With the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweek 2 deadline just a day away, we’ll be hearing from our panel of guest writers and pundits.
Here, eight-time top 10k finisher Zophar hosts his weekly Q&A, taking questions on Cole Palmer (£10.5m) v Bukayo Saka (£10.0m), Crystal Palace picks, Gameweek 1 lessons and more.
You can read his Gameweek 2 team reveal here.
Make sure you sign up for the new season to get all the Member-only articles, tools and features to make 2025/26 your best FPL campaign yet!
Q: Would you keep Cole Palmer for the next three matches, or switch straight to Bukayo Saka with a free transfer this week? Both have appealing fixtures in Gameweek 2.
(via AC/DC AFC)
A: The stat about Cole Palmer’s (£10.5m) lack of goals from open play is well known and we saw little from the Crystal Palace game to give us encouragement about that improving. However, we must remember that it was Palace – they are a very, very good team, and one very organised in defence especially against the big sides.
Enzo Maresca preferred to use the system he used in the second half of last season, where he emphasises control a bit more. This led to Palmer occupying more spaces on the left, rather than his preferred positions on the right. Could this change against West Ham United? Yes. Could it be more of the same? Also yes.
The bottom line is that we don’t know yet, so I think you should give Palmer at least one more game. Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) has a great game in Gameweek 2, of course, but I don’t think Leeds United will be pushovers, like the promoted teams of last season.
Arsenal play Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Newcastle United after Leeds, too, so the fixtures aren’t necessarily favourable for Saka either. You might prefer to use the money for, say, Erling Haaland (£14.0m) instead.
Q: Is Gabriel Gudmundsson a season-keeper with his price and potential attacking returns?
(via theodosios)
A: Gabriel Gudmundsson (£4.0m) looked very attacking on Monday night against Everton but the Toffees’ tactics really played into Leeds’ hands. They dominated that game and Everton were happy to allow crosses into their box. He does look like one of the top picks in the £4.0m bracket right now, though, and Leeds will give anyone a game at Elland Road.
I wouldn’t necessarily look to make a transfer for him if you don’t own him. It’s probably the best clean sheet fixture they will have in a while, and he’s one for the Wildcard.
Q: Is Elliot Anderson at Forest still a nailed starter with the incoming midfielders at Forest (James McAtee and potentially Douglas Luiz)?
(via Mr Turnip 1)
A: I have to apologise to Mr Elliot Anderson (£5.5m) – I clearly wasn’t familiar with his game!
His display against Brentford was not the dull performance of a defensive midfielder. Anderson had more xGI in that game than Palmer did against Palace. Granted, it’s one of the easiest oppositions that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will face this season but with set pieces, open play goal threat, and defensive contribution (DefCon) and bonus potential, he looks like a great pick.
I think Douglas Luiz will play alongside Anderson, not instead of him, and his minutes will continue to be secure. His role and potential might change, however, and he might have to play deeper and do more defensive work. He also might have to give up some set pieces to Luiz, too.
Q: Should we sell Crystal Palace assets (I currently own Daniel Munoz and Ismaila Sarr) given that they might struggle without Eberechi Eze and they are not used to playing twice a week?
(via FPL Sanky)
A: I think the fact that they are in the UEFA Conference League and not the Europa League will mean that they can afford to field a weakened team (even though it sounds like they’re going strong in the play-off) and still progress comfortably in the competition, so rotation and fatigue are not really a major concern yet.
I also think they are well-equipped to deal with Eberechi Eze’s (£7.5m) absence. Adam Wharton (£5.0m) is a fantastic midfielder and his pass to Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) against Chelsea just reminded us what he’s capable of. They’ll likely recruit, as well. Bilal El Khannous continues to be linked with the Eagles and there are some other names in the mix, too.
Q: Stay with Niclas Fullkrug or go for Eliezer Mayenda/Wilson Isidor?
(via @Oliver358912)
A: West Ham offered very little at Sunderland but there’s a very small sample size to judge things. Similarly, you can’t make any conclusions about Eliezer Mayenda (£5.5m) or Wilson Isidor (£5.5m) either; those two might share game-time and there is Marc Guiu (£4.5m) lurking as well. I’d give it at least another week to monitor, and shifting to Igor Thiago (£6.0m) might be better than the £5.5m lads.
Q: What significant conclusions, if any, did you derive from Gameweek 1’s matches?
(via Sheffield Wednesday)
A: As you can tell from the replies to the earlier questions, there are very few ‘conclusions’ that can be drawn from just one Gameweek’s worth of matches. We can draw some inferences, which could be totally wrong, but hey, it’s all we can do at the moment.
Liverpool’s midfield looked quite porous. This should shore up with Ryan Gravenberch (£5.5m) back in there but Florian Wirtz (£8.5m) will have to do his share of defensive work and pressing to keep things tight.
Manchester City looked like they were hungry again and Haaland seemed sharp. How much of it was Wolves making them look good remains to be seen; we need to see how they do against Thomas Frank’s deep block.
Chelsea don’t look like a team with a high ceiling for goals at the moment. Brentford and Wolves might be in the relegation mix. Manchester United have a decent attack and will have some investible FPL options this season, unlike last. The promoted teams won’t be as targetable as last season, at least in their home games.
Again, none of these are ‘significant conclusions’, just observations that might completely go out the window next week!
READ MORE: Zophar’s FPL Gameweek 2 team reveal: Watkins to Haaland?
