FPL: Top 5 FPL Players To Watch For Gameweek 8

There was no Premier League action last weekend, leaving FPL managers on the edge with a lot of uncertainty involving the status of games. FPL is back this week though, however, with 3 blank fixtures.

We help you navigate this tricky week that has seen a lot of wildcards activated, as we take a look at our top 5 FPL players to watch for in gameweek 8.

Also read: UCL: Top Performers Of UCL Matchday 2

5. Gabriel Martinelli (£6.5m)

Martinelli is the best midfield option for your team under £6.5m. He has 4 goal involvements in 6 starts and a non penalty xG involvement of 2.9, which is is only below Gross for midfielders in his price range.

Brentford (A), Spurs (H), Liverpool (H) and Leeds (A) are Arsenal’s next 4 fixtures before they blank. They may not seem the easiest games on paper, but those teams have conceded regularly this season. Arsenal have also managed to find the back of the net in all their games which should see Martinelli get a bunch of opportunities.

Other midfield options in a similar price range either blank this gameweek or have tough fixtures. So the Brazilian, with his 47% ownership and 36 points overall, should be in your teams for the foreseeable future.

4. Kevin De Bruyne (£12.2m)

A lot of FPL managers have been shipping Mo Salah out on their wildcards to make funds elsewhere. While there are cheaper options available, it is difficult to look past KdB for this gameweek.

With 6 teams blanking, De Bruyne already has the upper hand over other premium assets as he plays Wolves this weekend. Stats-wise, he leads the xA charts this season accumulating a whopping score of 3.11, which is 0.87 ahead of the next best. He also leads the big chance involvements in the league with 10.

In the past 6 gameweeks, Man City have had the most amount of big chances as well, at 28, thanks in large to the Belgian. He might have been overshadowed by his teammate Haaland, but he is the best Salah replacement if you’re willing to spend big.

3. Kieran Trippier (£5.3m)

The Newcastle defender, priced at £5.3m is a terrific option in defence for those on a wildcard, and looking to replace expensive premium defenders. Trippier has has 3 CS so far this season, as Newcastle have conceded only 6 goals in total, with 3 of them being against City.

In addition, he provides attacking threat too. He is on free kicks, with his solitary goal this season coming against City from the dead ball situation. The England RB has an xG of  0.29 and an xA of 0.71. The latter is because of the sheer volume his crosses, as he has 18 successful ones out of 50 already.

Bournemouth (H), Fulham (A), and Brentford (H) are great fixtures which should see Tripper score FPL points consistently.

2. Erling Haaland (£12.0m)

Everything Haaland touches seems to be turning into gold, or more specifically, goals. Fresh from a stunning Zlatan-esque goal in the Champions League against his former club Dortmund, Haaland is in the form of his life.

With 3 of the big 6 blanking this week, if some of you managers (STILL!) don’t have Haaland, now is your time to finally break the shackles and bring him into your teams. With ownership of almost 80%, he is a must-have just because of his EO (expected output).

The top scorer in the league, he is into double digits already with 10 goals. Having a mammoth xG of 7.04, and 12 BPS so far, he is the perfect captaincy choice for weeks to come.

1. Alexsandar Mitrovic (£6.9m)

What have they been feeding the big Serbian at Craven Cottage this season? He looks an absolute beast in front of goal, and is our FPL pick of the week.

Mitrovic has 6 goals in 6 games this season, the 4th highest in Europe. He’s taken 27 shots, more than even premium strikers Haaland and Kane. With a mega xG of 5.44, he is the standout budget striker option for weeks to come as he has a sea of green fixtures until gameweek 14.

He plays Forest in gameweek 8, who have conceded 11 goals already. This puts him in prime contention to bag more goals for Fulham at the weekend. Priced under £7.0m and owned by less than 30%, he is a fantastic FPL option who is difficult to ignore at this price point.