The Premier League is quickly back in action as the season reaches its halfway mark, and with it comes Gameweek 19 of Fantasy Premier League.
We retained our perch at the top of the table on Saturday by overcoming Brighton & Hove Albion at Emirates Stadium, and we’re straight back to N5 on Tuesday night to take on Aston Villa.
SKIPPER SHINES AS DEC BREAKS 100
There were numerous positive stories across the league’s action last weekend to satisfy millions of FPL managers, and our players were once again no exception.
Among Gameweek 18’s double-figure stars was Martin Odegaard (£7.8m), who weighed in with 10 points courtesy of a terrific goal. Our captain remains selected by just 1.7% of Fantasy squads, making him an ideal differential pick for the coming weeks, while Bukayo Saka (£10.3m) rewarded his owners with seven points, taking his average to six across his last five Gameweeks .
Saturday brought a milestone FPL achievement for Declan Rice (£7.2m), as he became just the third player this season to surpass the 100-point barrier. Declan is now selected by almost 3.5 million squads, having joined Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (£15.1m) and Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo (£7.7m) as centurions.
A huge mention must go to FPL stalwart Gabriel (£6.2m), who made a welcome return as a substitute in GW18 to help see out our vital three points. Our Brazilian’s recent injury absence has meant his Fantasy ownership has dropped to 13.3%, with a price dip from £6.6m. For the many planning on snapping up Big Gabi once again, be sure to act fast before that figure skyrockets.
Villa meanwhile extended their streak of victories with Saturday night’s comeback win at Chelsea. Ollie Watkins (£8.5m) fired a second-half brace from the bench and that impact earned his managers a 12-point haul, with the England forward still available at far lower than his £9.0m starting price but increasingly in demand.
Elsewhere, Morgan Rogers (£7.4m) leads the way for the season at Villa Park, with 92 points to his name - 30 of those were spread across just two Gameweeks before the Chelsea clash.
FIXTURES OVER FORM?
With the matches coming thick and fast, it can be tricky to navigate more favourable fixtures among the bulk of your Fantasy teams - but the fixture difficulty rating (FDR) can indicate who should be on your radar heading into January.
Manchester United have a more enticing run in their next three fixtures than many of their rivals, hosting Wolves at Old Trafford before travelling to Leeds United and Burnley. With Bruno Fernandes (£9.1m) sidelined and several players at the Africa Cup of Nations, Matheus Cunha (£8.1m) has become a popular bet, as he is registered as a midfielder but often used further forward.
Patrick Dorgu (£4.1m) remains available at a cut-price fee, even after his 17-point haul against Newcastle United on Boxing Day, while Diogo Dalot (£4.5m) is another defender who offers plenty of attacking output. After GW21, however, United’s next fixtures are against Manchester City and then a visit to Emirates Stadium.
Consequently, longer-term clubs to identify include Everton, Newcastle and West Ham.
Everton do not face a fixture rated above a ‘3’ by the FDR algorithm until the end of February, and kept another clean sheet in Saturday's goalless draw with Burnley. With AFCON and injuries affecting the Toffees’ attack, defence should be the priority if you're adding any Toffees to your side, with James Tarkowski (£5.5m) always reliable for DefCon bonuses and centre-half partner Michael Keane (£4.8m) great value for his 91 points so far - 10 of those coming last weekend.
Across Newcastle’s next eight fixtures, the Magpies face three matches rated a ‘2’ by FDR and just one above a ‘3’, with Burnley, Leeds United and Wolves all on the horizon. A player on Tyneside who has begun to produce impressive returns again is Anthony Gordon (£7.4m), registered as a midfielder but first-choice on penalties and has double-figure hauls in two of his last four Gameweeks, while Lewis Miley (£4.5m) may not haul every week but has been awarded plenty of recent game time at incredible value.
Finally, while West Ham scrap against the drop, the Hammers have four ‘2’-rated fixtures in their next seven games, with Wolves and Nottingham Forest their next opponents after a GW19 hosting of Brighton. Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola (£4.3m) is one of the cheapest first-choice stoppers in the game and could be an active bench option, while Jarrod Bowen (£7.6m) is the most likely source of goals, assists and set-piece rewards. Often overlooked has been midfielder Mateus Fernandes, whose ownership of just 0.2% does not reflect his 56-point seasonal return and reasonable £5.5m fee.
LAST CHANCE FOR CHIPS
As warned on a weekly basis, any remaining chips not played by this Gameweek will be lost, as the halfway point will see all four chips restored for the second time. Managers cannot play more than one chip in a Gameweek, meaning if two or more chips remain intact, at least one will have to be wasted.
Those with more favourable fixtures will draw focus for a potential Free Hit team, while the Bench Boost chip holds plenty of appeal in GW19 - of course the primary aim is selecting 15 players with guaranteed gametime and preferably a good few 90-minute regulars.
A longer-term strategy can be catered for with the Wildcard chip, allowing managers to make wholesale changes to their team; particularly useful at this time of year, when injuries and AFCON absences are hitting squads hard.
Lastly, if you need to play your Triple Captain chip in GW19, decide on your most effective balance between fixtures and form. Leading scorer Haaland has often been a popular choice, though Manchester City do face a tricky test at a Sunderland side still unbeaten at home. Hugo Ekitike (£9.1m) is highly likely to spearhead the Liverpool attack against Leeds, and Cunha is ready to face winless former side Wolves with a point to prove after failing to score from eight shots in the reverse fixture at Molineux.
The transfer and team selection deadline for GW19 is this Tuesday at 6pm UK time, so be sure not to miss out as FPL ticks into 2026!
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