It’s another new Gameweek in FPL. GW8 is upon is this weeked, with games like Chelsea vs Spurs and Liverpool vs Brighton headlining the action. In this article, we’ll look at:
- Captaincy
- Future planning – who to buy
- What to do with King, Gonzalo, Gvardiol and Cherki
- The best DEFCON defenders
Captaincy
The captaincy triangle is very much between these three players this week. Unlike last week, it’s very open. A London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham has the potential for lots of goals, while Haaland is Haaland.
Haaland is not in training..
— Fantasy Football Ticker (@FPL_Ticker) October 19, 2026
Will he be available for GW8?#FPLhttps://t.co/7jSZtZJDEY
A Haaland injury could make a really close captaincy battle between Pedro and Palmer a lot more mainstream.
Haaland has the best data as usual; it’s about whether the fixture is bad enough to go elsewhere.
Judging by Villa’s recent up-and-down performances, it’s safe to say Haaland has a decent chance of a return. But this is a decent week to go different with Pedro, or Palmer.
Palmer being on penalties is a bonus, however, even if we were to add a penalty to his total, he still falls behind Pedro for xG. He’s only outscored Pedro once this season – in GW1 (13 points to 11).
Conclusion: captain Haaland, but Pedro is a good differential captain.
Future planning
There are two ways to look at the ticker right now. If you have a lot of transfers, you can look to buy more short-term and reassess after the international break. In that case, targeting the likes of King or Hall could be a good idea. Or, go for Calvert-Lewin, who has great fixtures short-term but is also a good long-term hold – on penalties, nailed for 90, etc.
The advantage of this is taking advantage of fixture swings that come for teams around the international break, while capitalising on short-term punts before that.
Here’s the clear annotation of fixture swings, using our Annotate Mode feature:
You can see that it’s a good time to jump off Forest and Brentford, so Gibbs-White, Ajer, Schade and Kayode.
And you can replace them with Villa, Bournemouth, or Liverpool players. Plus, Brighton’s fixtures take a turn for the better. They top the ticker between GWs 11 and 16.
If you just need a decent medium-term replacement now, then Leeds and Bournemouth have decent options, like Tavernier and Calvert-Lewin.
Johan Manzambi is also a great buy, having posted excellent numbers since his introduction into the Villa team. Provided you have bench cover this week, of course. If you have Josh King, that’s perfect – you can make the move for GW9.
Alternatively, check out our watchlist, updated every gameweek, for who the best buys are.
What to do with King, Gonzalo, Cherki and Gvardiol
Let’s start with Gvardiol, who is the simplest.
He’s a clear sell. The high-upside Ipswich game is out of the way, and he was benched again. With O’Reilly there as well, it’s very unlikely he starts every game.
And with the explosion of DEFCON defenders, covered later in this article, you could free up some money too.
The replacements will be covered in the DEFCON secion, which you can skip to by clicking here.
Gvardiol – sell.
As for his teammate Cherki, he’s also looking like a major minutes risk.
However, it’s not as bad, with a start against PSG signalling that the Frenchman is one of Enzo Maresca’s more valued attackers.
Expect a benching and a couple of early subs if you hold, but on the flipside, that’s more than enough time for him to bag a brace.
If the minutes put you off, it’s worth a move to Mbeumo or Manzambi to free up some money.
Cherki – minutes risk. Sell, but holding is fine too. Replacements – Mbeumo, Manzambi, Rogers if you don’t own already.
The Fulham duo of King and Gonzalo have put up a masterclass in the last two gameweeks.
A masterclass in dodging points.
In the last two Gameweeks, they’ve created a combined SEVEN chances – including three big chances. They’ve also had a combined xGI of over 2.
Some might be looking to sell, especially for Calvert-Lewin or Manzambi.
However, if you’ve got them for their three plum fixtures, then just see the run out. It’s not impossible that Fulham win 4-1 and both haul.
We know they are creating good chances, and this is the week it could pay off.
If you want to replace them after that, then Manzambi and Calvert-Lewin are the prime options.
King + Gonzalo – hold for GW8, sell in GW9 for DCL or Manzambi.
DEFCON defenders
It’s about time the DEFCON defenders showed themselves. It’s been seven gameweeks already.
We’ve picked out six with attacking potential, defcon threat and clean sheet chances. Vuskovic has scored more points than Joao Pedro this season.
Ajer’s fixtures go down around GW10, while Vuskovic’s don’t perk up until then. All these players are viable replacements for picks like De Cuyper, who will lose his spot as a winger soon and has bad fixtures in the meantime.
Silva and Muharemovic carry great goal threat and have good fixture runs starting now – but Muharemovic will need rotating in GWs 11, 13, and 15, when he plays Chelsea, Liverpool and City away.
‘Why buy him then?’ you might ask – because around those three, the fixtures are insane.
You can cover the three bad games with Thomas, who is second on the ticker for those three weeks in particular.
Our fixture ticker has had an update! You can now plan rotation efficiently on our website.
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