Earning a spot in the Premier League will not be easy, but there are some opportunities coming up in which the players can impress as the Majors round out the calendar year.
Before we get to that, there is another European Tour event to be played this week at the Czech Darts Open and this is a big event that has both Luke Littler and Luke Humphries involved.
Those two are amongst sixteen Seeds that will join the event on Day 2, but the First Round has to be completed before that can happen.
Two Sessions are to be played on Friday and there are some very good names in action as they bid to join the Seeded players in the Second Round.
Last week proved to be a decent tournament for the Darts Picks, but the key is to build momentum between now and the World Championships and try and get the 2026 season turned around.
Joe Cullen - 1.5 legs v Stephen Burton: The disappointment of exiting the last European Tour event in a whitewash defeat should have subsided and Joe Cullen can begin another tournament with a victory in the First Round.
He got the better of Adam Leek last week and Cullen is playing an opponent who has been struggling for any consistency on the floor.
Of course you have to credit Stephen Burton for Qualifying for the Czech Darts Open, but he has lost six of his last seven matches played in the Players Championship events. That will have dented some of the confidence and this is a First Round match that feels all about Joe Cullen and the attitude he brings to the stage.
If that is right, Joe Cullen should have enough to earn his place amongst the Seeds, much like he did last week.
Luke Woodhouse - 1.5 legs v Connor Scutt: No one needs to be reminded of how good Connor Scutt can be on his day, but he had a miserable time on the European Tour last week.
That makes it six losses in the last eight matches played and Connor Scutt was not able to get anything going on the stage in Budapest.
Moving to the Czech Darts Open may give Scutt the change of scenery he needs, but he will also know he will have to be a lot better to compete with Luke Woodhouse.
A European Tour title has been won by Luke Woodhouse this season and he lost a very high quality match last week to Rob Cross. He will be well aware that similar levels will lead to a lot more wins than losses going forward and he may have too much for Connor Scutt who is battling to move through his slump in form.
Beau Greaves to win & most 180s v Daryl Gurney: The winner of this First Round match is going to be facing Luke Humphries in the Second Round on Saturday.
So many will be hoping that Beau Greaves is the player who is facing the World Number 2, but the layers are also anticipating her getting the better of Daryl Gurney on current form.
Beau Greaves is a very good maximum hitter and produced a strong average in losing to Rob Cross last week, and that is the kind of level that can be too much for Daryl Gurney to handle.
The Northern Irishman is going to be highly motivated knowing he is the underdog and he handled the occasion just well enough to edge past Greaves at the World Championship. That was won over a longer format, while Daryl Gurney has not been in the kind of form to believe he will be able to recover from a slow start in this First Round match.
An early defeat last week in Hungary will have hurt and Beau Greaves is capable of completing the Match Double on her path through to the Second Round.
MY PICKS: Joe Cullen - 1.5 Legs @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Luke Woodhouse - 1.5 Legs @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Beau Greaves to Win & Most 180s @ 2.50 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Darts 2026: 122-152, - 17.20 Units (271 Units Staked, - 6.35% Yield)
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