for xGA and second for xG. Thus, it’s quite clear that they’re serious title contenders for this season again.

FPL 2021/22 Man City
FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch: Manchester City

Deciding on whether to have City players is pretty easy, picking which ones is the difficult part though. First of all, it is highly recommended to have a strong bench of at least 2 regularly-playing assets, that have some points potential. In the case where a Man City player is benched, there needs to be someone you can rely on from the bench to cover. Foden (8.3 million) is a brilliant pick, who is one of the players that have played most during this season.

He already has 3 goals and 2 assists, with a predicted 23.32 point tally over the next 4 weeks. He could rank in the 3rd highest of all FPL assets. Other attacking options will always have risk involved, nobody is absolutely cemented in the Man City attack! Defensively, Ederson (6 million) is a good option if affordable, who has no reason to be benched unless hit with an injury/suspension. Cancelo (6.5 million) and Dias (6.1 million) are also great picks as well.


5. Leicester City

Leicester has been going across a pretty rocky road, in the league this season, having found themselves stranded at 12th in the table. However, with the upcoming fixtures looking decent for the Foxes, there is still time for the team to turn the ship around. They face Chelsea, Watford, Southampton, Villa, and Newcastle in the coming 5 weeks. Whilst the Chelsea game will be a difficult matchup for definite, the other 4 should all be winnable for Leicester. Villa, Newcastle, and Watford all sit in the bottom 5 of the table, and the Saints aren’t far off at 13th. Despite not yet breaking into the top half, Leicester has still been a strong team in front of a goal. They rank 5th for xG, having scored an average of 1.5 goals per game.

FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch
FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch: Leicester City

Their star striker, Jamie Vardy (10.8 million), just behind Salah for the golden boot, is currently going through a rough patch, missing the net in the last 4 games. Strikers like him just need one goal to hit the ground running again, which should be coming soon. The last Leicester game saw manager Brendan Rodgers switch up the tactics with a 4-3-3, with Harvey Barnes (6.5 million) and Ademola Lookman (6 million) on the wings. It remains to be seen whether this trend continues, as these wingers could become good FPL assets. Other good attackers include Iheanacho (7 million) and Daka (7.1 million). They could bring in some FPL points behind Vardy.


FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch: Teams to Avoid

These teams are expected to struggle in the majority of their next 5 matches, which means it is advised to hold off from purchasing their assets or even selling already-owned ones.

1. Brentford

The Brentford Bees have gone slightly downhill recently, with their form dropping significantly compared to the opening few weeks. They have lost all 4 of their last 4 games. Chelsea and Leicester are acceptable losses, considering the gap in quality. But the poor form continued through the Burnley and Norwich defeats as well.

Brentford
FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch: Brentford

The fixtures aren’t all bad though, as the newly-promoted side faces Newcastle, Everton, Spurs, Leeds, and Watford in the next 5 gameweeks. Because of that, it is advised to hold on to the likes of Toney and Mbeumo for now. This is unless there is a much better option available at that price point. However, since the form is on the low right now, bringing these players in isn’t ideal.


2. Aston Villa

FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch
FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch: Aston Villa

Villa is another one of the teams on significantly poor form, having disappointedly lost all 5 of the last 5 matches. Of course, the new recruitment of Steven Gerrard as manager may be able to help patch up the squad. However, this underwhelming form coupled with the “fitting in under new management” factor makes the case for Villa quite difficult, Furthermore, the fixtures are no help either, with Brighton, Palace, Man City, Leicester, and Liverpool all involved in the upcoming line-up. Most Villa assets are better off sold for the time being, as there is not much hope to get out of them, at least in the next few weeks.


3. Watford

Watford is looking at a really tough time coming ahead, with fixtures against United, Leicester, Chelsea, Man City, and Brentford all in the next 5 weeks. That includes the top 2 in the league, as well as United and Leicester who are both determined to build back form against teams of lower quality. The current PL form isn’t exciting either, with Watford only achieving 3 points out of a possible 15 from the last 5 games.

FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch
FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch: Watford

They currently sit just above the relegation zone at 17th place, so it definitely isn’t ideal to be bringing in any Watford assets anytime soon. Players like Sarr, King, and Dennis can all be replaced too, as much better bargain picks with better fixtures can be identified. These involve the likes of Gallagher, Moura, and other cheap forward options. The only player still worth keeping is Ben Forster, who originally started pout as a 4 million goalkeeper, and is now a regular starter.

What are your thoughts on our FPL 2021/22 Gameweek 12-16 Fixture Watch? Drop your comments in the comments section below!

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