By Gameweek seven is here, and Fantasy Premier League managers are staring down some genuinely tricky calls. From Brighton’s tempting duo to Bruno Fernandes‘ alarming slump, here are the biggest dilemmas facing FPL bosses this weekend — with advice from BBC Sport’s FPL expert Gianni Buttice.
De Cuyper (Credits: BBC Sport)
Are De Cuyper and Gross Essential?
Brighton’s Maxim de Cuyper and Pascal Gross are as close to must-have status as anyone in the game right now. But is this the right moment to buy? The fixture list says maybe not — Brighton face Liverpool and Manchester City away in their next three games, a daunting run that tempers their appeal.
Crystal Palace at home in the derby this weekend is a decent matchup, so it is not worth ripping your team apart to get either man in. Given the choice, defender De Cuyper at £5.1m gets the nod as the priority pick, thanks to his attacking threat from the back and defensive contribution points.
Bruno’s Slump Forces a Rethink
Bruno Fernandes, owned by a third of all FPL managers, has become the game’s second most expensive asset at £11.9m — and its most painful disappointment. Five blanks from six gameweeks make him an easy sell this week, especially with far cheaper midfielders delivering.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (£9.6m) and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (£9.7m) stand out as the best replacements. Under attack-minded manager Xabi Alonso, with no European football and full weeks on the training ground, Chelsea look capable of scoring two or three goals every game. Striker Joao Pedro (£7.8m) is surely now a must-have — and even that might not be enough cover for such a free-scoring attack.
The choice between Palmer and Morgan Rogers (£7.9m) is a close one. There is little to split the two in open play, with Rogers boasting slightly better underlying data and more FPL points across the six games so far. The tiebreaker is budget and your view on how many penalties and set-piece goals Chelsea will score, with Palmer the main beneficiary.
The Long-Term Plays
For set-and-forget defenders, covering the Arsenal defense remains the sensible move. Under Mikel Arteta they remain the league’s best defensive unit, and Riccardo Calafiori (£5.9m) currently looks the strongest route in.
Elsewhere, target the defensive contribution points magnets: Leeds’ Tarik Muharemovic (£5m), Brighton’s Luka Vuskovic (£5.1m), Bournemouth’s Antonio Silva (£5m), and Everton’s James Tarkowski (£6.2m). All four are reliable defcon performers playing for solid sides that do not concede too many.
One chip note for planners: if you still have chips banked, a double gameweek before the gameweek 19 chip reset looks unlikely, so do not hoard them waiting for a windfall that may never come. And Erling Haaland owners can smile — three standout home fixtures before the end of the year, starting with Ipswich this weekend.
Also Read: Does the Premier League ‘Big Six’ Still Exist? The Stats Say the Cartel Is Over
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
