Fantasy Premier League: Who has the best and worst opening fixtures for 2019-20 season?

Who has a favourable start and who should you avoid for now?

The new Fantasy Premier League season is fast approaching, with the deadline to register your details, pick your team name and draft your squad coming this Friday.

As usual, The Independent will be writing a weekly tips column, picking out a handful of players worthy of your attention for that particular round of fixtures.

We will also pick our 30-man shortlist for the forthcoming season. Last year, we picked out the likes of Matt Doherty, James Maddison and Aaron Wan-Bissaka as must-haves.

And we have already scanned our eyes over the price list, searching for value picks and pointing out others who will only be a waste of your £100m budget.

Next, we are looking over the first six weeks of the fixture list, identifying which teams should be targeted for their favourable starts and which are best avoided.

Who has a favourable start?

Manchester City

Some sides are strong enough to withstand even the most difficult set of opening fixtures. Manchester City are one such team, but Pep Guardiola will enjoy a relatively kind start anyway.

There are trips to the defensively-suspect West Ham, Bournemouth and Norwich, while the champions will have no fear of facing Brighton and Watford at home.

Only Tottenham’s visit in the second round of fixtures will be billed as a true test, when City will be seeking revenge for last season’s Champions League elimination.

Everton

On balance, looking at the opening six gameweeks, Everton have arguably the best fixtures of any side as they avoid all of the so-called ‘top six’.

In fact, Marco Silva’s men only play two of the top six in their first 14 games - Manchester City and Tottenham, both at home.

The likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Lucas Digne or Seamus Coleman may therefore be sound investments not only in the short but also in the medium-term.

Liverpool

Likewise, Liverpool are somewhat fixture-proof. Mohamed Salah appears to be an excellent captaincy choice for Norwich and Newcastle’s visits to Anfield.

Even Arsenal’s visit to Merseyside should bring plenty of fantasy points. Unai Emery’s side were poor on the road last year, while the club’s last Anfield win came seven years ago.

Liverpool’s away days are a little tougher - at Southampton, Burnley and Chelsea - though nothing Jurgen Klopp’s European champions cannot contend with.

Bournemouth

Eddie Howe’s side begin their campaign by hosting promoted Sheffield United, then travel to newcomers Aston Villa.

Things stiffen up quickly after once City visit the south coast, but exploiting Bournemouth’s kind start could still be key to getting off on the right foot.

Consider Josh King: Bournemouth’s designated penalty taker and cheaper than striker partner Callum Wilson by £1.5m.

West Ham United

More ‘wait and see’ than ‘buy, buy, buy’, but we are keeping an eye on West Ham’s attack as a potential source of mid-price points.

Once City are out of the way on the opening day, Manuel Pellergrini’s side play Brighton, Watford and Aston Villa away, as well as Norwich at home.

Three of those four are widely considered relegation candidates and new additions Sebastian Haller and Pablo Fornals will be hoping to fill their boots.

Who has a tough set of opening fixtures?

Norwich City

Norwich’s return to the top-flight begins at Anfield and unfortunately, does not get much easier until deep into September.

Daniel Farke’s newly-promoted side also play Chelsea and Manchester City in their opening six games. At least both those are at Carrow Road.

As usual with promoted teams, it might be wise to sit back and wait to see how Norwich adapt before jumping straight in on their assets.

Tottenham Hotspur

Do not be put off Tottenham entirely, but approach with caution. Mauricio Pochettino's men will be comfortable favourites in some of their opening games, not so much in others.

It may take a bit of rotation to maximise their points over the coming weeks, especially given that last year's Champions League runners-up travel to City, Arsenal and Leicester.

At home, the picture is much rosier. Newly-promoted Aston Villa open the season in north London, with Newcastle and Crystal Palace following them.

Newcastle United

The uncertainty of the post-Rafael Benitez era at St James’ Park will not be helped by a rather stiff start to the season.

After Steve Bruce’s men host Arsenal on the opening day, they have to travel to both Tottenham and Liverpool in their opening six.

Meetings with fellow relegation candidates Norwich and Brighton - the first away, the second at home - do little to reassure us that Newcastle are worth our investment.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves’ season already started some weeks ago, of course, in the qualifying stages of the Europa League.

Those extra games are a concern for those of us tempted by £6.5m-rated Diogo Jota up front or his strike partner and the break-out fantasy star of last year Raul Jimenez.

An opening six games which feature Manchester United, Chelsea, Everton and Leicester should also give us pause for thought.

Leicester City

After Wolves on the opening weekend, Leicester play three of the top six in their next five: away to Chelsea and Manchester United, and also at home against Tottenham.

Do not write them off entirely, though. Brendan Rodgers’s side are always capable of an upset and Jamie Vardy notoriously plays well against teams who offer space in behind.

Youri Tielemans could be particularly attractive option at home to Bournemouth, who have seldom defended well on their travels during their time in the Premier League.