Best FPL Fixtures 2026/27: Teams to Target and Avoid in Gameweeks 1-6

The 2026/27 Premier League fixture list is out, and with FPL prices available, now is the time to analyze early games from Gameweek 1 on. For the purposes of this guide, the focus is the first six Gameweeks, with the international break after Gameweek 5 serving as the natural checkpoint for managers weighing an early Wildcard.

The promoted sides this season are Hull City, Ipswich Town and Coventry City, and teams facing them early receive a meaningful boost in the fixture ratings. Home advantage, opponent strength, European commitments and the overall balance of each six-match run are also factored into the rankings.

All ratings below are drawn from RotoWire's FPL fixture difficulty tracker, which is live for the full 2026/27 schedule.

Best and Worst FPL Fixture Runs: Gameweeks 1-6

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Best FPL Fixture Runs for Gameweeks 1-6

1. Manchester United

Manchester United top the fixture tracker for both their opening two gameweeks and their full opening six. Manager Michael Carrick's side travel to Hull City in Gameweek 1 before hosting Ipswich Town in Gameweek 2: back-to-back matches against newly promoted sides to open the season. That's the most favourable two-week window to open the season, and prior to Champions League action, possible rotation shouldn't be a big worry.

Gameweek 4 brings Manchester City at home, and a tough five-gameweek stretch beginning in Gameweek 9 includes Chelsea away, Liverpool away and Newcastle away in sequence. But that's further down the road. For Gameweeks 1 and 2, United are the most straightforward allocation of budget in the game.

FPL players to consider: Bruno Fernandes is the priority because of his secure minutes, penalties and set-piece role. Matheus Cunha offers a cheaper route into the attack, while a starting United defender could become useful if the back line looks settled in preseason, namely Luke Shaw at left-back.

Standout fixtures: Hull City (A, GW1), Ipswich Town (H, GW2)
Fixture tracker ranking: 1st overall

2. Arsenal

The defending champions open the season by hosting Coventry City in Gameweek 1, the first fixture of the 2026/27 season. A newly promoted side at the Emirates is as good of an opening fixture as the schedule provides, and Arsenal return from the international break in Gameweek 6 with Leeds United at home, bookending the run with two of the most favourable individual fixtures in the opening two months.

The middle stretch between Gameweeks 2 and 5 is mixed, which drops Arsenal to second on the tracker rather than first. But especially before European play begins, Arsenal should be mostly fresh at the beginning of the schedule with some decent fixtures to help.

FPL players to consider: Bukayo Saka remains the safest attacking pick if he's ready to start the opener, while Gabriel and David Raya provide access to one of the league's strongest defenses. Arsenal's opening fixture also makes a second attacker worth considering if a clear starter emerges during preseason between Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz.

Standout fixtures: Coventry City (H, GW1), Leeds United (H, GW6) 
Fixture tracker ranking: 2nd overall

3. Everton

No set of six fixtures is perfect, but Everton have one of the better balanced runs in the division. Crystal Palace visit Hill Dickinson Stadium in Gameweek 1, followed by Bournemouth away and Manchester United at home in Gameweeks 2 and 3, fixtures that are manageable rather than inviting. The run then improves sharply, with Ipswich Town at home in Gameweek 5 and Hull City away in Gameweek 6, giving Everton back-to-back matches against promoted sides at the point in the schedule where other teams are hitting their first difficult patches.

The United home fixture in Gameweek 3 is the one that stands out as a potential trap for FPL managers. Manager Carrick's side will not be an easy three points, but at least Everton have home advantage.

FPL players to consider: James Tarkowski offers defensive-contribution points and set-piece threat, while Vitaliy Mykolenko could provide a cheaper route into the defense. Iliman Ndiaye is the attacking option to monitor, especially if he retains penalties and a central role, assuming he remains at the club.

Standout fixtures: Ipswich Town (H, GW5), Hull City (A, GW6) 
Fixture tracker ranking: 3rd overall

4. Brentford

Manager Keith Andrews' side avoid every team from last season's top five for five consecutive gameweeks, which is the foundation of their respectable position on the tracker. The Gameweek 1 home fixture against Tottenham is the obvious concern, particularly given Spurs' summer investment under coach Roberto De Zerbi, but the subsequent run (Leeds away in Gameweek 2, followed by a lack of elite opposition until Chelsea at home in Gameweek 5) gives Brentford assets a sustained period of favourable matchups.

The gap in Brentford's early schedule is promoted-side fixtures. Their first match against a newly promoted club doesn't arrive until Hull City away in Gameweek 8, which limits the ceiling on clean sheet and attacking return potential compared to the teams above them.

FPL players to consider: Nathan Collins stands out as a minutes-secure defender with defensive-contribution and set-piece upside. Igor Thiago is the forward to monitor after his standout campaign, while Brentford's primary set-piece taker could become a useful mid-price option during the favorable stretch. Mathias Jensen expects to keep that role, similar to last season, ahead of Mikkel Damsgaard.

