Looking ahead to Gameweek 6 and the weeks following in the Fantasy Premier League, we have reached a period of significant fixture changes at several clubs that could disrupt our teams.

Arsenal, Brentford and Chelsea players are already among the most bought players this week, but it could be time to say goodbye to Liverpool’s strikers too.

How should these fixture changes impact your transfer plans for FPL Gameweek 6 and are they significant enough to trigger your first wildcard of the season?

Brentford

Brentford top the Fantasy Football Hub schedule over the next four gameweeks. They have three home games in that period against West Ham, Wolves and Ipswich. Their longer-term schedule remains attractive until gameweek 14, so we’re targeting eight gameweeks.

The biggest problem is knowing where to invest.

After Ivan Toney left in the summer window and Yoane Wissa (£6.0m) And Igor Thiago (£5.9m) will be out for the next two months due to injury, Bryan Mbeumo (£7.2m) will be the focus of the upcoming season. He is their best FPL returner this season, scoring four goals from seven shots on goal in six games and is also their main playmaker with 10 key passes and four big chances to his name.

Mbeumo has plenty of opportunities to score points as he takes the majority of Brentford’s corners, free kicks and penalties.

The only concern is that the personnel around him is not as prominent as we would like, which weakens the overall performance of the Brentford attack. We have seen Fabio Carvalho (£4.8m) start in the first row of three at Tottenham last weekend, while Kevin Schade (£5.4m) continues to receive careful treatment after returning from a groin injury.

Mbeumo seems a must-have at the moment to capitalise on these games, but given the uncertainty in the rest of their attack, I wouldn’t look to add a second Brentford midfielder. However, their defence offers several interesting options, with Mark Flekken (£4.5m) the best goalkeeper in this price range, although he has not kept a single clean sheet this season.

There are also plenty of cost-effective routes into the back line, although they have played with a back five in the last two games, so a player could be out if they go back to a back four. Ethan Pinnock (£4.5m) is perhaps the safest way into defense when looking for minutes, but Sepp van den Berg (£4.0m) is also worth a look as the Dutchman has the versatility to play both full-back and centre-back. I’m tempted to take him as a wildcard this week.

Sepp van den Berg could be a smart budget option (Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

arsenal

Arsenal’s next three games are important as they host newly promoted Leicester and Southampton back to back before travelling to Bournemouth. Given their form and fixture situation, a three-way combination seems sensible and worth spending those valuable transfers on.

Martin Odegaard (£8.2m) Being injured weakens their attack and there is no guarantee that Kai Havertz (£8.1m) stays at number 9 in the more attractive games. This means that I would rather double the defense than further forward, with Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) the main target of this spell.

The only player besides Erling Haaland (£15.3m) Manchester City’s forward, who has delivered an attacking performance in every game this season (one goal and five assists), Saka has many ways to score points: he has seven shots on goal, created five big chances and takes most of Arsenal’s set pieces, including penalties.

Mikel Arteta’s side have kept three clean sheets and conceded just three goals this season. With goals in consecutive games Gabriel (£6.1m) feels like a must as he had three great scoring chances. The goalkeeper David Raya (£5.6m) Getting into the mix is ​​the cheapest way to get into this defence, plus he is required to play the full 90 minutes in every game when fit. He is the third best player this season with 23 saves.

However, Raya missed Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday due to a thigh injury and after the game Arteta said he did not know if his fellow Spaniard would be fit for the away game against Leicester on Saturday.

We saw last season that managers who supported Arsenal’s double defence early on were hugely rewarded, and having two members in your defence is a big difference from the norm. It’s the smart move with a wildcard this week.

Chelsea

Chelsea also face some of the easiest attacking games to play over the next four gameweeks. They also have three home games during this period, hosting Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle.

Given Chelsea’s impressive form in recent games, capturing some of their attack is absolutely crucial. They have scored 11 goals this season, only Manchester City have scored more.

In the short term, I believe Cole Palmer (£10.6m) has the potential to justify his price tag, and his exclusion from the Conference League squad for the league phase over the next three months bodes well for his assured minutes in the Premier League.

Palmer was the best player of the 2023-24 fantasy season and starts this season in the No.10 role, with six goal involvements (two goals, four assists) in the first six gameweeks. He has been one of the most creative players in the league this season, with 13 key passes and five big chances, accounting for four assists, and dominates Chelsea’s set pieces, including penalties.

If you use a wildcard, you have little excuse not to sign Cole Palmer (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

The price of the English international is perhaps the biggest obstacle to his signing and the striker Nicolas Jackson (£7.7m) is easier on your budget. Jackson has also been involved in six goals this season, with four goals and two assists. He is often subbed out early but will get opportunities. I would look to bring one of Palmer and Jackson on board this week or consider both if playing a wildcard.

Liverpool

At the other end of the schedule are Liverpool, who have three away trips in their next four games. They travel to Wolves and Crystal Palace before hosting Chelsea and then visiting Arsenal.

This is the natural time to part ways with their players, with a move from Mohamed Salah (£12.8m) to Saka at this point, while I also prefer Mbeumo Luis Diaz (£7.9m)who spends the minutes with Cody Gakpo (£7.2m). Salah still has the potential to deliver, but Haaland is the better choice of captain at this stage, while players like Saka and Palmer are over £2m cheaper – providing vital funds to spend on the other positions in your team.

The transfer of Liverpool defenders to Arsenal this week is another significant step ahead of the next four gameweeks.

For the wildcard this week, I plan to take three players from Arsenal and Chelsea and avoid Liverpool altogether. I may take another look at their players in Gameweek 10.

(Top photos: Getty Images)