As is often the case during an international break, Wildcard usage has spiked in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
According to the results of our on-site poll, just under 45% of site readers who are yet to use the chip will activate it ahead of Gameweek 9:
With that group of managers in mind, we’ll be taking a position-by-position look at the best and most discussed options in each category.
You can read a rundown of the stand-out goalkeepers here, defenders here and midfielders here.
The numbers and visuals you see in this piece are from our Premium Members Area, where you can access Opta player and team data for every single Premier League fixture.
ERLING HAALAND
It’s only been seven league games for Erling Haaland (£12.0m) but the Norwegian already has a remarkable 11 goals and one assist to his name.
As a result, he has an FPL score of 73 points – 23 more than his nearest rival – and is yet to blank at Manchester City.
Furthermore, he also features first or second in the crucial underlying offensive stats, including goal attempts, shots in the box, big chances and expected goals (xG).
Now, Man City play at home in each of their next two matches, hosting Manchester United and Southampton. They do, however, have a Blank Gameweek 12, following the announcement that the match with Arsenal has to make way for the Gunners’ Europa League clash against PSV Eindhoven.
Still, the fixtures to follow suggest FPL managers should simply bench Haaland and rely on their squad to cover.
With Haaland’s ownership now up to an eye-watering 81%, he is simply a must-have for anyone on a Wildcard.
HARRY KANE
Harry Kane (£11.4m) has started the season in fine form, scoring six goals in Tottenham Hotspur’s first seven Premier League matches.
He has also added two assists, with his latest double-digit haul in Gameweek 8 seeing him rise to second in the FPL points table.
Antonio Conte’s approach, meanwhile, is playing to his strengths, with six of his 24 goal attempts this season arriving inside the six-yard box. For context, he managed 13 from 133 shots throughout the whole of 2021/22.
Above: Harry Kane’s goal attempts (shots on target in green) 2022/23
Creatively, he has also impressed, with his 16 created chances at least three more than any other forward in FPL, highlighting his all-round points potential.
As for Spurs, their attack ranks fifth for minutes per xG, with appealing fixtures against Brighton, Everton, Bournemouth and Leeds United to come before we pause for the FIFA World Cup.
It’s also worth noting that Kane is potentially the best captain pick in Gameweek 11, when Liverpool meet Man City at Anfield.
Kane, who is still owned by just over 19% of FPL managers, has blanked just once this season and is one of the leading candidates (arguably the leading candidate) to be Wildcarders’ second premium player alongside Haaland.
ALEKSANDAR MITROVIC
Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.9m) has been in fine form this season, blanking only twice in seven league outings.
In that time, he has scored six goals, despite a tough run of fixtures which has included games against Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal and Brighton, while no player can top his totals of 31 goal attempts or 25 shots in the box.
His 4.38 xG, meanwhile, has only been bettered by premium forwards Haaland and Kane.
The 28-year-old has also mirrored his form at club level for Serbia during the international break, as he netted a hat-trick in the 4-1 victory over Sweden on Saturday.
Now, Fulham have an opportunity to build on an encouraging start, as they sit top of our Season Ticker for fixture difficulty between Gameweeks 9-14. Notably, all of their opponents during that run are currently ranked 10th or below in the table.
Those fixtures suggest Mitrovic can continue providing value, with his ownership now up to 30.8%.
IVAN TONEY
Called up by England for the first time during the international break, Ivan Toney (£7.2m) is another very good option in the mid-price forwards category.
The 26-year-old is the third top-scoring player in FPL so far, averaging 6.7 points per match, thanks to five goals, two assists and eight bonus.
The underlying offensive numbers also stand out, as he ranks among the top five forwards for goal attempts, shots in the box, big chances and xG.
Furthermore, his 11 created chances is only behind Kane and Gabriel Jesus’ (£8.0m) totals, highlighting his all-round points potential.
The fact only Man City, Spurs and Arsenal have scored more often than Brentford’s 15 is also encouraging, with their regular use of an attacking 4-3-3 system ensuring more players are pushed forward than in last season’s 3-5-2.
With particularly appealing fixtures against Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest before the FIFA World Cup, Toney certainly has the platform to deliver.
OTHER CANDIDATES… AND ONES TO AVOID
With seven goal involvements (four goals, three assists) in his first seven Arsenal outings, Gabriel Jesus is a little unfortunate not to feature as one of the main forward candidates. It’s just that the Brazilian faces Spurs and Liverpool in his next two fixtures, before blanking in Gameweek 12, while he is also just one caution away from a one-match ban. Of course, he can still return, it’s just hard to put him ahead of Mitrovic and Toney, given their schedules, especially for those on a Wildcard.
Above: Gabriel Jesus, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ivan Toney’s next four fixtures compared
At just £5.7m, Dominic Solanke is one of the cheapest regular starting forwards in the game, which might be of interest to those on a Wildcard wanting to push more of their funds into midfield. The budget forward has two attacking returns (one goal, one assist) in five appearances, while caretaker manager Gary O’Neil has overseen a three-match unbeaten run since taking charge. Still, even in that time, they rank 19th for minutes per xG, but they do have at least a decent run of fixtures, while Solanke is also on penalties.
Another newly-promoted forward, Brennan Johnson (£5.9m), is slightly more expensive, but has managed two goals in seven appearances and faces Leicester City, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton next.
Elsewhere, Ollie Watkins (£7.2m) is a differential shout with good immediate fixtures, but has blanked in each of his last four matches and also managed just four shots in that time.
A fully fit Patrick Bamford (£7.3m) or Callum Wilson (£7.2m) could potentially be decent picks, but we’ll need to hear from Jesse Marsch and Eddie Howe regarding their fitness levels before talking them up as genuine forward options. Alexander Isak (£7.1m), meanwhile, scored his second goal in three appearances with a penalty in Gameweek 8 but has since withdrawn from international duty with an injury.
Leicester City sit third on our Season Ticker for fixture difficulty between Gameweeks 9-16, with newly-promoted Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth up next, but it’s hard to say which forwards starts. Jamie Vardy (£9.2m) was benched again in Gameweek 8, with Brendan Rodgers acknowledging that age was now a factor with the 35-year-old striker, but could return to face Forest, with his character and leadership qualities possibly needed. Patson Daka (£5.7m) and Kelechi Iheanacho (£6.2m) are the alternatives, although the former is currently flagged.
That leaves Darwin Nunez (£8.9m), who is a big differential but perhaps best monitored for now, maybe until Gameweek 12 when Liverpool face West Ham United, Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Southampton. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£9.0m) is another in the ‘wait-and-see’ group, as he didn’t make a particularly strong impression in Graham Potter’s first match in charge v Salzburg.
GAMEWEEK 9-16 POINTS PREDICTION: WHAT RMT THINKS
Rate my Team (RMT) is a tool designed to give you an approximation of how many FPL points your team will score over a series of Gameweeks.
Our points projections show algorithm-generated predictions for every FPL player both this Gameweek and in future ones.
