Drafting for Early Fixtures in Draft EPL

Dutch Cowboy
Jun 30
6 min read

When it comes to Draft Premier League, timing is everything, and nothing influences early-season momentum quite like the fixture list. The 2025-26 Premier League fixtures have just been released, and we’ve looked at the schedule to analyze which teams have the easiest and toughest starts to the new season.

While some managers get swept up in big-name hype, savvy drafters know that the first 5-6 gameweeks can make or break your season. Targeting players with favorable early matchups gives you the best shot at building an early lead, riding form, and even flipping assets before reality catches up. Whether you're aiming to dominate from day one or simply avoid a slow start, drafting with early fixtures in mind isn't just smart, it’s essential. To help you hit the ground running early, check out our 25/26 Draft Kit and explore our Pricing Plans.

Check out our 25/26 Draft Kit for all the pre-season information you could ever need. We've got a Live Draft Aide, Draft Rankings, Team Previews, Cheat Sheets, Strategy Articles, Draft 101. Dominate your draft!

Fixture Difficulty Tracker

Hands down, this is one of the greatest tools on our site to gain an edge in your Fantasy EPL leagues. The tracker includes not just positional fixture difficulty ratings, but customizable periods as well. You can set 2 toggles: one for positions and the second one for number of fixtures. Say you are looking for a forward with favorable matchups in the first 3 games: boom! Set the toggles and you have your list of teams to look at. It is as great as it is easy to use. Please take your time and play around with it, then come back and read the rest of the article.

The Fixture Difficulty Tracker is for our subscribers. If you are looking to gain access to this incredible tool, look to purchase our Ultimate Pass here.

Early Draft EPL Fixtures are Key

A club’s performance in the opening weeks often sets the tone for the rest of the season, and your EPL Draft team is no different. While elite sides like City or Arsenal tend to produce regardless of who they face, the real value lies in identifying mid- to lower-table teams with favorable early fixtures. This is where sharp managers can gain an edge, whether it's during the draft, through early waiver claims, or by making savvy trades before the rest of the league catches on.

General Rules

Draft players who have easy early fixtures (I will be looking at fixtures up until the first international break)
Do not draft punty players with difficult early fixtures - especially in the late rounds. "Punty" picks are are low-risk, high-reward players who perhaps are unproven, inconsistent, or not guaranteed minutes, but who could explode if things go right.
Draft players whose positions on the team are fairly nailed on. You cannot afford to wait for a long time for their value to materialize.
Do not draft players you will have trouble letting go of for personal reasons.
Do not draft fringe players that have injuries that will prevent them from starting GW1.