Premier League players have it easy, I tell you. Half of those lazy so-and-so’s are on the beach already.
Being an FPL manager, on the other hand, affords you no such luxury. We’ve got to keep working our backsides off* right until the end – yes sir.
(*Opening up the FPL app and hitting a couple of buttons)
Regardless, Gameweek 38 has dawned, whether we like it or not. We’re going to explore the actual players you want in more detail within the next few days. For now though, we can narrow down your options massively by looking at which teams actually… care, and which are completely and utterly irrelevant.
FPL Gameweek 38 Fixtures
To get us started, here’s a full rundown of the FPL fixtures in Gameweek 38:
With that as our reference point, I’ve broken all 20 teams down into four clear categories. These are listed in order of how important they are, in Fantasy Premier League terms:
- We Couldn’t Care Less
- Pointless Game… Interesting Team
- Pep Roulette
- Could Go Either Way
(There are no Sure Things in the last week of the season).
Right, let’s roll.
1 – We Couldn’t Care Less
Unsurprisingly, for an FPL Gameweek 38, this is the biggest category of the bunch.
Yes, it involves a few teams who do have stuff to play for. Unfortunately, what they’re playing for is ‘not being relegated’, which isn’t very lucrative in FPL.
The other teams are mostly just rubbish in FPL (like Bournemouth), or rubbish in real life (like Chelsea).
Here are all the teams we can bin straight away this week:
- Wolves
- Chelsea
- Notts Forest
- Everton
- Bournemouth
- Leeds
- Leicester
- West Ham
- Southampton
Some might argue that Chelsea never even got out of the bin this season, and therefore can’t be re-binned by us now. Either way, that’s nine of our 20 teams already gone. Easy!
2 – Pointless Game… Interesting Team
Footballers are only human, and motivation is usually a major issue in Gameweek 38.
A handful of our remaining teams don’t have anything to actually play for, so can’t be trusted… but annoyingly have some pretty good players.
Namely:
- Fulham
- Crystal Palace
- Arsenal
- Spurs
My poor Arsenal are limping to their second-place finish. Arteta seems to be allergic to rotation, once again putting the first team out last week. We’re playing so badly that it doesn’t really matter, though, and Wolves are a solid team anyway.
Crystal Palace have been a lot of fun since Roy returned. I considered Eze a few weeks ago, and chickened out, maybe because he was just too cheap. Well, turns out I’m an idiot. I’m disregarding the price this week, and putting him right at the top of my Potential Punts list.
Fulham… well, you know who I’m going to talk about here. Mitro has gone back to being 2022 Mitro, and looks great. Man U have the most cleans in the league, but he’ll definitely start, and was fixture proof in the first half of the season.
Is the Spurs game ‘pointless’? Technically, no – it’s just depressing for both teams. But Kane is as good a bet as anyone in the league to score this week (literally – he broke the record for ‘most different games’ scored in).
3 – Pep Roulette
Our teams in this category are:
- Man City
I just want to make myself a rule next season of never ever bothering with non-Haaland City players, and stick to it. Off the top of my head this year, I’ve been Rouletted at least four times.
Do Foden and Mahrez look great on paper?
Sure.
Could City pile it on against Brentford, and bag a load of FPL points?
Absolutely.
Could they clean?
100%.
Who’s actually going to start for them?
Not a clue!
Gamble if you want, but accept your subsequent 1-pointer with good grace.
4 – Could Go Either Way
We’re now left with six teams who are actually good, and who… have something to play for? Kind-of?
These are:
- Aston Villa
- Brighton
- Brentford
- Newcastle
- Man U
- Liverpool
I love Villa under Emery, and love Emery himself (shoutout to myself for predicting all this when he got appointed… kind of). A win also ensures they finish in 7th, above Spurs. The problem is that I’ve got no clue who I’d actually pick in FPL, now that Watkins has gone off the boil.
We’ve all got Brighton players already, and they’ve brought us mixed results to say the least. Annoyingly them not losing to Man City meant that they already wrapped up 6th place, but I’d guess De Zerbi wants to finish the season strong. Also the highly-owned Mac Allister and Dunk were benched in that last game, so should hopefully start here.
Brentford looked great against Spurs. Mbeumo was obviously brilliant, as feels like a solid punt this week against a City team with nothing to play for (especially given how great Brentford are on the counter). Like Villa, Brentford are also one of the few good teams for whom winning would actually make a difference (they could finish above Spurs, if Spurs lose or draw). What a novelty!
I’d guess that Newcastle will play their starters, with a chance to finish third. That means you’re definitely starting Trippier against the rubbish Chelsea attack, and probably whoever you’ve got out of Wilson and/or Isak, since Chelsea have every chance of capitulating and embarrassing themselves at home.
Man U are rubbish going forward, which annoyingly makes two of their highest-owned options – Bruno and Rashford – feel pretty irrelevant. I like starting at least one defender home to Fulham though (or De Gea), and I’ll be rolling with a Shaw/Lindelof double.
Liverpool is probably the best fixture of the bunch. They have a chance to smash the worst team in the league, and end a difficult season on a high note. You’re starting Trent, and Salah is worth a gamble if you can get to him. Rotation is obviously a problem at the other forward spots, however.
FPL Gameweek 38 Fixtures – Final Thoughts
Well, there we have it. Everything you ever wanted to know about the FPL Gameweek 38 fixtures. And quite possibly more.
To summarise:
- Between 9-13 of the teams this week are largely or completely irrelevant
- Play Pep Roulette at your risk
- Liverpool have the best matchup
- Brighton, Brentford, Newcastle, and Man U do have stuff to play for, but no obvious FPL picks (though there are certainly worthwhile gambles)
Again, that’s just a primer to whet your appetite for Gameweek 38, and make you sound smart when somebody asks you “Who are Bournemouth playing again this weekend?” – something that will almost certainly happen.
We’ll have more FPL tips for Gameweek 38 coming up, including some player picks and a captaincy shout. As always, give us a follow on Twitter – @Full90FPL – to get those as soon as they land, or bookmark our Latest Tips page on the website.
Cheers, everyone!