Standout fixtures: Leeds United (A, GW2), run avoids top five until GW5
Fixture tracker ranking: 4th overall

Worst FPL Fixture Runs for Gameweeks 1-6

20. Sunderland

Sunderland's seventh-place finish last season was one of the stories of the Premier League, but their reward is a Europa League campaign that intersects directly with the toughest section of their opening schedule. The first two fixtures look reasonable on paper: Ipswich Town away in Gameweek 1 and Fulham at home in Gameweek 2. But the combination of Gameweeks 4 and 5 against Arsenal at home and Manchester City away, timed around their European commitments, makes Sunderland the worst-ranked side on the tracker.

Manager Regis Le Bris will rotate plenty to manage the schedule, and any Sunderland asset targeted for the soft opening carries serious minutes risk from Gameweek 3 onwards.

FPL approach: The opening two fixtures create some short-term interest, but European rotation and the difficult Gameweeks 4 and 5 make Sunderland players riskier long-term holds. Nordi Mukiele was great last season, while Enzo Le Fee provides interest if he's on some set pieces and possibly penalties above Brian Brobbey.

Fixtures to avoid: Arsenal (H, GW4), Manchester City (A, GW5) 
Fixture tracker ranking: 20th overall

19. Coventry City

Coach Frank Lampard's Championship winners face Arsenal away in Gameweek 1 and Manchester City away in Gameweek 3, which is as hostile an opening stretch as any newly promoted side has ever faced.

The one relief in Coventry's opening six is Hull City at home in Gameweek 2, which sits between those two away days and offers the only realistic opportunity for FPL managers to consider a Coventry asset, specifically for Bench Boost planning, where a budget starting midfielder or defender against Hull City can pad out a squad without carrying major downside.

One bright spot: Hull City (H, GW2) for Bench Boost purposes only 
Fixture tracker ranking: 19th overall

FPL players to consider: Coventry assets are primarily bench options rather than regular starters. A £4.0m or £4.5m defender with secure minutes could be useful for squad structure, while Liam Kitching may offer defensive-contribution value if he keeps his place from last season.

18. Bournemouth

City away in Gameweek 1 is a punishing start for a Bournemouth side also navigating a new manager in Marco Rose, and the opening run doesn't improve quickly enough to compensate. After the City fixture, Bournemouth host Everton in Gameweek 2 before traveling to Newcastle in Gameweek 3, which puts three consecutive difficult fixtures at the front of their schedule. Gameweeks 4 offers some relief with Brentford at home, but by then the early-season damage to ownership confidence is already done.

FPL players to consider:Junior Kroupi offers midfield value if his starting role is secure and now listed as a midfielder rather than a forward. James Hill figures to be the DEFCON guy for Bournemouth's back line this season, similar to Marcos Senesi in 2025/26.

Fixtures to avoid: Manchester City (A, GW1), Newcastle (A, GW3) 
Fixture tracker ranking: 18th overall

17. Leeds United

Manager Daniel Farke's side rank 17th on this list and their opening six gameweeks split neatly into two different halves. The away fixtures are the problem: Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 1, Brighton in Gameweek 3 and Arsenal in Gameweek 6 give Leeds three road trips against sides with genuine top-half ambitions, with the toughest of the three closing the stretch. That away sequence makes it very difficult to back Leeds assets for any run of consistent returns.

The home fixtures are more palatable. Brentford visit Elland Road in Gameweek 2, Newcastle come in Gameweek 4 and Crystal Palace in Gameweek 5, giving Leeds United three home games in the middle of the run where the crowd and the Elland Road atmosphere can play a factor. Gameweeks 4 and 5 back-to-back at home against Newcastle and Palace represent the closest thing to a targeting window in the opening six weeks, but neither fixture is soft enough to justify heavy Leeds investment when the away bookends are this demanding.

The absence of a single promoted-side fixture anywhere in the first six gameweeks is the detail that seals Leeds United's low ranking. No Hull City, no Ipswich Town and no Coventry City until later in the schedule means no clean sheet banker and no automatic attacking return window at a discounted price point.

FPL players to consider: Leeds players are better viewed as rotation options than core Gameweek 1 picks. A starting £4.5m goalkeeper could still offer value, while attacking players should be considered mainly for the home fixtures in Gameweeks 4 and 5 rather than the full opening run. Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be plenty popular this season after 14 goals last campaign.

Fixtures to avoid: Nottingham Forest (A, GW1), Arsenal (A, GW6) 
Fixture tracker ranking: 17th overall

Conclusion

The opening six Gameweeks reward managers who target favourable home matches and promoted opposition while accounting for difficult away runs and the start of European rotation. Manchester United and Arsenal are the standout early-season targets, Everton and Brentford offer strong sustained value, and Sunderland, Coventry, Bournemouth and Leeds United are the sides to approach with caution or avoid entirely until their schedules clear.

Full fixture difficulty ratings across all 20 clubs are available at RotoWire's FPL fixture tracker. Ratings update throughout pre-season as lineups, injuries and team news develop.

For the latest Premier League team news, injuries and predicted lineups heading into 2026/27, visit RotoWire's soccer hub and check the Premier League injury report throughout pre-season.