FPL Gameweek 8 players to buy
The Gameweek 8 deadline is 6:30pm on Friday 23 October. More than half of the community will roll their transfer this week. You can bank up to five.
Two injuries force a move for many teams. Semenyo has a knee injury and is out for about eight weeks. Szoboszlai has a hamstring injury again and is likely to miss a couple of weeks. Gibbs-White missed Gameweek 7, but Forest expect him to play at Ipswich on Friday night. If you own Gibbs-White, keep him.
TL;DR: the Gameweek 8 buys
| Player | Price | GW8 | The case |
|---|---|---|---|
 RogersCHE MID | £8.0m | TOT (H) | 48% owned. Chelsea have no European games |
 MbeumoMUN MID | £7.8m | BOU (H) | Most non-penalty xGI of any midfielder. 90 minutes in every game |
 SchadeBRE MID | £6.2m | HUL (a) | Fit again. The best entry point of the cheap midfielders this week |
 TavernierBOU MID | £6.2m | MUN (a) | Starts every game, takes set pieces, long run of good fixtures |
 Calvert-LewinLEE FWD | £6.1m | SUN (a) | Takes penalties. The most bought player among top managers this week |
 MuharemovićLEE DEF | £5.0m | SUN (a) | Points in every game this season, including defensive contributions |
 ThomasCOV DEF | £4.0m | FUL (H) | 10 defensive contribution points, the most of any player |
 ManzambiAVL MID | £6.0m | MCI (H) | Calf injury, 75% chance to play. Buy for Gameweek 9 |
Prices as of Thursday 22 October.
Midfield: replace Szoboszlai and Semenyo
Rogers, Gibbs-White and Mbeumo cost about the same and have similar projections. Mbeumo and Gibbs-White both have 5.2 projected points this week. Rogers is a little ahead over the next five gameweeks.
Mbeumo has the best underlying numbers of the three. His 4.85 non-penalty xGI is the highest of any midfielder. Only Haaland and Barry have more shots. He now plays as a striker for United and has scored in his last two games. Bournemouth play away in Europe on Thursday night, so they have less rest.
At around £6m, the community splits between Tavernier and Manzambi. Manzambi has two goals and two assists in three starts, and 0.71 xGI per 90 minutes. But Emery subs him early, he does not take penalties, and he missed Villa’s Champions League game with a calf injury. Villa host City this week. From Gameweek 9, Villa have some of the best fixtures in the league.
Tavernier is the safer pick. He starts every game and takes set pieces. Only one of Bournemouth’s next seven fixtures has a difficulty rating above three.
Schade came on at half time against Liverpool after a shoulder injury. He has 15 shots in the box this season. Only Mbeumo has more among midfielders. Hull have conceded seven goals and kept no clean sheet in their last four games.
For a cheap fifth midfielder, Rudoni (£4.9m) takes Coventry’s penalties and plays most minutes. He is 0.3% owned.
Most of the community still avoids Man City players other than Haaland. Doku (£7.5m) is the most likely to start on the left. But Foden and Cherki can also play wide, and City rotate a lot.
The fixtures, Gameweeks 8 to 12
| Team | GW8 | GW9 | GW10 | GW11 | GW12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth | MUN (a) | LEE (H) | IPS (a) | NFO (H) | FUL (a) |
| Coventry | FUL (H) | SUN (H) | EVE (a) | CRY (H) | LEE (a) |
Defenders
Muharemović plays 90 minutes every week and ranks among the best defenders for defensive contributions. Leeds have conceded six goals in seven games. Only Brighton and Arsenal have conceded fewer. Of Leeds’ next 12 games, only Chelsea, City and Liverpool away are hard fixtures.
Thomas is the best £4.0m defender. He has 84 clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles, more than any other player. He also has 10 shots in the box, joint top among defenders. You can start him in each of the next six gameweeks.
If you want an Arsenal player, Raya has the best clean sheet projection this week. Arsenal host Everton.
Forwards
Calvert-Lewin starts every game and takes penalties. His non-penalty xG is higher than João Pedro’s. If you want a cheaper forward at lower ownership, Evanilson (£6.1m) has six goal involvements this season. Wait until after Bournemouth’s game against Milan before you buy him.
Isak (£9.0m) is the most bought forward this week. He has five goals in six games. With Szoboszlai out, he is likely to take Liverpool’s penalties. If he costs you two transfers, leave him.
Sell, hold, or wait
| Player | Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Semenyo, MCI £8.3m | Sell | Out for about eight weeks |
| Szoboszlai, LIV £6.8m | Sell | Injured again. If you can bench him, wait for news on Manzambi |
| Fernandes, MUN £11.8m | Sell | A goal or assist in only one of seven gameweeks. Chelsea and Liverpool away in the next four |
| Newcastle players | Hold one week | Palace have conceded 17 goals and play in Turkey on Thursday |
| Garcia and King, FUL | Hold one week | Coventry away is still a good fixture |
| Gross and De Cuyper, BHA | Don’t buy yet | Liverpool and City away. Buy in Gameweek 10. If you own Gross, start him |
Captain
Haaland at Villa. He has eight goals in seven games. City listed him as a doubt early in the week, but the FPL site now gives him a 100% chance to play. Palmer at home to Spurs is the alternative.
After Friday’s deadline, search any FPL manager to see who in your mini-league made a transfer and who rolled.