Archived briefing. Its FPL deadline has passed; these recommendations are historical, not current advice.
In this article
The Gameweek 8 picture
The deadline is Friday 23 October at 18:30 UK. The previous Gameweek has finished, so this is a planning briefing rather than a judgement made while players still have matches to play.
Use this as a public market and fixture scan. A popular transfer is not automatically right for your squad, and a one-week expected-points estimate is not a promise.
- Ipswich Town vs Nott'm Forest: Ipswich Town difficulty 3/5, Nott'm Forest difficulty 2/5
- Aston Villa vs Man City: Aston Villa difficulty 4/5, Man City difficulty 3/5
- Arsenal vs Everton: Arsenal difficulty 3/5, Everton difficulty 5/5
- Coventry City vs Fulham: Coventry City difficulty 2/5, Fulham difficulty 2/5
- Chelsea vs Spurs: Chelsea difficulty 2/5, Spurs difficulty 4/5
- Crystal Palace vs Newcastle: Crystal Palace difficulty 3/5, Newcastle difficulty 3/5
- Hull City vs Brentford: Hull City difficulty 3/5, Brentford difficulty 2/5
- Liverpool vs Brighton: Liverpool difficulty 3/5, Brighton difficulty 4/5
- Man Utd vs Bournemouth: Man Utd difficulty 3/5, Bournemouth difficulty 4/5
- Sunderland vs Leeds: Sunderland difficulty 3/5, Leeds difficulty 3/5
Fixtures that deserve attention
Official fixture difficulty is a useful first filter. It should be combined with player role, expected minutes and longer-term team strength before making a transfer.
- Brentford: away to Hull City, difficulty 2/5
- Chelsea: home to Spurs, difficulty 2/5
- Coventry City: home to Fulham, difficulty 2/5
- Fulham: away to Coventry City, difficulty 2/5
- Nott'm Forest: away to Ipswich Town, difficulty 2/5
Captaincy watch
De Cuyper leads the initial official-data shortlist. The list below uses FPL expected points, current form and availability, but the final decision should be checked again after press conferences and team news.
- De Cuyper (Brighton): official expected points 10.5
- Henderson (Chelsea): official expected points 10.5
- Neto (Chelsea): official expected points 10.0
- Vuskovic (Brighton): official expected points 9.5
- Evanilson (Bournemouth): official expected points 9.5
What managers are doing
Transfer volume shows where the market is moving. It can help with price timing, but points already scored should not be mistaken for points still to come.
- Most bought: Groß, 169.1k transfers in
- Most bought: Cherki, 168.2k transfers in
- Most bought: Tavernier, 155.6k transfers in
- Most sold: Szoboszlai, 264.2k transfers out
- Most sold: Semenyo, 229.5k transfers out
- Most sold: B.Fernandes, 185.7k transfers out
Official availability watch
These are the latest flags in official FPL data. Recheck near the deadline because injury information and expected return dates can change.
- Udogie: Knee injury - 75% chance of playing
- Robertson: Foot injury - 75% chance of playing
- Marmoush: Calf injury - 75% chance of playing
- Tosin: Calf injury - 75% chance of playing
- Kovačić: Unspecified injury - 75% chance of playing
- Matheus N.: Unspecified injury - 75% chance of playing
- O'Reilly: Back injury - 75% chance of playing
- Lukić: Groin injury - 75% chance of playing
The practical decision rule
Start with your best eleven. A transfer matters when the incoming player improves someone who will actually start, solves an availability problem or creates a stronger route over several Gameweeks.
Before acting, compare the next three to five fixtures, expected minutes, the points cost, your bank and the value of keeping a free transfer. Check the live dashboard again close to the deadline.