Chelsea have blank fixtures in gameweeks 24 and 25 due to their involvement in the Club World Cup and Arsenal also have blanks in gameweeks 25 and 27. Plenty of managers will be looking for replacements for the likes of Saka, Mount, Martinelli etc. and the alternative options are compared using the Fix Comparison Matrix for the last six gameweeks. Averages are used since there were various postponements resulting in some players having more games.

Maddison has averaged a healthy 5.8 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points over the last six gameweeks and averages a goal every other game. The underlying numbers back it up, he is second in the comparison for shots (3.5) and top for shots on target (SoT) (1.8). He is also second for 'big chances' (0.8) which indicates these are not speculative efforts. In terms of creativity, his 1.5 attempted assists per game is second only to Raphinha (2.8). Maddison looks an excellent choice, but the fixtures are not ideal with Liverpool and Wolves being two of their next three opponents, followed by a blank in gameweek 27.

Bowen posts the highest average FPL points (8.0) in the comparison and is also top for assists (0.8) and 'big chances' (1.2). However, in terms of underlying numbers he is just fourth for shots (2.5) and attempted assists (1.0) which is a tad worrying. He is third for SoT (0.8) so while some regression might be on the horizon, the immediate fixtures of Watford, Leicester and Newcastle offer plenty of reason for optimism.

With Salah's return from the African Cup of Nations expected for gameweek 24, managers now have to make a decision whether to persist with Jota in their FPL squads. The Portugal international has averaged just 4.4 FPL points over the last six gameweeks but has posted decent underlying numbers coming in third for shots (2.6) and SoT (0.8). He is fourth for 'big chances' (0.4) which is a surprise, as he is a player who usually relies on a volume of 'big chances' to score. This might be due to the absence of Mané and Salah which has forced him to play in a wider role.

Raphinha posts the strongest underlying numbers in the comparison coming out top for shots (3.8) and attempted assists (2.8). The fact that he is bottom for SoT (0.3) would indicate that these are more speculative efforts and the fact that he averages only 0.5 'big chances' per game also backs that up. His average of 4.3 points per game should improve once Leeds have Bamford back as a large percentage of his attempted assists have been reliant on D. James scoring.

The least owned player in the comparison, Ward-Prowse has racked up 7.3 points per game over the last six gameweeks with only Bowen (8.0) faring better. While his shot volume (1.4) is the lowest, he is second for SoT (1.0) which fuels a level of optimism. He also averages a healthy 1.4 attempted assists per game, but a large portion of these are from set-pieces. The fact that he is bottom for 'big chances' (0.2) is discouraging, but the fact that he is on penalties should balance that out.