Archived briefing. Its FPL deadline has passed; these recommendations are historical, not current advice.
In this article
The Gameweek 9 picture
The deadline is Saturday 31 October at 11:00 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.
- Chelsea vs Man Utd: Chelsea difficulty 4/5, Man Utd difficulty 4/5
- Bournemouth vs Leeds: Bournemouth difficulty 3/5, Leeds difficulty 3/5
- Brentford vs Nott'm Forest: Brentford difficulty 3/5, Nott'm Forest difficulty 3/5
- Coventry City vs Sunderland: Coventry City difficulty 3/5, Sunderland difficulty 2/5
- Hull City vs Ipswich Town: Hull City difficulty 2/5, Ipswich Town difficulty 2/5
- Man City vs Brighton: Man City difficulty 3/5, Brighton difficulty 5/5
- Spurs vs Crystal Palace: Spurs difficulty 2/5, Crystal Palace difficulty 3/5
- Aston Villa vs Fulham: Aston Villa difficulty 2/5, Fulham difficulty 3/5
- Liverpool vs Arsenal: Liverpool difficulty 4/5, Arsenal difficulty 4/5
- Newcastle vs Everton: Newcastle difficulty 3/5, Everton 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.
- Aston Villa: home to Fulham, difficulty 2/5
- Hull City: home to Ipswich Town, difficulty 2/5
- Ipswich Town: away to Hull City, difficulty 2/5
- Spurs: home to Crystal Palace, difficulty 2/5
- Sunderland: away to Coventry City, difficulty 2/5
Captaincy watch
Haaland 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.
- Haaland (Man City): official expected points 9.0
- Gabriel (Arsenal): official expected points 9.0
- Konsa (Arsenal): official expected points 9.0
- Evanilson (Bournemouth): official expected points 8.3
- N.Jackson (Aston Villa): official expected points 8.0
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: N.Jackson, 411.2k transfers in
- Most bought: Tavernier, 402.5k transfers in
- Most bought: Isak, 152.1k transfers in
- Most sold: João Pedro, 252.7k transfers out
- Most sold: Calafiori, 188.8k transfers out
- Most sold: Saka, 169.5k 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.
- Andrés: Thigh injury - 75% chance of playing
- F.Kadıoğlu: Hip injury - 75% chance of playing
- Elvedi: Illness - 75% chance of playing
- Wirtz: Ankle injury - 75% chance of playing
- Maddison: Unspecified injury - 75% chance of playing
- Mykolenko: Unspecified injury - 75% chance of playing
- Calafiori: Hip injury - 75% chance of playing
- Thomas: Unspecified 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.