Nottingham Forest may not be the first team that comes to mind for Fantasy Premier League managers, but the numbers tell a different story.
According to the Fixture Planner tool, Forest rank first for both attacking and defensive difficulty across the opening six Gameweeks of the 2025/26 season. That’s a unique double – and it puts their assets firmly in the spotlight for early FPL investment.
We recently included Morgan Gibbs-White in our Top 5 Differentials blog, so this article will focus on other Forest players who could take advantage of that golden run of fixtures.
Forest’s defensive talisman is not just a solid pick at the back — he’s a genuine double threat.
At 6ft 5in, Milenkovic is dominant in the air and always a threat from set-pieces.
Add in the new Defensive Contributions (DEFCON) rule — which awards bonus points for tackles, blocks, clearances and interceptions — and he becomes an even better FPL asset.
He would have gained an extra 26 points last season under the new scoring system, making him the highest-scoring defender in the game.
At £5.5m, Milenkovic offers premium-level returns without the premium price tag.
If Milenkovic brings the goal threat, Murillo brings the bonus potential. He achieved 18 bonus points in 2024/25 the most of any defender.
He also recorded the most DEFCON (Defensive Contributions) of any FPL defender with 507, averaging 14.08 per game.
Under the new scoring rules, Murillo would’ve earned an additional 38 points — more than any other defender.
Though less attacking than his Serbian teammate — as highlighted in the Opta Heatmaps tool.
He scored twice and registered 25 shots, four fewer than Milenkovic. His consistency at the back would have taken him to 168 points, placing him just behind Trent Alexander-Arnold and ahead of Virgil van Dijk and Josko Gvardiol.
There’s a genuine case for doubling up on Forest centre-backs in your Gameweek 1 squad.
Anderson quietly had a productive campaign in midfield last season and could become even more valuable with Elanga’s departure.
Anderson also has a shot at taking more set-pieces and corners, increasing his assist potential. He’s an ideal enabler who frees up cash for your premiums — without being a "2-pointer" every week.
The Tricky Trees midfielder features in the latest draft of World Number 1, Tom Dollimore.
If FPL’s top data-driven manager is backing him, he’s got to be worth a look — right?
👉 See Tom’s full squad now in the Elite XI: Team Reveal tool.
With Forest’s fixtures looking so good, a hot-starting forward like Chris Wood could be worth a short-term roll of the dice.
Yes, he heavily overperformed his expected goals (xG: 15.02), but even with some regression, he could still represent value.
We recently compared the top £7.5m forwards in a dedicated article — and Chris Wood stands out as a strong short-term option, especially if you're considering an early Wildcard.
With Forest top of the Fixture Planner for both attack and defence, their assets deserve serious attention for Gameweek 1.
Whether you double up in defence, grab a budget midfielder, or take a punt on Wood up front, there’s value to be found — especially with the new scoring tweaks favouring active defenders.
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