FPL Focus: GW8 tips and longer-term planning

As players return to these shores from international duty, Fantasy Premier League is set to make its return for Gameweek 8 this weekend.

A host of Gunners have been in action for their national teams during the second international break of the campaign, and now the focus returns to domestic affairs - and for the millions of FPL managers, the virtual world of fantasy football.

Following our 2-0 victory over West Ham United in GW7, which elevated us to the top of the Premier League table, it’s another all-London clash for Mikel Arteta’s men on Saturday, with a short trip to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham.

DEFENDERS IN DEMAND

Our impressive defensive statistics so far this season have not gone unnoticed by the FPL community, as the key protagonists have seen their ownership - and purchase price - soar.

Gabriel, whose ownership is marginally close to the 30% mark, is considered a must-have defender by many managers. The Brazilian's rock-solid form continued on the international stage, keeping a clean sheet in a 5-0 thrashing of South Korea last Friday before being rested for a friendly against Japan. Big Gabi is now at a premium price of £6.3m, but could be worth a punt for non-owners, having scored twice in his last three visits to Fulham.

His 47-point haul means he's the league’s second-highest defensive scorer, beaten only by Jurrien Timber (£5.9m) on 48. Jurrien is now owned by 18.1% of FPL competitors, having enjoyed an excellent campaign and started both of the Netherlands’ 4-0 World Cup qualifying wins of late against Malta and Finland.

Of our defensive stars to have started the bulk of our Premier League games, the cheapest prices you can find are courtesy of Riccardo Calafiori and David Raya, both available at £5.7m, but continuing to rise. Cristhian Mosquera is also a differential option at £5.4m, having earned eight points from his two league starts thus far.

STRIKER SITUATION

Oftentimes in recent FPL seasons, the demand for attacking returns from midfield has outweighed that of forward players. There are obvious reasons for this: an extra point for a goal; a clean sheet bonus and the depth of options available. However, this season has seen numerous strikers present themselves as viable options for your Fantasy squad’s attacking trio.

Beyond the clear pick of Erling Haaland (£14.5m), who has risen £0.5 in just seven Gameweeks, a few far cheaper alternatives are staking a claim for inclusion.

Newcastle United’s Nick Woltemade (£7.2m) has edged up in price, courtesy of his bright start to life in the Premier League. With the continued injury absence of fellow recruit Yoane Wissa, the rangy striker is the clear first-choice for Eddie Howe, and scored his first senior goal for Germany during the international break. He has now reached the 10% ownership mark, averaging six points per Gameweek, and could be worth an investment before a further price hike.

Having scored in each of his last two games, it now appears Manchester United’s Benjamin Sesko is another new Premier League addition to begin to find his feet. Sesko is available for £7.3m but faces a trip to Liverpool in GW8. Afterwards, however, United are without a fixture rated above 3 on the game’s difficulty scale until GW17.

Over 9% of FPL bosses have kept faith with Ollie Watkins (£8.7m) to this point. Not only has the Aston Villa frontman managed just one league goal in 2025/26, but he is also now an injury doubt following a blow sustained in England action against Wales last week. Selling Watkins now could provide much-needed funds for elsewhere in your team, and several in-form strikers are around for a straight swap, including Brentford’s Igor Thiago (£6.1m), West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) and Leeds United’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.5m).

FIXTURE FAVOURITES

Fixture ‘difficulty’ is an enigma at the best of times in the Premier League, such is the unpredictable nature of form, results and players. However, it is one of the only formulae still relied upon by FPL managers for some degree of longer-term strategy across the rapidly arriving Gameweeks.

With double the chips now also available, banking on a more favourable run of upcoming games tends to be the safest bet for maximising points returns. For instance, in this weekend’s GW8, only three sides - Everton, Fulham and Manchester United - face a fixture rated from 4-5 on the difficulty scale (from 1-5, ‘five’ considered a harder match). Among these clubs, only five players hold ownership of over 10%, one of whom is Jack Grealish (£6.9m) - ineligible to face parent club Manchester City this weekend. As a result, with 17 clubs’ players facing a decent points return, Bench Boost is a popular chip being slapped on the table.

While some strike it lucky by playing from one Gameweek to the next, the most promising strategy is to attempt to plan at least three or four weeks in advance, with the scope to bank up to five free transfers at any one time helps even further with this.

When we take a look at the next five fixtures for each club - alongside their fixture difficulty rating - it is our Gunners alongside Chelsea, Leeds and West Ham who have a run without anything rated above a 3, and at least two fixtures rated a 2.

Consequently, if you want to fulfil the maximum three-player quota of Arsenal stars in your team, it’s best to act now before prices potentially rise even further. The same goes for Chelsea, who take on Nottingham Forest next, as well as Sunderland, Wolves and Burnley all before GW13.

Bukayo Saka (£9.9m) is expected to imminently return to the £10.0m mark at which he began the campaign, and racked up eight points last time out against West Ham. Declan Rice - who netted against his former club - remains on offer at the glaringly inviting price of £6.5m, still considered a differential with an ownership under 10%.

For Chelsea, Joao Pedro (£7.7m) has disappointed many of his gargantuan 61.3% of managers with blanks in each of his last three Gameweeks, despite racking up 31 points in the three prior. However, the Brazilian is worth keeping around with an advantageous run in prospect, while Marc Cucurella (£6.1m) is expected to deliver at both ends of the pitch within the next few weeks as a premium defender. Moises Caicedo has excelled in front of goal as well as in the DefCon department, still a bargain choice at just £5.8m.

Finally, Leeds and West Ham present more affordable squad players. As well as the aforementioned Bowen and Calvert-Lewin. Lucas Paqueta (£5.9m) is a cheap midfield choice, boasting guaranteed minutes and set-piece potential, including penalties, and owned by just 2.8% of FPL players. The leading Leeds point-scorer is new arrival Anton Stach, who excels in the free-kick and DefCon areas, up for grabs for just £5.0m and fixtures against Burnley and the Hammers coming up.

Click here to read article