As we enter March, the Premier League fixtures are beginning to get shuffled, postponed, and rescheduled. With an erratic fixture list, fantasy owners can quickly burn through squad transfers while trying to limit the number of absent stars week-to-week. This weekend's fixture list is one of the lightest so far this season, with only half the league set to play.
Gameweek 30 is scheduled to have a full slate of fixtures, while Gameweek 31 will make up the difference, with a total of 15 matches scheduled. With only ten gameweeks remaining in most fantasy leagues, and transfers dwindling, it is important to plan ahead in order to maximize returns over the remainder of the season. All clubs will play a total of three matches over the next three gameweeks, except for Aston Villa and Manchester United, with two and four matches respectively.
Teams Not Active in Gameweek 29:
Arsenal
Aston Villa
Everton
Hull City
Liverpool
Manchester City
Newcastle
Sunderland
Swansea City
West Ham
Gameweek 29 will leave out the top six goal scorers Luiz Suarez, Daniel Sturridge, Serigo Agüero, Yaya Touré, Loic Remy, and Oliver Giroud. Other notables left out this week include, Steven Gerrard, Álvaro Negredo, David Silva, Vincent Kompany, Per Mertesacker, Mesut Özil, Romelu Lukaku, Seamus Coleman, and Leighton Baines.
Things normalize in Gameweek 30 with a full schedule, then half of the league doubles up in Gameweek 31.
Teams with Two Matches in Gameweek 31:
Arsenal
Everton
Hull City
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle
Sunderland
Swansea City
West Ham
With so many of the top teams scheduled for two matches this gameweek, captain selection will be critical. Liverpool looks to have the best matchups on paper, facing both Cardiff City and Sunderland.
Unless you're playing in a head-to-head format, or fully stocked on remaining transfers, avoid the temptation to trade out all your absentees this week. However, there are some decent transfer opportunities over the next few weeks. Here are some advisable transfers in and out:
Transfer Out:
Manchester United defenders. Despite their four matches over the next three gameweeks, two of those come against the league's two most potent attacking teams, Liverpool and Manchester City.
Christian Benteke. The Belgian striker will only have two matches over the next three gameweeks, both against tough defenses in Chelsea and Stoke.
Transfer In:
Manchester United attack. Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie, and Juan Mata get a boost for playing four matches in three gameweeks.
Southampton Defenders. Two of the Saints' next three matches will come against poor attacking sides, Crystal Palace and Norwich.
