FPL Gameweek 2 players to buy
Almost every Gameweek 2 video published this week opens the same way: don’t make a transfer. Roll it, take two into Gameweek 3, and stop reacting to 90 minutes of football. That is close to unanimous across the community, and it is probably right for most teams.
Some of you have a hole to fill anyway. So, in the order the community rates them, these are the names that survive the argument.
TL;DR: the Gameweek 2 buys
| Player | Price | Gameweek 1 case | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
 Sangaré BRE MID | £5.5m | 13 defensive contributions and two assists on debut, 5.5% owned | Best cheap mid in the game, but save it for a wildcard or a spare move |
 Tzolis ARS MID | £6.5m | Involved in seven Arsenal shots against Coventry, more than any player in the round | Buy now, Villa away |
 Ødegaard ARS MID | £6.5m | Goal and maximum bonus, and he has not been this cheap in five years | Buy now, Villa away |
 Szoboszlai LIV MID | £7.0m | Took and scored the stoppage time penalty at Newcastle, plus corners and free kicks | Buy now if you are not already on him |
 Saka ARS MID | £9.5m | Started and scored, and only 10.2% owned | Only if your Haaland and Bruno setup leaves room |
 Gvardiol MCI DEF | £5.5m | Scored the equaliser against Bournemouth, Palace away next | The cheap route into the City defence |
 Rodon LEE DEF | £4.5m | Clean sheet on debut behind a Leeds back line that has been rebuilt well | Cheapest defender here worth starting |
Everything below is the argument for those, and for the hauls that look like buys but are not.
First, the case for doing nothing
One free transfer is the least flexible position you will be in all season. You built your fifteen with unlimited transfers a fortnight ago, and you built it for the opening two or three weeks, not just for one. Twelve teams also play midweek in the League Cup and the Conference League, so anything you buy on Tuesday can pick up a knock before you have watched it kick a ball.
There is one genuinely forced case. Ismaïla Sarr (£6.5m) was not in the Palace squad at all and looks likely to be sold before the window shuts, and Ollie Watkins (£8.0m) is in the same position at Villa. If you own one of those and have no playing bench cover, that is your transfer and it is not a panic move.
Mamadou Sangaré, Brentford, £5.5m
The standout FPL performance of the round. Thirteen defensive contributions in 75 minutes on debut, plus two assists, for a 14 point haul at £5.5m. Everyone is making the same comparison: Elliot Anderson last season. A player who quietly floors your midfield at plus two most weeks and chips in with the odd attacking return.
He is 5.5% owned and rising in price. He is also a defensive contribution pick first, so do not buy him expecting another 14 any time soon. Buy him when you have a spare move or a wildcard, which for most people means Gameweek 3.
The £6.5m Arsenal midfielders
Arsenal go to Villa Park. Villa conceded four in the first half to Brighton with a threadbare side, no Watkins, and a red card for Gomes that keeps him out until 19 September. If you are making an early move, almost everyone agrees it should be an Arsenal one.
Ødegaard has 212 and 186 point seasons behind him, has not been this cheap in five years, and is only 10.3% owned. Tzolis attempted four shots and created three against Coventry, and with Martinelli linked with a move away his minutes look safe, though at 25.6% he is no differential. Saka has the most upside of the three, but at £9.5m he is hard to fit if you already own Haaland and Bruno.
One to note but not buy: Konsa (£4.5m) is already 11.8% owned without playing a minute. On a wildcard he is an obvious pick. With a single free transfer, wait for confirmation he starts ahead of Mosquera.
Szoboszlai, Liverpool, £7.0m
He took Liverpool’s stoppage time penalty at St James’ Park with a point on the line, and buried it. Isak, Mac Allister and Gakpo were all named afterwards as capable takers, so nothing is locked in, but stepping up in that moment counts for something. Add corners, free kicks and a number eight who gets into the box, and £7.0m looks light. Forest at home this week.
Cheap defenders worth the money
| Player | Team | Price | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rodon | Leeds | £4.5m | Clean sheet on debut, Brentford at home |
| Muharemović | Leeds | £5.0m | Clean sheet too, and Trafford behind him has been excellent |
| Hall | Newcastle | £5.0m | Heavy on defensive contributions, sixth best fixture run over the next eight |
| Silva | Bournemouth | £5.0m | Their only defensive contribution in Gameweek 1, Everton at home |
| Gvardiol | Man City | £5.5m | Scored, Palace away |
| Guéhi | Man City | £6.0m | Scored, ten points, played in midfield at times |
The hauls not to chase
| Player | Gameweek 1 | The problem |
|---|---|---|
| De Cuyper (£4.5m) | 17 points from left wing | Chelsea away, and the out of position role goes the moment Brighton get options back |
| Hinshelwood (£6.0m) | 16 points, a brace | Off on 63 minutes, and he was rested in Europe too. Chelsea away |
Both are worth a watchlist spot for Gameweek 3 and 4, when Brighton get Coventry. Neither is worth a transfer this week.
And the armband
Bruno tops the Gameweek 2 projections at 6.8 points, ahead of Haaland on 5.8. United host Ipswich, City go to a Palace side that lost at home to Everton. Both blanked in Gameweek 1 and both are still the two picks, because one gameweek is not information.
Want to see whether the managers above you actually rolled it? You can search any FPL manager and follow their transfers, captain and rank from Gameweek 1 onward.