As we return from the third international break of the season, the Premier League is ready for action - with the fixtures about to come thick and fast.
With that, Fantasy Premier League is now back on the minds of millions of managers across the globe, as we approach Gameweek 12, starting this Saturday lunchtime.
DERBY day decisions
Our titanic showdown with Tottenham at Emirates Stadium will see us look to claim a sixth win out of seven at our neighbours' expense. Mikel Arteta is hoping for the return of several injured Gunners in the near future, and while the outlook remains uncertain for Sunday, there are still some of our stars who come in clutch for your FPL side.
Behind only Gabriel (£6.6m) for Fantasy points in an Arsenal shirt this season is Jurrien Timber (£6.2m), while Declan Rice has broken the 20%-owned barrier. Declan’s DefCon ability combines well with his regular attacking contributions, and have made him an appealing choice despite his price rising to £6.9m.
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Several Gunners have seen their prices fall in the wake of recent injury absences, but with some returns potentially close, within the next week or two could be the time to invest. Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli (both £6.8m), Viktor Gyokeres (£8.9m) and Martin Odegaard (£7.8m) are ones to watch as they seek to complete their respective recoveries, with their price tags having hit a basement fee.
An overlooked gem in red and white continues to be Leandro Trossard, whose spectacular goal put us in front in the second half at Sunderland last time out. Still owned by fewer than 1% of managers, Leo is available at £6.9m and has FPL form, having top-scored in the game for us in 2024/25.
With the derby approaching, many managers with Arsenal affiliations have opted against Spurs assets, though Thomas Frank’s side’s leading point-scorers so far this term are £4.8m defender Micky van de Ven (58 points), and midfielder Joao Palhinha (£5.5m) with 51 points.
INTERNATIONAL INJURY DOUBTS
A number of FPL bosses are anxiously awaiting further updates regarding those players who didn't come through international duty unscathed. As well as Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori, who saw their minutes for Brazil and Italy respectively curtailed, some of this season’s top marksmen elsewhere are also doubtful this weekend.
Bournemouth talisman Antoine Semenyo (£8.1m) has amassed 75 points to put him third in the entire game, behind only Big Gabi’s 81 and the 102 of Erling Haaland (£14.9m) - but his 63.6% ownership is set to dwindle following news of a ligament sprain while away with Ghana. Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi missed England action altogether with a foot injury, which caused him to sit out GW11 altogether, while Chelsea duo Enzo Fernandez (£6.7m) and Pedro Neto (£7.1m) have picked up issues that cast doubt on their availability for a trip to Burnley.
To sell or to hold is the ultimatum for several of these players - and with the transfer deadline on Saturday at 11am UK time, managers will be seeking clarity regarding the fitness of their primary points providers.
Replacements are a different ball game. To preserve your quota of red and white, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera are each available as defensive options for £5.4m, or Myles Lewis-Skelly can also be acquired for just£5.1m.
When analysing upcoming fixtures, Liverpool pair Virgil van Dijk (£5.9m) and Ibrahima Konate (£5.4m) are the likeliest nailed starters at the back, with the latter owned by just 2.8% and with encouraging DefCon statistics. Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly has recently made his England bow following a strong start to 2025/26, and is on offer at £5.0m with just a 2.3% ownership, certainly bound to rise.
For those seeking to keep Palace representation in their defence with Guehi questionable, Daniel Munoz (£5.8m) is the clear premium choice due to his attacking prowess as a wing-back. The south Londoners’ top five point-scorers are all defenders, including £4.5m star Chris Richards, comfortably the cheapest option, and still having broken the 50-point barrier.
If looking to replace Semenyo, Fernandez or Neto in the midfield quintet of your squad, obvious alternatives include Rice, Moises Caicedo (£6.1m), or in-form Manchester United man Bryan Mbeumo (£8.5m) - who has averaged eight points across his last five Gameweeks, but is soon set to depart to join up with the Cameroon squad at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Veering down the differential path, Brighton could be your bet. Yankuba Minteh has made the right-wing position his own of late, and is available at just £6.0m. Now is the time if someone like Minteh appeals, as his ownership is about to head north of 5%, with three home fixtures in Albion’s next four. By the end of this run will be GW16, when all FPL managers are granted five free transfers ahead of AFCON - allowing plenty of wriggle room.
WILDCARD AND A HALF?
With that in mind, many managers' Wildcards for the first half of the season are still intact, so they should look to use it imminently to maximise the next four Gameweeks. Coupled with the many injury doubts to big names, GW12 is certainly a popular Wildcard week which could see millions of squads completely transformed.
Also, there remains a risk that a Wildcard played any later than this week would be unable to reap much of a benefit on your rival managers, due to the GW16 transfer handout - essentially half a Wildcard in itself as numerous African players depart for the foreseeable future.
In terms of the fixture difficulty algorithm, Liverpool and Manchester United appear to have the most favourable upcoming matches between now and the season’s halfway point at GW19. The Reds in particular face fixtures given a 2 rating in each of their next three matches, with Anfield clashes against Nottingham Forest and Sunderland sandwiching a trip to West Ham United.
United, unbeaten in their last five, have four 2 ratings and four 3 ratings apiece in their next eight games, with three 2-rated fixtures before AFCON. The Red Devils will also face winless bottom club Wolves twice before all the chips reset in GW20 for the second half of the campaign.
Options from the two clubs focusing on the next four Gameweeks include bargain midfielders Ryan Gravenberch (£5.6m) and Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.6m), and United’s surprise FPL package Casemiro (£5.5m) - the trio have 143 points between them at this stage and allow for plenty of funds elsewhere.
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