FPL fixture difficulty ticker
See which Premier League teams have the kindest run of fixtures. This FPL fixture ticker uses the official Fantasy Premier League fixture difficulty rating (FDR), shows doubles and blanks, and ranks teams from easiest to hardest.
Fixture ticker
Loading fixtures…
12345 difficulty, 1 = easiest · (H) home · (a) away
How to use the FPL fixture ticker
- The ticker opens on the next gameweek. Change From gameweek to plan further ahead, for example for a Wildcard.
- Choose how many gameweeks to look at. Six is a good window for transfers; three is enough for a captain pick or a Free Hit.
- Read across a row to see a team's run. Green cells are easy, red cells are hard. The Avg column is the average fixture difficulty rating per match.
- Sort Easiest first to find the teams worth targeting, or A–Z to look up your own players' teams.
What the fixture difficulty rating means
Fantasy Premier League gives every fixture a fixture difficulty rating from 1 to 5 for each side. FPL bases it on the strength of the opponent and whether the match is at home or away. In practice the bottom sides at home are usually rated 2, mid-table opponents 3, and the strongest teams away 4 or 5. Because the ratings are FPL's own, they are the same numbers you see in the game's fixture screen; this page simply lines them up for every team across several gameweeks so you can compare runs at a glance.
The ratings are a rough guide. They change only a few times a season, so a team on a hot streak may still carry a high rating. Use the ticker to narrow your shortlist, then check form and team news.
Worked example: reading a run
Say a team's next six fixtures are rated 2, 2, 3, 2, 4, 2. The total is 15 over 6 matches, an average of 2.50. Another team rated 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 3 averages 3.17. Over that window the first team's attackers and defenders are the stronger picks, and the best time to hold them is the first two gameweeks, before the 4. If the first team also has a double gameweek in the window, it gets seven matches instead of six and climbs the ranking even with the same average.
How FPL managers use fixture difficulty
- Transfers: buy into teams whose next four to six gameweeks are mostly green; sell players just before a red run.
- Captaincy: a strong player at home against a 2-rated opponent is the classic captain pick.
- Rotation pairs: two cheap defenders whose easy fixtures alternate can cover each other: start whichever is at home.
- Chips: plan Bench Boost and Triple Captain for double gameweeks and Free Hit for blank ones. Our FPL chip planner shows the doubles and blanks for every remaining gameweek.
How we tested it
We checked the downloaded season data: 20 teams, 380 fixtures, and 38 fixtures for every team. On a small made-up season with a double gameweek we checked that both matches appear in the same cell, that the totals and averages are right (2 + 2 + 5 over 3 matches), that a team with more matches ranks above a team with the same average, and that the doubles and blanks per gameweek are counted correctly.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the difficulty ratings come from?
They are the official ratings published by Fantasy Premier League for every fixture, on a scale of 1 (easiest) to 5 (hardest). The ticker shows the rating from each team's own point of view: a home match against a weak side might be a 2 for one team and a 4 for the other.
How is the ranking worked out?
For the gameweeks you choose, each team's ratings are averaged per match. Lower is easier. If two teams have the same average, the team with more matches (a double gameweek) is placed higher, because more matches means more chances for points.
What do 'blank' and two fixtures in one cell mean?
A blank means the team has no Premier League match that gameweek, usually because of a cup tie or a postponement. Two fixtures in one cell is a double gameweek: the team plays twice and its players can score twice.
How up to date is the data?
The line above the table shows when the fixture list was last refreshed from FPL. Postponed and rescheduled matches move between gameweeks during the season, so check FPL itself just before a deadline.
Should I pick players only by fixture difficulty?
No. Fixtures are one input. Form, minutes, injuries, price and whether a player is a nailed starter matter as much. The ticker is best for timing: when to bring in a team's players and when to sell them.
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