After three weeks of international action, the Premier League returns this weekend, and Fantasy Premier League managers worldwide will be tinkering with their squads ahead of the next run of matchweeks.
With so much going on around the globe and the first eight matches of the top-flight season to take in, here are some tips, tricks and advice for you heading into Gameweek 9, kickstarted by the visit of Leeds United to Emirates Stadium:
EYE ON ARSENAL
No Arsenal player is more popular than Bukayo Saka (£9.6m) ahead of Gameweek 6. The Englishman has risen in price and picked up over 120,000 new owners during the international break. Saka continued his strong early-season form, scoring two goals in three starts for England and, encouragingly for FPL, was rested for Tuesday’s fourth match. Among all midfielders, Bukayo leads the way for expected goal involvement and big chances, highlighting his goal threat. Surprisingly, Saka remains a relative differential, owned by just over 14% of FPL managers.
With Kai Havertz (£7.6m) withdrawing from Germany duty, Viktor Gyokeres (£7.1m) and Mikel Merino (£5.7m) have come into focus. The former scored in all four of Sweden’s Nations League fixtures and has a strong record against Leeds, scoring three times last term. Merino meanwhile registered four attacking returns in just 109 minutes for Spain. Keep an eye on Havertz’s prognosis, with Gyokeres or Merino potentially offering extreme value for money.
Elsewhere, Riccardo Calafiori (£5.9m) struck the perfect balance between good performances and managed minutes for Italy during the break. The left-back started two of the Azzurri’s four matches and scored off the bench against Turkey. Calafiori continues to be purchased by plenty of FPL managers and has risen in price four times already this season.
TOP TRANSFERS IN
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Pascal Gross (£5.9m) is the most transferred-in player ahead of Gameweek 6, bought by nearly 900,000 managers and rising in price twice during the break. The German is the game’s top scorer and has returned back-to-back double-digit hauls. In all, Gross has notched three goals, four assists and nine bonus points, while no player has created more chances (15) than the Brighton man.
Another midfielder, Brentford Kevin Schade (£6.2m), is catching the eye of over 450,000 managers prior to a Gameweek 6 fixture against Aston Villa, who sit 16th in the table. The German has racked up five attacking returns and averages just under eight points per match. Schade has notched double-digit returns in both his away games ahead of the Bees’ trip to Villa Park.
Brighton duo Charalampos Kostoulas (£5.6m) and Maxim De Cuyper (£5.0m) round out the top four most-bought players, with 350,000 and 330,000 transfers in, respectively. The latter continues to play out of position on the left wing, despite being classified as a defender in Fantasy, significantly increasing his attacking threat. No defender has created more chances (11) or big chances (3) than the Belgium international, while Kostoulas has returned back-to-back 10-point hauls and scored and assisted against Coventry and us.
GAMEWEEK 6 TIPS
The biggest dilemma for most FPL managers this week is what to do with the many yellow-flagged players, such as Joao Pedro (£7.7m), Cole Palmer (£9.7m), Antoine Semenyo (£8.4m) and Ezri Konsa (£4.6m). With many stars pulling out of international duty, keep an eye on the managers’ press conferences.
It’s proving to be a popular week to play the Wildcard chip. As well as reacting to any recent injuries, managers can respond to the favourable fixture swings for the likes of Fulham and Bournemouth, with the Cottagers facing all the promoted teams in the next three Gameweeks. Finally, if you are not yet to play your Bench Boost chip, Wildcarding will allow you to build a strong 15-man squad.
Don’t miss the deadline! Finalise your team by 11am BST on Saturday, October 10, ahead of our match against Leeds.
