How to use the fixture difficulty ticker
Good players can look ordinary against strong teams, and average players can look like world beaters when the run is kind. The ticker shows which clubs have friendly games coming and which ones are heading into a storm.
What the colours mean
Every Premier League fixture gets a difficulty score from 1 to 5, set by Fantasy Premier League. Green means an easier game, grey sits in the middle and the deeper reds are the hardest. Each row is a club and each box is one of their upcoming gameweeks, with the opponent and home or away shown inside. Clubs with two games in one week, or none at all, stand out straight away.
How to use it before you make a transfer
- Choose your window first. Next 3 suits a quick fix. Next 5 is the sweet spot for most transfers. Next 8 is for long term moves and wildcard planning.
- Sort by easiest first. Look hard at the top five or six clubs. Their attackers and defenders deserve a closer look this week.
- Then sort by hardest first. If you own players from a club near the top of that list, it may be time to plan their exit.
- Use it to find the right moment, not the right player. A great player with a hard run can be held. A doubtful player with a hard run is usually the first to go.
Where the ratings can mislead
The official ratings are a starting point, not the final word. They are set before the season and only move now and then, so a team that has improved or fallen apart can carry an old rating for weeks. Newly promoted sides are a good example, as they are often rated kinder early on than their results suggest. We read the ticker alongside form, injuries and what we see on the pitch, and we would encourage you to do the same. Our explainer on double and blank gameweeks covers the weeks where the ticker matters most.
To see how a fixture run fits your own squad, the Pick page and our Chip Strategy planner both use these same fixtures.